Greycliff Expresso President

Greycliff Expressos are fairly new in the cigar world and they are made in the Bahamas. I've heard and read a lot about these but never smoked one until this evening. Here's what Famous says about these:

Graycliff Espresso cigars are very full-bodied, with an intense and complex flavor. Introduced in 2003, the Black Label Espresso selection has received kudos from serious cigar smokers as well as exceptional reviews & ratings from industry publications. This richly handsome dark cigar is for the smoker whose palate has evolved to demand something stronger, the Espresso delivers a powerful punch of flavor with every puff.

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These cigars are ridiculously expensive, a box of the Presidents (a Churchill size, 7x48) goes for $479.95 from Famous :0 that's almost $20.00 per stick!!! These guys have a hell of a lot of nerve charging Padron 1926 prices for these cigars because IMO they are far from worth it. These shouldn't sell for more than $4.00 per stick.

The wrapper is classified as "Dark Natural" and while it looks like a maduro, it tastes nothing like one.

Pre-light draw: Fairly loose, not too loose like many budget cigars but NOT the type of draw you'd expect from a $20.00 cigar.

Construction & appearance: The appearance was nothing special and the construction was nothing to write home about either. The cigar was not firm but rather a little on the mushy side, what you'd expect from a cheap cigar.

Burn: About half way through, the cigar started burning crooked due to poor construction, it suffered from incomplete fill in the middle. This cigar put out a thick, grey smoke with a medium grey ash, The cigar burned too hot for my liking.

Taste & flavor: The taste was nothing special and I was extremely disappointed.

Finish: "Finish"? LMAO I didn't even finish this piece of garbage, I put it out with about two inches left as it was barely staying lit.

Overall: This was one of the worst cigars I've smoked in quite a while. While these are considered a "snobby" cigar, these are one of the biggest scams on the market. I mean really, the "Bahamas"? :laugh:

I will NEVER spend the ridiculous amount of money they ask for these cigars, they are a complete rip off.

On the cA rating scale:

78

You're on a tear Bill, two in one night! I've got one stashed in the humi now you took all the fun out of looking forward to it.

See Bill? You should have joined my pass after all :laugh:

Now Bill, you said that it was a four cigar day, and I'm only seeing two reviews. Get on the ball man!

I'm not a fan of graycliff. They are OVERPRICED and not nearly with the buck. I'm with ya on this one bill.

coventrycat86 said:

Taste & flavor: The taste was nothing special and I was extremely disappointed.

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Wow, that sucks. The Espressos I've had, I have thoroughly enjoyed. Very unique coffee/cocoa taste, rather strong but still smooth. As with any cigar, you gotta smoke a few of 'em to be sure, and rule out any "dud" possibilities... but perhaps these just are not your thing.

moki said:

coventrycat86 said:

Taste & flavor: The taste was nothing special and I was extremely disappointed.

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Wow, that sucks. The Espressos I've had, I have thoroughly enjoyed. Very unique coffee/cocoa taste, rather strong but still smooth. As with any cigar, you gotta smoke a few of 'em to be sure, and rule out any "dud" possibilities... but perhaps these just are not your thing.

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I looked so forward to my Expresso, it's been resting in my humi for about 2 months now. Well, coincidentally, I fired it up last night. I have to say, I got the same feelings as CC. It did not seem to me to be in the full-bodied range. I thought it to be in the medium to medium-full. My burn was pretty much even, but towards the end I had to keep relighting it. The after taste wasn't there at all. That was probably what I was most disappointed about - I really enjoy the aftertaste of cigars in this price range, especially the fuller-bodied ones.

It wasn't a BAD cigar, just not a cigar I would pay $20.00 for. Measured against other cigars in the same price range, I found it to be lacking... Just off the top of my head, it matches cigars in the $10 range, IMHO.

You're right, Seizure, I wish I would have had this prior to the Blind Leading the Blind" pass - it would have made it...

Moki, maybe you're right - but I gotta say, I'm not going to drop 20 bucks on this one any time soon. I'm going for the Davidoff Anniversario series.. Yummmm

I've smoked several of em. Always had good luck with em. Worth $20...Probably not. They can sometimes be found at CBid for much less.

I'm a little surprised by this review. My wife and I go to the Bahamas every Thanksgiving and always make our way to GreyCliff for dinner. Afterwards, I pick up an Espresso and smoke it with my coffee (and generally get 2-3 more to take home). I haven't had such a bad experience with these and have enjoyed every one I have had. Definitely not FULL bodied, more along the lines of medium/full with nice coffee/cocoa flavor (as Moki said) and very smooth. Never had any draw issues or uneven burning. I agree it's not a $20 cigar but more like $10-12. Overall I enjoy them and will continue to get more when I am there. YMMV

P.S. Take this assessment with a grain of salt - remember that I also like the Pinar 3000s I have had.

What do they charge at the dinner for the cigars? Me and Alex are heading there in December and i'm thinking of possible picking up a few boxes.

gtphale said:

What do they charge at the dinner for the cigars? Me and Alex are heading there in December and i'm thinking of possible picking up a few boxes.

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If I remember correctly, they are not any cheaper getting them directly from the restaurant than buying them here in the US. :0

You ever do the factory tour?

gtphale said:

You ever do the factory tour?

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Not the factory, just the GreyCliff wine cellar tour. Wow, pretty impressive collection of wine - thay have one bottle worth over $250,000. I've purchased a cigar from them that I watched the guy roll. Very nice restaurant...

cath them on c-bid or find a deal. I liked the flavor of the two that I have had. I feel that they hold their own in the 12-14 dollar range.

gtphale said:

What do they charge at the dinner for the cigars? Me and Alex are heading there in December and i'm thinking of possible picking up a few boxes.

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GT - I was there this last January - don't waste your time - the only possible reason to go is to watch your cigar being made. The prices in the factory are upwards of $20 each - they might have something in the $17-18 range, but are usually "out of stock" (out-of-stock IN THE FACTORY???). Save your time and money and visit a downtown Nassau department store named John Bull - they have a fairly good humidor stocked to the gills with legit ISOM's

On another note, try the local brew named Kalik - kind of light, but good. For rum drinks, you gotta try a Goombay Smash! As for food, find a good local moom-and-pop restaurant and try a dish named Souse - it's an "interesting" experience - also try the conch fritters.

Also, go to the Green Parrot for lunch - best damn burgers I've ever had. It's right across the bridge going to Paradise Island (where Atlantis is). Highly recommend Green Shutters for an afternoon beer, Cafe Matisse for dinner, and as guinnessguy said, John Bull for smokes. The conch chowder and fritters are awesome - you won't be disappointed. Guess I will just miss you guys, wife and I will be there for Thanksgiving week...

Thanks for the heads up MR jungles.
The woman wants to head to atalantis for the afternoon seeing as there are interesting things to do there..might have to go there and pass up the lame graycliffe experience :angry2:

alexgtp said:

Thanks for the heads up MR jungles.
The woman wants to head to atalantis for the afternoon seeing as there are interesting things to do there..might have to go there and pass up the lame graycliffe experience :angry2:

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Don't get me wrong Alex. Grey Cliff is a fantastic restaurant. If you want a nice, elegant, romantic dinner with the woman - take her there. You will not be disappointed, and neither will she. It's the nicest restaurant in Nassau IMO. I just wouldn't go there hoping to get a deal on their cigars that's all. The experience of having an Espresso cigar at Grey Cliff with your after dinner drink is worth the $20 you'll pay for the smoke IMO. We always have dinner at Grey Cliff once or twice when we are there. :thumbs:

Well guess we'll be skipping out on the factory tour. :angry2:

Really figured we could get some deals there.

guinnessguy said:

gtphale said:

What do they charge at the dinner for the cigars? Me and Alex are heading there in December and i'm thinking of possible picking up a few boxes.

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also try the conch fritters.

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Conch Fritters!!! Got talked into those in Jamaica - those were FANTASTIC!!!