Have you ever smoked a Cuban?

[CarpeDiebold]

We just got back from a Cigar bar, sampled quite a few cigars. We got to talking about Cubans, none of us ever smoked one. Have any of y'all? Share the experience with the uninitiated :D

[GOPisEvil]

1. Once. A friend brought some back from Canada.

Truthfully, I'm not sophisticated enough to notice really subtle differences, but I enjoyed the one I had. I have to admit I can't remember what brand it was. I've had cigars from other countries that I enjoyed just as much.

[trackfan]

2. I have a few times - but none of really high quality

They do have a similarity (in flavor, to each other) which can be recognized though.

[Beware the Beast Man]

3. I'm not a cigar enthusiast, but

is there supposed to be a noticeable difference between Cubans and other cigars? Like French cuisine, are they supposed to be the creme de la creme? Just curious.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

4. Many times.

Usually we had to knock the Cuban out before we could get him into the smoker, though.

Ba-dum-bum!

Seriously, though, yes, I've smoked a bunch of Cuban cigars. There is simply no comparison. Just as specific soils and climates produce specific wines, so too w/ the cuban soil. Tobacco grows all over the planet, but nowhere quite like Cuba.

Additionally, the art of tobacco has as much or more history there than anywhere in the world. It's evident in the wrapper, the binder and the filler.

Of course, various Cuban brands are significantly different from others. I prefer Romeo y Julietta and Partagas. Cohiba is a johnny-come-lately. Overrated and fequently counterfeited.

[EstimatedProphet]

5. A few times

And I've enjoyed them each time. Cuban cigars are the best. They have the smoothest, most delicious smoke I have ever had.

[ET Awful]

6. Only when I was ordered to by this guy

:P

[leftofthedial]

7. no, but I once capped a Haitian

[tjwmason]

8. Are they available in the U.S.?

or are they still excluded on the grounds of a petulant 40 year-old hissy fit?

[swimboy]

12. They are contraband.

I had one when I was off St. Bart's but only because I wanted to experience what is forbidden (a weakness of mine). I don't normally smoke cigars so I'm not one to ask about comparisons.

[tjwmason]

13. In that case - HAHAHAHAHA

I could order some (legally) without even leaving my desk at work.

http://www.cgarsltd.co.uk/

That said, I've never smoked anything - cigar, cigarette, pipe, joint. Bloody hell, I'm a goody goody sometimes.

[swimboy]

14. That's a good thing to be good about.

and leaves you free for mischief elsewhere. B-)

[tjwmason]

15. Given the right person

I'm very very free for mischeif. :evilgrin:

[Rowdyboy]

19. Since I don't smoke tobacco, I checked this thread just to see who

would be the one to get naughty with this topic! I knew there had to be someone whose head was just as much in the gutter as my own! :evilgrin:

[ProfessorGAC]

9. Yes. Several Times

The tobacco grown there, due to soil conditions, good drainage, and high direct sun, is superior to virtually all others. The cigars are strong, but still very smooth. (I smoke about 100 cigars per month. Never smoked cigarettes, though. Just started with cigars when i was about 25. So, i've got a little background, here.)

They burn very consistently due to the texture of the tobacco and a very fastidious rolling technique.

Now, all that being said, i don't think they're worth the money. The U.S. embargo has artificially inflated prices on these products by at least 150%. (An $8 cigar, for instance, would cost $20.) As a result, i don't buy them, because while they're very good, i don't think they're good enough to offset that difference in price.

Very good Dominicans, like Fuente, Royal Jamaican, Acid, or Dominican Romeo e Julietta, are outstanding cigars. So close that probably only a true afficianado would really find a difference. But, those are $4 to $18 cigars, instead of $15 to $40. So, my take is that they're uniquely good, but not worth the extra money.
The Professor

[MrSlayer]

10. Yes. A friend brought me some from Jamaica.

Very smooth and creamy. Excellent smoke.

[Call Me Wesley]

11. I don't smoke cigars anymore,

but when I was still living in Zurich, there was this nice little cigar store, and I mostly smoked Davidoffs. I preferred a Cuban cigar to anything else; it was just the 'right thing', so to speak.

I don't think these are available anymore:
http://www.cigarone.com/private-collection/vintage-box.php?idvintage=29

[necso]

16. I have, both recently and in the past.

Good smoke (maybe even a great one), flavorful, rich, sweet, complex and mild -- but a little light for my taste, at least those I have had.

I like cigars dark, strong and maybe a little bit nasty.

[pdx_prog]

17. I used to bring them back from Mexico frequenlty

I never liked Cohibas. The Romeo y Julietta #5 was my fave smoke. It was always fun trying to dodge the ag dogs in the Dallas airport though...:)

[Paladin]

18. Cuban Cigars Are A Lot Like Sex.......

....the worst I ever had was magnificent.

I'm particularly fond of Romeo y Julieta, Punch, H. Uppmann and Bolivar, but they're all great......

[NNadir]

20. Why on earth would I want to do something like that?

I can smell bad and get very sick already; there's no reason to "bring it on."

[jmowreader]

21. I've smoked a few

Tell ya true, I can take them or leave them.

Yes, they can be wonderful cigars. They can also be crap.

Right now, the Cuban cigar industry is moving away from corojo wrapper to Habana2000 wrapper. This is a new, genetically-engineered tobacco that's designed to eliminate the scourge of blue mold from the Cuban cigar industry. The problem with Habana2000 is that if it is not cured properly, the cigars made from it are almost completely fireproof. And the catch is, curing Habana2000 is completely different from curing any other cigar tobacco. The innovator in handling Habana2000 is Nestor Plasencia...and he is a Nicaraguan.

Remember all the "these cigars are made from tobacco grown from seed smuggled out of Cuba under the barrels of Cuban gunboats"? Today that's not necessary--Tabacaleros S.A. will sell seed to anyone who asks.

If you, right now, were to put a box of Cuban anything next to a box of Honduran Punch and tell me to pick one, I'd take the Punch. Punch is one of the most reliable cigars on the market. They taste great, they burn very well and they are affordable. My wife even says they smell good. I've smoked hundreds of Punch. Each is a delight.

[Deja Q]

22. Nope, but I gather Cuban men are hot...

:D

[sbj405]

23. Yes. I have gotten some in Canada and Bermuda.

I'm no cigar expert. They were good, but I have also had good cigars from other places.

[Catch22Dem]

24. Yes, when I lived in Japan

But even then, I didn't have the money to get a REALLY GOOD cigar. So, yes I've smoked a few cubans, but they weren't anything special. I guess it would be like asking a cuban, "have you ever had American beer?" and getting the response, "yeah, I've tried Coors."

[UncleSepp]

25. Yes, I used to get them in Germany

Even the um... reasonably budgeted ones... were respectably good cigars.

[Oeditpus Rex]

26. Are Garcia y Vega still considered among the best?

I'm a long way from a cigar afficionado. Hell, when I do smoke one, it's a Dutch Masters President. :blush:

I've never been a drinkin' fella
Never smoked a Panatel-la
But I'm a he who likes to be where all is gayyyyy

Why don't you leave your cares and troubles behind
and tell 'em your next address is where
they stay up late and drink 'til they're blind
Blind but nevertheless they're glad to see you
in C-U
B-A

Why don't you travel with us on a train or a bus
to Miami, where we can begin to plan
a wonderful trip on a plane or a ship
that will take us from Florida to Havana C-U
in C-U
B-A