Comments on: Is Cuban Cigar Quality Slipping?

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:02:44 +0000

I’ve smoked cigars for over 20 years and I have smoked more than a few Cubans, and bought boxes of them when in the UK and Ireland. I also have been given others from people I know who travel to France, Spain, & Italy. So mine weren’t fakes… I like Cuban cigars, but they aren’t any “better” than the non Cubans. They are DIFFERENT, but I wouldn’t call it better. All of this talk about Cubans having some “Cuban only” taste is merely a flavor profile that only exists in Cuban tobacco, just like Dominican has a taste, as does Nicaraguan, etc. As for being more “complex”… Maybe my taste buds are inferior. I can’t taste most of these weird flavors that connoisseurs talk about in cigars or in wines..

By: Rob

Rob — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 04:17:22 +0000

Personally after smoking many Cubans especially Montecristo and Partagas while stationed over in Germany and the UK I believe that they are great…but if you put one up side by side with their Dominican, Honduran and Nicaraguan cousins without bands you couldn’t pick them apart.

I will say that I had more plugged cigars and unravelled wrappers when I smoked cubans…maybe that’s due to the best wrappers abandoning Cuba to go where the money is? I don’t know..just my opinion..but the hype is a bit much.

Cheers,

By: chris

chris — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:54:26 +0000

Hm. I live in Europe, so Cuban cigars (and any other) are available in every good cigar shop. The prices of cuban cigars are about the same or a little higher than for instance dominican cigars. Because cuban cigars are not outlawed here, we can compare them with all the others and it seems most smokers like the cubans best. They are usually more complex and “spicy”. I wonder if the few people in the US that get their hands on cuban cigars are not really buying fake cubans or “seconds”. Tastless Cohiba cigars do not exist. They are fairly heavy and complex, so anyone saying that they are bland or tasteless is probably smoking a fake, or the cigar has had a VERY rough life. Also, how can anyone that has only smoked 3 or 4 cubans in his life ever say that cuban cigars are no good?
My personal favorite at the moment is a Honduran made cigar, well made and tastes good while not breaking the bank. I have not liked any dominican cigar yet (and I tried a bunch of them). No wait, I liked the Macanudo cristal, that was pretty good but still no where near a Montecristo or a ryj. I have had Ashton cigars that I threw away halfway trough the cigar as they where crap. Oliva cigars do not do anything for me either.
The only Cuban I have not finished was a Partagas deluxe….a most horrible cigar.

It just strikes me as odd that the only country in the world that is not allowed to smoke cubans is also the only country in the world where people say that cuban cigars are no good….
A Macanudo cristal costs the same as a ryj over here, so I know what I’m buying next!

By: Ricardo

Ricardo — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:16:21 +0000

i couldn’t help by laugh everytime i hear or read about americans criticizing about cuban cigars or boast about how strict their quality control standards are; ie rocky patel, whose website screams wannabe cuban. non cuban cigar brands obviously know where cuban cigars stand, otherwise they wouldn’t have to overcompensate in such tacky packaging and presentation.

By: Alex

Alex — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:54:26 +0000

Cuban cigars and Cuban flavor is something personal. If you like it you will love any Cuban cigars. Lately the quality has gone up significantly specially 2007 production of Montecristos. I am sure there are allot of other great cigars but for my taste Cuban cigars and Don Pepin cigars have the falvor I am looking for which is pleasent tobbaco with hint of cocco.

By: Dave Hanifan

Dave Hanifan — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 04:45:56 +0000

I’ve tried 4 Cubans. Romeo Y Julieta Churchill was by far the best. Cohiba Siglo VI was simply too mild for me and I’d take a RP Connecticut, Carlos Tarano Tarano or similiar over it. Excellent construction though. One an unknown gifted from a friend that went to Canada and it was simply strong, harsh and nasty. I think it needed that 3-4 years of aging. The other is a Romeo Y Julieta Mini and same basic flavor as the Churchill so it’s very good. In general, Don Pepin, Padilla, Rocky Patel, Carlos Tarano, Oliva, Fuente etc are far better in my opinion.

By: Adam Snider

Adam Snider — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:18:41 +0000

With the exception of the awful, machine-made Guantanamera I’ve never had a Cuban cigar that I didn’t like. I did have a bad experience with a Cohiba Siglo VI, but I think it was more due to my own negligence than the cigar itself.

I have heard, however, that the quality of Cubans in general has gone down in recent years as they try to produce larger quantities to meet the growing demand.

Personally, I enjoy most Cuban cigars, and I wouldn’t say that the quality is slipping. That said, though, there are many non-Cuban cigars that are just as good, if not better. I think some of the best cigars these days are coming out of the Dominican, rather than Cuba.

By: lucky7

lucky7 — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:37:29 +0000

Having grown up in my relatively short cigar smoking experience (4-5 years) with the likes of Pepin Garcia, Rocky Patel, the Fuentes, Espinoza y Ortega, the Padrons, Giolito … and the list goes on, my palate is quite satisfied without the famed “Cuban” cigar. I haven’t been smoking cigars long enough to weigh in on how Cubans today stack up against those that brought them such fame but I can say they haven’t impressed me all that much. Some very good, like the PSD4 but certainly not worth the chase and investment IMHO.

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 23:32:22 +0000

I have had some Cuban’s that were total garbage. I mean REALLY bad. But nothing (nothing I say!) has been as nice as the Partagas Serie P and D in my opinion. Always nice…

But, I agree that the legal cigars out there are easily giving the Cuban’s a run for their money. I’ve always felt that we really aren’t missing out by not having Cuban cigars.

By: Cigar Inspector

Cigar Inspector — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:27:36 +0000

I can say that most of the Cubans I tried lately were very good. However, I chose them because they were well rated in recent European magazines – I can’t state that the overall quality is very high.