I can't believe that I agree with PT. Nic cigars are better than CC's all day everyday.
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So what is wrong with capitalism and free enterprise?:-) I don't smoke a lot of PJ's stuff, but, he has the right to do what he wants with his company, doesn't he?
I'll give his new line a try when they are released.:-)
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I am always cranked off when I see anyone even tilt towards Cuba with their marketing, or use it as a reference point
for comparison. These guys are in a death struggle everyday with havana, and from what I can tell, Habanos goes out
of their way to be innovative within themselves. Granted, EVERYTHING THEY OWN, they STOLE, but since then they
have tried to stay above the fray and just focus on trying to maintain their image as the best in the world. They have
failed mightily at every turn in my opinion, their reaction to the boom was not only embarrassing, it was nearly
catastrophic. But they still keep innovating and trying to shake the money tree. EVERY OTHER MAKER outside of Cuba
uses them for ideas to steal, an anchor for all their legitimacy in the history of their companies or in the DNA of their
master blenders and torcedores. It's almost disgusting, and I try to stay away from their products as much as possible.
But again, Havana DID steal EVERYTHING. But they did not continue to steal unabashedly.
I can tolerate Fuente because no one can say they don't also do it their way, and are wildly successful because of it.
The Padrons live off the cuban mystique, but they also innovate on their own and are a dominant force because they
refuse to pander to trends. They MAKE trends. It seems like all the boutiques will steal whatever they can to try and
just get the scraps left behind by the other 2. I like a Nic cigar, but I don't like the PJ stuff, or the Drew Estates Stuff,
or the Pepin stuff or the AJ stuff......Some of the cigars make the most they can out of the tobacco, but 80% of it is all the
same to me.

By the way OP, "poor man's Behike" is a little off base....These cigars will be money or nothing. They won't be cheap.
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It's not an issue with Capitalism at all. The issue, at least for me, is the marketing and packaging he chooses to deliver his product.
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I really think he's serious. Seriously.
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I for one am excited. He makes a great product and is a master at marketing his product. And I tend to agree with Dunkel. NC's blow the doors off CC's. Let the debate continue.
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You clearly don't like Nicaraguan tobacco as much as you claim as you basically just eliminated the best in the biz in Nicaragua. Everyone you just listed are some of the only ones doing anything worthwhile with the tobacco and is the reason why when it comes to boutiques they are the top dogs.
Is it a rip off? Yes, but I am sure if you talk to Pete there is probably some kind of joke behind it. I always laugh at how many people love to hate on his stuff and the man himself, many without even trying his stuff or ever meeting him. I can almost guarantee if you spend a little time talking to him in person your opinion would more than likely change. Just when it comes to tobacco the guy is a wealth of knowledge and probably has forgotten more than I myself would ever know. I personally will pick up a few to try. I will never rule out a stick due to marketing gimmicks. Hell if that were the case I would have never smoked a good amount of sticks I enjoy everyday. Sh*t if it weren't for marketing gimmicks I would be out of a job! Call me biased but I would take any of the brands OLS mentioned above over most Cubans anyway. I actually just had this conversation two nights ago about this topic. I said "If someone had a Tatuaje, Liga and a Monte 2 in their hand and offered me to take one for free, the Monte would be my last choice." Not that it isn't a good smoke but I personally prefer Nic. tobacco and I also know I have a 50/50 chance that the Monte will be plugged.:-)
Things could be worse. Has anyone seen Casa De Montecristos claims on their copy of the Behike. They're claiming theirs even tastes the same.
http://www.topqualitycigars.com/ Should still be on the homepage but if it moves after landing on the page search for B56.
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If his crap is so great, how come he has to rip off the Cubans for his marketing and packaging? Why does he have to imitate such an inferior product??? He does this because his sh*t can't stand on its own. He needs the hype in order to draw attention to his product.

Oh, BTW... I think your wife is a dog. It's only a coincidence that I make my wife dress the same and wear the same makeup.
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I'm pretty sure I read a while back that all his cigars are based off his favorite Cuban sizes. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery:-)

I probably will not smoke these as I smoke almost all cc but the price doesn't seem that bad (8.50-10 bucks). Smoke what you like it doesn't matter who rolls it or where it is from.
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Is it just me, or has anybody else noticed that whenever a thread is started about Pete Johnson and his lines of cigars, it turns into a slugfest? :-)
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ive met pete. i like the guy. hes a smart person who has love for nicaraguan tobacco and a love for cuban styling. im not so sure its a "rip off" as much as attempting to fit the style of cuba.
i respect what he does with tobacco. i respect his passion.
im not a fan of his cigars save for a few.

there are a ton of Tatuaje fans out there and clearly they are not on this forum, but i still fiind it a bit surprising that some here seem to have so much hate for him.
you dont like his stuff, dont buy it. plain and simple.
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Companies do this all the time with competing products. Many people when asked about cigars first think of Cuba. That makes Cuba a target.

Instead of looking at this as a bad thing you could choose to look at it as "Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery"...
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He makes a great product? That's debatable, but goes back to smoke what you like, a subjective type of thing. Master of marketing? I don't think so, he steals everything he puts out from Cuba.. boxes, bands, ect.

NC's blow the doors off CC's? That's subjective also, smoke what you like. However, I will smoke what I like too, and I prefer not to smoke nasty, harsh, one dimensional spice bombs that most NC's are. I prefer the opposite:-)
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No one here is showing any hate towards Pete himself. The issues are related to how the brand is marketed and packaged.
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how original pete... why dont you come up with some of your own creativity (ohwait!)
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sure looks like hate to me.
i understand not liking the cigars he puts out but saying he steals everything is clearly overboard. the monster series comes to mind with little hesitation.

just about every brand ever has taken ideas from Cuban packaging. why pick on pete?
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Whereas I'd counter that Pete Johnson's products are probably talked about more often on this messageboard than all the other NC sticks combined. If there are cigar messageboards out there with a higher concentration of fanbois, kindly let me know so that I may avoid them like the plague.
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I don't think you understand the difference between criticizing his BRAND and actually hating on HIM. There has been no one show any hate towards Pete himself at all. In fact, there has been zero hate at all. And is it fair to say the Monster Series is an outlier in the whole stolen packaging debate:-) I'm off to smoke a FACE:-):-)
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It would be interesting to hear if Pete started the company separate to protect his other interests from lawsuit or infringement claims coming from Habanos SA on this line.

It's all a copy cat business in a lot of ways, I am glad to hear he is not going to be copying the same pricing scheme with these :-)

I'll give them a try, I am about 50/50 on Pete's different cigars but I am always up for trying a new cigar at least once.
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Smoke what you like, like what you smoke, judge not lest ye be judged.

I prefer Cubans.
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