First Impressions & Second Chances

[A Huge Nerd]

I was talking with some friends about this and wanted to start the conversation with BOTL.

What cigar(s) did you try once or twice and just did not like at all? Maybe you even classified it as a dog-rocket! Then, you gave it a second or third chance and now you consider it to be a very good, maybe even a great cigar.

For me, it was the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial. First one I had was just plain awful, which was surprising after all the good press it received upon release. I tried it again a few months later and loved it. Now, I consider it a stick I would gladly reach for at any time. It just goes to show that giving a second chance to a particular stick can really expand your personal preference portfolio.

 

[StogieNinja]

Anything with a habano or corojo wrapper.

When I started, I just didn't have a palate for them. I wanted earthy, sweet, chocolately maduros. Corojos were, to my inexperienced palate, all pepper and spice but flat.

Now that I've been smoking for a few years, some of my absolute favorites are corojos and habanos. In the bargain stick category, it's so much easier to find a quality habano or corojo wrapper than it is to find a decent maduro.

 

[Hoshneer]

I was gonna leave a comment but @StogieNinja already said what was on my mind.

 

[TheFuzz]

Viaje Sticks almost all of them. Once you learn how to swim through all the nicotine flavor is easier to pick apart

 

[Shrody234]

Tat Black CG...I don't know why but the first one I had I didn't like, at all! Most who enjoy Tatuaje love that smoke so I decided to give it another go and now I see the light-GREAT smoke and heavy one that Cuban style "twang" I love. First one must have been a dud

 

[A Huge Nerd]

Tat Black CG...I don't know why but the first one I had I didn't like, at all! Most who enjoy Tatuaje love that smoke so I decided to give it another go and now I see the light-GREAT smoke and heavy one that Cuban style "twang" I love. First one must have been a dud

That's what I figure it was with mine. Even the best cigars can have a bad apple slip through the QC department. I had a Padron 26 about a month ago that was tar-ball city! I could not believe that was happening with a Padron. Obviously that is just a bad one that slipped through. Too bad I'm the one who paid big bucks for it!

 

[CeeGarOne]

This may come off as blasphemy but, Opus X. I tried one along with a God of Fire and I was like meh, don't believe they hype. Then, I let the Opus X rest for almost 4 years and I was amazed what downtime did for this stick. Unfortunately, simply based on price alone, I never revisited the GoF.

 

[Sirspanksalot]

Regular undercrown, then tried the corona viva..yum

 

[Shrody234]

That's what I figure it was with mine. Even the best cigars can have a bad apple slip through the QC department. I had a Padron 26 about a month ago that was tar-ball city! I could not believe that was happening with a Padron. Obviously that is just a bad one that slipped through. Too bad I'm the one who paid big bucks for it!

I had a ehhhh 26 before too, but the next one was worth every penny. Def revisit that one if you haven't already

 

[A Huge Nerd]

I had a ehhhh 26 before too, but the next one was worth every penny. Def revisit that one if you haven't already

Absolutely. It wasn't my first and won't be my last. I was just surprised that a Padron 26 failed on me. Maybe I need to buy full boxes from now on... you know, just to keep up with box coded for QC.

 

[daleo8803]

Eastern standard. Hated the first one but the second was awesome. A few months down time really helps.

 

[SailorAg]

The first DGP Blue that I smoked tasted like @Stogie_Bear's beard sweat. I had another a few years later and it was pretty good.

 

[multi-useless]

Eastern standard. Hated the first one but the second was awesome.

Ditto that, same for the TKID. Tried each in a small RG and didn't think much of them, but both were much better in a larger RG. Which is odd, because I'm usually not partial to either smaller or larger RGs. So I'm not sure if the RG made the difference for me, or if I just hadn't developed a taste for them yet.

 

[mark_j]

Regular undercrown, then tried the corona viva..yum

Yeah, the CV really is a different, better, cigar than the original lineup, but I like them both so doesn't qualify me for this thread.
The Anejo 888 really sticks in my mind as a memorable second chance experience. The first one I smoked was harsh and needed rest. The others since then have made the 888 my favorite Anejo.

 

[Bearclaw]

When I first started smoking, I was buying strictly at a b&m. Those smokes were torched within a week and all seemed to smoke great. Some time later I started buying online and took a similar approach- began catching off flavors and wasn't liking what I thought I liked before. I've since decided to rest almost everything I buy around a month, and wow what a difference. I think a month or more of down time makes a huge difference in most everything I'm buying these days.