Top value NC's Bundles

[jolsensen]

Greetings !

I am looking at ordering a bundle of NC's with excellent value to smoke on a daily basis (i am soon going to have a lot of time smoke but not a lot of money to smoke top cigars every day)

I like both mild and stronger cigars depending on the time of the day and my mood too, so I am looking at 2 bundles.

I know I could buy a couple of 10 different value NC's and try them all before picking my go to cheap cigar, but at the moment, I'd rather keep it simple.

Can you share your experience of such cigars and maybe give a short description of their taste/strength?

Cheers

[Lee Nub]

Its hard to say without breaking the supplier rules, but there are plenty of places were you can get 10 cigar samplers to try them out

If your looking for cheaper smokes, keep your eyes open for the budget Rocky Patels, I paid around 30 dollars for 20 R4's recently, and his higher end seconds sell cheaply enough

You can get Nubs at a great price, and even Cains , both great flavours in all the range

Again its very hard, Padillas, perdomos, pepins etc etc etc are all available for good prices , you just need to know were to look

[cj121]

Not massively experienced in the NC department myself, but I'm sure you'll get a few members popping in and making some recommendations. There shouldn't be any dramas with forum rules jol, as you're looking for taste and flavour profiles, not suppliers

The Casa Magna is a tasty enough cigar and won't break the bank. Search it out on here and you'll get a review (mixed admittedly). In fact, cruise through the reviews section itself and you might find just what you're looking for.

[jolsensen]

i ordered a couple of casa magna after reading the cigar aficionado review and giving it the 1st palce of their top 25

i think I am going to go for a sampler, as Lee mentioned, I should discover which brands are my favourite, and then buy them in bundles :-)

ayayaye, que difficile !

[Kdot]

I smoked an EO no.21 torp today for the first time, a mild cigar with decent flavour. Good burn and contstruction. I would rate it above average for a NC.

After a quick search on the stick I was quite amazed to find out that this cigar comes in bundles of 21 for less than $40! Although I wouldnt rush to buy it again (would have preffered it to be stronger) I wouldnt refuse one if it was offered.

The brand is now on my radar and I'd like to try some of their premium full flavour range.

[SeanP]

Can you give us your idea of 'cheap' to narrow down the field? There are quite a few out there that are a good value that I can recommend right off the bat.

Here are a few 'Budget' (US$40-$60) smokes that are good.

La Aurora Cameroon Centro (boxes - 4 of 5) - Mild to medium. Creamy and earthy flavors and super smooth.

La Aurora Leoninos (box)- Medium. Same smoothness of the Centro but with a kick of spice. Woody and leather flavors dominate.

Gran Habano Vintage 2002 (bundle) - Almost a full cigar. Again creamy with nuts and earth and a bit of spice through the nose pushing it towards full body. Great cigar for the price

Padillia Habano 2nds (bundle)- Good as firsts. Medium. Smooth aged tobacco flavors with a slight sweetness and a bit of spice thorough the nose. Wrappers can be a bit brittle but smoke well.

Rocky Patel 2nds, Counterfeits, etc. (bundle) - Medium to Full. All smoke just as well as the 1sts. If you want fuller go for the Edge Maduro or Corojo. Medium, go Vintage 1992 or 1990. All very rich flavors and consistent quality and burn.

Indian Tabac Super Fuerte (box) - Medium to full. Rocky Patel blend. Rich with notes of nuts, wood and aged tobacco. Smooth and creamy towards the last 1/2.

Indian Tabac Limited Reserve (box) - Mild. Full on flavors of wood and cream with a touch of peppery spice. Super smooth and has quite a long finish.

Cu-Avana Intenso (box) - FULL. Kick in the bollocks full. Loads of spice and earthy flavors that you can not mistake. Super dense and slow burning stick with good construction and burn. Not for the beginner! The 4.5"x54 Gordo is a great vitola!

Victor Sinclair Triple Corojo (box) - Full. As the name implies it is all corojo and had loads of spice with a rich earthy and woody core. A lot of people shy away from this since they smoke them too young. Buy a box and let them sit for no less then 6-8 months, a year if you can resist, and they come to life.

Slow-Aged Lot 826 (bundle) - Medium. Perdomo blend. Creamy, woody, leathery and increasing spice and strength as you go. Cheap as chips and a nice smoke.

And a few harder to find:

3x3 - Medium. Davidoff 2nds or 'trainee rolls' that are creamy and a bit 'grassy' to start with some richer chocolate notes emerging later on. Bundled in aluminum tubes.

The Brick - Medium. Carlos Torano blend that resembles the Exodus 1969 line. Smooth, touch of spice to start then more earthy flavors take over.

[Simon-JG-hr]

3x3, if I remember correctly, are available from CGars. I was unaware that they were essentially Davidoff 2nds - I shall have to give them a try.

[ChrisMClark]

I thought Private Stock were Davidoff seconds?

[SeanP]

The 3x3 are made in the same Henke Kelner factory as the Private Stock. I believe novice rollers use them to hone their skills before moving on to more premium tobaccos. Not sure if the same holds true on the Private Stock. Either way worth a try.

[jolsensen]

Can you give us your idea of 'cheap' to narrow down the field? There are quite a few out there that are a good value that I can recommend right off the bat.

Here are a few 'Budget' (US$40-$60) smokes that are good.

La Aurora Cameroon Centro (boxes - 4 of 5) - Mild to medium. Creamy and earthy flavors and super smooth.

La Aurora Leoninos (box)- Medium. Same smoothness of the Centro but with a kick of spice. Woody and leather flavors dominate.

Gran Habano Vintage 2002 (bundle) - Almost a full cigar. Again creamy with nuts and earth and a bit of spice through the nose pushing it towards full body. Great cigar for the price

Padillia Habano 2nds (bundle)- Good as firsts. Medium. Smooth aged tobacco flavors with a slight sweetness and a bit of spice thorough the nose. Wrappers can be a bit brittle but smoke well.

Rocky Patel 2nds, Counterfeits, etc. (bundle) - Medium to Full. All smoke just as well as the 1sts. If you want fuller go for the Edge Maduro or Corojo. Medium, go Vintage 1992 or 1990. All very rich flavors and consistent quality and burn.

Indian Tabac Super Fuerte (box) - Medium to full. Rocky Patel blend. Rich with notes of nuts, wood and aged tobacco. Smooth and creamy towards the last 1/2.

Indian Tabac Limited Reserve (box) - Mild. Full on flavors of wood and cream with a touch of peppery spice. Super smooth and has quite a long finish.

Cu-Avana Intenso (box) - FULL. Kick in the bollocks full. Loads of spice and earthy flavors that you can not mistake. Super dense and slow burning stick with good construction and burn. Not for the beginner! The 4.5"x54 Gordo is a great vitola!

Victor Sinclair Triple Corojo (box) - Full. As the name implies it is all corojo and had loads of spice with a rich earthy and woody core. A lot of people shy away from this since they smoke them too young. Buy a box and let them sit for no less then 6-8 months, a year if you can resist, and they come to life.

Slow-Aged Lot 826 (bundle) - Medium. Perdomo blend. Creamy, woody, leathery and increasing spice and strength as you go. Cheap as chips and a nice smoke.

And a few harder to find:

3x3 - Medium. Davidoff 2nds or 'trainee rolls' that are creamy and a bit 'grassy' to start with some richer chocolate notes emerging later on. Bundled in aluminum tubes.

The Brick - Medium. Carlos Torano blend that resembles the Exodus 1969 line. Smooth, touch of spice to start then more earthy flavors take over.

Thanks Dude,

That's some food for my thoughts...

I actually tried the tubed Davidoff's when I started smoking and I was quite pleased with them. i should try them again now that I had a few quality habanos.

I will give a try to the other brands you mentioned

Regarding seconds, can someone give me a hint as to what exactly they are.
I saw some places selling "seconds" bundle as well as "Mistakes" bundle.

What's the difference?

[SeanP]

2nds are usually taken out in the color sorting process. Once cigars are rolled they go to get sorted by color to be boxed. If the color is off, or there is a sun spot on the wrapper leaf they get bundled into 2nds. Some of them you look at and couldn't find the blemish if you tried! There are no major defects that would make them unsmokeable though.

Some brands come right out an call the blends what they are but others make you research and figure out what is what. Usually with a little Google and some time you can find out what blend all the seconds started out as.

[jolsensen]

2nds are usually taken out in the color sorting process. Once cigars are rolled they go to get sorted by color to be boxed. If the color is off, or there is a sun spot on the wrapper leaf they get bundled into 2nds. Some of them you look at and couldn't find the blemish if you tried! There are no major defects that would make them unsmokeable though.

Some brands come right out an call the blends what they are but others make you research and figure out what is what. Usually with a little Google and some time you can find out what blend all the seconds started out as.

thanks
I will do some research. I already came across a few of these examples somewhere, but if someone has some knowledge about which brand makes seconds under a different name, feel free to shre your expertise

[Gordonbcb]

thanks
I will do some research. I already came across a few of these examples somewhere, but if someone has some knowledge about which brand makes seconds under a different name, feel free to shre your expertise

Yes please.

Being the novice that I am, I hadn't realised, until this thread, that some seconds are rebranded. So like Jolsenen says, if anyone has a list I'd be very interested to see it.

[roughrider]

Famous Smoke Shop has some great house brands.

-Famous Nicaraguan 3K
-Famous Dominican 2K

[awordinyourear]

I am enjoying the Island Smoke Shop Originals less than $4 each for the Robustos