Bad ISOM experience thus far

[EricNord]

Hey everyone,

After getting a coolerdor going again I stocked up from some samples posted in the for sale section. These are a list of my first ISOM that I ever smoked. I'm a little dissapointed so far. I think I like the more robust smokes w/ a maduro wrapper. I still love the La Glora Cubana Wavells. Are my reviews way off or am I not trying the right smokes. Any advice would be appreciated if my tastes are similar to yours and you have found something you like.

Hoyo de Monterey Short Corona score = 7
good mild smoke that was not harsh on the pallete. Little hard to draw, but burned evenly and good until the end.

Punch Petit Coronation score = 5
Too small a smoke without a lot of flavor. Tons of smoke though.

Bolivar Petit Corona score = 6
very smooth almost wanted to inhale. Not very flavorful though

Vegas Robaina Famosa score = 2
Awful. Burned my tongue and burned with every puff. Threw it away before I even needed to ash.

P.S. Thanks to you know who for providing me most of these ISOMs (don't want to get anyone in trouble!)

 

[rknicker]

I'm guessing the VR burned from ammonia. That's just a sign it needed to be aged further. ISOMs tend to give off a lot of ammonia initially because the leaves aren't aged as long.

 

[threei]

Two possible reasons for your bad experience. How were the cigars stored? Habanos smoke best at 65 rh. You might want to run the salt test to calibrate your hygrometer. Also, you didn't mention the years of the cigars that you smoked. Personally, I don't really enjoy them unless they have some age on them, except for a few like the party short. I recently smoked an '04 boli pc that was a little too wet, and I didn't enjoy it at all. But my '03 Boli PCs are smoking great.

 

[moki]

I'd suggest you keep trying -- there certainly are some great Cuban cigars out there. I'd suggest getting a FOG here to trade with you for a couple of known-good Habanos that have been stored well... smoke a couple of those.

There are a relatively broad range of tastes in Cuban cigars... try some varied sticks, see what you think. If you still don't like 'em, no worries, everyone's tastes are different.

It's just really hard to say "I don't like Cuban cigars"... because the range of tastes available is not monolithic. Good luck!

 

[CoventryCat86]

Interesting reviews. :thumbs:
Personally, I find HdM's flat and kind of boring and have found their nice, firm Havana style draw bordering on the "too firm" side.
The Punch PC is a machine made and NOT one of my favorite machine mades.
I also concur with your review of the Boli, smooth but not very flavorful (I'm not a huge Boli fan).
But WOW :0 the VR Famosos surprises me because of the four you tried it is by far my favorite and for you is was your least favorite. I'm smoking one right now as I post this. I've smoked quite a few boxes of these and have found when they are too DRY, your experience would be just that, that it burns your tounge. VR's tend to draw a little easier than many other Havanas also. This too will lead to a not so nice smoking experience. The funny thing is that my favorite Famosos so far have been the '04's. A little while ago, I got a box of aged VR DA's (well they were April of 2000) and they were wonderful. But again, my favorite Famosos so far are the brandy new ones. Actually to me, the best years of ALL my favorites (RASCC, SC El Principe, Punch PC del Punch, etc.) so far have been '04 :0 Now I know MRN would shoot me but hey, it's my preference and what I've found to be the most desirable. One of my favorite sellers has a cab of '04 SLR DC's and oooooooo, I GOTTA get me some of those :thumbs: I'll bet I'll love 'em

I'd bet though that your RH in your humi was probably not lower than 60% so I guess I can't really explain your bad experience but I'd give 'em another chance sometime down the line. They're a pretty popular Hermosos #4 (similar in dimensions to a Robusto).

Again, good job on the reviews :thumbs:

 

[Lemon]

I've only had the Punch Petit Coronations out of those, and I liked it

 

[EricNord]

Thanks for the comments. Maybe it is my storage. I have them in a coolerdor in the closet. Right now the temp is 64degrees and the humidity is 68% according to Radio Shack digital hygrometer. Since I received them all as gifts I do not know the year. Is it the temp being so low that is causing problems? I put a towel under the coolerdor to try and keep it from sitting on the tile flooring, but that didn't help. My house is always above 70degrees so I don't know why the cooler is at 64.

-Eric

 

[CoventryCat86]

Hey Eric,
I just realized something, WHERE ya beeen for the last oh say, THREE AND A HALF YEARS?

 

[MiamiCubano]

Hey Eric,
I just realized something, WHERE ya beeen for the last oh say, THREE AND A HALF YEARS?

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Too funny CC. I noticed that too. 2001?? But damn, did you see some of his photog work? Quite amazing stuff Eric. Very, very impressive both in ability and content.

 

[CoventryCat86]

Yeah, probably been busy with that baby :0

Newborns will keep a guy off the site for a while, just ask ellman

 

[threei]

Actually to me, the best years of ALL my favorites (RASCC, SC El Principe, Punch PC del Punch, etc.) so far have been '04 :0 Now I know MRN would shoot me but hey, it's my preference and what I've found to be the most desirable.

[snapback]149468[/snapback]​

From what I've been reading, the '04s are smoking great right now. I haven't had too many, but I am enjoying some '04 RASCC.

 

[emodx]

I am surprised about the Boli PC and the VR. I haven't had a punch that I liked yet either. The Boli PC's I have had have been little fire crackers of a stick. As far as your RH goes, %68 is fairly high for such a low temp. It is almost always a rock steady 65 degrees where I heep my humi, and the meter never goes above %62. I am using Beads for my humidifier, so I know they are steady. When I take my humi out of the room into a warmer climate, the meter will rise to %65 and stay. My guess is if your humi was in a warmer area, the RH would be over %70. What does this all mean? I duuno, I'm not a rocket scientist. But I think your humi is a little wet for habanas. Try taking a Habana out of the humi, and let it sit out for a few hours before smoking it. If it smokes and tastes better, chances are the RH is a lil high. Hope this helps a little.

Emo

 

[EricNord]

Thanks again for the comments. I'm using the climmaxx beads. How can I lower the humidity? I have the 65% beads.

Thanks for the compliments on my photos. I've been busy moving and going to grad. school, and no it wasn't a baby. Thank the lord that I do not have a baby!

I guess I will stick to non-ISOMs for now since the ISOMs are so finiky.

 

[emodx]

Thanks again for the comments. I'm using the climmaxx beads. How can I lower the humidity? I have the 65% beads.

Thanks for the compliments on my photos. I've been busy moving and going to grad. school, and no it wasn't a baby. Thank the lord that I do not have a baby!

I guess I will stick to non-ISOMs for now since the ISOMs are so finiky.

[snapback]149562[/snapback]​

Use a hair dryer set on low heat for about 5-10 minutes.

Emo

 

[moki]

Use a hair dryer set on low heat for about 5-10 minutes.

Emo

[snapback]149568[/snapback]​

I put mine in the dryer. 30 minutes on fluff, and they are good to go!

 

[EricNord]

Did you leave them in some panty-hose when you put them in the dryer? I tried the hair dryer and approx. 20hrs later the humidity is actually higher 69%. Don't know why.

 

[Eins]

My house is always above 70degrees so I don't know why the cooler is at 64.

Duh! It is just doing its job!



The towel underneath won't help. It can only insulate for a little while.

Maybe keep the closet door open a bit? If the house temp is influenced by sunlight, then that would explain the cooler temp inside a dark closet.

 

[texasaero]

RyJ Exh3. Heavy draw. Tasted like the smell of moldy wood or charred ginger But it gave a good burn and creamy smoke.