behike
Well-Known Member
I have not received any cigars yet, and I won't for few months, so this is a bit premature. But if you have been considering this, I would proceed with caution. I will provide an update once I finally smoke a stick around the holidays or in the New Year.
The marketing for this gives the impression that this is customized for you. I figured this was too good to be true, especially when I saw the price ($130 for 10 sticks...you could buy a box/bundle for more). I was slightly disappointed when I found out it is a group customizing the cigar; I have since figured out I was 1 of 65 people.
Once my order was placed I was told my "experience would begin in 5 to 14 days". The first email I received from them about the "experience" came from andrewautotransport.com, which was special—a common theme of this process. This was followed up by a second email from Privada Cigar Club acknowledging the mistake. The purpose of the email was to announce we had to pick if we were getting cigars from Nicaragua or Costa Rica.
Also very special, both of these emails contained a link to a survey where erroneously someone could very easily edit the options and it seemed someone had as the survey no longer worked when I opened it. It was supposed to say Nicaragua or Costa Rica, but instead all it said was "Option 2".
I could also see from that link everyone who purchased the experience. I could also see after the fact that it was not designed to prevent people from voting multiple times which a few people did—enough to impact the results in their favor.
Eight days later, more special communications, I received another email with a link to the country survey, but that link pointed to their website and not a survey. And then later that day two more emails trying send the correct link, which they finally did in their third attempt. They never ackonwledged the problem with the first survey from the week prior. Instead, they tried to pass it off as a second round of voting because the first round was so close.
Two days after this, Costa Rica was declared the winner--I was a bit surprised, but I figured it would be a good learning experience as I did not know a lot about Costa Rican cigars. A video was sent going in depth about their behind-the-scenes visit to the factory of Tobaccos De Costa Rican. The email also seemed to shower praise on this factory--a bias. Our next task was to pick the cigar manufactuer which was between this one and what the email stated was "EGM". Another special moment, it's actually IGM who has made (El Septimo, Lampert and Casdagli). This was never corrected publicly, even after I pointed out the error. The survey said EGM. Also, there was no 20+ minute video on IGM like their was for the other; there wasn't even a one second video. Surprise, surprise Tobaccos De Costa Rican won, which was announced 9 days later.
Two days later we were asked to pick a wrapper. Below are the options. I was annoyed it didn't state that's Connecticut shade wrapper as opposed to broadleaf. Plus, Atabey does use Habano on some of its sticks like the black line. I also wished they had presented facts about the flavor profiles of the two options. Lastly, again, I felt like they biased the surveyto Connecticut, which again was not my choice.
Four days later, it was announced HVA won. And we were asked to pick the binder.
I am still excited to try something new, and I am hoping I like the sticks. That being said, part of me wonders if this was Privada's own blend, and they just gave us the impression we were pulling the strings. With all the errors made in their communications, I didn't really get the impression they cared about our opinions much, not to mention some pretty big biases dropped into the surveys.
The marketing for this gives the impression that this is customized for you. I figured this was too good to be true, especially when I saw the price ($130 for 10 sticks...you could buy a box/bundle for more). I was slightly disappointed when I found out it is a group customizing the cigar; I have since figured out I was 1 of 65 people.
Once my order was placed I was told my "experience would begin in 5 to 14 days". The first email I received from them about the "experience" came from andrewautotransport.com, which was special—a common theme of this process. This was followed up by a second email from Privada Cigar Club acknowledging the mistake. The purpose of the email was to announce we had to pick if we were getting cigars from Nicaragua or Costa Rica.
Also very special, both of these emails contained a link to a survey where erroneously someone could very easily edit the options and it seemed someone had as the survey no longer worked when I opened it. It was supposed to say Nicaragua or Costa Rica, but instead all it said was "Option 2".
I could also see from that link everyone who purchased the experience. I could also see after the fact that it was not designed to prevent people from voting multiple times which a few people did—enough to impact the results in their favor.
Eight days later, more special communications, I received another email with a link to the country survey, but that link pointed to their website and not a survey. And then later that day two more emails trying send the correct link, which they finally did in their third attempt. They never ackonwledged the problem with the first survey from the week prior. Instead, they tried to pass it off as a second round of voting because the first round was so close.
Two days after this, Costa Rica was declared the winner--I was a bit surprised, but I figured it would be a good learning experience as I did not know a lot about Costa Rican cigars. A video was sent going in depth about their behind-the-scenes visit to the factory of Tobaccos De Costa Rican. The email also seemed to shower praise on this factory--a bias. Our next task was to pick the cigar manufactuer which was between this one and what the email stated was "EGM". Another special moment, it's actually IGM who has made (El Septimo, Lampert and Casdagli). This was never corrected publicly, even after I pointed out the error. The survey said EGM. Also, there was no 20+ minute video on IGM like their was for the other; there wasn't even a one second video. Surprise, surprise Tobaccos De Costa Rican won, which was announced 9 days later.
Two days later we were asked to pick a wrapper. Below are the options. I was annoyed it didn't state that's Connecticut shade wrapper as opposed to broadleaf. Plus, Atabey does use Habano on some of its sticks like the black line. I also wished they had presented facts about the flavor profiles of the two options. Lastly, again, I felt like they biased the surveyto Connecticut, which again was not my choice.
- Ecuador Connecticut (Their most expensive option and used on their most famous cigars, think ATABEY)
- Ecuador Habano Corojo (Their second most used option, think D'Crossier, Byron).
Four days later, it was announced HVA won. And we were asked to pick the binder.
- Nicaragua Esteli – Known for its bold spiciness, deep flavor, and rich complexity.
- Peru – Smooth and creamy, offering subtle sweetness and a mellow balance.
- Costa Rica Especial – This is the special stuff —bringing a touch of classic Cuban character: elegance, floral notes, and a refined finish.
- Or we could pick different combinations of these.
I am still excited to try something new, and I am hoping I like the sticks. That being said, part of me wonders if this was Privada's own blend, and they just gave us the impression we were pulling the strings. With all the errors made in their communications, I didn't really get the impression they cared about our opinions much, not to mention some pretty big biases dropped into the surveys.