I recently bought five Robusto-sized Henry Clay H-2000 cigars, just to try them out. The first one I smoked was amazingly acrid and harsh, almost putrid. Strong flavor, yes; but it had the same sort of acridity I'd imagine from a cigar made from strips of rubber instead of tobacco. (It didn't taste like burning rubber, but it was just as unpleasant as burning rubber.) I thought perhaps it was some sort of lighting anomaly, so I gritted my teeth and stuck with it for a good inch of burn, but it didn't get any better; if anything, it might have gotten worse. I had to throw it away.
I figured it was probably just a bad cigar, so after a few days I took out another one. I paid special attention to the pre-light aroma of this one, feeling carefully for any hint of the horrible taste of the first one. I didn't taste anything bad--as a matter of fact, the pre-light aroma was quite nice--so I sparked it up.
Augh! The very same harsh, bitter putrescence. I was really disappointed: these aren't cheap cigars. But I didn't even make an inch on this one before I had to throw it away.
Now I've got three more at the bottom of my humidor.
What's the deal here? Are they supposed to suck that bad? Is there somebody that likes them that way? (If there is, let me know: I'll trade you all three for a decent Padron 5000, or even a LGC Serie R Maduro or a Partagas Black Label.) Is it an issue of age? That's all I could think of; if I don't trade them, I plan to leave them where they are for at least another six months before I even touch them again. I'm pretty sure they're not moldy, I didn't see any bug holes, and I don't think anybody surreptitiously sprayed them with oven cleaner or dipped them in diarrhea.
Ideas?
I figured it was probably just a bad cigar, so after a few days I took out another one. I paid special attention to the pre-light aroma of this one, feeling carefully for any hint of the horrible taste of the first one. I didn't taste anything bad--as a matter of fact, the pre-light aroma was quite nice--so I sparked it up.
Augh! The very same harsh, bitter putrescence. I was really disappointed: these aren't cheap cigars. But I didn't even make an inch on this one before I had to throw it away.
Now I've got three more at the bottom of my humidor.
What's the deal here? Are they supposed to suck that bad? Is there somebody that likes them that way? (If there is, let me know: I'll trade you all three for a decent Padron 5000, or even a LGC Serie R Maduro or a Partagas Black Label.) Is it an issue of age? That's all I could think of; if I don't trade them, I plan to leave them where they are for at least another six months before I even touch them again. I'm pretty sure they're not moldy, I didn't see any bug holes, and I don't think anybody surreptitiously sprayed them with oven cleaner or dipped them in diarrhea.
Ideas?
