Your favorite Non-Cubans

[Murphestopheles]

I recently had a San Cristobal Quintessence that had a semi-Cuban vibe. Also an EP Carillo Encore Majestic that was absolutely delicious. 

[Joeyjojo]

18 hours ago, HoyoFan said:

These are great thanks for the reco. I’ve definitely been noticing I I tend to like Honduran tobacco

If you like Honduran tobacco, then anything by the Eiroa family (Eiroa Classic, CLE or Aladino) might be in your wheel-house?  Some nice classic Corojo flavours with some (for NC) subtle blending. 

[JLH]

10 minutes ago, Joeyjojo said:

If you like Honduran tobacco, then anything by the Eiroa family (Eiroa Classic, CLE or Aladino) might be in your wheel-house?  Some nice classic Corojo flavours with some (for NC) subtle blending. 

The Aladino Cameroon Honduran puro, is outstanding. I think it is the first and maybe only cigar with an Honduran Cameroon wrapper.

Jason

[Hollywood Ninja]

Warped La Colmena, AF Don Carlos and anything Noel Rojas blends feature heavy in my NC collection.


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[idkwhatnametopick]

On 5/4/2022 at 6:22 AM, DikkeSigaar said:

My two cents: all Joya de Nicaragua Obras Maestros lines are very good. Complex, full flavoured, low to medium strength.

I love Joya de Nicaragua. I think other than the Antano 1970 line, none will put you on your ass (then again, I'm not sure exactly what the OP means by too much nicotine).

 

On 5/5/2022 at 6:20 AM, HoyoFan said:

I realized that in posting the original question, I never provided any of my personal favorites thus far:

Had a 1 year aged Illusione CG4 which was outstanding.
Padron thousand series maduro with a few years on them are some of my favorite daily sticks.
Fuente hemingway short story maduros and Anejo have been great as well
Sobremesa Brulee and Brulee Blue 
Southern Draw Rose of Sharon, especially the lancero
Crowned Heads Le Careme, Le Patissier, Las Calaveras
EP Carillo Encore Majestic

So I'm late to the party here, but I'm jumping in because I've tried most of your list and really like or even love these sticks. The Illusione CG4 and Sobremesas are especially amazing smokes. So let me give you a couple other suggestions I haven't seen yet:

- Punch (NC) London Club Maduro. This is a great budget stick, I believe a 5 x 40, that you can probably find for $4 or less per. 

- Tatuaje Havana VI Verocu No. 5. Someone mentioned this line is strong but this particular stick is 4 x 40, also probably less than $4 per.

- Finally, there's a place called Island Smoke Shop in Key Largo, FL that has two house lines, the El Original and the Santiago Cabana. Theres an interesting story behind these but I'll tell you that they're only $6-8 per stick and really good for any price point. You can order at their website. 

[TNT009]

El Septimo Orange Bombs

[joncat]

Nudies

[ReturnFreeRisk]

Can anyone comment generally on experience with Cuban Seed Cigar Company cigars, or provide recommendations on any that stood out to you? Also curious on price/value
Thanks


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[HoyoFan]

On 5/8/2022 at 4:49 PM, Hollywood Ninja said:

Warped La Colmena, AF Don Carlos and anything Noel Rojas blends feature heavy in my NC collection.

I've really been enjoying Stolen Crook, Crook of the Crown which Noel Blended. It's been fantastic. 

 

On 5/9/2022 at 3:11 AM, idkwhatnametopick said:

I love Joya de Nicaragua. I think other than the Antano 1970 line, none will put you on your ass (then again, I'm not sure exactly what the OP means by too much nicotine).

 

So I'm late to the party here, but I'm jumping in because I've tried most of your list and really like or even love these sticks. The Illusione CG4 and Sobremesas are especially amazing smokes. So let me give you a couple other suggestions I haven't seen yet:

- Punch (NC) London Club Maduro. This is a great budget stick, I believe a 5 x 40, that you can probably find for $4 or less per. 

- Tatuaje Havana VI Verocu No. 5. Someone mentioned this line is strong but this particular stick is 4 x 40, also probably less than $4 per.

- Finally, there's a place called Island Smoke Shop in Key Largo, FL that has two house lines, the El Original and the Santiago Cabana. Theres an interesting story behind these but I'll tell you that they're only $6-8 per stick and really good for any price point. You can order at their website. 

Thanks so much!

[HoyoFan]

This arrived today thanks to you guys. Excited to try these!

[ParkitoATL]

On 5/8/2022 at 1:11 PM, idkwhatnametopick said:

- Punch (NC) London Club Maduro. This is a great budget stick, I believe a 5 x 40, that you can probably find for $4 or less per. 

- Tatuaje Havana VI Verocu No. 5. Someone mentioned this line is strong but this particular stick is 4 x 40, also probably less than $4 per.

We should probably hang out, those are two of my favorites. The Punch London Club Maduro is ridiculously good for a $3 stick, def a bit smoother, more medium and less oomph than the natural wrapped LC, which is VERY full when young. The maduro outperforms many cigars double or triple the price. I'm always kind of astonished at how satisfying these are for such a low price.

Tatuaje Havana VI Verocu No. 5 is a rich delight, although probably a bit strong and peppery for the OP.

[HoyoFan]

We should probably hang out, those are two of my favorites. The Punch London Club Maduro is ridiculously good for a $3 stick, def a bit smoother, more medium and less oomph than the natural wrapped LC, which is VERY full when young. The maduro outperforms many cigars double or triple the price. I'm always kind of astonished at how satisfying these are for such a low price.
Tatuaje Havana VI Verocu No. 5 is a rich delight, although probably a bit strong and peppery for the OP.

What are your guys thoughts on the regular Havana VI?

[Islandboy]

Man, I had a Caldwell “The King is Dead” last night from a sampler I received - it was quite a unique taste treat. I was getting mocha, baking spices and vanilla, then I looked up some tasting notes, and there it was: Whopper candy!!

May have to go back for more on this one.

[HoyoFan]

Man, I had a Caldwell “The King is Dead” last night from a sampler I received - it was quite a unique taste treat. I was getting mocha, baking spices and vanilla, then I looked up some tasting notes, and there it was: Whopper candy!!
May have to go back for more on this one.

Got this one sitting in the humidor resting

[ParkitoATL]

43 minutes ago, HoyoFan said:

What are your guys thoughts on the regular Havana VI?

I've smoked the 6x46 and 6x38 sizes. Both remind me a lot of a RyJ, lots of medium flavor, warm spice, not much pepper. Not crazy complex but very enjoyable at a good price.

[Bill Hayes]

Your preferred tastes are kind of opposite to mine but I did the same thing. Try and age the Cubans and have the occasional NC in between. I mostly chose winter though and Maduros to enjoy with stout or dark rum. But I found the Arturo Fuentes Hemingway series to be more on the dried hay, woody side, although not with the creaminess of hoyo. A touch of pepper and closer to mid than mild. The other is the Oliva Serie V Melanio. I love these, especially the Churchill but you might find a bit too much pepper perhaps and mid/full but in that kind of flavour profile that I assume you prefer, yet no cream really. I also love the EP Carillo Encore Majestic but it is a bit peppery but very complex for a NC and around mid I reckon. The other way to go is maduro which can add sweetness but also pepper in some. If you like a big banger 6X6 I like the Rocky Patel Edge Battalion Maduro - the size lets the flavours develop from mild to mid. More barnyard and some forest mulch, toasty than full on pepper like a Partagas. Smoke half, have a rum and be done. Ha ha! The My Father Le Bijou 1922 Maduro is in the same boat IMHO but not so much barnyard and mulch but more espresso and dark chocolate and mild to mid. I usually stick to what I like but with my limited experience in NC and Davidoff, I would explore that brand. I found them somewhere between RYJ and Hoyo in flavour profile but my memory may be a bit warped, so don't take it as gospel. All the best with your search. Cheers

[Gatorben]

I have really enjoyed pretty much everything I have tried from any of the Curivari lines.  The Buenaventura Cremas and Gloria De Leon Gran Domino may be my favorites from them now.

Most of their sticks are Nicaraguan puros (a few lines have San Andres wrappers however), but unlike most Nicaraguans I don’t find them to be pepper bombs or nicotine hammers, and they seem to be aiming for Cubanesque flavors where most new world producers do not.

They are pretty cheap (most in the $5-10 range), but to my taste punch well above their price point.

[Smokin911]

17 hours ago, ParkitoATL said:

We should probably hang out, those are two of my favorites. The Punch London Club Maduro is ridiculously good for a $3 stick, def a bit smoother, more medium and less oomph than the natural wrapped LC, which is VERY full when young. The maduro outperforms many cigars double or triple the price. I'm always kind of astonished at how satisfying these are for such a low price.

Tatuaje Havana VI Verocu No. 5 is a rich delight, although probably a bit strong and peppery for the OP.

How does the Punch London Club Maduro compare to the Punch London Club EMS.   Thanks. 

[Paladin865]

Hoyofan, mentioned Caldwell cigars. Good ones from them are The Last  Tsar and Anastasia if you can find them

[idkwhatnametopick]

On 5/10/2022 at 9:31 AM, ParkitoATL said:

We should probably hang out, those are two of my favorites. The Punch London Club Maduro is ridiculously good for a $3 stick, def a bit smoother, more medium and less oomph than the natural wrapped LC, which is VERY full when young. The maduro outperforms many cigars double or triple the price. I'm always kind of astonished at how satisfying these are for such a low price.

Tatuaje Havana VI Verocu No. 5 is a rich delight, although probably a bit strong and peppery for the OP.

Ha, right on. Same as far as being astonished at how satisfying the Punch London Club Maduro is. I'm like, wait, I couldn't have only paid $3 for this... You're right about the Tatuaje, I forget that it's fairly strong esp. for the size.

 

15 hours ago, Smokin911 said:

How does the Punch London Club Maduro compare to the Punch London Club EMS.   Thanks. 

I didn't find the London Club EMS to be as flavorful (haven't had one in 2.5 years though). It was definitely good for the price but it didn't wow me at all. Basically hickory and pepper.

[ParkitoATL]

19 hours ago, Smokin911 said:

How does the Punch London Club Maduro compare to the Punch London Club EMS.   Thanks. 

I found the EMS to smoke much heavier and denser, very full. It's the one where people say "man that cigar stinks!" Really took about six months to settle down.

The Maduro is much smoother, even after three months. Kind of like a blended red wine, the Dominican/Honduran/Nicaraguan filler is very nicely balanced, best of all worlds.

Honestly, I enjoyed my most recent London Club maduro as much as the Fuente Short Story maduro I smoked the day before.

[Justins123]

Took some inspiration from this thread (and the absurd increase in cost for Cubans) and bought my first boxes of NCs in 20 years. Used to be a big fan of Padrons and Fuentes until the Cuban bug bit.  Still have some original release Anjeos and VSGs buried somewhere in the humidor. 

Got a box of Padron 1964 superior natural and, from the suggestions here, a box of Sobremesa Brûlée Blue and some Henry Clay singles. 

[EnigmatiC]

On 5/6/2022 at 11:07 PM, Murphestopheles said:

I recently had a San Cristobal Quintessence that had a semi-Cuban vibe. Also an EP Carillo Encore Majestic that was absolutely delicious. 

 

I am a fan of the Quintessence and you can get them pretty damn cheap like around $5 a stick.

[HoyoFan]

8 hours ago, Justins123 said:

Took some inspiration from this thread (and the absurd increase in cost for Cubans) and bought my first boxes of NCs in 20 years. Used to be a big fan of Padrons and Fuentes until the Cuban bug bit.  Still have some original release Anjeos and VSGs buried somewhere in the humidor. 

Got a box of Padron 1964 superior natural and, from the suggestions here, a box of Sobremesa Brûlée Blue and some Henry Clay singles. 

I have to say that the Padron thousand series in Maduro becomes something really special after a year or two. And for around $180/box I think can seriously give some cubans a run for their money. I think of them similar to PLPCs. Buy a box, put it in the back of the humidor and forget about it for a year or two. In the meantime, smoke the previous year's box. Repeat

[Justins123]

2 hours ago, HoyoFan said:

I have to say that the Padron thousand series in Maduro becomes something really special after a year or two. And for around $180/box I think can seriously give some cubans a run for their money. I think of them similar to PLPCs. Buy a box, put it in the back of the humidor and forget about it for a year or two. In the meantime, smoke the previous year's box. Repeat

Nice. I’ll give that a go too. 1964s are pretty spendy.