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Fuente Anejo's

I enjoyed a my father Le bijou 1922 corona gorda with coffee one day. That was rather good.
 
BlindedByScience said:
Ouch, coffee and a cigar for breakfast will separate the men from the pretenders, to be sure.  
 
I can get through a small smoke before breakfast, but a Shark and coffee, first thing?  I'm not ashamed to say I'm not nearly that burley....... :laugh:
Let's just say that the result remained in doubt for long moments. And yet after a heavy meal and a full day the shark can transport me into the most sublime state of relaxation. Context is everything.
 
You don't think there was a latest, greatest new release in 1895, 1930, or 1970 that was suddenly easier to find/cheaper 5-10 years later?  ;)
 
So... What does everyone think of the quality of Anejos today versus 5-7 years ago? Just curious of other opinions. I know quite a few people think the padron thousand series have dropped off a bit.
 
BlindedByScience said:
Ouch, coffee and a cigar for breakfast will separate the men from the pretenders, to be sure.  
 
I can get through a small smoke before breakfast, but a Shark and coffee, first thing?  I'm not ashamed to say I'm not nearly that burley....... :laugh:
I agree, I would need to call an ambulance. LOL
 
garrettbuckeye said:
So... What does everyone think of the quality of Anejos today versus 5-7 years ago? Just curious of other opinions. I know quite a few people think the padron thousand series have dropped off a bit.
 
I think NC quality, in general, has taken a downturn over the last 2-3 years.....
 
BlindedByScience said:
 
So... What does everyone think of the quality of Anejos today versus 5-7 years ago? Just curious of other opinions. I know quite a few people think the padron thousand series have dropped off a bit.
 
I think NC quality, in general, has taken a downturn over the last 2-3 years.....
 
I respectfully disagree..... "In general", I think they're still close quality wise. I believe most everything is still the same, but my taste have shifted for sure.  
 
You know, John, honestly I don't think I've bought an Anejo in the last 2-3 years, so I had to base my 'general' statement on other quality NC's I have bought.
 
I can tell you the ones that are 5+ years old smoke pretty darn good.
 
In general.... :p
 
I agree on the Anejos with age. I have a good number (but not enough) of Anejos, hemi maddies, and opus x from 2007-2012. I hit a dry spell and didn't buy much the last few years... But I've definitely seen them at the B&Ms.
 
Honestly, its pointless characterizing all non-Cubans together.  There is so much great stuff out there and so many turds that I'd say its basically the exact same market it was 5 years ago.  The Anejos have stayed solid though I've stopped smoking most of them right away; when I have, they are still as good as I remember.  
 
I haven't noticed a decline in the Anejo I've bought and smoked recently. Honestly I haven't noticed much decline in Fuente cigars for the most part.
 
Kid Montana said:
Honestly, its pointless characterizing all non-Cubans together.  There is so much great stuff out there and so many turds that I'd say its basically the exact same market it was 5 years ago.  The Anejos have stayed solid though I've stopped smoking most of them right away; when I have, they are still as good as I remember.  
 
Fair to say.  Yet, as has been noted in several threads, several of the 'standard bearers' have had noticeable changes in their sticks over the last few years, and perhaps not for the better.
 
Seems if there's a stick that's really hitting for you, be it CC or NC, it's time to put a box or three away.....because it seems the next few may be different and not in a good way.
 
Only one man's opinion....B.B.S.
 
I was thinking about this. I'm wondering if the "fabricated" rarity of many of the newer and constant special releases are really that big a cash cow to warrant letting their standard lines decline in quality? Let's say that they are, in fact, using their best tobaccos for the "rare" release. Does this mean they have to use lesser than normal quality materials for their regular lines? 
 
I can think of one maker who releases new cigars at an incredible rate. Seems like everytime he does, the previous grand new release drops in quality of flavors.
 
I have noticed considerable declines in Fuente and Padron. Those two brands are the ones I've smoked. almost exclusively, for many many years. I know the flavors quite intimately. I tend to smoke the upper shelf ones too with the only exception being Padron Delicias which are an everyday smoke most of the time. I stopped buying from both makers about 2 years ago with the exception of Don Carlos. They seem to be ok, but still not as rich as they used to be.
 
I'm leaning towards something really being amiss here. For instance, I've read that Cameroon tobacco has been really hard to get. While that is easily proven true, it seems to have coincided with complaints of lower quality. I know that the Ashton Heritage went from Cameroon to Habano. Unfortunately, some of the big retailers still list Cameroon as the wrapper and I had to return a box due to this. I did not like the new one at all.
 
When such a large amount of seasoned cigars smokers start to complain, I start to consider it as possibly true.
 
I smoked a regular line Churchill Fuente recently and thought it was great. The Hemingways with what seems like an Ecuadorian wrapper are also great, I think. I've enjoyed the blue Don Arturo line very much, and anejo and opus seem good as ever. I've had Magnum Rs recently that I considered delicious. Some of the sun grown lines seem a little inconsistent lately, although I really enjoyed a Queen B I had the other day. Other than that I'm curious what the perception of decline at Fuente is. To me they are still the gold standard.

Could any of this be related to the fire they had a couple of years ago?
 
Ok, so I wandered back to the shop today to see specifically what they had, ended up buying the last 10 No55's for $8.35 each.  Also bought 2 88's as I had never seen that size before, they still had more than 2 full boxes of those and about a box and a half of 50's.  Sort of looks like a lancero with a pointed head.  Am smoking it now and it is ok, a little mettalic taste at the beginning but now after an inch is starting to taste more like an Anejo.   
 
garrettbuckeye said:
I agree on the Anejos with age. I have a good number (but not enough) of Anejos, hemi maddies, and opus x from 2007-2012. I hit a dry spell and didn't buy much the last few years... But I've definitely seen them at the B&Ms.
Ditto,
 
Pretty much any Opus, Anejo, or Ashton ESG with 4-5 years is close to perfection!!  
 
I don't know why they age so well but they simple do!!!
 
I smoked a ESG 22 that's sat in my humi since 2010 Tuesday night and it was one of the top 5 smokes I've ever had.
 
jcollector1 said:
 
I agree on the Anejos with age. I have a good number (but not enough) of Anejos, hemi maddies, and opus x from 2007-2012. I hit a dry spell and didn't buy much the last few years... But I've definitely seen them at the B&Ms.
Ditto,
 
Pretty much any Opus, Anejo, or Ashton ESG with 4-5 years is close to perfection!!  
 
I don't know why they age so well but they simple do!!!
 
I smoked a ESG 22 that's sat in my humi since 2010 Tuesday night and it was one of the top 5 smokes I've ever had.
 
 
After reading this thread yesterday, I became inspired to smoke an Anejo which I haven't done in probably 6-7 months for no particular reason.  They've sort of gotten pushed in the back of my humi and forgotten.  The Shark that I thoroughly enjoyed had 6 years of age on it and it was quite tasty.
 
That is the problem with the current production of anejos. You really can't smoke them from the box, they tend to be metallic as you have tasted and get tar build up as well. So you end up having to trim the cigar. I would let those cigars mellow out for a while before I tried one again.
 
tone-ny said:
That is the problem with the current production of anejos. You really can't smoke them from the box, they tend to be metallic as you have tasted and get tar build up as well. So you end up having to trim the cigar. I would let those cigars mellow out for a while before I tried one again.
Damn, and Fuente used to be one of the very few Maduros that I didn't get a metallic taste from. What the hell is going on in the industry?
 
tone-ny said:
That is the problem with the current production of anejos. You really can't smoke them from the box, they tend to be metallic as you have tasted and get tar build up as well. So you end up having to trim the cigar. I would let those cigars mellow out for a while before I tried one again.
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