• Hi Guest - Come check out all of the new CP Merch Shop! Now you can support CigarPass buy purchasing hats, apparel, and more...
    Click here to visit! here...

1955 Vintage Montecristo CUBA

Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't most habanos from that era candela wrappers? I'm just saying, no boxes either? Weren't the majority of cigars that survived or remained coronas, petit coronas, or figurados?
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't most habanos from that era candela wrappers? I'm just saying, no boxes either? Weren't the majority of cigars that survived or remained coronas, petit coronas, or figurados?
I don't know if a majority, other than in the USA which I believe preferred Candela back then. I believe the Candela (Extra Claro) was actually more expensive on Cuban Imports. I can't speak to when the Cubans stopped doing it.
I will say that one of the best cigars I've ever smoked was a Pre Embargo Extra Claro. Mind blowing good with plenty of flavor.
 
That explains that box of Behikes you have ;) :p
Haha I hear ya.

But I didn't even ask for/ seek those out as they were a gift from an acquaintance 3000 miles away who I would never even approach about cigars. And I have a lot to thank for those fake cigars; I wouldn't have met all of you fine folks here and it certainly made me dig deeper into the world of cigars, which I have been loving.

I was mainly saying that I trust Bruce, at Vendetta, and thats pretty much all there is to it.
 
Has he explained provenance of said cigars to you at all?

I'm interested in his story on sourcing these without you having to name anyone specific if you/he feels that's important.
 
Trust. That's all I got and all I need.

11123922_1651490101736973_786795297_n.jpg


Trust but verify!




(And don't get bent...there are some very beautiful women out there that are men!)
 
I store all of my "expensive, htf" cigars in ziplock bags as well, they just look so much prettier there and I wouldn't the humidity in my humidor to interact with them. Why bother keeping them together with the rest of the cigars in the box they came in so that they continue to age.
 
Uh, what?!?!
They ain't one if they are the other.

So glad I'm married, because requiring a DNA test to go on a date sounds expensive.

What are you worried about??!! It's like having the best of both worlds!! :D
 
I'd be hard pressed to say the smokes were from an exact year in the 50's.
Just plain 50's is all most folks know.
The provenance must be par none.


Yes, I was wondering about the date and he said it is not his guess, but a date provided by the suppliers. I was also hoping for an elegant story of how his grandfather was a wealthy silver tycoon in SF and passed down this enormous collection that has been perfectly stored for decades and only handled by virgins.... but that really isn't it.
Bruce has been selling these sticks for a long time. These days, he says he gets his supply from a "group of collectors", which is all I know. I asked if he ever checks out the auctions, but he stuck to his 'collectors' source. He said that many of the collectors got some of their stock from Dunhill in London pre embargo. When he had his old shop, I believe the sticks were from his own collection which he could probably offer some provenance for. While there earlier in December, I got a bit more in depth info about some other sticks in the pre embargo case which would be better discussed in PM.
That shop seems to have had pre-embargo stock for a number of years.

I wonder if they get rid of the boxes when they finish?

I store all of my "expensive, htf" cigars in ziplock bags as well, they just look so much prettier there and I wouldn't the humidity in my humidor to interact with them. Why bother keeping them together with the rest of the cigars in the box they came in so that they continue to age.

Hahaha, well only a couple of the pre embargo sticks are in bags. I guess I misspoke when I said "Most of the ones I've seen" were in plastic bags, because only a couple varieties are in bags. Most of the other stuff he stores in his boxes or older boxes, but when I asked him if he ever bought some sticks in their OG boxes, he said he did not because the price would be doubled or tripled. (3500 box would then be 11000).

Edit: for formatting of quotes
 
Yes, I was wondering about the date and he said it is not his guess, but a date provided by the suppliers. I was also hoping for an elegant story of how his grandfather was a wealthy silver tycoon in SF and passed down this enormous collection that has been perfectly stored for decades and only handled by virgins.... but that really isn't it.
Bruce has been selling these sticks for a long time. These days, he says he gets his supply from a "group of collectors", which is all I know. I asked if he ever checks out the auctions, but he stuck to his 'collectors' source. He said that many of the collectors got some of their stock from Dunhill in London pre embargo. When he had his old shop, I believe the sticks were from his own collection which he could probably offer some provenance for. While there earlier in December, I got a bit more in depth info about some other sticks in the pre embargo case which would be better discussed in PM.

Hahaha, well only a couple of the pre embargo sticks are in bags. I guess I misspoke when I said "Most of the ones I've seen" were in plastic bags, because only a couple varieties are in bags. Most of the other stuff he stores in his boxes or older boxes, but when I asked him if he ever bought some sticks in their OG boxes, he said he did not because the price would be doubled or tripled. (3500 box would then be 11000).

Edit: for formatting of quotes

red-flags-244x300.jpg
 
I'm just telling everyone the info I have. You don't have to trust the sticks, I'm not asking you to.

It's more of people trying to help you out. There have been multiple times in the past on this forum and many others where someone is selling rare htf cigars out if ziplock bags with an endless supply, that have always turned out to be fake. In the 8 years I've been on I've seen it a few times on pre-Embargo, Cuban Davidoff and Dunhills, Cohiba Sublimes and 1966, Palm tree banded Cohiba's not to mention Opus X chili peppers and other RE's, LE's, and Grand Reserva's.

Most of us don't have the funds to smoke these types of cigars regularly, so validating the authenticity based on how they smoke is difficult at best. Some we can say with certainty are fakes. So for me, if I am going to spend that kind of money, I need to know the source of the cigars and private collectors wouldn't cut it. Plus when buying full or partial boxes of these types of cigars, whether from a collector or U.K. Vendor, the box doesn't increase the price. This doesn't mean vendetta is selling fakes, there just happens to be a lot of red flags for myself and other members here, based on past experiences.

As for the review, well done. All that really matters is that you enjoyed the cigar and the experience and it was awfully nice of your wife to get one for you to enjoy.
 
Last edited:
It's more of people trying to help you out.....
Took the words right out of my mouth. Nobody is trying to diminish your experience, but we certainly want to protect our members. One thing Josh didn't mention, that I will, is that we do a lot of trades, passes, etc. We work really hard not to pass on fakes. The red flags members mention are based on solid experience. No one is insisting they're fake. We are just letting you know some warning signs.

If you think the cigar was worthy of the cost, so be it. And as previously said, review was well written.
 
Last edited:
Top