Mareva recommendations please

[Bigboned]

Fellow BOTL I'm looking for something of a similar size to my current goto, a dip.4 I'm price conscious and looking for something easy and smooth rather than spicy/ peppery. I'm a relative novice so complex would be wasted on me at this point.
Could anyone give me a pointer etc I'm in ROI so would be purchased from our sponsor rather than local tat.
Appologies if this is in the wrong section, mods feel free to move.

Have also tried punch PC ( didn't work for me at all)
Hoyo prince ( couldn't justify over dip4 )
Monte4 ( nah)
Boli ( not an everyday for me)

Answers on a postcard etc etc.....
Many thanks for your time and wisdom
Andy

[senor_robusto]

hey andy,
when i started out with cuban's, it was this size!!! the romeo y julieta no. 2 is a good starting point, as is the mille fleurs & cedros delux no.3!!! the h upmann petite corona & corona major are worth checking out!!! what about the cohiba siglo 2, have you tried that? you could take a chance with the petite corona sampler pack from the sponsor or make up your own with suggestions from here!!!

http://www.cgarsltd.co.uk/petit-corona-medium-flavour-sampler-p-5372.html

http://www.cgarsltd.co.uk/petit-corona-full-flavour-sampler-p-3559.html

hope this helps,

alex

[senor_robusto]

hey andy,
if you're in the ROI, why not try jj foxes in grafton street, dublin?

http://www.jamesfox.ie/

oh, and check out this irish cigar blog by one of our members, yiorgos!!! there's normally monthly herfs at the morgan hotel in the temple bar area:

http://cigars.ie/

btw, if you don't mind me asking, where abouts in the ROI are you?

alex

[Rocco]

try thses:
San Cristobal -el principe
H. Upmann- Coronas Major, Majestics and petit corona
Fonseca- Cosacos
Partagas- Super Partagas
R y J- regalias de londres, No.2 and mille fleurs
hope this helps

[senor_robusto]

i agree with rocco with a couple of his suggestions (scroll over the cigar names for the links):
* h upmann corona major & petite corona (usually around ?10 each)
*fonseca cosacos (can't believe i forgot about this one)
* RyJ no.2, mille fleurs & cedros delux no.3 (all pretty cheap, around the ?10 mark)
*cuaba traditionales (under a tenner, very nice indeed)!!!

though more expensive, i would also recommend:
*vegas robaina familiar
*cohiba siglo 2

you could also these out check out (i've never tried 'em, so can't comment):
*juan lopez petite corona
*por laranagga petite corona (review)
*el rey del mundo petite corona

all the above i regard as 'smooth' and 'easy going' and average out at around ?7.99 each!!! the likes of partagas & bolivar are more spicey & full on, not what you were looking at all!!! also, like you, i don't really like the monte no.4!!! hoyo de monterrey are generally thought of as easy going and smooth (though to most here, that probably translates as boring & bland)!!!

alex

[Daize]

I have a particular taste for RyJ cedros No3, but not everyone likes these. Alot of wood and vanilla but I feel the RyJ signature floral flavours also come into the bouquet for a great combination.
Also like Dippy 4s, or 5s if you can't get the 4s(now out of production). Cocoa, coffee and leather, similar to MCs I guess.

[seanbeer]

PL PC ! best daily PC

[Bigboned]

Thanks for the speedy replies lads, all of those I think I'm aware of so happy to have a bash ryj get lots of mentions so maybe good to start if no more suggestions come in I'll get a mix of half dozen or so n give em a bash ( I still get intimidated by the vast array hence asking the question)
I did miss the siglo's off my 'tried' list I found them too peppery?!
Alex im in Kilkenny and don't get to Dublin very often ( altho will check out the blog )and I suppose I feel more comfortable buying on line aswell. Thanks for your time guys
Andy

[senor_robusto]

Thanks for the speedy replies lads, all of those I think I'm aware of so happy to have a bash ryj get lots of mentions so maybe good to start if no more suggestions come in I'll get a mix of half dozen or so n give em a bash ( I still get intimidated by the vast array hence asking the question)
I did miss the siglo's off my 'tried' list I found them too peppery?!
Alex im in Kilkenny and don't get to Dublin very often ( altho will check out the blog )and I suppose I feel more comfortable buying on line aswell. Thanks for your time guys
Andy

no worries andy,
btw, check this link out:

http://www.ratemyarea.com/search?category_id=333&where=Kilkenny

that looks like a decent shop at limerick city, which by all accounts is pretty close to you!!! also the shop in cork looks interesting too!!! both can't be more than 45mins drive from where you are......

http://limerick.ratemyarea.com/places/m-cahill-son-126149

http://cork.ratemyarea.com/places/m-p-o-sullivan-111287

btw, i'm from belfast and the selection up here isn't too good!!! one habanos 'specialist' and a few shops with hunter's and frankau humidors selling tubed cuban cigars!!!

all the best, good luck!!!

alex

[Bigboned]

Lol you think that limerick and cork would be 45 mins in reality they are over 2 hours away lol
I seen trinidads mentioned around any thoughts (reyus) maybe?

[senor_robusto]

Lol you think that limerick and cork would be 45 mins in reality they are over 2 hours away lol
I seen trinidads mentioned around any thoughts (reyus) maybe?

lol, i based my assumption on my calculation between the 2 points, kilkenny & limerick and kilkenny & cork!!! they are approx. the same distance as belfast to newry, which takes me average of 45mins in the car!!! it takes me 1hr 40mins to get from belfast to dublin in the car, that's without breaking the speed limit!!! lol!!!

as for the trinidad brand, IMO they should succeed cohiba as the premium cuban brand, i haven't had a bad one yet (unlike cohiba, for every good one i've had, i've had maybe 3 crap ones)!!! so, to answer your question, yes yes yes, absolutely get some trinidads!!! the trinidad reyes is a staple part of my cuban cigar diet, one of my favourite small, go to smokes!!! the robusto T and robusto extra are fantastic as well!! i have a couple of fundadores in the humidor i haven't got round to trying yet, they look and smell fantastic!!!

btw, here's another couple of invaluable resources to check out:

http://www.cigars-review.org/

http://www.youtube.com/user/FriendsofHabanos (i find their reviews pretty honest & concise)

hope this helps,

alex

[senor_robusto]

Alex im in Kilkenny and don't get to Dublin very often ( altho will check out the blog )and I suppose I feel more comfortable buying on line aswell.
Andy

btw andy, jj fox in dublin do sell online!!! however i would strongly recommend you buy from the site sponsor (they are cheaper, have more selection and don't overcharge for delivery..... jj fox charge a flat rate of ?10)!!!

alex

[Simon Bolivar]

100% agree with Seanbeer, excellent cigar, just love the aroma when I open the cab. They are very consistant & have never let me down.

[Simon-JG-hr]

I've had a root around my reviews, and thought I'd share my thoughts on cigars which are around the petit corona/mareva size. Well, actually, I just looked for anything that took around 45mins (give or take a bit) and which I thought were reasonable cigars which I could share with you. I asterisked the ones which I would probably recommend the most given what you've said in your opening post. (Just click on the cigar name for the link).

93/100 Cohiba Maduro 5 Secretos
Really nice, complex cigar. Quite pricey though.

92/100 Partagas Short
Little powerhouse. Bit smaller than a PC, lots of coffee and nuts.

90/100 Cuaba Tradicionales
Good shout from Alex this. Something a little different.

89/100 El Rey del Mundo Petit Corona **
One of my favourite cigars - light bodied but with good nutty and creamy flavours.
The cigar which really made me want to become and amateur aficionado...

89/100 Punch Petit Punch **
A little smaller than a PC, but quite a nice intro into the Punch brand.
If I recall correctly, they've been discontinued now, so try whilst you can.

88/100 HdM Le Hoyo du Dauphin **
Discontinued, but some places still have some stock. Nice and creamy.

88/100 Saint Luis Rey Petit Corona
Reasonable cigar, plagued (in my experience) by construction inconsistencies.
Massively better with age.

85/100 Juan Lopez Petit Corona **
Good little cigar (I possibly under-rated this one due to a poor finish).
Surprisingly, for a PC, not exactly in the 'house style'.

I'd agree with Alex on a few more of his suggestions too (which I haven't got around to 'reviewing', just smoking). The H.Upmanns are great, as are most of the smaller RyJ cigars (I'm with Daize on the Cedros No.3, good little distinctive cigar).

Oh yes, and definitely pick up a Reyes if you can. All the quality of a Trinidad. Despite it's size it lasts a good 40-50 minutes as it seems to be a nice, flavourful, slow-burning cigar. Perfect with a nice coffee in the morning.

[whisky77]

Trinis are an excellent smoke, very consistant and excellent for anytime of day, however my own personal fave would be the Juan Lopez petite Corona.