La Herencia Cubana. Even thought they're a budget stick, they pack more than their value in flavor and complexity. They're definitely gonna be my first box purchase.
That's funny Dude, LHC was the first thing that popped into my head when I saw this topic (LHC OF to be specific). The Carlos Torano Exodus Gold also comes to mind. I must throw in the disclaimer that I have yet to smoke a true super premium, but these still are kick-*** smokes to me that I plan to seek out regularly in the future.
For me it's hard to imagine anything coming close to the La Flor Dominicana Cameroon Cabinet #1...there are several cigars that have blown me away once or twice, but this one does it every time.
Oh yeah, I forgot about some cheaper cigars that totally surprised me... Diesel with some age on it turns into a smooth as sh*t coffee and chocolate flavor bomb, for instance.
Also, both the first T-52 Toro I ever smoked, and then the first T-52 Flying Pig I ever smoked absolutely rocked my world, and my palate. The Toro was like eating Steak Au Poivre, with a cup of awesome coffee, and a piece of fine dark chocolate. The Pig was like those flavors on some sort of psychadelic, mind altering, palate warping drug. It was that profile, plus great floral notes, like roses and lavender character, plus a super oily taste and feel, in a fun (admittedly gimmicky) vitola, that smoked slowly, but burned flawlessly. One of the best investments I've made since getting into the hobby was splitting a box of pigs. Yum!
I am always impressed with how fantastic, yet inexpensive Nestor Miranda cigars (specifically the Domenico and Special Selection) are. Oh! And the La Aurora 107 blend. The robusto is amazing, and the lancero ("Twitter cigar") I have in the humi smells great. Also, Litto Gomez makes some cigars (Air Bender and Double Ligero Maddy come to mind) that can be found for what I consider to be every day prices, that occasionally cross over from being great cigars to "away blowing" cigars. Specifically, I've been blown away by an Air Bender chisel, and a DL Chiselito (mad) as well as a DL Lancero ("dark natural"). Litto is definitely going to go down in history as one of the greats.
I've been blown away by a few Davidoffs as well, especially when I first moved towards milder cigars. When I first started smoking, I moved fairly quickly from crappy, cheap milds, to the full bodied strong-arms that AJ/CCom make some great examples of (Diesel, MOW, etc.), and spent a long time smoking cigars in that range. Eventually my palate gravitated towards smaller, and milder cigars, and I discovered Davidoff, and Kelner. And oh, have I mentioned that in doing so I fell in love? Few things are as fine a relaxing tool as a Davidoff Grand-Cru, or an AVO Domaine.
In addition to several of the ones already posted I'll add Camacho Corojo. It absolutely blew me away with it's delicious chocolate and peanut butter flavor notes and amazing smoothness. It had about a year on it.
Surprised it's not on here yet. The Oliva Serie V... My mentor gave me one for my 22nd Birthday. Something told me to let it rest and I smoked it on my 23rd. It was the most amazing cigar ever!.
In addition the Gurkha Centurian totally blew me away... I had a slow day at work and decided to light up. I sat outside in the sun for one and a half hours puffing away. Got a call I had a delivery set my cigar in the window sill to just sign for the order, came back literally less than a minute later to see a homeless guy walking away with the best cigar I had ever tasted.
Another vote for the Camacho pre-embargo and the Padron Anniversarios. Also, Perdomo ESV Maestro, GOF Carlito, some Opus X vitolas and the Gurkha Royal Salute (infused, not flavored - nice change of pace cigar).
Like most, over the years I've had a few that blew me away. I'd call them palate changers, where I feel like I'm graduating into something new and awesome. Weather its a new cigar to the market or just a new one for me, those are some special smokes. Its cool to have a thread about them.
I smoked alot of random junk and alot of crap for a few years before I was blown away for the first time. The first ones I remember that blew me away we're the Gurkha Masters Select perfecto back in probably 2003 or 2004, which we're followed up by the CAO Criollo back in probably 2004 or 2005 and the Gurkha Regent in 2007 or 2008. Still like those 3 alot, but rarely ever smoke any of them, except for the masters select, I still have a handful of them from my last box purchase about 3 years back. Then in mid 2009, both the Diesel Unholy Cocktail and the DPG Blue label blew me away in a big way. Can't seem to get enough of those these days.
I'm sure I'll make the move into the high quality Med-mild stuff at some point, but I'm happy where I'm at for now in the medium-full range, which is nice becuase I don't think my wallet could take any more abuse. haha.
Cigars and individual palates make this a wonderful pastime. Sticks that blew me away especially the first time are MOW original, MOW Ruination robusto, Camacho Corojo, DPG JJ, Oliva V, LFD DL, CA Intenso, Diesel UL, and many budget sticks had more complexity than I ever dreamed they would.
Tat T110
Tat Private Blend Black Label
Tat Cojonu 2003
Liga Privada T52, T9, Dirty Rat & Flying Pig T9 & T52
Joya de Nicaragua Antano Dark Corojo
CAO La Traviata Maduro
Diesel Unlimited
MOW original
La Aurora Preferido Maduro
Opus X Power Ranger
AF Sun Grown Cuban Belicoso
Cain F
Casa Magna Colorado
Warlock
My list could go on and on....... There's so much out there that has blown me away.
Mow Original, Ruination, and Armada
Diesel Unlimited and Shorty
JDN Dark Corojo
Camacho Pre-Embargo
La Aurora 107 Lancero
LP T52 and #9
Casa Magna Oscuro
LHC OF
CAO Brazila
C.com Cuban Label and Sun Grown
Tat Black
Edit: forgot Jaime Garcia Reserva or something damn good stick fresh out of a B&M Humi should have bought more..
fuente don carlos number 2, still my fave stick.
i have a cigar dossier that you put the band in then notate. i love glancing back through, my pallette has been all over the place.
Mow Original, Ruination, and Armada
Diesel Unlimited and Shorty
JDN Dark Corojo
Camacho Pre-Embargo
La Aurora 107 Lancero
LP T52 and #9
Casa Magna Oscuro
LHC OF
CAO Brazila
C.com Cuban Label and Sun Grown
Tat Black
Edit: forgot Jaime Garcia Reserva or something damn good stick fresh out of a B&M Humi should have bought more..
OMG how did I forget the Cuban Label and the Sungrown!!!
I bought the box of Oliveros King Havano Oscuros that were on the box bedlam, and when I finally tried one, it was just awesome to me. I havent had another yet so I hope it wasnt a fluke. Camacho triple maddy I had on my last birthday really blew me away. And the LFD airbender. For me though, its all about WHEN i have it..mood and atmosphere play a big role. All the more reason to try something many times before declaring your love or hatred for blend.
My Father 2010 Limited Edition
My Father #1
Padilla Miami Toro
LFD DL Chisel Maduro
Litto Gomez Small Batch
Tatuaje 2010 Monster Series "The Face"
MOW Ruination Belicoso
Alec Bradley Tempus
Mow Original, Ruination, and Armada
Diesel Unlimited and Shorty
JDN Dark Corojo
Camacho Pre-Embargo
La Aurora 107 Lancero
LP T52 and #9
Casa Magna Oscuro
LHC OF
CAO Brazila
C.com Cuban Label and Sun Grown
Tat Black
Edit: forgot Jaime Garcia Reserva or something damn good stick fresh out of a B&M Humi should have bought more..
OMG how did I forget the Cuban Label and the Sungrown!!!
Kristoff Maduro, best smoke I have ever had. Mild to medium bodied, but HUGE flavor. I wish this site would carry them. The Sumatra is pretty awesome to.
Comments
Also, both the first T-52 Toro I ever smoked, and then the first T-52 Flying Pig I ever smoked absolutely rocked my world, and my palate. The Toro was like eating Steak Au Poivre, with a cup of awesome coffee, and a piece of fine dark chocolate. The Pig was like those flavors on some sort of psychadelic, mind altering, palate warping drug. It was that profile, plus great floral notes, like roses and lavender character, plus a super oily taste and feel, in a fun (admittedly gimmicky) vitola, that smoked slowly, but burned flawlessly. One of the best investments I've made since getting into the hobby was splitting a box of pigs. Yum!
I am always impressed with how fantastic, yet inexpensive Nestor Miranda cigars (specifically the Domenico and Special Selection) are. Oh! And the La Aurora 107 blend. The robusto is amazing, and the lancero ("Twitter cigar") I have in the humi smells great. Also, Litto Gomez makes some cigars (Air Bender and Double Ligero Maddy come to mind) that can be found for what I consider to be every day prices, that occasionally cross over from being great cigars to "away blowing" cigars. Specifically, I've been blown away by an Air Bender chisel, and a DL Chiselito (mad) as well as a DL Lancero ("dark natural"). Litto is definitely going to go down in history as one of the greats.
I've been blown away by a few Davidoffs as well, especially when I first moved towards milder cigars. When I first started smoking, I moved fairly quickly from crappy, cheap milds, to the full bodied strong-arms that AJ/CCom make some great examples of (Diesel, MOW, etc.), and spent a long time smoking cigars in that range. Eventually my palate gravitated towards smaller, and milder cigars, and I discovered Davidoff, and Kelner. And oh, have I mentioned that in doing so I fell in love? Few things are as fine a relaxing tool as a Davidoff Grand-Cru, or an AVO Domaine.
The Oliva Serie V... My mentor gave me one for my 22nd Birthday.
Something told me to let it rest and I smoked it on my 23rd. It was the most amazing cigar ever!.
In addition the Gurkha Centurian totally blew me away... I had a slow day at work and decided to light up. I sat outside in the sun for one and a half hours puffing away. Got a call I had a delivery set my cigar in the window sill to just sign for the order, came back literally less than a minute later to see a homeless guy walking away with the best cigar I had ever tasted.
I smoked alot of random junk and alot of crap for a few years before I was blown away for the first time. The first ones I remember that blew me away we're the Gurkha Masters Select perfecto back in probably 2003 or 2004, which we're followed up by the CAO Criollo back in probably 2004 or 2005 and the Gurkha Regent in 2007 or 2008. Still like those 3 alot, but rarely ever smoke any of them, except for the masters select, I still have a handful of them from my last box purchase about 3 years back. Then in mid 2009, both the Diesel Unholy Cocktail and the DPG Blue label blew me away in a big way. Can't seem to get enough of those these days.
I'm sure I'll make the move into the high quality Med-mild stuff at some point, but I'm happy where I'm at for now in the medium-full range, which is nice becuase I don't think my wallet could take any more abuse. haha.
Tat T110
Tat Private Blend Black Label
Tat Cojonu 2003
Liga Privada T52, T9, Dirty Rat & Flying Pig T9 & T52
Joya de Nicaragua Antano Dark Corojo
CAO La Traviata Maduro
Diesel Unlimited
MOW original
La Aurora Preferido Maduro
Opus X Power Ranger
AF Sun Grown Cuban Belicoso
Cain F
Casa Magna Colorado
Warlock
My list could go on and on....... There's so much out there that has blown me away.
Mow Original, Ruination, and Armada Diesel Unlimited and Shorty
JDN Dark Corojo
Camacho Pre-Embargo
La Aurora 107 Lancero
LP T52 and #9
Casa Magna Oscuro
LHC OF
CAO Brazila
C.com Cuban Label and Sun Grown
Tat Black
Edit: forgot Jaime Garcia Reserva or something damn good stick fresh out of a B&M Humi should have bought more..
My Father 2010 Limited Edition
My Father #1
Padilla Miami Toro
LFD DL Chisel Maduro
Litto Gomez Small Batch
Tatuaje 2010 Monster Series "The Face"
MOW Ruination Belicoso
Alec Bradley Tempus
The generosity of the BOTLs on this board.