New La Gloria Cubana regional release

[mcdee]

Thanks Mike, very interesting post. Totally agree that regular production classics beat the RE/LEs.

[gojira]

50 Box a nice presentation but I won't be hunting one down. For me LGC show best in slim or skinny formats.

Great post Mike & very informative. Have to say I agree with your overall premise, that it's better to age your own regular production or even pay a premium for aged boxes than spend similar amounts on ER/EL. I am only surprised it took you so long to come to this conclusion!

My own notes to compare with yours:
La Renia, Youthful in the last third, yes, found the same but this is no surprise, it is still a very young cigar. I was just surprised how good it was for the first 2/3. I will keep my two boxes until I retire & then try one of my singles to decide whether to sell both or just one.
Club Allones, yes coming on nicely.
ERDM PR, agreed poor, disappointing..
RG PP, nothing special but didn't expect anything special from the non regular production of this marca. I really enjoy the PC, Panx & the CX is my fav, but they are what they are & putting an extra band on it & charging more is trying to make a pigs ear in to a silk purse!
SPGQ One we disagree one, too big a cigar for this Marca IMHO but then I don't enjoy the A format either.
PLGR agree, sold mine!
HUMag56, Never tried one, I refuse to put something so large in my mouth! The Mag48 is a great LE though & worth the original price but not E20+ for me.
PLC Yes, OK so far but keeping mine for a few more yrs on the basis PL always seem to improve with sufficient time.
I will finish off saying out of the EL/ER I have tried, I have never had a bad Boli or RA so if you are looking to dip your toe in this murky pool, you could do worse than start with those. But wether they are worth more than RASS or BBF is a matter of personal taste.

I agree with you on the La Reina. But I opened a box and all of a sudden I had to trade 9 sticks away, lol. I'm keeping the rest.

I came to the conclusion that I need to sell or trade some boxes. Too bad that I can't ship to the UK anymore.

[gojira]

Always nice to see a halfwheel though. Been a few recently.

Thanks Mike for the view into your soul! It is nice to hear the regulars holding their own though.

RE, LE are more like altcoins. Not sure if should invest. Not sure if the investment will be nice to consume!

Yes, I will continue to purchase some REs but decided to drastically cut down and stop chasing them all.

[gojira]

Thanks Mike, very interesting post. Totally agree that regular production classics beat the RE/LEs.

Cheers Neil. Oh yes, I've had some wonderful regular production cigars recently. This doesn't mean that all REs are bad but there aren't that many that really shine through.

[simwells]

I have chased quite a few REs and LEs in recent years but I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that regular production with a few years on it is not often beaten by them (aged and vintage are in most cases unbeatable). I have recently started again to keep a diary of what I smoke and all the top smokes were regular production. I smoked 50 cigars since the 9th of February. 14 of them were REs and LEs.

Here's a list of the REs and LEs that I've smoked in the last couple of months:

La Gloria Cubana Orgullosos: very nice but had a lot of construction problems.
El Rey del Mundo La Reina: very nice but showed signs of youth in the last third.
Ramón Allones Club Allones: quite good, surprised me. They have come around.
Quai d'Orsay Capitolio: loved them fresh, now: MEH!
El Rey del Mundo Petit Robustos: loved them fresh, was expecting a lot more with over 5 years on it.
Rafael González Petit Piramides: nice but nothing to write home about.
Sancho Panza Gran Quixote: very good. One of the best recent REs.
Por Larrañaga Gran Robusto: piece of crap.
Bolívar Tiempo: nice.
H. Upmann Magnum 56: quite good but it didn't blow me away.
El Rey del Mundo Kon Tiki 1973: pretty good for a young stick. Worth the price? But it's a 109 and I have high hopes for it. Might source a few more singles.
Diplomáticos El Ambajador: wind tunnel, meh.
Por Larrañaga Coronas: good cigar.
La Gloria Cubana Invictos: piece of crap.

Here are some of the regular production sticks (LCDH is regular production to me) that I recently smoked, I'm only listing the best ones:

Diplomáticos Diplomáticos No.2 EML AGO 14: outstanding!
Quai d'Orsay Imperiales ULA JUN 14: not overly complex but almost outstanding
Partagás Lusitanias PUR FEB 17: outstanding!
Rafael González Lonsdales PUC ABR 02: outstanding!
Vegueros Especiales No.2 FD OASU: extremely good!
Partagás Serie du Connaisseur No.1 1997: perfection, best cigar of March 2021!
Bolívar Coronas Gigantes PUR SEP 16: extremely good despite it's youth, these will be stellar in 5 years.
Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure de Luxe AME OCT 12: outstanding, didn't expect this!
Trinidad Media Luna UEB SEP 19: extremely good, did not expect this!
Cohiba Siglo V 2012: close to perfection!
Bolívar Belicosos Finos PMS ABR 15: extremely good, have to slow down on these to let them age.
Punch Ninfas PEL SEP 02: Very, very good, strong as if Mike Tyson punched you in the face!
Quai d'Orsay Panetelas POS MAY 06: I was blown away, stellar! Much stronger than the previous ones that I had (from different box dates).
Cohiba Siglo III MOE JUN 15: extremely good, must buy another box to bury in the back of the cabinet.
Vegas Robaina Clásicos AML OCT 06: lovely aged taste, took me by surprise as the others with this code were not as good.
Punch Double Coronas UGO FEB 18: extremely good despite its youth. Very happy to have a 50 cab with the same code (different month)!
Montecristo Montecristo No.2 PMS JUN 15: took me by surprise, this box has finally come around. Too bad that I wasn't patient and smoked too many too early!

Out of 35 regular production cigars 17 were above average. Out of 14 REs and LEs only 4 were really good.

This got me thinking. Will I really continue chasing REs and LEs? Especially REs. They are expensive and only about 25% of the ones that I try really deserve the premium. My conclusion is that I will slow down on these and try to buy more regular production. But I will not stop as I still like to sample them and as they are good trade bait. A lot of collectors are chasing them and very nice trades can be worked out for them.

I am less and less interested in new regular production releases as well. Most of them come in vitolas that I'm not too keen about and they carry a hefty price tag. Take the new HU Connossieur No.2 for example. Sure, I'd like to try one but I will not buy a box. It's just another bastard child of a robusto and a robusto extra. In Europe a box is a tiny bit cheaper than a box of Party 8-9-8, I'd rather buy a fifth box of the 8-9-8 than a box of these.

But I'm still curious about most sticks that come to the market and will definitely chase a few singles to try down.

This isn’t far off my findings either, for me the big issue with REs is they appear to just come to market hoping they’ll be alright whereas regular production has proven to stand the test of time which is why they’re still produced. In my experience the ELs have been noticeably better on average than the REs so a premium for those I get in some cases but you still can’t rely on it. Certain vitolas are tempting though on the regional program but that’s more to do with Reg production going heavier gauge and some REs going back to how things were.

The REs increasingly seem to be a good investment to not smoke and then flip to help buy more regular production with!


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[gojira]

This isn’t far off my findings either, for me the big issue with REs is they appear to just come to market hoping they’ll be alright whereas regular production has proven to stand the test of time which is why they’re still produced. In my experience the ELs have been noticeably better on average than the REs so a premium for those I get in some cases but you still can’t rely on it. Certain vitolas are tempting though on the regional program but that’s more to do with Reg production going heavier gauge and some REs going back to how things were.

The REs increasingly seem to be a good investment to not smoke and then flip to help buy more regular production with!


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Yes, I totally agree with you. I have been chasing too many REs on account that they might be good and that I might miss out on something great if I don't buy them. I will try to only purchase special vitolas such as skinny ones or 109s in the future. And maybe a sublimes or a churchill from time to time as there aren't many (left) in regular production and I ilke those sizes.

As for ELs, I skipped 2 of the 3 2019s except for a few singles. But I'm glad that I purchased a few boxes of the RA as I have high hopes for it.

[Emaresee]

But the SLR ER PERU the 'Inca' was/is a gem..... a really nice smoke. and delighted to still have some!

[Give the man a cigar]

I have chased quite a few REs and LEs in recent years but I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that regular production with a few years on it is not often beaten by them (aged and vintage are in most cases unbeatable). I have recently started again to keep a diary of what I smoke and all the top smokes were regular production. I smoked 50 cigars since the 9th of February. 14 of them were REs and LEs.

Here's a list of the REs and LEs that I've smoked in the last couple of months:

La Gloria Cubana Orgullosos: very nice but had a lot of construction problems.
El Rey del Mundo La Reina: very nice but showed signs of youth in the last third.
Ramón Allones Club Allones: quite good, surprised me. They have come around.
Quai d'Orsay Capitolio: loved them fresh, now: MEH!
El Rey del Mundo Petit Robustos: loved them fresh, was expecting a lot more with over 5 years on it.
Rafael González Petit Piramides: nice but nothing to write home about.
Sancho Panza Gran Quixote: very good. One of the best recent REs.
Por Larrañaga Gran Robusto: piece of crap.
Bolívar Tiempo: nice.
H. Upmann Magnum 56: quite good but it didn't blow me away.
El Rey del Mundo Kon Tiki 1973: pretty good for a young stick. Worth the price? But it's a 109 and I have high hopes for it. Might source a few more singles.
Diplomáticos El Ambajador: wind tunnel, meh.
Por Larrañaga Coronas: good cigar.
La Gloria Cubana Invictos: piece of crap.

Here are some of the regular production sticks (LCDH is regular production to me) that I recently smoked, I'm only listing the best ones:

Diplomáticos Diplomáticos No.2 EML AGO 14: outstanding!
Quai d'Orsay Imperiales ULA JUN 14: not overly complex but almost outstanding
Partagás Lusitanias PUR FEB 17: outstanding!
Rafael González Lonsdales PUC ABR 02: outstanding!
Vegueros Especiales No.2 FD OASU: extremely good!
Partagás Serie du Connaisseur No.1 1997: perfection, best cigar of March 2021!
Bolívar Coronas Gigantes PUR SEP 16: extremely good despite it's youth, these will be stellar in 5 years.
Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure de Luxe AME OCT 12: outstanding, didn't expect this!
Trinidad Media Luna UEB SEP 19: extremely good, did not expect this!
Cohiba Siglo V 2012: close to perfection!
Bolívar Belicosos Finos PMS ABR 15: extremely good, have to slow down on these to let them age.
Punch Ninfas PEL SEP 02: Very, very good, strong as if Mike Tyson punched you in the face!
Quai d'Orsay Panetelas POS MAY 06: I was blown away, stellar! Much stronger than the previous ones that I had (from different box dates).
Cohiba Siglo III MOE JUN 15: extremely good, must buy another box to bury in the back of the cabinet.
Vegas Robaina Clásicos AML OCT 06: lovely aged taste, took me by surprise as the others with this code were not as good.
Punch Double Coronas UGO FEB 18: extremely good despite its youth. Very happy to have a 50 cab with the same code (different month)!
Montecristo Montecristo No.2 PMS JUN 15: took me by surprise, this box has finally come around. Too bad that I wasn't patient and smoked too many too early!

Out of 35 regular production cigars 17 were above average. Out of 14 REs and LEs only 4 were really good.

This got me thinking. Will I really continue chasing REs and LEs? Especially REs. They are expensive and only about 25% of the ones that I try really deserve the premium. My conclusion is that I will slow down on these and try to buy more regular production. But I will not stop as I still like to sample them and as they are good trade bait. A lot of collectors are chasing them and very nice trades can be worked out for them.

I am less and less interested in new regular production releases as well. Most of them come in vitolas that I'm not too keen about and they carry a hefty price tag. Take the new HU Connossieur No.2 for example. Sure, I'd like to try one but I will not buy a box. It's just another bastard child of a robusto and a robusto extra. In Europe a box is a tiny bit cheaper than a box of Party 8-9-8, I'd rather buy a fifth box of the 8-9-8 than a box of these.

But I'm still curious about most sticks that come to the market and will definitely chase a few singles to try down.

Very interesting write-up. You have inspired me to go on the search for several of these suggested by you. Thank you for sharing.

[Stratos]

Interesting release but not in my league just yet.

Only going after 10pcs boxes when it comes to REs

[gojira]

Very interesting write-up. You have inspired me to go on the search for several of these suggested by you. Thank you for sharing.

It will be interesting to read your thoughts on the ones that you will source after you've smoked them.

[Give the man a cigar]

It will be interesting to read your thoughts on the ones that you will source after you've smoked them.

Yes indeed. I will offer my thoughts as soon as I have them. Really looking forward to tasting many of these but I think I will leave the "La Gloria Cubana Invicto's" alone. Lol!

[gojira]

Yes indeed. I will offer my thoughts as soon as I have them. Really looking forward to tasting many of these but I think I will leave the "La Gloria Cubana Invicto's" alone. Lol!

Hahaha. It's all a matter of taste as some find them quite good.

[AlexD4]

Always nice to see a halfwheel though. Been a few recently.

Thanks Mike for the view into your soul! It is nice to hear the regulars holding their own though.

RE, LE are more like altcoins. Not sure if should invest. Not sure if the investment will be nice to consume!

Did you see their review for the Monte EL 2019 🙈

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[AlexD4]

Reading gojira and Simon lists of smoked cigars is like a panini sticker book full of shinies 1😂

Need, need, need, need, got! .... need....

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[gojira]

Reading gojira and Simon lists of smoked cigars is like a panini sticker book full of shinies 1😂

Need, need, need, need, got! .... need....

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

Hahaha!