Why Cuban?

[sheppsea]

I have enjoyed NC cigars and probably should smoke more than I do (which is basically none), but I find myself drawn to CCs and the fact is my favourite cigars have virtually exclusively been CCs (if I remember correctly in my first year of smoking cigars, where I did smoke a lot more NCs, of my top 20, only one was an NC)

[Motormadj]

Might sound weird but i just feel like non cubans are fake. lol.
Don't know why, but there's this cheap imitation feeling I get from them. Plus Im yet to have a NC that I prefer smoke wise over a CC.
Things like wrapper dying and over the top branding dont help either.

Just my opinion of course.

[PeeJay]

Well here's a thought that just occurred to me. After the revolution many of the Cuban manufacturers relocated abroad for example RyJ moved to the DR. So many of todays NCs are nomad by them. What was the quality of pre-revolution Cubans like? Common sense would seem to suggest it would be better than now if the same people who made them are now making the NCs which most people seem to accept are better made if not tasting.

[ValeTudoGuy]

Well here's a thought that just occurred to me. After the revolution many of the Cuban manufacturers relocated abroad for example RyJ moved to the DR. So many of todays NCs are nomad by them. What was the quality of pre-revolution Cubans like? Common sense would seem to suggest it would be better than now if the same people who made them are now making the NCs which most people seem to accept are better made if not tasting.

I don't see anyone say that NC'S are better made, I see people saying that they are more consistent which would tie in with modernising of production techniques. I very rarely see anyone saying NC's taste better than CC's...... though I regularly see the reverse.

[oskihen]

Whys the supposedly most expensive cigars ghurkas and Opus x etc n/c

[cj121]

Possibly made and marketed in small batches to promote exclusivity?

[oskihen]

Yep exactly exclusivity , but heh hang on exclusivity on a supposedly inferior second rate non Cuban cigar , which some naysayers will say are dyed Shitty dog rockets .
I for one like n/c yep there's a lot of dross out there but that's part of the fun trying out different brands and sometimes finding a gem

[Joss]

NC's are like a minefield to me. Loads of crap and dodgy production practises to ensure uniform and "consistent" product runs.

Almost all NC's I have had get excessively strong towards the end and suffer from one dimensional taste profiles.

Cubans are a smaller world and for me provide more cigars that I have enjoyed to smoke. I also find they tend to have more flavours in a given stick and the flavour changes more during a smoke.

Hit the nail on the head there. Cuban Cigars are a relatively small portfolio so it's almost daft to compare the rest of the worlds market as one 'cigar type'. There are thousands of NC brands out there with huge variations in taste and production quality.

For me I now only smoke Cubans, I got fed up of trying to find the good NCs as there's so much out there that I think are rubbish! Im not saying there aren't any good ones but I just got fed up of looking and found that there are a lot more Cubans that fit my tastes, so when I try a new one theres less of a risk of buying something I don't like.

[ValeTudoGuy]

Whys the supposedly most expensive cigars ghurkas and Opus x etc n/c

Well for the Ghurkas it's because they ruined a perfectly good brandy by dipping shitty cigars into it..... But even the US market saw through it and Ghurka had to drop the price by somewhere in the region of $1k

[Niela]

I have to say that initially I thought that NC are great but they never have this flavour you get from a Cuban.

However, I smoked quite a bit of both now and I really enjoyed the Perdomo 20th anniversary, Padrons and Olivas. Didn't have a single bad one from them.

On the other hand I had a box of Punch Punch and Upmanns 46. The punch just taste terrible, bitter. Despite being aged for 5 years. The Upmanns are fantastic but about 25% of the box are so tightly rolled that smoking them is basically impossible.

I also noticed that when I buy NC, I am generally spending less than on Cubans.

I really enjoy both even though Cubans somehow feel more valuable and special. (great marketing by Habanos) But I can't shake the feeling that I am simply biased in my perception and that NC are simply part of having variety. They aren't CC and that is not just the point but actually a good thing.

[Simon Bolivar]

Cubans for me 99%. I can't remember the last time I bought an NC, (over 20yrs) but I get the occasional one through bombs/SS ect. I have enjoyed a couple but perhaps the telling answer is that I have never felt moved enough to going & buy any of those NC's. But if I said I was only smoking CC's I wouldn't have tried the Manacudo & other Jamaicans from 70's & that would have been have been my loss so I stay open to new experience but the last 20yrs have taught me CC's suit me best. Go figure what you enjoy most & don't be swayed by any need to fit in with others tastes.

[Nick2021]

Whys the supposedly most expensive cigars ghurkas and Opus x etc n/c

Gurkha really appeals to a lot of people with their marketing strategies (more than their quality IMO). For me----when I buy cigars I'm not looking to get a combat knife or coin with my box of cigars lol. Just cigars .