Anyone seen these? Now as much as I'd like to try one, and enjoyed the hell out of the Ave Maria...at almost $ 17.00 a stick...I guess I'm gonna miss this one. :-) With the regular blend Ave Maria going for roughly $ 7.50 a stick...these have a Brazilian Habano Oscuro wrapper...and that justifies an additional $ 10 per stick?? :-) :-)

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"Reconquista from Ave Maria is a thing of considerable beauty. Spectacular, inside and out. I would comfortably stack this against any medium to full-bodied blend available today…to say Reconquista will compare favorably is an understatement.

Gorgeously packed in heavy, giant chests – inside each cigar is individually encased in cedar coffin boxes then laid neatly over a bed of tobacco leaves. As good as this looks, the real juice is unquestionably the blend itself. Reconquista is made in one size only: a stately 7”x54 Torpedo. This big, yet manageable, vitola optimizes the rich blend of aged tobaccos….a size perfectly tailored to the cigar’s formulation. The wrapper is a dark, toothy Habano Oscuro variety grown in Brazil: thick and oily, sodden with a feisty and voluptuous character. Its filler tobaccos combine rich, well-aged, Cuban-seed, Nicaraguan-grown leaves from Esteli, Condega, and Jalapa. The combination explodes with uniquely rich and dense, finely balanced, and smooth flavors. Hearty notes of espresso, pepper, oak, spices, tobacco, and cocoa lightly dust the palate, leading to a toasty-sweet finish.

An extraordinary achievement in super-premium, full-bodied cigars."
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I guess this is the new trend.
Just like the LHC Doug posted about and the MOW Armada.
Take a good, reasonably priced stick, change the wrapper, stick it in a coffin and more than double the price.

I Predict $20 Diesels in the near future!!

:-) :-)
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I have a buddy at work who was looking forward to these when they came out. He finally got his hands on one and said all the hype wasn't worth it.
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What??? The hype wasn't worth it? He should have had the one in the coffin then sealed in a galss tube then dipped in wax for an extra 29.99, then he would have enjoyed it... maybe it just needed a second band?
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C'mon Man you've always been a sucker for a good coffin....I mean deal...I see the price didn't stop you from picking up 3 or so.
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Looks like AJ's prices are heading towards DPG levels and beyond. Sad state of affairs.
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No one is forcing anyone to smoke or pay for AJ's version of 'ultra premium.' Not like he doesn't have several reasonably priced cigars and if the public doesn't see the value it will fade away. As always, smoke what ya like.
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Think you missed the intent of my post Eric...I would LOVE to try this stick, as the Ave Maria was excellent. And while yes, AJ does have some excellent sticks out there at a decent price. However, with changing the wrapper and driving the price up $ 10 a stick..I will respectively choose not to purchase this stick. And many fellow BOTLs will join in this "I refuse to pay these crazy prices". Just pointing out that this seems to be a growing trend in the industry. Again, it's all personal preference and goes back to just as you stated...Smoke what you like, like what you smoke. The thing is that many will miss out on this AJ stick due to this trendy price raising. :-)
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That looks like an amazing cigar, but like the rest of you I agree. The price is too much!
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I probably should have quoted Dunkel as my reply was geared more toward his response than your OP. Still, if no one bought these high dollar sticks the manufacturers would stop making them. Look at Tatuaje. You can buy a perfectly good Havana VI for not a lot of money but there are more than a few threads/posts on the internet talking about Pete's high priced limited editions and how they are ruining the cigar biz. Does Ford catch a ton of crap about the Mustang model structure? Not that I'm aware of. Say they make a base model, the GT, and then some Shelby or Roush models for those who want something special or with a bit extra. I look at these LE's the same way. I'd be totally OK with a Mustang GT even though I'm sure it would be more fun to drive a Roush. It's capitalism and every consumer has to decide for themselves what value they put on the additional farkles, bells or whistles. In the case of the Reconquista it sounds as if you've decide that no, a new wrapper is not worth the additional $$. I probably won't be trying this stick either but I also don't begrudge them for putting out a top of the line product for those who do.
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I'm entitled to my opinion the same as you are. I decided to share my opinion and now you have too. I guess that makes everything even! :-)
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Lol, not pickin' on yer opinion. :-) Just throwing another one out there. Mine is worth about as much as we pay for the use of this site! :-)
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On joecigar right now: Ave Maria 5 pack belis for $32.50. They are "mash-up" so you can get them later tonight if you miss them now.

http://joecigar.com/

I'll stick with the lower priced AJ offerings for now. SCCC being probably my favorite (price point taken into account
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The new Reconquista isn't just a new wrapper on the same blend. AJ also added some different aged tobaccos (7-10 yrs) for the filler. I haven't tried it yet. But I thought the Armada was worth the $20 price tag for an "every once in a while" smoke. So, I'll give the new Ave a try. I can't complain about AJ making "high end" smokes cuz he also makes very good affordable smokes too. Much like Fuente, I know I'll probably never try all of their $50 Opuses, but I still enjoy a lot of their lines.
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