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Why ISOM's suck

Matty_Vegas

Matty_Vegas

Wayne Newton Mafia Boss
Joined
Mar 29, 2005
Messages
1,395
(I want to qualify this by saying not all of them suck...but a majority does. I had a fabulous ISOM with Alex GTP a few weeks back)

Spending good money on these smokes is difficult. Often you get a box and smoke one just to find out if the rest of the box is any good. And then when it is not, you say that classic phrase "Oh these need to rest for a year or whatever"

UTTERLY PREPOSTEROUS!

Think about lighting up smoke and it is plugged, that cigar is trash. Ever had a plugged NC RYJ? Possible but no where near as frequent as an ISOM.

These cigars never seemed to be aged good, or when they are, they can be very pricey. I have some ISOM's that were incredible, but I have had some Fuentes and Padrons that were just as good, and Lega to buy and smoke.

You spend 200 dollars or more on a box and then you know going into it they could suck and need to save them for months?...Would you buy a DVD to watch and watch the first 15 minutes of it and have it not be good, put it away for a few months (or years) hoping that it would be better???

Domestic cigars are getting so good now (I am not even talking about top shelf stuff) that I find it difficult to deal with the drama of getting my hads on ISOM's.

I would almost says the quality of costruction is better on the NC side of things..
just my 2 pennies
 
This is an extreme tangent, but the same virtues could be said for the consistency of jug wine versus boutique bottlings. To each our own.
 
....a very broad brush you choose to paint ISOM's with, friend Matty.

There are so many points that could counter your points I'm not sure where to start. I think I'll play it safe and suggest "Smoke what you like, like what you smoke".

B.B.S.
 
Which ISOM are you talking about:

kimberly-isom-1.jpg


kimberlyi_big7.jpg
 
BlindedByScience said:
....a very broad brush you choose to paint ISOM's with, friend Matty.

There are so many points that could counter your points I'm not sure where to start. I think I'll play it safe and suggest "Smoke what you like, like what you smoke".

B.B.S.
Click to expand...

Cigars are like music, if you like it then it is good...
 
Matty_Vegas said:
BlindedByScience said:
....a very broad brush you choose to paint ISOM's with, friend Matty.

There are so many points that could counter your points I'm not sure where to start. I think I'll play it safe and suggest "Smoke what you like, like what you smoke".

B.B.S.
Click to expand...

Cigars are like music, if you like it then it is good...
Click to expand...

Im not a fan of Rap but Ill listen to biggy once and a while.
 
:0 :0 :0 :0 :0 :0

"Smoke what you like, like what you smoke".
 
I tend to agree with you Matty. While I do enjoy a good cooban and have had several amazing sticks from that area, I do just fine with my Nicaraguan and Dominican selections. Besides, I don't have to worry as much about bad years, construction issues/plugged sticks or the feds! :laugh:
 
denverdog said:
I tend to agree with you Matty. While I do enjoy a good cooban and have had several amazing sticks from that area, I do just fine with my Nicaraguan and Dominican selections. Besides, I don't have to worry as much about bad years, construction issues/plugged sticks or the feds! :laugh:
Click to expand...
Exactly the way I feel and was just talking about this with a buddy last night. Although I did smoke a Monte No.2 last night and was very impressed. But to me, still not worth it with all the NC's I can get.
 
Personally, I think your buck goes further with NON-ISOMs, but there are a few I enjoy. It's always hard to get over that price hump, but once I do, I hardly ever regret it.

And every time I get a couple of plugged cigars I switch to NON-ISOMs for a few months.
 
A veteran cuban smoker told me one time "When it's good, it's good. I often smoke through a box of Cohibas full of construction problems, draw issues, and flavourless moments just to get to that last 25th cigar that actually tastes good." He said it with a smile and glowed with pride about it. I thought to myself "What kind of messed up ideology is that?"
 
Habanos with draw problems still are better smokes than NC cigars IMHO. You just need to make sure you know how to use some sort of a poker to clear the draw.

I find most NC cigars need even more aging than ISOMs. I've often bought boxes of ISOMs that tasted harsh, given most of them away, only to revisit a year later and regret ever having given any of them away. Lesson learned, I now try to age certain vitolas before smoking.

Personally I tend to not even go near NC's for at least 6 months after a box purchase.

As they say though, to each his own.
 
UTTERLY PREPOSTEROUS!

I have had a few bad smokes but they were few and far between,I try to age all my smokes cc and nc.
Almost all cigars will be better with some time. IMHO
 
I've smoked enough to know that the tobacco is wonderful. Some of them were the best cigars I've had...fresh mind you. It's all about opinions, concepts, and tastes. Construction problems aside.
 
In my experience, very generally:

NC construction > CC construction

CC flavor quality to price ratio > NC flavor quality to price ratio

Different preferences are a function of different priorities. Simple as that...
 
Matty_Vegas said:
(I want to qualify this by saying not all of them suck...but a majority does. I had a fabulous ISOM with Alex GTP a few weeks back)
Click to expand...
Gee, after that title, it's nice to know that you are not 100% sure of that "Suck" claim. :rolleyes:
Maybe you are refering to the "ISOM" brand of cheap Honduran cigars sold by JR Tobacco but I'm guessing that you are simply trying use a hip way to refer to Cuban cigars, even though the Dominican Republic fits the "ISOM" description as well.

Well, I beg to differ.
I recently did a survey of 98 boxes of Cuban cigars I've purchased and taken tasting notes on over the past 10-12 years. My curiousity had been stimulated by various notes on cigar forums discussing which years of production were the "worst" and I also wanted to see if there was a seasonal pattern to any construction problems with Cuban stock.
Out of 98 boxes, including boxes from every year from 1996 to 2007, only 8 ( that's EIGHT) showed any pattern of poor construction.
Two were from 2000.
One was from 2001.
Three boxes from 2002.
One box from 2003.
Three boxes were packaged, according to the date codes, in the summer, three in the fall and two in the winter months.

The only conclusion I can draw from actual tasting notes is that Cuban cigars produced in the summer and fall of 2002 might have about a 2-3% chance of having some construction problems. While I've had occasional singles from several boxes, no boxes were consistently bad.
So I just have to conclude that your "experience" with Cuban cigars, if that's what we are talking about, is to quote you:
Matty_Vegas said:
UTTERLY PREPOSTEROUS!
Click to expand...
Now if you really get such good experiences with non-Cuban cigars :
Matty_Vegas said:
Domestic cigars are getting so good now (I am not even talking about top shelf stuff) that I find it difficult to deal with the drama of getting my hads on ISOM's.
Click to expand...
I suggest that you stick to those "domestic" cigars, by which you likely mean cigars imported from the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua (and all those fake Cuban smokes from Panama) and leave the Cuban cigars alone. It would appear that your sources for Cuban product, not to be discussed on this forum, have been supplying you with sub-standard product.

Commander Bob
Yes, I know it's anal, but I really do have 12 years of cigar notes. It's a hobby. :D
 
Good lord, do we need to have this come up every few months?

Some Cuban cigars are exceptional. Some Cuban cigars are utterly horrible. EDITED TO ADD: Some are pretty good.

Some Non-Cuban cigars are exceptional. Some Non-Cuban cigars are utterly horrible. EDITED TO ADD: Some are pretty good.

Find what you like and smoke it for crying out loud.

:rolleyes:
 
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