Cuban vs non Cuban, round one...."FIGHT"

[Bad-Yeti]

I know this thread may be deemed heresy, but please hear me out before the beatings start.

Last night I had my first Cohiba, an Esplendito, it was a gift from about 2 years ago from Duty Free and has been in a humidor all that time, the upshot of it was that I didn't even finish it, it was a really boring unsatisfying experience, so I lit up a Bolivar Medal Oro and all was right with the world again, ahhhh but wait the Bolivar in question was made in the Dominical Republic..

But it got me thinking about something, I will use Romeo y Julieta as an example, everyone talks about Cubans being the "best" but in 1954 ( I think) the family who owned RyJ left Cuba and travelled to the Dominican Republic, they took with them their seed, their best staff and their knowledge.

Now you have 2 companies both called Romeo and Julieta the original still in Cuba which is now State Run and the other still operated by the same family using centuries old knowledge, so which really is the better of the two, most people would immediately say, the Cuban is superior because it's made in Cuba, the main difference then being the soil.

I'm interested in your opinion on this matter, please discuss.

[Stevieboy]

I know I prefer Cuban flavour over NC any time. I've never had an NC that has made me go 'wow'....I find them too light, airy, dry and only ever taste of pepper. No real oomph to them....

I do wish CCs had the same quality control as NCs though....never had a plugged NC!!!

Tapatalked

[Agricola]

Like Stevie said I can't say I've had a really bad Dominican but they do pale in comparison to my favourite Cubans. I've never smoked an NC and thought "My God what an amazing creamy smoke" only "That was okay, but nothing to write home about". I also find most NC's to be very one dimensional smokes and not in a good way like a Party short but in a kind of "Meh" way, I guess it's due to having been spoilt with Cubans more than anything else.

[Ryan]

If the family that made chateau margaux upped sticks and moved to Belgium with some vines and best staff, they could produce wine but it wouldn't be the same. Belgium is very near France.Not all the best people left cuba around the time of the revolution. For every padron that left, there were 100 robainas left behind.The Cuban vs non-Cuban thing will never really settle though. Up until recently non-cubans have had better construction. Personally I generally prefer cubans, I find they have more going on, especially when it comes to the subtle differences.

[SmokeyDave]

I've had mixed experiences with both Cubans and Non Cubans, some excellent and some right old dogs from both camps.

A few NC's have stopped me in my tracks, the one that springs to mind is the Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 Robusto, absolutely glorious smoke and totally different to a Cuban, the other was a Cain 456T Maduro, mainly because the straight ligero filler blew my head off

[Simon-JG-hr]

Ah, something I usually write an essay on (the NC Cuban brands...) It's worth remembering that a great many of the previously Cuban brands which moved to the likes of the Dominican Republic are not family, artisan producers any more (or even large family operations like the Padrons), but are merely a cog in the corporate machine of companies such as Altadis and Swedish Match.

Anyway... as for the Cuban v NC debate. I will, for the most part, reach for a Cuban most times I hunt out a cigar - I still haven't fully explored everything that island has to offer, so why stop just yet? However, I do smoke NCs, and there are some that I really like. If we could get them at American prices I suspect I would smoke a hell of a lot more of them. In general though, I agree that Cubans have greater complexity than most NCs. I also think, from my experience, that you're more likely to get a complete dog-rocket from Cuba too (but again, that's solely from my experience).

[Jacobwaits]

I think that regarding flavour and complexity the Cubans win every time. There's that certain taste, that glorious creamy, salty, tangy profile that you just do not get in any NC's that I have tried.

However...on the plus side for the Non-Cubans. Most can be smoked right away and the construction is always a very high standard. How often to you encounter a draw problem with an NC?

Still if I had to choose, the Cubans win every time. When they are on...you get that little reminder of why you started smoking cigars in the first place. Bliss.

[Bad-Yeti]

Hmmmm, I hear your comments.

Maybe I should do a test, get 5 of you and send you two identical cigars labeled A and 2 and see if any of you can't spot the difference, though you probably all will and i'll just end up ??? out of pocket lol.

I will invest in a bunch of Cubans while i'm in Havana but i just find the prices here out of my range, and it's maybe 1/4 the price for the Dom Rep alternative which I still enjoy.

I may need some suggestions from you for a tasty treat.

[seanbeer]

U don't hve to light them up u can smell the different. NC smell cow shit to me all the time. If there is only NC, good! I can quit fir good

[seanbeer]

NC to me are worst than new world wine. Sometimes I enjoy new world wine but yet to enjoy a NC.

[monkey66]

I know I prefer Cuban flavour over NC any time. I've never had an NC that has made me go 'wow'....I find them too light, airy, dry and only ever taste of pepper. No real oomph to them....

I do wish CCs had the same quality control as NCs though....never had a plugged NC!!!

Tapatalked

That.

...and not interested in any 'taste-offs' ...been there, done it, CC's are my preference.

...a 2 year old Cohiba will generally taste bad, for some reason Cohibas often need 5 years to be good.

....but more importantly smoke what you like

[Bad-Yeti]

U don't hve to light them up u can smell the different. NC smell cow shit to me all the time. If there is only NC, good! I can quit fir good

"Smell like Cow shit", what all of them? That's one hell of a statement, but I guess it's all down to personal taste at the end of the day.

[tippexx]

I will admit to a leaning towards Cuba, but unlike Cat who's preferences are to the right of Tom?s de Torquemada I will smoke and do enjoy a fair few NCs. Almost anything Garcia & Garcia is exceptional and Sam Leccia and Pete Johnson can bolt together some damn fine smokes when they have a mind!

[El Catador]

but unlike Cat who's preferences are to the right of Tom?s de Torquemada I will smoke and do enjoy a fair few NCs.

Huh? What-did-I-say?
Sheesh.

Me...? I 'love' NC's...
The fact that there are people who are prepared to smoke 'em... well... it means more Cubans for the rest of us, and helps keep the price of 'Habanos' from sky-rocketing.

Buy more NC's I say!

[Styler]

NCs are definitely the side attraction of the cigar world for me. I've never had an NC that tasted like a cuban and I've never had a cuban that tasted like an NC. In that respect, there sin't one better than the other, it's all just down to individual taste. However for me, I only smoke NCs that come highly recommended to me and only as a change of pace every now and again. While there are NCs I've enjoyed, nothing beats cuban grown tobacco for flavour complexity and richness.