I've only been enjoying cigars since last September, but one thing I noticed pretty quickly is that people have strong opinions about cigars from certain makers. There also seems to be the group of people who only concern themselves with higher end brands and CA ratings (probably the affluent newbies), the people who seemingly will smoke anything if it is a good value (probably the heavy smokers), and the people who only care about what their senses tell them when they smoke a cigar. This thread is for the last group who might have a cigar they really enjoy that some might even be embarrassed to admit because it's one that perhaps isn't as highly regarded as a Padron or Arturo Fuente.
When speaking to newbies it seems like they've all been brainwashed that anything by Altadis must be crap because they are a huge tobacco conglomerate and bigger isn't better for cigars. What's more, the hate seems to get even worse if you start talking about brands that have Cuban equivalents by the same name like Montecristo. However, Altadis (and its subsidiaries) didn't get huge selling cigars that nobody smokes, so I'd like to pose the challenge - name your guilty pleasure cigar(s).
They don't have to be from Altadis, but they should be one that you enjoy that you might not be quick to mention because you know someone is going to give you crap about it.
For me, so far I've actually found myself enjoying a Montecristo White nearly as much as the 35 other premium brands I've tried. The ones I've had have been consistently well constructed, the ash has been perfection and the smoke and draw were very good. Combine that with a flavor that might be a little simple, but it's tasty in the same way that a beer is tasty despite not having the flavor complexity of a fine red wine.
Consider the hammer thrown down - name your guilty pleasure cigar! :ccool:
When speaking to newbies it seems like they've all been brainwashed that anything by Altadis must be crap because they are a huge tobacco conglomerate and bigger isn't better for cigars. What's more, the hate seems to get even worse if you start talking about brands that have Cuban equivalents by the same name like Montecristo. However, Altadis (and its subsidiaries) didn't get huge selling cigars that nobody smokes, so I'd like to pose the challenge - name your guilty pleasure cigar(s).
They don't have to be from Altadis, but they should be one that you enjoy that you might not be quick to mention because you know someone is going to give you crap about it.
For me, so far I've actually found myself enjoying a Montecristo White nearly as much as the 35 other premium brands I've tried. The ones I've had have been consistently well constructed, the ash has been perfection and the smoke and draw were very good. Combine that with a flavor that might be a little simple, but it's tasty in the same way that a beer is tasty despite not having the flavor complexity of a fine red wine.
Consider the hammer thrown down - name your guilty pleasure cigar! :ccool:
