Recent content by Rallones

I don't necessarily agree with it, but I understand why HSA would focus their efforts on a customer base that could afford and would be attracted to limited/special releases (i.e., educated smokers with the coin to afford it, flush newbies/posers who want to look the part) rather than a customer...

So how would you compare/contrast it with/to the DC? Better, stronger, more complex, just different?

I have had great success with boxes from 2000, and nearly uniform fantastic success with boxes from 2001. I got them all from a vendor I trust. I think if you stick with boxes with a Havana factory box codes (i.e., OSU, ECA, EAR, PEL), your chances are that much better. To my palate, the SW...

????? I'm no chemist, and I'm not questioning the authenticity of your SWs, but how in the world would a varnished wooden box change color (uniformly, and not just in spots) over time? I have some empty pre-Castro all wood boxes, and every one of them is brown. Like I said, not intending to...

The only source I know of that has these is asking $3K, non-intact. I have heard (but have no first-hand knowledge) that other vendors are asking in the $1800 range (to the extent that the books haven't already been snapped up).

That sucks. The ones I've had have been among the top 2 or 3 cigars I've smoked.

These cigars may be fake, but I know people who bought several boxes from an indisputably legit merchant that were shrink-wrapped by the merchant before shipping. Folks have since stopped using this merchant for reasons unrelated to quality or authenticity of product.

Well played. :cool:

My favorite years are 98, 01 and 02. 1999-2001 are frequently panned, but if you have a good vendor (as I do), and unless that vendor recommends otherwise, you should be fine buying from those years.

I had not been to the Habanos website until reading your most recent post, Billy. You're dead right. I appreciate your posts, which enabled me to learn something new about RyJ Churchills. I also appreciate your being civil in response to my post, which could have been read (but was not...

Even though nearly everyone who's assessed the band on the right has concluded that no RyJ Churchill, tubed or not, has that band?

You've got better connections than me, Mike. I'm glad these will be affordable (relatively speaking) for some of us.

The Cohibas will probably be about $1000-1200 for 20....like $50-60 a stick. Anyone who expects the Cohiba Colleccion Sublimes Extra to cost under $2500 is going to be sorely disappointed. The Trinidad book went for $1400. The only vendor I know that still has the Upmann book lists it at...

I posted this in another thread, but am replicating it here since folks have asked about a safe method of freezing. I place the box in a Ziploc bag, place them in a second Ziploc bag, and stick them in my freezer (standard kithcen appliance, nothing industrial) for three days. I then put them...

I place the box in a Ziploc bag, place them in a second Ziploc bag, and stick them in my freezer for three days. I then put them in the fridge for two days. I then put them in my walk-in for a day. I then remove the Ziplocs from the box. I wait at least a month (more usually three or four)...