The Dauntless One
Lord Nagafen Raider
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I bought some non cuban cigars on an American cruise... they weren't cheap but not expensive and all of them tasted like shit. I smoked one from each and threw away the rest.
Cigars and Cigarettes
- Thread starter Ichu
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As an American citizen I can jet down there from Canada? I may have to try that. I hear a cheap way from America was to like get your Priest's license online and use your travel as missionary work lol. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but if I can fly down from Canada without any issues, I may go that route. Thanks for the tip
Joeboo
Molten Core Raider
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Last time I traveled to Asia I brought back a box of cubans, I got an empty box for a Honduran brand from the tobacconist, I took all the bands off and re-boxed em. When Customs asked I told them there were a gift and I didnt know the country of origin. Coulda sold em for $50-75 each here, but I hoarded em for myself and gave a few to grooms at their bachelor parties. The whole no trade with Cuba thing is just stupid at this point, the US has no problem giving Mexico billions in drug money.
Yup it sucks trying to find anything worth smoking that aint cuban. Lotta trial and error and wasted money, luckily I got friends with deep pockets who share so i get to taste quite a few before I buy. Arturo Fuente are one of the few companies whos product is consistently passable, but by no means near a cuban, us US peeps gotta slum it ....
For a dissenting opinion - I've found nothing at all special in the dozens of Cubans I've smoked over the years. There have been some great smokes to be sure, but not of a quality that isn't found elsewhere. There isn't anything especially magical about Cuban's. They have historically had a definite edge because they were produced to a higher quality with better soil and traditional production methods that didn't take shortcuts that made products cheaper but inferior. Today other countries have caught up to Cuba in soil quality and Cuba has regressed in production quality as it caves to the pressures of an international marketplace.
Smoke what you like. If you really like Cubans then smoke them. I don't think they deserve the status they are afforded here in the States, and I think if you buy non-Cuban cigars crafted with similar care to what they produce in Cuba then you are going to get a similar result. There was a time when I could post pages about cigars, but I honestly don't smoke a ton anymore. Nowadays I mostly just smoke my old stand-by the Joya de Nicaragua Antano.
Smoke what you like. If you really like Cubans then smoke them. I don't think they deserve the status they are afforded here in the States, and I think if you buy non-Cuban cigars crafted with similar care to what they produce in Cuba then you are going to get a similar result. There was a time when I could post pages about cigars, but I honestly don't smoke a ton anymore. Nowadays I mostly just smoke my old stand-by the Joya de Nicaragua Antano.
Silly rabbit, everyone knows the best cigar tobaccos are grown in soil fertilized with the blood of the Bourgeoisie crushed like grapes under the heels of Revolutionaries. It's science.
Agreed, which is why you want to go to a country that has had a revolution more recently than 50 years ago.
Royal
Connoisseur of Exotic Pictures
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Nice to see another pipe smoker around here. We're starting to see more and more people crossover from cigars to pipes due to the price differential. You can get so much more good quality pipe tobacco for the same amount of money you'll sink into cigars. The pipes can get expensive, but those don't go up in smoke (unless you're doing something wrong) and can actually increase in value over time.P.S. If you like cigars you might try smoking a pipe. The quality and variety of pipe tobacco you can find inexpensively puts 90% of cigars to shame.
Orlik Golden Sliced is a good beginners high quality pipe tobacco (fuck any bullshit you can buy in a drugstore, it's all garbage), easy burning, nice bright Virginia leaf taste, cased with noticeable citrus notes, load it in a $4 corn cob to learn. Pipe smoking is a different animal, takes practice, and very much a ritual.
OGS is indeed a good beginners tobacco from a flavor prospective, but flakes have something of a learning curve on the preparation end. Virginias in general don't react well to overpuffing either, which newer pipe smokers are prone to do. McClelland's Syrian Full Balkan and Frog Morton on the Town are more forgiving in that regard I've found.
Maybe edit the thread title to include tobacco in general (Cigars, Pipes, Snuff, etc ...)
Too true, it's been awhile since I was a new pipe smoker, pure Virginias can torch your mouth something fierce when you are learning, VaPrs (Virginia / Perique blends), or VaBur (Virginia / Burley blends) are usually quite a bit cooler smoking till you get the hang of it. Learning to rub flake and properly pack a pipe takes practice, youtube has a few tutorials.
You like your Orientals (Latakia), I always think of those as an 'advanced' smoke as far as taste, it might scare a noob off. Thinking back, I probably started with something simple like McClelland VBC - Vanilla Black Cavendish and worked my way into deeper waters from there. Hard to go wrong with any ribbon cut cavendish when you are learning.
My current favorite is Cornell & Diehl Night Train. Comes in one pound pressed bricks, packs enough nicotine to kill a small child, use with caution.
Royal
Connoisseur of Exotic Pictures
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Generally speaking that's very true, especially with Latakia forward blends. The Lat is very subdued in both of those however (and I'm not a Lat bomb lover myself), especially in the SFB because it uses Syrian Latakia which isn't nearly as smokey in flavor as the more common Cyprian Lat. I will sometimes actually add some additional Latakia to it to deepen the flavor. The blend is quite sweet and slightly herbal/floral out of the tin. The Frog Morton has a faint vanilla aftertaste that actually outshines the Latakia in it and is one of the smoothest tobaccos I've smoked. Neither are what comes to mind when the average person thinks of pipe tobacco in terms of aroma, but both have a sweet flavor that isn't off-putting even to the uninitiated.
You're right though, most pipe smokers usually cut their teeth on some sort of Cavendish blend. Though a good blend for someone making the cigar crossover would probably be G.L. Pease JackKnife Ready Rubbed. It's more in the cigar neighborhood in terms of flavor with a decent nic kick. I smoke the plug but that has more preparation issues than even a flake would.
001001102
Golden Knight of the Realm
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Bros, I also take a pipe on occasion. I've pretty much settled on the standard Frog Morton (ribbon-cut Latakia-Virginia blend) as my go-to pipe weed. It's a wonderful smoke. In the tin, it smells a bit like ketchup to most people. The taste is somewhat spicy but sweet and smoky. I really enjoy it, and I'll often pack a bowl for a quick walk around the neighborhood or a short hike.
I've also been smoking Cain Nubs recently when I want a quick~ish spicy smoke. They're delightfully spicy but not overpowering. Will probably start keeping some on hand soon.
I've also been smoking Cain Nubs recently when I want a quick~ish spicy smoke. They're delightfully spicy but not overpowering. Will probably start keeping some on hand soon.
Royal
Connoisseur of Exotic Pictures
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That's pretty common for anything from McClelland that has Red Virginia in it. The way they cure it gives it a tangy, tomato soup smell unsmoked. Doesn't come through in the flavor though.
001001102
Golden Knight of the Realm
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Yeah, definitely. Just a pleasant, smoky-sweet spicy tobacco taste. I love the stuff bro.
How is the nic level in that Frog Morton? I am kinda jaded, I need something with punch.
I just ordered a few different ropes to try, 2 have cigar leaf in them. Im in search of the ultimate low humming, eye wiggling, have to sit down while smoking it, nic buzz.
I just ordered a few different ropes to try, 2 have cigar leaf in them. Im in search of the ultimate low humming, eye wiggling, have to sit down while smoking it, nic buzz.
Royal
Connoisseur of Exotic Pictures
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The two Frogs I've tried (on the Town and Across the Pond) weren't strong on the nic side at all. Gawith and Hogarth's Black Irish X and Dark XX and Samuel Gawith's Kendal Twist are all supposed to be pretty stout on vitamin N, though I've not tried any of them myself. I've heard quite a few people say that Tambolaka (an Indonesian tobacco) is the strongest thing they've ever had in their life. It's a bit hard to get your hands on in the states though. Cup o' Joes is the only stateside etailer I know of that carries it and they were out the last time I checked a couple of months back.
Which ropes did you get?
Which ropes did you get?
Pic made me lol.How is the nic level in that Frog Morton? I am kinda jaded, I need something with punch.
I just ordered a few different ropes to try, 2 have cigar leaf in them. Im in search of the ultimate low humming, eye wiggling, have to sit down while smoking it, nic buzz.
I ordered 7 different ones, 4 from Gawith Hoggarth. 1 from Samuel Gawith and 2 more from boutique makers I had never heard of that my tobacconist suggested.
I had tried a bunch of the SG Kendals, but lakeland toppings were a turn off for me, I am sure my palette has changed a lot since then. I cellared 4-5 different lakeland tobaccos, aging and later revisiting a tobacco is always a better experience if the first go round was disappointing.
Royal
Connoisseur of Exotic Pictures
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I can't smoke lakeland florals either. I like slightly,slightlyfloral orientals but lakelands literally gag me. The flavorings fade with age but I'm not sure how long it would take for me to be able to smoke any of them.
I've had G&H Coconut Twist before. It had some cigar notes, a little leather flavor, and a taste similar to the smell of suntan lotion. It wasn't nasty but I didn't find it worthy of a repeat either. Maybe if it had some age on it though.
I've had G&H Coconut Twist before. It had some cigar notes, a little leather flavor, and a taste similar to the smell of suntan lotion. It wasn't nasty but I didn't find it worthy of a repeat either. Maybe if it had some age on it though.
Yeah there were more than a few lakelands that didn't even make it into the cellar for a second chance, they are like smoking laundry soap or your grandmother's perfume. How they have such big fan bases i don't know. Then again I dont get the love of heavy duty latakia or perique blends, I don't need to get hit over the head with flavor. I always go back to the very simple smokes, pure VAs or VaPrs, even a straight Burley. Once in a while you fire up something robust and earthy to wake your palette back up.