Interesting Read on "2nds"

[tsimonitis]

http://www.stogiereview.com/2009/11/14/ask-the-readers-your-thoughts-on-seconds/

I found this to be an interesting read. Wanted to share it and ask for any thoughts or opinions.

I have had a few seconds and have found them to be on par with the original. If it means saving money and getting the same smoke i'm all for producing a line of 2nds.

Thoughts???

 

[SkinsFanLarry]

http://www.stogiereview.com/2009/11/14/ask-the-readers-your-thoughts-on-seconds/

I found this to be an interesting read. Wanted to share it and ask for any thoughts or opinions.

I have had a few seconds and have found them to be on par with the original. If it means saving money and getting the same smoke i'm all for producing a line of 2nds.

Thoughts???

I'm with you there my brother, I tried one this past weekend that was suppose to be similar, not a 2nd, of the RP Edge Corojo and I thought I was gonna puke. But I have had 2nd's that you really couldn't tell the difference from the original.

If it meets your flavor and strength profile from the original why not buy 2nd's.

 

[PLUSH]

That is an interesting read. I do not buy too many seconds, maybe have only done so twice. As stated in the article, I think the "seconds" market is a market within itself. I mean come on, we can't even properly regulate our water quality, you think there is some cigar protection agency that is verifying that these cigars are of the same quality as the originals, only in the fact, they may have some blemishes, or may be off-color. The "seconds" or "closeouts", I have bought were the Little Havana Overruns.

 

[tenuki]

Interesting info - something I've been wondering about myself.

 

[e-man67]

Perdomo ESV 91 seconds are as good as the nons....I love them.

 

[sgresso]

I have bought some JR 2'nd that are the punch robustos and HDM robustos. They are as good as the firsts and age just as well.
These are the ones I have smoked and liked.
PUNCH ROTHSCHILD
HOYO ROTHSCHILD
FUENTE HEMINGWAY SIGNATURE

at a $1-2 a stick these are great smokes and age VERY well.

just my .02

 

[Volusianator]

Perdomo ESV 91 seconds are as good as the nons....I love them.

We have a regular at our lounge that says the same thing, swears by them.

 

[gibbleguts]

Habanos hasn't produce seconds in years so I have little experience with them. There were some good ones in the lat 90's though

 

[Ed Monton]

Perdomo ESV 91 seconds are as good as the nons....I love them.

Have 10 of them resting in the humi but haven't tried them yet. Looking forward to it though.

 

[ctaylor]

I have never bought seconds, but for the price they are a great buy.

 

[Halon]

Perdomo ESV 91 seconds are as good as the nons....I love them.

That's weird, because I am like 95% sure that Perdomo's seconds are not the same blend, and that the 'seconds' idea is all just marketing.
Heard it from a coworker who talked to Nick Perdomo at one of the RTDAs.

 

[Private Yesman]

I never really paid attention. I was fortunate to visit the Rocky Patel factory with my local B&M. There is a quality control room where workers are simply sorting out the premiums and seconds. I was blow away that just a small simple discolor on the wrapper was rejected. They were such trivial flaws, that half of them were pointed out before I really caught on. I then realized the cigars we were all smoking were seconds.

After witnessing it, I was sold. Hell, I even have pics of it I'll post here real quick

 

[WMGF]

Well I know the Perdomo line Mistakes was a mistake but now CI orders them specifically so they're their own line rather than seconds/defects... At least that's what they say.

 

[Cigary43]

I believe that early on the program for "seconds" were actually honest until they learned there is a market for "seconds" in the marketplace. It's up to each manufacturer as to how they release these and whether they are truly the same cigar only with a "blemish" to them. Like any company does they try to limit waste and if there is a market for their waste and it makes them money you can bet they are going to feed that industry. The problem lies with those who are able to tell the difference. I like RP Vintage cigars and will often buy the "seconds" and have for the last couple of years. Lately, in the last couple of orders I have been able to tell a difference in the quality and if this persists I won't buy seconds of this anymore. If people do not complain about it they will continue to market these same cigars as they always do. It's up to the consumer to give them feedback. If we don't then we get exactly what we deserve,,,second quality cigars.

 

[Private Yesman]

One beef with the 2nds is their draw. In the patel factory, every cigar is ran through a draw tester. Those that don't pass are instantly moved to 2nds.

The bundles come out of the aging room after 8 weeks.(bundles the were previously sorted by color wrapper).

These are sorted once again to ensure the consistency of the color wrapper. Any cigars with flaws or defects in wrappers were separated and the premiums were sorted in that large box over against the wall. The number of the 2nds pulled were unbelievable. Almost half of were.




link to all of the photos

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1208516@N25/

 

[GreekGodX]

I'd have to believe RP has that many seconds because of the volume of cigars he pumps out. Honestly I wouldn't touch a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th from Rocky.

 

[GoingPostal]

Have conflicting feelings on 2nds. Like the blog said how do you define a second? is it from second rate tobacco or just doesn't meet standards. I also feel that if you have a lot of 2nds coming out does that mean your QA is really good or is production standards that bad. The only 2nd i've tried is the perdomo esv 91. love it so that's what i stick with. seems to me that the 2nds label is a way for cigar makers to release sub par sticks while using there name to sell em. i've babledd on long enough those are my .02

 

[debo0775]

Seconds are a decent way to jump into higher end cigars without paying higher end prices. Granted, you're going to have construction issues (wrapper flaws, draw issues, burn issues, etc), but you're getting a fairly similar product at a much reduced price. I have a bundle of some of the early Vintage 92s, and they're fantastic. The burn is sometimes a little off, and the wrapper is ridiculously thin, but the flavor is comparable to the real thing. It is different, but when it comes out to something like $1.20 after taxes, I'm not going to complain much.

With that said, as was mentioned and discussed further on, some seconds have almost become another line (esp. in RP cigars). While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, it really isn't a 'second' but rather a 'discount' cigar IMO.

I take them for what they are - a lower quality cigar that smokes similarly to the real thing. If you like it, great. If not, you won't feel guilty about throwing it out only an inch or two in at <$2 a stick.

 

[smokinghole]

I don't know much about 2nds from the catalogs but where I work we carry what are Davidoff 2nds. I forget where we get them but they are standard davidoff cigars that davidoff turns away because of wrapper blemishes and what not. They sell for between $4.50 (robusto) and $5.50 (double r) a piece. They are some of our best sellers and the golf courses LOVE to have them in their humidors. This is what I'm told. Those that know more about how davidoff operates may be able dispell my claims.

 

[stroke]

This is just my opinion, but I'm sure they all dispose of they sub-par stogies some how. Maybe some sell to machine rolled cigar co's and the others just sell the seconds as is? You have to realize someone like RP or other big names make a killing off of their firsts, so maybe you're paying a standard rate for seconds?

I've had some seconds and enjoyed them, and if you enjoy it then get the seconds and save the money. The Super Premium 2nds are pretty good, split a bundle of them with someone and they're pretty decent. Part of the reason they're cheaper is you're not paying for bands or a box. Just my .02