10 days NC odyssey

[voxpopulme]

I'd throw out Paul Garmirian into this mix as well. As far as nuance is concerned there are few that compete in the NC world. Of course it is basically a Davidoff, but the extended aging really allows the dominican tobaccos to shine - very similar in overall profile to Byron or Atabey.

[Puros Y Vino]

9 hours ago, El Presidente said:

Anganorsa Lancero

Interesting.  When I first started smoking in 2009 I had a box of Casa Fernandez Lanceros featuring this leaf.  The box didnt last me long.  Id grab another for sure.  Very nice smoke.

[juri]

9 hours ago, Silverstix said:

My Father stuff is usually waaay too much of a pepper bomb for me.  Haven't touched a Rocky Patel since I first started cigar smoking, maybe I'll give one of those Hamlet blends a shot.

pickup a couple of La Opulencia Toro from my father, very mild on the pepper its closer to a padron then anything else very sweet and has a nice balance...... but i know what you mean about my fathers pepper bombs  i remember when 'Le Bijou' got GOTY on CA with a 97!!!!! without a doubt the highest rated cigar i've ever pitched

[Cairo]

6 hours ago, Walter2017-1 said:

Try smoking a Byron

I do have a couple around here somewhere....guess I should actually smoke them at some point.  😀

What happens is that once I find a CC box that is hitting on all cylinders it is hard to stop grabbing them.    Right now I have five year old Bolivar PCs and RASCCs that just will not be denied.

[Ford2112]

19 minutes ago, juri said:

pickup a couple of La Opulencia Toro from my father,

I have one of these resting in my humidor. I will huff it this summer sometime.

[Hollywood Ninja]

For me the winners are:
- Fuente Hemingway
- Tabernacle David
- Davidoff Grand Cru (esp the nicely sized No. 3)
I had an Ashton I liked at a B&M upstate, but can't remember what it was called... wrapper was quite light café crème color, vitola was hermoso or so.
The Padrons and Olivias I had knocked me sideways with nicotine and pepper.
I have discovered that I really like Cameroon wrapper. Closely followed by CT shade.
Would love more recommendations along these lines - mellow and twangy.

Cameroon does it for me too in the NC world. But I have yet to really find much outside of Fuente that does it for me. Way way way back in the day Rocky Patel Vintage 2003 Cameroon were tasty, but I wonder if my preferences have changed.


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[Kevin48438]

Aladino makes fine Cameroon wrapper cigars.

[ChanceSchmerr]

2 hours ago, LordAnubis said:

I had a my father la promesa or some such rubbish on the weekend. I think swishing Hydro Flouric acid around my mouth would be a better experience than that crap

Agreed on La Promesa, I thought it was crapola myself.

NC Lanceros is pretty much what I pick up and try when I'm in the US as well, glad you agree that they really deliver on the flavour side, @El Presidente. Some favorites are the Joya Nicaragua Antano Lancero, Cain F Lancero and the Fuente Don Carlos Lancero (still rare, I think). And anything Illusione!

[Chris P. Bacon]

7 hours ago, El Presidente said:

To be clear, I am not looking for "Cubanesque". 

I am completely leaf agnostic 

Good cigar, well made, with a flavour profile I would like to smoke regularly......and maybe a little journey to keep things interesting. 

Cuban, Nicaraguan, Dominican, Martian.....it doesn't matter. 

Couldn't agree more with your outlook.

[BoliDan]

Get some Dominicans in there.

La Aurora perferidos are fantastic.

[Hollywood Ninja]

Agreed on La Promesa, I thought it was crapola myself.
NC Lanceros is pretty much what I pick up and try when I'm in the US as well, glad you agree that they really deliver on the flavour side, [mention=4]El Presidente[/mention]. Some favorites are the Joya Nicaragua Antano Lancero, Cain F Lancero and the Fuente Don Carlos Lancero (still rare, I think). And anything Illusione!

Oh man, a Don Carlos lance to sounds sublime! Now I’m gonna have to put that on the hunt list.


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[MattxG]

@El PresidenteWhat Joya de Nicaragua Obras Maestras did you smoke?  The Numero Uno was one of the first cigars that really got me into the hobby.  It's one of the few NCs that I commit to full boxes of.  

[El Presidente]

8 hours ago, MattxG said:

@El PresidenteWhat Joya de Nicaragua Obras Maestras did you smoke?  The Numero Uno was one of the first cigars that really got me into the hobby.  It's one of the few NCs that I commit to full boxes of.  

That's the one I enjoyed. 

[DikkeSigaar]

10 hours ago, MattxG said:

@El PresidenteWhat Joya de Nicaragua Obras Maestras did you smoke?  The Numero Uno was one of the first cigars that really got me into the hobby.  It's one of the few NCs that I commit to full boxes of.  

IMHO the best connecticut shade on the market, complex, with nice honeyed, nutty notes. Only criticism is that the final third tends to get a bit muddled and 'dirty' for me. The cinco decadas is also a terrific cigar in the OM line. These and many Illusione cigars are my favourite NC's (that I tasted). Unfortunately the selection of NC's is somewhat limited in Europe. I would love to try more stuff coming out of the Aganorsa Leaf stables.

[El Presidente]

4 minutes ago, DikkeSigaar said:

. Only criticism is that the final third tends to get a bit muddled and 'dirty' for me.

 

Last third "drift"/"Fade" was a common experience. I asked Hamlet why and he put together one hell of an explanation.  I will get it on film when I get back home and put it up on FOH. 

[DikkeSigaar]

9 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

 

Last third "drift"/"Fade" was a common experience. I asked Hamlet why and he put together one hell of an explanation.  I will get it on film when I get back home and put it up on FOH. 

I always assumed it's some sort of build up of less desirable smoke substances like tar. Smaller rgs are definitely more prone to it for me then larger ones. I regularly experience the same with montecarlos for instance. Looking forward to Hamlet's explanation.

[Chibearsv]

19 hours ago, patrickamory said:

I had an Ashton I liked at a B&M upstate, but can't remember what it was called... wrapper was quite light café crème color, vitola was hermoso or so.

Perhaps the Ashton Cabinet series.  I had one on my recent trip to Florida and really enjoyed it.

[Cigar Surgeon]

We review a lot of cigars to get down to a top 25 list, and the 5 gems at the top are typically substantial standouts.  Pricing is a funny thing if you go by average score:

 

And yet if you look at our top 5 for 2021, it goes 1-$12.00, 2-$12.00, 3-$8.00, 4-$9.00, and 5-$13.00.  I typically find a sharp drop off in terms of dollar for flavor once you get over the $14.00 point.

[bassistheplace]

Sans Pareil

[bishop532]

10 hours ago, DikkeSigaar said:

I always assumed it's some sort of build up of less desirable smoke substances like tar. Smaller rgs are definitely more prone to it for me then larger ones. I regularly experience the same with montecarlos for instance. Looking forward to Hamlet's explanation.

I see it just as often if not more in the larger RG new world cigars. I know what you’re talking about with montecarlos but I have always noticed it when they are rolled too tight. A well-rolled montecarlo smokes beautifully until the nub, in my experience. You may be on to something with the tars and impurities building up as you smoke, though. Seems to happen towards the end of a pipe too, with some tobaccos. 

im also curious to hear Hamlets thoughts on the subject. 

[Doctorossi]

@El Presidente, try a Tatuaje Reserva J21 if you can find one. Imagine a Monte 4 on steroids.

[Homer]

I would like to try Tatuaje Miami Noellas but I have not seen them in Europe.

[HoyoFan]

@El Presidente Curious, which Illusione & Aganorsa Lanceros lines are you loving?

[El Presidente]

4 hours ago, HoyoFan said:

@El Presidente Curious, which Illusione & Aganorsa Lanceros lines are you loving?

 

Let me double check on the Ilusione. Will come back to you tomorrow. 

 

 

[dominattorney]

On 5/24/2022 at 8:42 AM, DikkeSigaar said:

I always assumed it's some sort of build up of less desirable smoke substances like tar. Smaller rgs are definitely more prone to it for me then larger ones. I regularly experience the same with montecarlos for instance. Looking forward to Hamlet's explanation.

I've had that on more than too many Fuente Hemingway cigars in almost every size. Trouble is when they don't do that, they're great.