Confessions of a Cuban Cigar Smoker in NYC

[Baird]

I live in Canada and have access to cigars directly from Cuba thru my family vacations and friends travelling so I tend to smoke mainly Cuban cigars.

I smoke the odd Avo, Davidoff or Fuente Hemingway when I travel to the US, but when I go to the humidor, it is usually for a Monte #2 or @4, Hoyo Epicure #2, Partagas Serie D #4, Cohiba Pyramide, etc.

Anyways, I spent 5 days last week in NYC and bought a bunch of singles to try out while walking around the city. I didn't write down any tasting notes, but I figured I would share my impressions of some of the cigars I smoked....

Tatuaje Cojonu (I think this what is was - 6.5" by 52 - similar in size to a MC #2 with a brown band and White logo) - What a great cigar. A bit pricy at $12 or so but I would have sworn this was a cuban cigar. Medium to full bodied and burned and was constructed perfectly. I could smoke one of these every day.

Camacho Triple Maduro 60x6 - I was expecting big things from this cigar as I was told it was possibly one of the strongest cigars made. I was suprised that it didn't blow my head off. It is a big cigar and burned nicely but I found it a bit boring for a $12.50 cigar. It looks amazing and the construction is top notch (great packaging too - rivals Opus X) but it was just good IMO. Maybe it needs some time to allow the flavours to marry but I was unimpressed. To me it was a nice medium cigar with a short aftertaste.

Davidoff Entreacto - I really wanted to fall in love with this cigar as I have always loved Davidoff "Special" Series and this short corona (3.5" x 43) seemed to be a steal for a quick smoke at about $150 a box (cheap for a box of Davidoffs no matter what the size!). I bought a single for $7.50 or so, lit it in the Davidoff Madison Ave shop and strolled down Madison smoking it for 25-30 min. Very nice cigar but not very complex IMO. The smaller ring gauge in this Davidoff prevents it from tasting as good as the Special or Thousand series cigars. Nice, but not $7.50 nice.

Padron Londres Maduro - This is an amazing cigar for $3.00. I ended up buying a box of both Maduro and Natural Londres to bring back to Canada. Medium bodied with suprising complexity for the price point. It is well constructed and burned nicely. It burned a bit hot at the end, but again it is a great $3.00 smoke.

Bolivar Cofradia (No. 554) - Very nice robusto (5" x 54). A tad underfilled but a very nice smoke for $12.50 for a celophaned 5 pack. A bit of cedar and good spice for a $2.50 robusto.

NUB 464 Habanos (4" x 64 torpedo) - WOW! What a great smoke. I thought this thing would be a 20 minute smoke and had to put it out after an hour as my wife was getting p!$$ed that I couldn't go into any of the stores while she shopped! It is a 60-75 minute smoke. I love the feel and shape. It felt very comfortable to smoke. Suprisingly full bodied and if not for the strange shape, I might have thought it was a meduim bodied Cuban. Very spicy and complex with some cedar and leather. I bought a box of these also.

Great trip to New York and it was fun to smoke a bunch of cigars without reading reviews or tasting notes. I bought boxes of cigars I might not have bought which is cool thing. Finding a great $3.00 cigar is also a cool thing!

 

[Bsneed51]

The Padron's are a staple in my humidor, as well as many others. I also agree with you on the Tatuaje being an excellent smoke.

The NUB, well to each his own I guess. :laugh:

 

[amateuraficionado]

You think the Tat tasted like a cuban? Wait until you get your mitts on a Cabaiguan!!! This cigar has duped a few seasoned palates.

 

[melee]

You think the Tat tasted like a cuban? Wait until you get your mitts on a Cabaiguan!!! This cigar has duped a few seasoned palates.

The Tatuaje family of cigars sounds like something that I need to try....I will have to head to my local shop for a few tonight

 

[Baird]

As a follow up, I just smoked another NUB and it wasn't nearly as good as the first. It had a bit of a burn issue and seemed a bit bland. It also smoked in less than an hour (about 50 min).

I am used to some construction variation with Cubans over the years, I am still excited about smoking through the rest of the box. Hopefully the rest are as good (or even close) as the first.

Quick question..... do Padrons and NUBs age well? I guess NUBs are pretty new, but just curious as to CPers take on aging potential with these cigars.

 

[Rob]

Great post Baird

I too smoke a fair share of cubans, being from Europe, but completely agree with your suggestions. Haven`t yet had a Tatuaje, but will definitely get a few to try, and some other Pepins as well, but for a box purchase, they are a bit pricey for me with extra shipping and 60-70 percent additional taxes. So, singles will be on the menu.
As far as Padrons go, I too find them exceptional, when they are good, but merely average when they are "off". I currently have a box of Padron 4000 nats and really enjoy them. The only beef I have with Padrons is underfill and loose draw. Every other issue they may have is "passable", save for this overly loose draw IMO.
Haven`t had any Nubs yet, but I don`t even go out of my way to get them. If I was offered one, I would smoke it, but otherwise....
Davidoffs are great cigars, but they command too high a price for a working man and for what they deliver, IMO.

 

[Baird]

As far as Padrons go, I too find them exceptional, when they are good, but merely average when they are "off".

I just smoked one of the Padron Londres Naturals (vacation day tomorrow!) and it was excellect. Maybe a bit lighter than the Maduro Londres, but a great $3.00 smoke.

Actually, it might not be a Cuban MC #4, but the quality difference is not enough to justify the #4 being 6x the price (in Canada anyways!).

I buy Cubans when friends, relatives or I go to Cuba as they are cheap (MC #2 = $185USD a box, #4 = $100 a box, etc.)... but I will be stocking up on $70-100 a box Padrons when my wife is in NYC every month.

 

[moki]

I buy Cubans when friends, relatives or I go to Cuba as they are cheap (MC #2 = $185USD a box, #4 = $100 a box, etc.)... but I will be stocking up on $70-100 a box Padrons when my wife is in NYC every month.

Do yourself a favor... see if you can find a vendor that will ship to you (assuming you can avoid Canadian import duties)... taxes on cigars in New York are high (but not Canada-high). You can find the cigars you listed for cheaper elsewhere.

And yes, I agree with your assessment -- there are great cigars from many countries of origin, not just Cuba.

 

[Macion Grey]

I get (almost) equal pleasure getting a box of Coronados as I do a box of Partagas D4s, with a sway towards the Cuban exports. Packaging is more satisfying with a lot of NC brands (think the bare minimalism of Partagas vs Opus or Ashton boxes), but it is the smoke that counts in the end.

Still, the world certainly has caught up to Cuba in quality, though in my mind, the flavours of Cuba's best are still Number One.

 

[Rob]

I have yet to smoke a Coronado, but looking forward to it very much.

Very well put Macion. I could not agree more.

 

[Bsneed51]

Quick question..... do Padrons and NUBs age well? I guess NUBs are pretty new, but just curious as to CPers take on aging potential with these cigars.

The Padrons age very, very well. Padrons with 6 months on them are great, with a year they get even better, with 2-3 years on them, it's like smoking a little piece of heaven.

I don't know on the NUBs, and I doubt anyone will since this product has only been out for about 6ish months there probably aren't any with substantial age on them.

 

[Macion Grey]

I have yet to smoke a Coronado, but looking forward to it very much.

Very well put Macion. I could not agree more.

I very much recommend it mate, it is a pretty interesting and pleasing smoke (especially for the price). I hotbox my smokes for a short while to see what flavours develop as a result, and this cigar took any abuse I could dish out. The hotter the smoke got, the more caramelized the flavours were, like cigar voodoo or something. Very cool. No nasty tar buildup either.

Very high nicotine though, so smoke on a full stomach.

 

[mjolnir01]

Age the Padrons and you will be well rewarded. I'm very fond of the 2000 and 5000, in natural AND maduro. All age spectacularly.

Great observation about the Bolivar Cofradia. I've always enjoyed them and found them very underrated.

 

[NotAquitter]

Thanks for the discussion.....

I am taking notes you mentioned a few cigars I really like such as the Bolivar and the Tatuaje so I am going to try a few of the others you mentioned I am hoping I enjoy them as much. I did get a Padron single recently but have yet to smoke it!

Glad to hear you enjoyed your time in NY

 

[Ginseng]

Nice thread. It's always a pleasure to hear about ex-USA members' experiences with various NC cigars.

I love me them Padrons and the Tat Brown labels are great too. Moki speaks the truth. Find yourself a vendor who'll ship to Canada and you'll be a happy man...unless you get tagged for import duties. But then unless the duties are exorbitant (there have been cases where they were 100-150% of whatever value they decided to assess), they're be good cigars at a good price.

Enjoy the journey!

Wilkey

 

[khari]

Do yourself a favor... see if you can find a vendor that will ship to you (assuming you can avoid Canadian import duties)... taxes on cigars in New York are high (but not Canada-high). You can find the cigars you listed for cheaper elsewhere.

Good suggestion. You might consider purchasing from one of the online vendors and having it shipped to your hotel in NYC. I've never done it before with cigars, but I do it regularly with whisky because Georgia law doesn't allow its residents to purchase alcohol online.

 

[Baird]

Thanks for the advice! I noticed that they Padrons I bought were $73 or so plus tax which is about $80 in NYC. These cigars can be bought elsewhere for $59.95. Not a huge difference but it will be if I buy boxes that are $200+.

Thanks!

Do yourself a favor... see if you can find a vendor that will ship to you (assuming you can avoid Canadian import duties)... taxes on cigars in New York are high (but not Canada-high). You can find the cigars you listed for cheaper elsewhere.

Good suggestion. You might consider purchasing from one of the online vendors and having it shipped to your hotel in NYC. I've never done it before with cigars, but I do it regularly with whisky because Georgia law doesn't allow its residents to purchase alcohol online.