That's where I think you are wrong. I don't think any one of the eleven can be accused of being a havana-
only smoker, but I think that all eleven have a keen interest in and deep love for havanas, and it SHOWS in
their decisions to finely detail the havana reviews section, if not in their choice to have a section for both,
which we see in almost all the forums that offer info on the two. Now don't think me dense, I read Clayton's
ideas and they WERE spot on as you said. And of course I am not a TOE, I am more of a heel, so I could be wrong. :-)
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Actually, you are an ass, Brad.
















:-) That was too easy. :-)
All in fun.
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Yeah, but he is our ass... and that is why we love him:-)
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NC's all the way. See, there is a Cuban embargo in effect and it is illegal to purchase Cuban cigars. I will always side with our lawmakers in its selective opposition to communism.
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As a new poster and starter of this thread let me first start by saying 122 replies WOW!! No this is not a brag post, just impressed to see the interest in a subject that is often in my mind when it comes to cigars.

Secondly, let me say I have been in poker forums for years and the worst post to spend my time reading was an insulting or tirade laced post, when I'm trying to just enjoy comments on the subject matter. I think everyone needs to think before they write every post and ask themselves is this going to insult someone. Not solely because one doesn't want to be offensive, hell im a NY'er u know we don't care about that. But becuase most of us don't want to read the next 5 insulting fight posts along the way trying to get back to the subject at hand. Just my experiences guys. Now before I offend anyone else, I have another question related to some posts in this thread.

A few people have stated they get tastes from CC's that they don't get from NC's. Whether it be thru the mouth or nose. And many people associated NC's with strong full bodied pepper tastes. With that said can anyone explain tastes that they get from NC's that they don't get from CC's? Naming the cigar would also be great!
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I don't get the sour-apple Honduran funk or the cloying, metallic Dominican twinge from CCs.
:-)
But seriously, the rich chocolate/coffee you get in spades in the Padron Anniversaries is rare and less pronounced when you find it in CCs, and the strong black pepper blast or jalepeno spiciness that you get from some of the Nicaraguan Pepins (Blue Label) or the LFD double ligero lines are pretty much nonexistent in the CC world.
If you reverse the question, floral notes are pretty rare and usually one dimensional or cloying in NCs, but the CC world has about 500 shades of floral character all over the brands.
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Richie, those are good questions. They'd probably be far better served if you start a new thread, odds are it'll be lost five pages deep.
You can always link back to this thread as a reference for your new topic. :-)
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Imagine my shock and dismay when I agree with him about 95% of the time, Peter. :-)
(A good portion of the other 5% is when I have no idea what the hell he's talking about.)
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Toss me in that group as well.

As for favors in NC that aren't in CC's....I don't taste any resemblance so for me all of them. Even if you get pepper in both, it's a different kind. With NC's it's like someone took a pepper-mill and ground it into my sinuses, CC's not so much.
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The black cherry I sometimes get from aged Opus X is one taste I don't find in CCs. That's the one that comes most prominently to mind.

Regarding the insult followed by 5 insults in response....The ToE keep a goodf watch on things, so that only goes on so long before threads get closed, and if necessary, people get time-outs. :-)
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What the hell is a Cuban cigar? I heard they were all fakes. :-)
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FAKE IMPOSTERS

:-)
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Don't just go by me Rich! :-)
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Ya, but as u can see u have some paaaaaaartners...
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I have never tasted black pepper in a CC. I also have never tasted that anise/wet sneaker/two week worn underwear taste of Tatuaje in CC's.
Clayton mentioned a couple more nasty ones.
I do find the same Pepin spice in fresh PLpc's, it's why I love them so much. I don't generally find cedar flavor in such huge abundance among nc's. It's one of my cc put-offs that I try to minimize by getting rid of cedar sheets in my boxes.
Chocolate, caramel, bugundy, spice, cedar, sweetness, citrus, I can find all those in both.
The floral notes, tea, and distinct flavor profiles of cc's I can't find among nc's.
Whereas lots of nc's taste very similar, I don't find that in cc's. I honestly feel that there are far more flavors in the handful of cc marcas than in the entire nc realm.
Maybe it's because there are only a very small number of master nc blenders and a huge number of master cc blenders?
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I think what I would say to Richie is that I don't feel like I left NCs behind as much
as THEY left me behind. When I used to smoke them, Cameroon wrappers were HUGE,
(which I preferred), blends were well thought out and interesting. They came out with
"innovation after innovation", (like the habana 2000 wrapper - yech) THEN I started in
with havanas. While I was exploring that end, something happened in the NC biz.
Everything had to be big. Every thing had to packed with ligero. All of the blends I
used to prefer seemed to change. Makers that started out with a bang started to slip
in quality control in their striving for more shelf space with new brand extensions, etc.
I came to the understanding that they just didn't suit me anymore. Not for nothing,
but Habanos SA is doing the same thing, just seemingly without the blinding power.
I do not prefer a strong smoke. I prefer a thin smoke. I do not feel like a fayg when
I have a Lancero in my hand. I DO feel like a male poarn star when I have a 60 ring
gauge smoke in my mouth. YES I have abandoned them and do not intend to go back.
But they started it........like Peter. :-)
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Changed for accuracy.:-)
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Lotta truth there.
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I've smoked waaay more NCs than CCs, but probably only because of the accessibility of NCs. I can smoke singles of NC stuff and if I like, I may buy a box. I enjoy CCs, but I can't readily try singles or a fiver of CCs before pulling the trigger on a box.
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Purchasing Cuban cigars is not illegal.....you just can't bring them into the states.
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