Before I got kicked down the slope (then kicked some more as fell), I could talk non-Cubans til the cows came home. Now people discuss NCs, and its like they're talking Aramaic to me! Case in point I was smoking with a few BOTLS a few weeks back, and one guy said "I smoked my father", I was like whoa there fella, maybe keep that story to yourself! Turns out the is a cigar by Don Pepin called "My father" (or something close to that).

I am not trying to come off snobby, and I have nothing against NCs at all, its just I find myself not them. By not smoking them or following them, I guess I am out of practice. So if we're herfing and you say to me "Dude, I smoked my father and Frank last night" and I look at you funny, then slowly back away, you know why! :-)

Does anyone else feel they've lost touch with non-Cuban cigars?
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Somewhat yes! While I do try to keep up on the Fuente, Tat, and Pepin stuff I just don't have the heart to keep learning about all these NCs coming out... my thirst for CCs has overwhelmed the NC part. :-)
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If I hadn't by now I surely will with several boxes from the recent sales.....
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Picked up a pair of my father yesterday. Didn't realize that other dude had already smoked him, though. Dang.
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:-) My tumble down the Dark Slope has killed my interest in NC for now. I still have some NC I like, but I am not keeping up on the latest releases.
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If your mind works like that it's a wonder anyone talks to you. :-)
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Dude, If I said to you "I smoked my father" and you had no frame of reference, you would think I killed him, beat him in a race, or blew him. Now get back to writing the script for the "Shield" movie! :-)
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Same boat. Used to have a very broad based experience on all things NC. Something new came out.. it was at the door soon after. Still grab singles occasionally at the B&M to just make sure I'm not being elitist for elitist sake. Stuff is definitely getting better but for my current taste still too harsh on the nose/strong or monochromatic. You definitely get some flavors and strength in NC cigars that just don't exist in Cubans. I still think NC cigars are blended and produced for mouth smokers. It's the only explanation that makes sense when confronted with the strength.
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:-):-):-):-):-) That made me laugh 3X! :-)
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:-)

That made me laugh also. :-)
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I simply cannot relate to this, I have smoked a lot of Cubans, as I live in a country without an embargo it's easy to get them, easier then NC's of which we can only get a small selection and since I joined Club Stogie and now the asylum I have access to so many cigars that I couldn't get before due to generous inmates and inmates that are willing to forward orders that I smoke more NC then CC.

Last week I smoked several Cubans and a few Non Cubans (reviews to be posted soon) including some limitada's and the best cigar this week was the CI Legend yellow by DPG, way better then the Montecristo 06 limitada or the Ryj 07 limitada.
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I would not say I ever lost my NC touch I would say I never had it. There are to many brands to even think about having a adequate knowledge in noncuban cigars. Its one of the factors that drew me to cubans.

With cubans I can keep reasonable tables on what coming out whats been discountinued - with the REs it is getting tougher but still.
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:-)
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The best word to describe MOST NC's IMHO. My free fall down the other side of the slope is the best thing that has happened to my cigar smoking hobby other than finding the people here.
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I remember a few years ago sitting at Casa Fuente in vegas thinkin I had reached mecca, now Im like mehh Id rather smoke a JLP with my local BOTLs.
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I'm not local enough to get an invite :-)
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I feel like I'm out of touch with both. :-)
I can't keep up with any of it, so I don't try. Were it not trading with all my brothers here I'd never get around to much of anything.

I do wonder why guys levitate to one side or another, or feel like one side or the other is "elitist" or "less than".
I enjoy the variety of the nc side. There's so many flavors to explore, and so many things that are new and fun. There's so many cigars that are SOOOooooo good.
The cc side just doesn't have the variety to me. They're all so much of the same, with only small differences, comparatively.
I think that's infinately cool, though. If someone enjoys that specific cc flavor and then has lots of different minor variations to spice up the sport, that's something special in itself.
The cc side allows me lots of sweet, mellow cigars that are plugged and of dubious quality that I can gripe about and throw away.
The nc side offers me many atomically flavorful cigars that I can make awful faces at and throw in the alley after smoking two inches.
The best part is that I can be thankful for the few nuggets I've found from either side. Granted, there's a lot more nuggets for me (personally) from the nc side, but that stands to reason because there's so many more choices. I've been lucky to expand my taste to find a few cc's that are spectacular, as well.

I remain thankful that you guys have spent so much time to show me the positives on both sides and keep teaching me on what to look for.
It's fun. It keeps me from getting my work done, and I like that, too. :-)
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Oh my god, your alive!! :-)
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One of the problems I find keeping up with NC releases is that there are so many. You must smoke five to find one that is decent. The "chase" is no longer interesting. On the Dark Side, its just the opposite. Each and every vitola has depth and complexity of flavors. You dont risk losing your nose hairs or the ability to smell by nose exhaling. I still smoke a few NC's, but I rely on the grace of others to keep me up to date with the latest releases. :-)
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It's my daily grind so I have to keep up.
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