Recommend??

[Gar]

Hello all,

New to the forum but been into NCs for years. I tend to favor Illusione (CG4) and tatuaje (noella, mummy, black label) profiles. I lean towards spice and complexity. I also prefer 48 rg or smaller, but willing to try others too. I am looking to see what corona, corona gorda, or lancero some of you might recommend in a CC. I had a cohiba corona many years ago and thought it was quite good. My CC experience is limited so I was hoping to tap into your experience. Anyone here enjoy a similar NC profile and really dig a particular CC or is it such a different thing? I am looking to expand my horizons. Thanks in advance for any help.

Edit: forgot to mention that I have tried to figure this out by reading posts etc. "On paper". I suspect bolivar and h. Upmann would be good starts. I realize buying a bunch of singles would be a good approach, but my lack of hands on experience makes me trust a box purchase a bit better for authenticity. I also would like to have boxes so I can age them too. At least that seems a good way to go to experience the full range of a vitola.

 

[Trent0341]

Hey Gar,
I'm a big Tatuaje fan myself. I can certainly appreciate the enthusiasm that Pete. JD, and Dion bring to the table. I'll always smoke Tats and DE.

That being said I smoke CCs probably 90% of the time. For me the taste really aren't comparable. One of my favorite CCs of all time is the Cohiba Lancero. It may be worth it for you to try since you already had a good experience with Cohiba. A shorter winter smoke that you may enjoy is the Cohiba Siglo II (a petit corona). There are a plethora of corona (in all its variations) sized cigars.

Since you mentioned spice and complexity maybe take a look at the Bolivar and Partagas marcas. I'm sure others will chime in with their favorites and give you a good starting point. Best of luck to you!

 

[Gar]

Thanks for the quick response. I thought about Cohiba or Monte, but with them being more highly faked I thought I would have a higher probability of success with other brands. At least until I can identify the Cuban flavor by taste and/or smell. Also thought I could afford a few more boxes of others first. But you are right, that Cohiba years ago left an impression!

I also saw some h. Upmann 46 from 2005 boxes. Seemed odd to be selling those and not 06, 07, 08 etc. Is that typical or did 05s get passed over because it was not a great year or h. Upmanns have peaked and are losing something?

 

[Gar]

Giving this some more thought and research. From a size stand point I see a lot of recs for Bolivar petit corona, H. Upmann 46, Cohiba Siglo IV, and Montecristo #3. I do not hear much about Punch punch? Any good? Thanks.

 

[Knickerbocker]

stay away from punch post 2005.

 

[pbibby]

stay away from punch post 2005.

Not to thread jack, but why?

Sent from my SCH-R530U using Tapatalk 2

 

[Trent0341]

Smoked a 2011 Punch Punch recently.... Mediocre at best.

Out of those you listed I like the H. Upmann 46 and the Cohiba Siglo IV. From what you said in your second post I'd go with the H. Upmann 46 out of those. That being said taste is so subjective (for example I love the RyJ Exh No. 4 but you wont find many that agree) you'll probably get as many answers as you do responses.

 

[John75]

stay away from punch post 2005.

Not to thread jack, but why?

Punch reblended a couple of years ago and they haven't been the same since. I think it happened in '05 like Knickerbocker said.

As far as a recommendation I would definitely go for the Bolivar PC - that was the recommendation that I was given as a good place to start and it was dead on. It's a pretty good example of the Habano flavor profile. fairly strong and it displays that "twang" that you hear about. It's also not that expensive for a box of 25 and they are pretty damn good right off the truck, heck some folks prefer them fresh.

Personally I'm a big fan of the RASS (Ramon Allones Specially Selected) it's a great robusto with really nice flavors, it's also a pretty good bargain - I'm a big fan of the Tatuaje Brown labels, and I think the profile of the RASS is in line with those, although no pepper hits and the RASS is more sweet and distinct, but the body and transitions seem similar to me. Others may completely disagree . You said you like complex and spicy, that pretty much says Partagas to me as far as CC's are concerned. Snag a box of varnished 898's give them some time in the humidor and you'll be in heaven. Those sticks are all kinds of good. Although they really aren't in line with the size that you mentioned.

 

[John75]

Giving this some more thought and research. From a size stand point I see a lot of recs for Bolivar petit corona, H. Upmann 46, Cohiba Siglo IV, and Montecristo #3. I do not hear much about Punch punch? Any good? Thanks.

Also don't dismiss the PLPC - Por Larrañaga Petit Corona. Those are a really nice Petite Corona - No harshness, woody and sweet. A real good smoke.

 

[Trent0341]

stay away from punch post 2005.

Not to thread jack, but why?

Punch reblended a couple of years ago and they haven't been the same since. I think it happened in '05 like Knickerbocker said.

As far as a recommendation I would definitely go for the Bolivar PC - that was the recommendation that I was given as a good place to start and it was dead on. It's a pretty good example of the Habano flavor profile. fairly strong and it displays that "twang" that you hear about. It's also not that expensive for a box of 25 and they are pretty damn good right off the truck, heck some folks prefer them fresh.

Personally I'm a big fan of the RASS (Ramon Allones Specially Selected) it's a great robusto with really nice flavors, it's also a pretty good bargain - I'm a big fan of the Tatuaje Brown labels, and I think the profile of the RASS is in line with those, although no pepper hits and the RASS is more sweet and distinct, but the body and transitions seem similar to me. Others may completely disagree . You said you like complex and spicy, that pretty much says Partagas to me as far as CC's are concerned. Snag a box of varnished 898's give them some time in the humidor and you'll be in heaven. Those sticks are all kinds of good. Although they really aren't in line with the size that you mentioned.

I would agree with the Partagas 898 advice. Especially since rumor has it those will be discontinued in the near future. For the record I also like RASS quite a bit and think it would be a good place to look.

Of course I haven't been much of a fan of the Bolivar marca in general but I'm going to work my way threw them again in the next few months to see if it was just me or some bad boxes.

 

[Trent0341]

Giving this some more thought and research. From a size stand point I see a lot of recs for Bolivar petit corona, H. Upmann 46, Cohiba Siglo IV, and Montecristo #3. I do not hear much about Punch punch? Any good? Thanks.

Also don't dismiss the PLPC - Por Larrañaga Petit Corona. Those are a really nice Petite Corona - No harshness, woody and sweet. A real good smoke.

Have these been smoking great ROTT recently? The last young one I had (a 2011 I think) definitely needed more time.

 

[John75]

I would agree with the Partagas 898 advice. Especially since rumor has it those will be discontinued in the near future. For the record I also like RASS quite a bit and think it would be a good place to look.

Of course I haven't been much of a fan of the Bolivar marca in general but I'm going to work my way threw them again in the next few months to see if it was just me or some bad boxes.

Yep, I've heard the same, I'm gonna have to order a couple of boxes of those in a few months. Save them up for special occasions.

Honestly I'm right there with you as far as the Bolivar line is concerned. I really don't like them other than the PC. The larger RG ones seem to just kick my rear. The PC, to me, is really kind of unique to the line, I think the smaller size keeps it from getting to be too much and really it does sort of broadly capture the Habano profile. When I stared down the slope it was the first cigar that everyone told me I should start with and I think they were right. It's not the best Habano, but they really show you why CC's are different from the NC stuff.

 

[John75]

Giving this some more thought and research. From a size stand point I see a lot of recs for Bolivar petit corona, H. Upmann 46, Cohiba Siglo IV, and Montecristo #3. I do not hear much about Punch punch? Any good? Thanks.

Also don't dismiss the PLPC - Por Larrañaga Petit Corona. Those are a really nice Petite Corona - No harshness, woody and sweet. A real good smoke.

Have these been smoking great ROTT recently? The last young one I had (a 2011 I think) definitely needed more time.

That is a tough question, yes and no. I had some from a Jan 12 box that were awesome. Then I had some from a Aug 11 box and they tasted way too young. Odd to me that the 4-5 month younger box was better. I think the 11's might be in their sick period and the '12 I had hadn't hit it yet.

They are definitely hit or miss young. Over two years on them and they are good to go. I really like the couple of '10's that a friend gave me, those are why I bit and bought a couple of boxes. I probably won't touch those fro a good while. I have a bunch of PSD 4's that are in their prime that I'm going to go through.

The RASS has been smoking great ROTT. I haven't had a bad one of those ever. I'm convinced that they don't have a sick period.

 

[TimEye]

Thanks for the quick response. I thought about Cohiba or Monte, but with them being more highly faked I thought I would have a higher probability of success with other brands. At least until I can identify the Cuban flavor by taste and/or smell. Also thought I could afford a few more boxes of others first. But you are right, that Cohiba years ago left an impression!

I also saw some h. Upmann 46 from 2005 boxes. Seemed odd to be selling those and not 06, 07, 08 etc. Is that typical or did 05s get passed over because it was not a great year or h. Upmanns have peaked and are losing something?

Gar, if you're talking about the same 05 Mag 46 I've seen, it's probably because those are not in boxes, but cardboard packs. Many people avoid the cardboard packs, but I have never had any trouble. I even picked up a pack ( 5 x 3 ) of those 05's and they are pretty damn good! I could also recommend the Partagas Super Partagas, it's a corona ( Cremas 5.5 X 40 ) that is really an excellent cigar.... they can be had for around $100 per box, plus or minus twenty bucks depending on where you get them. Again, the Siglo II's are good, and the Siglo IV's are great ( Corona Gorda )! I can also highly recommend Partagas Shorts and Bolivar Coronas Junior. Good luck and enjoy your hunt!

 

[TimEye]

Smoked a 2011 Punch Punch recently.... Mediocre at best.

Out of those you listed I like the H. Upmann 46 and the Cohiba Siglo IV. From what you said in your second post I'd go with the H. Upmann 46 out of those. That being said taste is so subjective (for example I love the RyJ Exh No. 4 but you wont find many that agree) you'll probably get as many answers as you do responses.

It's true; there isn't a lot of love for the RyJ marca, but one of the best cigars I've ever smoked was a RyJ Exhibicion No.3 ( a Corona Gorda ) from 06! Most do need some age to really come around, but I liked those 06 so much I am buying the rest of the box off of the BOTL who gifted me the single. Having said that, I have smoked more than one RyJ that left something to be desired.

 

[smokem94]

Cohiba Siglo VI, Siglo IV, and PSD4 are my recommendations

 

[Trent0341]

Thanks for the replies John and Tim

John,
I agree with you about the RASS. They seem to range from good to great for me. I have several boxes put up for aging (one is my avatar) and some for smoking now. Interestingly enough there was a thread over on FoH about how aged/well feremented tobacco was stockpiled and that there was a shortage of boxes leading to stockpiles of unboxed sticks http://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=113502. I don't know how much of this is fact and how much is speculation but it may explain why it seems lately a lot of the marcas are smoking better ROTT.

Tim,
I've been fairly lucky with RyJ. I can only remember one (recently that I didn't enjoy).

Gar,
You really can't go wrong with any of the advice here. Pick a couple and work your way through them. You'll find out what you like and what doesn't work for you. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[Donk]

I guess my advise would be, where is your main price point per box. You can get 10,000 different recomendations, but if you can't afford any of them they are no good. So say you are a younger guy just getting into CC smoking and cant afford much more than $150 a box. Then that is where we give our advise, keeping our recomendations to that price range. So where is your price range?

 

[Hot_Sauce]

Partagas 898's and Serie D4's is what it sounds like you are looking for.

 

[Bass man]

Smoked a 2011 Punch Punch recently.... Mediocre at best.

Out of those you listed I like the H. Upmann 46 and the Cohiba Siglo IV. From what you said in your second post I'd go with the H. Upmann 46 out of those. That being said taste is so subjective (for example I love the RyJ Exh No. 4 but you wont find many that agree) you'll probably get as many answers as you do responses.

It's true; there isn't a lot of love for the RyJ marca, but one of the best cigars I've ever smoked was a RyJ Exhibicion No.3 ( a Corona Gorda ) from 06! Most do need some age to really come around, but I liked those 06 so much I am buying the rest of the box off of the BOTL who gifted me the single. Having said that, I have smoked more than one RyJ that left something to be desired.

Those 06 EX#3s are nice smokes. I stocked up. Saved a lot of money over Siglo IVs.