I was browsing the NHC website and saw some Pinar Del Rio smokes that looked pretty good. After a quick search in the reviews section, as well as this particular forum, I came up with some very mixed reviews. The reviews aren't very old, the earliest went back to March 2009. According to NHC, the Habano Series has been revamped, and sounds like maybe a price redux as well.

Revsmoke started a thread here (http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showth...ighlight=pinar) that really surprised me how hit and miss this smoke was for the different members.

So if you have smoked some Pinar Del Rio's, and enjoyed them, what was your favorite? What did you like about them? Hell, what didn't you like about them?

They seem to be reasonably priced, so I thought I would look into them a bit more.

Any feedback or thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks all.

+Drew
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I've had a couple all gifted to me by Skywalker (thank D!) and I enjoyed the ones I had. It's been a while I don't remember what ones they were I remember the one I liked most had a blue or teal color on the band
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I tried an Oscuro Robusto. Nice enough @ $4 but didn't send me running for another...
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I'm told that Pinar Del Rio has undergone changes. They changed the factory in which cigars are produced in, got new rollers, and tweaked all of the blends. I don't know when this went into effect or how much it has changed the final product.

I smoked a couple of IPCPR samples and they were good.

My absolute favorite was the Classico Exclusivo Lancero from last year.
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I was gifted an Oscuro Robusto some time ago and it had awful burn issues. Abe found out about it and sent me some Toros to try and they burned and tasted good. They are a little overpriced IMO. I have a Capa Madura in the humidor that smells great. Can't wait to try it.
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Mario sent me a couple to try in the MAW. Nice flavors, crappy burn. I was a little put off when Abe posted this thread announcing a new release, and promising a raffle "in the next week or so." Five weeks later, he ignored two posts (from me and DropTheE) referencing the raffle.
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I really enjoy the Capa Maduros and Habano Sun Grown. Great smokes for the $$.
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Drew,

I have some Maduro Toros and some Sun Grown Torpedos. I like both of them. The SGs were a bit more spicy and really full flavored, while the maduros are a bit sweeter. I have also had a couple Exclusivos and they seem to be a bit different - more leather and cedar.
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I have only had a handful of the Blue labels which I believe are the Oscuros. They had nice flavor and a great aroma but as mentioned early I do remember the burn not being the greatest and a flaky ash that somehow always ended in my lap durung the two I smoked in the car.
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They did a blend for BOTL.org who got their own custom cigars rolled. They are pretty good :-)
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Yep, honestly, the BOTL blend is the best thing to come out of PDR lately, IMHO, and cheap to boot :-)

Burning leaf has them...

Hope that helps!

~brooks
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My favorite is the 1878 Capa Madura. I have tried the re-blended Limitada and it is very good. The Old blend of the Oscuro wasn't mind-blowing but it was still tasty. Never had a burn problem or any issues...

With most boxes around the $100 mark they are great smokes for the price IMO.
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I think they are very enjoyable and high quality.:-)

My favorite was the Oscuro (see review below):

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=9823

The Classico Exclusivo got even better with more time:

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=12931

I hope this helps!
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I got this sampler a while back on Monster for about $15. I tried all 4 after some rest. The were all just ok. None of them really jumped out at me, and I have not gone back for more. If you can find them cheap, maybe $3 each, give em a try.

http://www.famous-smoke.com/pinar+de...ars/item+29616
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They're good. I liked them enough to buy a box of the PDR Habanos, and I rarely buy NC boxes, but this was at least 2 years ago.
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Abe is one of the coolest cats I've met in the industry. I respect the fact that he is not trying to emulate all the "lifestyle" brands that are coming out these days. He is not a rock star; he's just a normal guy that wants to make great cigars. The Party Source has been championing his work for about two years, and we proudly have his back. Currently, he is in the process of re-blending his lines, switching to a 20 count box format, and lowering his prices. He has some really cool stuff on the horizon.
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I have a box of the BOTL small batch, they are very good. The Oscuro are often on Famous' auction site for pretty cheap.
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They are all pretty good, except the new 1886 (i think thats the name)... I didn't care for it one bit.
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Crazy me! I like PDRs, especially the 1878 Maduros. I think they're reasonably priced and carry all of them. Abe is tops in my book.

btw, if you have some and don't like them you know where to send them - ME!:-)
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Great Cigars! I loved the old SG Habano and Oscuro's....

I smoked one of the reblended SG Habano's a couple of
days ago and fell in love! I've also smoked the corona
and robusto in the capa maduro line and enjoyed both
of them. for 100/box you can't go wrong!
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