I've had 5 Partagas sticks now. 3 Black and 2 Cifuentes... well, let me correct that, I've TRIED to have 5 Partagas sticks. They have all had MAJOR draw issues which rendered them worthless. The Blacks were so bad I envoked the CI guarantee and got my money back.

How many chances do you give a brand? Have I just had extremely bad luck?
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After 5 I'd dump them. I liked the Gurks until I have about a half dozen that were just God awful.
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I don't smoke many NC Partagas'. In fact, the only one I've had in the last two years was a Cifuentes. They just don't float my boat. I haven't had draw problems with them, however.
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I assume they all came from CI? Let them rest for a couple weeks, or dry-box them? Just wondering, because everything I always got from CI or Cbid was always well over-humidified, and always had draw issues when fresh. I rarely smoked anything from CI sooner than a month from getting them. I haven't gotten anything from CI in several years, and was wondering if they were still shipping over-humidified?
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I've had NC partagas, they are awful. Horrible injustice to the name "Partagas".

The blacks tasted like soap and ...something else fowl. I forget. Plastic maybe?

I dunno they sat in my wooden desktop at the time for probably 2 months before smoking them...Wasn't my fault they were bad, just....bad.

If I try maybe 3 cigars from a brand and don't like them. I'll never buy another from that brand.

I do agree with Cliff though, CI is horrible. Get your smokes elsewhere.
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My last shipment sure seemed to be. 1 week in my 65% humi and still was hard to keep lit.
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The one I tried tonight has at least 2 months on it, the Blacks had at least a month.

I havent had problems with CI. I've got a good enough stock I can let them rest a while...
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I wonder if they really ship from the warehouse that wet, or if the 90% RH in transit has more of an effect?
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My friends and I have had draw trouble with Partagas Blacks for years. When they draw good they are decent but when they don't they are like smoking a broomstick.
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I've always had a bad experience with the partagas black, and I did give it a fair shake. The first time it was sick as a dog, just tasted like windex. The second time it was plugged. The third time, it was plugged as well. Though it could have just as easily been frozen because I was chewing on it and I was trying to smoke it outside watching the fireworks in colorado on a particularly cold new years.
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I think NC Partagas are notoriously bad. The only time I have had a B&M employee tell me NOT to buy a cigar was when I picked up a Partagas.

The Benji Master Series was a joke too, complete waste of money in my opinion.

It's unfortunate, as someone else mentioned since the the original CC Partagas line is top notch.
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When the Blacks are on... they are on!
That said... I can only recall literally a handful that were on out of 50 or so that I've had.
The regular NC Partagas that I've had have mostly been dog rockets.
They had a seasonal line (Summer, Winter and Fall) that was phenomenal... I still have a box and a half from '04.
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Man I thought I was the only one lol

I havent had the opportunity to try a CC one, but I think I'm done with the NCs... Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me, fool me 5 times and shame on err.. its a shame! :-)
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I smoke a lot of the blacks. I'm on my third or fourth box of the magnificos. I've seriously never had a bad stick. One of the more consistent smokes I've encountered in terms of both flavor and draw. It's a shame you've experienced otherwise.
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I got a great buy from CI, not knowing their reputation, which, so far as I read here, stems only from selling over-humidified products. What else makes them so bad that some advocate not doing business with them?

Be that as it may, The box I bought from them, $39.00 for a box of 20 Cuba Libre churchills, were wet. I only let them sit in my humidor for three days
and smoked one, and the burn imploded: the draw remained but had little effect on burning the cigar; instead the wrapper turned black all around it, with a small amount of smoke.

The happy ending is that I smoked one today and both the burn and the taste were good.
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Man and CI has such good prices....any others that people could suggest, I was really drooling over that new catalog too.
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I got a 10 pack of Partagas Spanish Rosado from CI and have had nothing but great smokes. You just have to be cognizant that they come in a little over humidified and let them sit and adjust.

I have been ordering from CI for at least 3 years now and have not had any major (cracking, smashed, beetles, mold) problems at all.
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I've bought a few boxes and samplers from CI before, never had issues. I did buy a bundle of the Gran Habanos Vintage 2002s but I was forewarned to let them sit out for a week or 2 before putting them in the humidor since they came a bit wet. I did smoke one that was still too wet and it was a failure. But other than that, the advice I got from a buddy about letting them sit for awhile helped me not ruin the smokes. I just had to wait it out.
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Adam & Chris good news
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Im mostly a CC guy myself now, but the Party Blacks are actually one of my fav NC sticks.
Maybe Ive just been lucky with them?
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