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My month of Cubans only

The table is full currently, so I have been able to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the Dunhill Cabinetta 1988. The joys of a club with wireless Internet access. :)

Dunhill Cabinetta 1988 -- This is just a regal, magnificent cigar. After all of these years, the wrapper is still slightly slick with oil. Firing it up, it's a bit sharper and less sweet than the Dunhills I've had before... but that's not a negative. Everything about this cigar is just so fabulously refined that the various tastes are all welcome and appreciated. About halfway through it started with the dignified sweetness I'm used to with these cigars, mixed in with hints of cedar, leathery flavors, and an indescribable but wonderful "Cuban Dunhill profile" taste. Yum. Paired it up with a nice Cabernet, and it's just been a great experience.
 
:0 Now that is a rare and expensive cigar. Glad you're enjoying it :thumbs:
 
Welp, looks like I should have just enjoyed the Dunhill and gone home. The combination of the wine, lack of sleep the night before, and lousy cards made it a rough night.

El Rey Del Mundo Choix Supreme 1998 -- Was really looking forward to this one, but it was a bad omen from the start. I punched the cigar, and cracked the cap, and the draw was tight -- but the initial flavors were wonderful, light hints of cardamom, but no subtle chocolately undertones I've experienced in this cigar before. I decided to chop the cap off; still a tight draw. Then I felt the cigar, it was hard as a rock almost the entire length. Snipped it higher up; still no luck, and rolling it didn't help either. I stuck it out for about half of the cigar, because the light hints of flavor I got were promising, but it just ended up not being worth it. The draw was tight enough that it wasn't enjoyable, and the full flavor of the cigar wasn't come through either. I was rather annoyed, I'd saved this cigar for 6 months or so, and it was tempting, but in the end, a bust.

Cohiba Double Corona EL 2003 -- I sometimes think of cigar flavors in terms of pitch. The Cohiba DC EL has the characteristic flavor of a Cohiba, but the flavors are lower in pitch -- more of a deep bass. I think this cigar hold great promise, but currently, I think they are a bit young. I didn't experience any harshness or bitterness, but the flavors just seemed to be immature. It's highly possible that in a few years, this cigar will developer into a monster; currently, though, I think it's just a so-so cigar. I still enjoyed it, but I don't think I'll smoke any more of them for a few years. Had to touch it up a few times to fix slight canoeing, but nothing major.

Punch Punch 2002 -- A friend of mine gifted me a bunch of these cigars, because he said he thought they were smoking well. The light started off promising; some very interesting citrus flavors with hints of spice and leathery undertones. It settled into an enjoyable cigar, but nothing exceptional. The flavors were more developed than with the Cohiba EL in terms of maturity, but it really tasted a lot like a generic Cuban cigar to me. That's not necessarily a bad thing; it was a good smoke, just fairly middle of the road.

Ramon Allones Gigantes 2004 -- This cigar surprised me. I love Ramon Allones as a "brand" -- this cigar was perfectly in taste profile for a Ramon Allones, but it was not nearly as robust as I'm accustomed to. It's possible that it's just because this was the 4th smoke of the evening; I very much enjoyed the cigar anyway, I was just a bit disappointed that it wasn't as peppery and tangy as many RAs I've had before. A good solid cigar, with an enjoyable profile, but based on the more mellow profile, I would have guessed that it was a much older cigar, certainly not a 2004. Some minor touchups needed; nothing major.

Well, I certainly didn't have any bad tasting cigars tonight. The Dunhill was absolutely amazing. Perhaps it was such a hard act to follow that the rest of the cigars seemed rather unimpressive to me. Certainly the Choix Supreme's draw issues was a bummer, but I was really surprised that the RA was as mellow as it was, despite being young, and despite having perfect construction.

I also ended up losing $80, which sucked, but the Dunhill made the night a memorable and excellent one regardless.
 
This was a nice night -- I only played for 3 hours or so, because I wanted to be home to watch some of the Olympics, and also to get some work done. Still, I had a number of cigars, and did well at poker.

Cohiba Siglo VI 2003 -- I'll state it right up front, I've been very unimpressed with these cigars. Granted, most of the ones I've smoked have been from the same box of OCT 03's, but they have been rather uniformly boring for me. This one was different, but not in a good way. It was bitter. The lovely grassy sweet flavors of a Cohiba we overshadowed by this bitterness. I can only conclude that it's entering its sick period, or it's just a bad stick. Dropped it with a few inches left on it; I tried to hang in there, but it just wasn't worth it.

Romeo y Julieta EL Robusto 2001 -- This cigar was much nicer. Had the characteristic RyJ profile, with some very nice hints of citrus, cedar, and leathery flavors. While I very much enjoyed this cigar, it was to me, essentially a RyJ. That's certainly not a bad thing to be, mind you, it's a good medium bodied cigar. I'm surprised the wrapper on this one didn't change the profile a bit more than it seemed to. Nubbed it.

Montecristo EL Robusto 2001 -- This is actually supposed to be one of the original 2000 ELs (with the plain "Edicion Limitada" band on it), but it has a 2001 EL band. I've seen a number of these, and can only conclude that Cuba being Cuba, they ran out of the old bands, and continued production on these Robustos. I'm glad they did. This was an outstanding cigar -- definitely the best of the night, it had wonderful leathery body, with excellent hints of cocoa and coffee, and a tinge of sweetness that rounded it out nicely. I even toothpick'd this one so I could enjoy the finish beyond burning my fingers. YUM. Fabulous.

Partagas Serie C No.1 (book) 2002 -- I had great expectations for this cigar, even though I second-guessed myself at the choice of it, thinking it'd still be too young. Wish I'd listened to my conscience, this was a good cigar with an enjoyable musty taste, hints of mushrooms, and other earthy flavors, but I think it needs more time. It also had a bit of a tight draw, though it was smokeable, and canoed a bit as well. I hung in there and smoked it down to an inch or two, but I'll let the remainder of these rest for a few more years. Slightly on the bitter side, and the flavors just seemed underdeveloped. Not bad, but not great either. Maybe in a few years...

The Monte EL Robusto 2001 was just fabulous; the Romeo EL Robusto 2001 was quite good. The other two I could have done without, especially the Siglo VI. A cigar that costs as much as it does should be significantly better and more consistent. The same might be said for the Partagas C No.1 (book), but perhaps it'll come around in a few years.

At poker, I ended up winning $100, and left early to watch the remainder of the Olympics. All in all, a good night.
 
moki said:
This was a nice night -- I only played for 3 hours or so, because I wanted to be home to watch some of the Olympics, and also to get some work done. Still, I had a number of cigars, and did well at poker.
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moki ya spud, i thought you were gonna smoke that PL?!?! :(
 
servebig said:
moki said:
This was a nice night -- I only played for 3 hours or so, because I wanted to be home to watch some of the Olympics, and also to get some work done. Still, I had a number of cigars, and did well at poker.
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moki ya spud, i thought you were gonna smoke that PL?!?! :(
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Oh crap, I totally forgot hehe. Well, there's tomorrow night. :) I'll put it aside.
 
I'm about halfway through my month of smoking Cuban cigars only. Time to reflect.

I've enjoyed torching up a number of cigars I haven't had in a while, as well as some cigars I've never had before. It's been fun.

I've had a couple of Cubans that I had to pitch because they just were not smokeable (plugged). I've also had a couple of Cubans that might as well have been plugged, because they were not enjoyable smokes (bitter -- young, you could say).

This contrasts with my experience with premium non-Cuban cigars. I can't remember the last time I've had a plugged Opus, Padron, VSG, Añejo, etc. In fact, I don't think I ever have. I've had occasional burn issues with younger Opus, but that's fairly common, and I occasionally have burn issues with (canoeing, etc.) Cubans too. Not a big deal, just touch it up.

When a Cuban cigar is on, it is an wonderful thing to behold. However between construction issues, having to age the cigars for years before they hit their stride, and other seemingly hit-or-miss propositions, it's up to the smoker to decide if it's worth it. I certainly think it's worth it to enjoy good Cuban cigars; I think it's borderline masochistic to smoke nothing but Cuban cigars, though.

I have had some outstanding cigars. The Dunhill Cabinetta and Montecristo EL Robusto were just amazing. The Davidoff Haut Brion was also quite memorable. None of the other cigars I've smoked thus far stick out in my mind as memorable cigars.

Putting aside the obvious problem cigars that were plugged or too young, the remainder were good solid cigars, without any exceptional characteristics. The San Cristobal was quite good, and most of the others I enjoyed even if they didn't leave a lasting impression.

I confess, I miss the Padrón 1926 Maduros and their nutty/chocolately flavor, but if all of the Montecristo EL Robustos I have were like the one I smoked recently, I could get over that. I also miss Opus X's; there's nothing from Cuba that has a taste profile anywhere near an Opus. That isn't to say it is better, but it is unique, and I happen to love it.

The real test will be switching back to smoking some of these non-Cuban cigars when my month is up. We'll see if my palate has changed; it's certainly possible that it will have to an extent.

I suspect I'll continue on doing what I have been doing: smoking cigars I enjoy regardless of the country of origin, but I certainly don't want to make that a forgone conclusion. I still have half a month to go...
 
Ah, I misspoke -- the Cohiba Siglo V (30th Anni. jar) and the Hoyo de Monterrey Edicion Limitada 2003 Piramides were both certainly memorable, and excellent cigars as well. Add those to the great cigar column.
 
I really think you should send out duplicates so we can check your findings :0 . I find it hard to believe the Dunhill was any good without first hand knowledge :p
 
AVB said:
I really think you should send out duplicates so we can check your findings :0 . I find it hard to believe the Dunhill was any good without first hand knowledge :p
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You'll have to do better than that!!! :D
 
That's the best I can do. I let others go for the full on whiney moocher effect. :sign:
 
On the menu for tonight...

Por Larranaga Lonsdale 1999
H. Upmann Sir Winston 2001
Ramon Allones Gigantes 1994
Ramon Allones Specially Selected 2002

(and one other, I forget what it was... will have to fill it in later if I smoke it)... hope the cards fall well! :)
 
Por Larranaga Lonsdale 1999 -- I was given this cigar while out in California a few months ago, and I finally got around to smoking it. Unfortunately, it was a bit worse for the wear. I'd clipped it while out in California, intending to smoke it, but I never did -- and the wrapper peeled a bit after traveling in clipped state. Unfortunately also, this was a tight draw. I'll blame this on the travels the cigar had to endure. The really unfortunate part is that the taste was wonderful; a nice carmel-ish sweetness. I just wish I didn't have to pitch it halfway through due to draw issues. I'm going to look into picking up some more of these, because the taste was extremely promising.

Montecristo No.1 1983 -- This cigar looked and smelled great, with a slight box-press to it, and a nice weathered brownish wrapper. I wasn't disappointed, this tasted wonderful from first draw. I swear I tasted hints of roasted chestnuts, and deeply refined and married flavors just made this cigar a treat. It was extremely tasty, with typical Montecristo flavors that had clearly gotten better with time, and wonderfully sweet aftertaste that made me wish it never ended. Nubbed it, and wished it was longer.

H. Upmann Sir Winston 2001 -- This Sir Winston was a nice contrast to the Montecristo, in that it was much "lighter" in flavor, vs. the deeper flavors of the Monte. This was a really nice cigar; less robust than I normally smoke, but still very enjoyable, with nice hints of cedar, cinnamon and mellow flavors that married well. For cigar smokers who like lighter-bodied cigar, I can certainly see how they'd love this cigar. For me it was enjoyable, and a welcome change of pace.

Ramon Allones Gigantes 1994 -- Why oh why must my RAGs disappoint me? I was so looking forward to smoking a nice 10 year old RAG, but a tight draw got in my way. It was smokeable, but I'm positive I wasn't fully enjoying the flavors this cigar can offer. It's weird, it's been stored in the same humidor, at the same 65% as the Monte No.1 (and both have been in there for months), yet it took a lot of work to smoke it. It still had some very nice flavors to it, but they were too muted to fully enjoy the cigar. Sigh.

As for the poker, I was winning, up $65, then my friend Emily showed up, and I let her sit in my seat to play. When another seat became available, I ended up losing almost non-stop, ending up down $15 for the night. Emily made off with some of my money. Grrrr. :)
 
moki said:
As for the poker, I was winning, up $65, then my friend Emily showed up, and I let her sit in my seat to play.
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Are you sure is wasn't sit on your seat and play? :p :p :p

Your month of Cubans is the same as a month of Scotch for me. Nice to read about but not really easy to duplicate. Now if you smoked a box of '02 somethings I could relate. ???

I do have to give you credit, when I play poker concentrating on my cigar is not near the top of my list of things to do. Must be that multitasking MAC influence. :D
 
AVB said:
I do have to give you credit, when I play poker concentrating on my cigar is not near the top of my list of things to do. Must be that multitasking MAC influence. :D
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Well, it's not that hard really -- you fold most of the hands you're dealt in Hold 'em anyway.
 
Excellent job with the reviews so far Andrew :thumbs: :thumbs:

For me, I find that your review of the cigars I'm familiar with is remarkably close to my experiences with those as well and for many of the one's I've never smoked, your write-ups are pretty close to what I would have guessed they'd be.
 
Do you guys play solely Hold 'em? If so, how many people usually play? What's the blind structure? Limit? No Limit?
 
Inthacup said:
Do you guys play solely Hold 'em? If so, how many people usually play? What's the blind structure? Limit? No Limit?
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THREADJACK :p

Penalty = two Havanas to be sent to Moki :sign:
 
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