Question to our Canadian Berthern

Let me be the first to jump into the fire!
IMO, Cuban cigars have one MAJOR dissadvantage over most other cigars.

- They are not made with aged tobacco and need to be aged after you purchase them

Now, don't jump on me yet......LTD Edicion cigars in the past 8 year? or so have been made with 2 year old tobacco, and some have had wrappers that are older than that, but in general, the tobaccos used are not well aged. For that reason, a 'fresh' Cuban cigar will probably taste harsh or bitter. This is something we get to understand over time, and is much more than just the few weeks of 'rest' that I see mentionned on this forum for the sticks from ccom. This puts ISOM sticks at a dissadvantage because most cigar smokers are not used to the idea of aging a cigar for 4 or 5 years before they are ready to be enjoyed.
Yes, you can smoke them sooner than that, but the taste will improve over years, not months. Remember that I stated this is IMO, as I understand and practice and what works for me is not necessarily for everyone.

Now to be more specific about your questions. I enjoy Rocky Patel, Perdomo, Liga provada no9, LFD ligero, some Gurkhas and many more. None of them remind me of any Cubans in particular. I haven't yet found a cigar to compare to a Partagas Serie D No.4, or a Cohiba Reserva, Sublimes or even a siglo.
I believe that we are all different in our tastes and what we like. That is what makes this such a great community. More tha 50% of my cigar collection is Cuban, but there are some non-Cubans that I like 'better' than some Cubans. I have found over the years that there are quite a few cigars that I don't like, and never want to light them up again, on both sides of the border.

The only advice I could give to someone who feels that Cuban cigars are not for them is this:
a) don't smoke them, send them to me,
b) Let them rest for 3 to 5 years and then try it....I'll bet you'll be surprised!

Lets be clear here, it is very common to get boxes of cubans with several years of age on them. I currently have 5 boxes that came with multiple years on them (box date) and 2 of them with 6 years on them. It comes down to luck of the person who's grabbing the box to fill your order. You can also specifically order aged Cubans from sites as well quite easily and affordably. I believe you have a better chance getting aged Cubans actually then you do non Cubans. This stuff is all very subjective and my opinion is that all major non Cuban cigar prodcuing countries make at least 1 cigar usually multiple that I enjoy as much as my favorite Cuban cigars.

Diamondog:
Lets be clear here, it is very common to get boxes of cubans with several years of age on them. I currently have 5 boxes that came with multiple years on them (box date) and 2 of them with 6 years on them. It comes down to luck of the person who's grabbing the box to fill your order. You can also specifically order aged Cubans from sites as well quite easily and affordably. I believe you have a better chance getting aged Cubans actually then you do non Cubans. This stuff is all very subjective and my opinion is that all major non Cuban cigar prodcuing countries make at least 1 cigar usually multiple that I enjoy as much as my favorite Cuban cigars.

I absolutely agree, and maybe I wasn't specific enough. My comments were about the age of the tobacco BOFORE the cigar is rolled.
Example: The 5 Vegas Relic is made with a leaf of 12 year old tobacco, and there are many others that use 5 year old tobacco in the blend. You won't see this in 'most' Cuban cigars. That's what I meant. I hope that explains what I meant better..

Yes true like any cigar age is what tempers the strength and allows the flavors to shine. I have to agree with DD. I have not run across a box of ISOM that didnt have at least 2 yrs or better. I have not had any straight from the field. My objective in this question is to have an opinion from regular ISOM smokers and show others that even though ISOM cigars are taboo that doesn't equate to better. I do enjoy them but outside of the mystic there are equal or better alternatives.

Krieger

My father's best friend is Cuban and went there to visit his brother who I have been told sells or makes cigars for Cohiba. I have smoked like 5 of these in the last 2 years and I must say that I am just not a fan of Cubans. At least not any I have tried yet anyways. I have had cheapo sticks that have the same taste complexity.

Idk, maybe 2 years isn't enough time on these Cohibas. They have plume on them, but they just don't have much taste to them other than tobacco, some pepper and leather.

Krieger:
My father's best friend is Cuban and went there to visit his brother who I have been told sells or makes cigars for Cohiba. I have smoked like 5 of these in the last 2 years and I must say that I am just not a fan of Cubans. At least not any I have tried yet anyways. I have had cheapo sticks that have the same taste complexity.

Idk, maybe 2 years isn't enough time on these Cohibas. They have plume on them, but they just don't have much taste to them other than tobacco, some pepper and leather.

I would really be sure of your source. No offence but the old 3rd party that works for Cohiba is pretty common and a cigar with plume is only a sign of being aged well not that it is a good cigar, just sayin...

RoyalCigars

Hello, BlueRings

I have access to Cubans like most of us do but, for the most part I steer clear of them for one main reason, Price! While ISOM's can offer a flavor profile that is sooo desirable that people will go to great lengths and pay exuberant prices for them. Also I think personally that there is a real elitist or privileged kind of attitude that can be associated and attributed to the consumption of these cigars mainly because in the mindset of many social or amateur smokers. Many of these people are either not educated or experienced enough in terms of their palate, to know the difference between a well aged cuban and a cheap bundled cigar. If they are in the know, they may still believe the hype that ISOM's are better than non Cubans. This can be a result of a few factors, one of them is the exclusivity. Another could be the marketing. Some people think that the more you pay the better the cigar must be. But I think most of us in here would agree that, this isn't the case. Perfect example of this would be some of Gurkhas lines, such as His Majesty's Reserve retailing for $750 a stick. I mean 750 on ccom would buy you enough smokes to last you 6 months to a year or more.

However to answer your question a little more directly, I enjoy both ISOM's and Non ISOM's. My ISOM stock is limited but I have a decent selection of everything else. On a personal note I am thankful for people like the Pepin, Placencia, Perdomo families and guys like AJ and Alan Rubin because these men create tasty smokes for less money. I mean what would happen if non cubans were suddenly considered equal or better than Cubans? It's likely to say that prices on our favorite non ISOM's would sky rocket. Let us be thankful that these cigars are affordable and are something that an average Joe can still indulge in. Enjoy!

Many Cuban cigars are available at extremely affordable pricing a shining example of this is a box of Bolivar Belicosos Finos at $212 a box which works out to $8.48/stick, not dirt cheap but an absolutely brilliant Cuban...

RoyalCigars

Diamondog:
Many Cuban cigars are available at extremely affordable pricing a shining example of this is a box of Bolivar Belicosos Finos at $212 a box which works out to $8.48/stick, not dirt cheap but an absolutely brilliant Cuban...

Yes, you can get more reasonably priced Cubans from sources such as European online sites, but for the most part they are expensive. You can get great cigars, when considering non-cubans as a great alternative at a lower price. I can get a box of Vegas 5 Gold Maduro for $60.00 and I know they won't be tanic tasting like some of the bolivars I've had but will be ready to smoke as soon as I get them. If you want to spend 212 and then have to age them for 2 or 3 years so they actually taste half decent I salute you. I don't have that kind of cash, the patience nor do I have the space in my humidor for a whole box.

-Regards and Long Ashes!

RoyalCigars:
Diamondog:
Many Cuban cigars are available at extremely affordable pricing a shining example of this is a box of Bolivar Belicosos Finos at $212 a box which works out to $8.48/stick, not dirt cheap but an absolutely brilliant Cuban...

Yes, you can get more reasonably priced Cubans from sources such as European online sites, but for the most part they are expensive. You can get great cigars, when considering non-cubans as a great alternative at a lower price. I can get a box of Vegas 5 Gold Maduro for $60.00 and I know they won't be tanic tasting like some of the bolivars I've had but will be ready to smoke as soon as I get them. If you want to spend 212 and then have to age them for 2 or 3 years so they actually taste half decent I salute you. I don't have that kind of cash, the patience nor do I have the space in my humidor for a whole box.

-Regards and Long Ashes!

I regularly get boxes that already have age on them, like I said previously its quite common to get boxes with 2-5 years+ already on them...2-3 year Boli to become half decent, I don't think so....but then again it's very subjective of course. For me personally one of the things that I quite enjoy about this hobby is learning patience, not because I have to but because I am one with little patience in just about everything else so I do get some satisfaction at least trying to age...Coolers are an excellent choice to provide good cheap space, not as attractive as a humi but more than does the job...

Ah, inspired, intelligent conversation. In the belief anymore that Cubans are superior I believe is a thing of the past. With all the x-pats leaving with genetically exact Cuban seed and growing/harvesting and soil management, growing a Cuban cigar outside of Cuba is realistic, and I believe has already been achieved. The reality, wether afficionados believe it or not, is their is superior product to be had outside of Cuba. I can see Cuba at somewhat at a disadvantage with the achievements of genetics and crop management. They may see themselves falling behind in the not so distant future. If this wasnt possible then we would have never seen wines from other counties beat France. California has consistent winners and superior wines in comparison to it's French counterpart. Cuban's gave and have their place and have earned the respect of the world but to not see outside of that vacuum is shortsided and limiting. I love being able to spend sub $8 dollars to have a similar or superior product and not have the expense nor hassle of obtaining a cigar that will not able able to surpass it.

kuzi16

i have had a my share of cuban cigars.
in general i like Dominican tobacco better.
i have nothing against Cuban tobacco but the flavor profile is not what i look for. every now and then, i like the flavors that a cuban cigar brings but in general ill take a Dominican, Honduran, or nicaraguann over any cuban.
for me, the best cuban cigars are the RyJs. they have a warmth that i dont get out of many ohter brands.

Yes Kuzi I agree Dominican, Honduran, Nicaraguan cigars can be superior products to it's Cuban counterpart. Just to name a few:
Fuente Opus and Anejo
Padron Anniversario
Pepin (well I can even begin to document everything that man touches)
Camacho
AJ Fernandez
Jesus Fuego

One thing as good as genetics, crop management etc are these days I have yet to find that non Cuban cigar with that one charachteristic called the Cuban "twang" just something about them not even sure how to define it but because I smoke quite a few Cubans I find myself craving that "twang" that I haven't found in any other countries cigars. Anyways such a subjective topic, I can definately say this for 100% sure, I would not want to just smoke Cubans for the rest of my life nor would I want to just smoke non Cubans for the rest of my life, they all come together and make it happen for me and are equally an enjoyment of this hobby!

Russ55

Along the same line...if one were, theoretically speaking of course, going to form a "to try" list of the top 5 Isom cigars, what should they be?

One thing mentioned in this thread is the "price of Cuban cigars is high" sortof thing. Well, to be honest, I can get many Cuban cigars for MUCH less that I have to pay for the non-Cuban brands. Case in point:
My local B&M, because of Canadian duties and taxes and price gouging, sells the Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 for a whopping $28.50 / stick. No kidding...there is not much for cigar shops and they have the ONLY walk in humi in the city. Nothing within 100 miles, so I guess they can soak us for whatever they want. My point is, I have purchased most of my Cuban cigars from licenced shops for less than that.
At least where I am from, there is no real price difference between your average cigar and a Cuban. It is ordinary to pay over $50.00 for a Davidoff, and under $20.00 for a Cuban R&J Tubo for example.

I do understand that in the U.S., cigar prices are quite cheap. I hope this helps to explain why Canadians might be willing to shell out more money for their Cuban cigars and not flinch so much at the price.

Russ55:
Along the same line...if one were, theoretically speaking of course, going to form a "to try" list of the top 5 Isom cigars, what should they be?

Cigars are subjective, but I don't mind giving a list of some that I like:

H. Upman Magnum 50
R&J Tubo #2
Partagas Serie D No.4
Cohiba Robusto, Siglo 3, Sublimes, Genios or almost anything they make
San Cristobal de la Habana (El Morro)

just to name a few. I'm sure others will have a totally different list based on what they like.

Marmico

I think another thing that should be considered, is that, at least in my mind, there are good Cuban cigars, and there are bad Cuban cigars, just like everything else. This is like asking if Nicaraguan cigars are better than any other cigars, or if Honduran cigars are better than anything else. When it comes down to it, the only difference between Cuban cigars and other cigars, is that the tobacco is from different countries. The only reason that Cuban cigars are thought of as being superior to any other cigar, is because they are forbidden fruit. Now this isn't to say that I don't enjoy Cuban cigars, I do very much, but the reason that they can't be replicated is because non-Cuban cigars use non-Cuban tobacco. The Opus tastes the way it does because it is a Dominican Puro. The Padron 1964 tastes the way it does because it's a Nicaraguan Puro. Basically this is a comparison of whether good Cuban tobacco is better than anything else. Is it? I wouldn't say so, but I wouldn't necessarily say it's worse than anything else either, it's different. It offers a different flavor profile, and that's all. Thank you for letting me rant.

Just thought I should share that little bit of thought.

docbp87

Marmico:
The only reason that Cuban cigars are thought of as being superior to any other cigar, is because they are forbidden fruit.

In America. In the rest of the world they are also considered superior to Non-Cuban cigars, but the "forbidden fruit" theory does not hold up...

All this Cuban talk I just had to fire up a 2 year old RyJ, delicious!

Diamondog:
All this Cuban talk I just had to fire up a 2 year old RyJ, delicious!

THATS A DIG, DAM YOU DD, DAM U................LMAO!!!!! I guess the last word on this is smoke em if you got them. >>>>Goes off to fire up a Cohiba Esplendido

Marmico

docbp87:
Marmico:
The only reason that Cuban cigars are thought of as being superior to any other cigar, is because they are forbidden fruit.
In America. In the rest of the world they are also considered superior to Non-Cuban cigars, but the "forbidden fruit" theory does not hold up...

You do have a point. I guess my thinking here is it is just different tobacco grown in a different region. I enjoy Cubans very much, and I also enjoy non-Cubans, so I guess it really is just up to the smoker. If they find it worth it, then why not? After all, it is all about enjoyment, right?