I agree.HE Lonsdale was/is the best thing DE ever produced. Milk and honey the whole stick. Top 10 NC for sure.
They sell a lot of Liga/UC stuff at my local shop but they are so over priced. So many better cigars for less money.
I agree.HE Lonsdale was/is the best thing DE ever produced. Milk and honey the whole stick. Top 10 NC for sure.
#notedMy B&M is always stocked with the full Liga line plus a lot of their special releases. I'll grab one every now & then. They're pricey, but they burn forever, so I feel like that adds value.
What I'm never short of in my personal stock is the HE. I still smoke those quite often. One of my favorites.
You uses to be able to snag boxes of t52 and 9s for 60 on the devil sight. I think o paid 90 for my boxes at the shops. The old t52 and personal blends that have the stained bands are still really good. I've tried some here and there and they all have had notably flaking and construction issues. Especially the dirty rats.My local carries most of the Unico series(Dirty Rats, L40's, FFP, UF13) as well as a few vitolas from the T52 and 9 line. They have gone up dramatically, though. I remember when the Dirty Rat was $12(which is a lot for a corona) and now they're $15.10. They're expensive but I like to smoke them when I can because I haven't found a cigar that tastes similar.
60 for a box of ligas?!?!?! Still overpricedYou uses to be able to snag boxes of t52 and 9s for 60 on the devil sight. I think o paid 90 for my boxes at the shops. The old t52 and personal blends that have the stained bands are still really good. I've tried some here and there and they all have had notably flaking and construction issues. Especially the dirty rats.
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Dang, that's crazy! Back in the good ole days I guess!You uses to be able to snag boxes of t52 and 9s for 60 on the devil sight. I think o paid 90 for my boxes at the shops. The old t52 and personal blends that have the stained bands are still really good. I've tried some here and there and they all have had notably flaking and construction issues. Especially the dirty rats.
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I cannot agree more with everything Derek has said here. I also kind of miss the days when Liga was big because the quality was better and I thought they were great cigars.I started this hobby loving maduros. Anything dark, chocolately, with sweetness and cedar. To this day, nothing quite hit that mark like a Liga Privada No 9 did back then. I loved the Dirty Rat, the milk chocolate and red pepper flake spice. I still think that LP has some of the best branding of all time.
It is my personal opinion that quality did decrease at some point, either directly pre-Swisher, or after. I don't think Swisher ownership directly requested a decrease in quality, but my theory is that production was ramped up to either make the company more attractive, or else directed by Swisher after, which meant that lower-quality tobacco was being used.
I don't think Drew Estate has fallen off, I think it's the opposite. Drew Estate is a major player, and one that is prevalent in a lot of retailers' humidors. They're mainstream. It feels like they have decreased in stature to some of the forum folks because they're not boutique anymore. LEs are widely available and produced in much higher quantities, so they're not $100/stick on the secondary market. The collectors and resellers aren't going bananas, which in turn makes them seem less "hot." And Saka and JD are not all over social media like they once were. I remember when both were here regularly, chatting it up and answering questions. Good times, those.
I think the HE LE14 was better than the Lonsdale.HE Lonsdale was/is the best thing DE ever produced. Milk and honey the whole stick. Top 10 NC for sure.
I think the HE LE14 was better than the Lonsdale.
Everyone is entitled to their own confused opinion. Chuck is a perfect example.
Topes was the best LE of 2016Everyone is entitled to their own confused opinion. Chuck is a perfect example.
DE was around 18 years ago?I thought they were crap. Never, ever, smoked one I liked Like 18 years ago, but still.