Re: CC's or NC's?
 

Hey Brian!

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

So if I'm Swiss and my buddy is French and we somehow had Cuban cigars in the us could I sell them to my friend :D-(P

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

As long as they were legally here and you did not use US funds (several people have been caught by that last technicality which should work its way though the World Court in about 100 years).

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

Your buddy would surrender to the Cuban cigars and you'd want no part of the affair.

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

:r

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I don't have any French buddies....by choice. ;)

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

Been smoking a few nc's over the last few days because of this thread. 2 most notable were the lgc artisanos de Miami, and a tat anarchy.

My take on nc's vs cc's as of the last few days: the nc's, while very good, are almost "cigars for dummies." Not because of skill level or intelligance level of the smoker, but everything is "in your face" apparent with nc's. I didn't need to focus on the cigar to notice all the flavors. They are "easy" cigars to me, if that makes sense.

Cc's, to me, take attention and focus, and the rewards are great once you take the time to appreciate them. You have to pay attention to the burn, the draw, the retrohale, the subtleties and nuances that seem to only occur in cc's. In my experience, smoking a cc is more involved, and more ritualistic.

Kind of like driving a manual vs automatic transmission.

My two cents, after a few drinks. YMMV.
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Re: CC's or NC's?
 

Interesting analogy, Peter. I definitely agree with many NCs being an "in your face" smoke compared to most CC's, and there are many who prefer that type of smoke. That's what makes the cigar world go 'round. :)

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

That made me lol.

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

Clayton outlined the chain really well. From my understanding, I can't even smoke a cc legally, regardless of where I got it or where I am in the world.
It never really made sense to me until I just saw "trading with the enemy".
If I smoke that cc, even though I don't have a dime in it, they profit from making it. That makes the spirit of the law make sense.

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

This is a great analogy. CCs are something you have to baby. I always chuckle when I read reviewers complaining about having a single purge, a touch up or a re-light, or having to re-clip the end or massage the cigar a little to ease up the draw. These are all things I do obsessively to the point that they have become second nature to me, something I expect and perhaps even look forward to as part of the cigar smoking experience. NCs are cigars for people who want it to work straight out of the box and do everything for them. CCs are for the tinkerers.

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

i kinda of want to get rid of every cigar in my collection to just keep my cc except for oliva v #4. God of Fire, Padron, Opus X, all my rp's, my fathers......i'd trade them all for trini reys and cohiba siglos, throw in a couple monti pe's and #2's and I'd be a very happy man if this was all I smoked. In the meantime I will let my cc's sit and rest while I smoke my nc or maybe someone will buy them from me ;) or better yet trade for cc

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

I've never smoked a CC, but to justify breaking the law, dealing with shady sources, worrying about my shipment getting intercepted, possibility of being sent fakes, and apparently reclipping, relighting, purging, having to concentrate just to pick up the flavors, plus the extra cost, CCs would have to be so crazy out of this world over the top amazing that my head would explode simply from being in the room with one.

Not to say I wouldn't smoke one if I had it, but man that's alot of PIA just to sit on my back porch and enjoy a stogie. I don't know that they could possibly be good enough to justify the effort in obtaining them IMO. Maybe one day things will be different, until then I am more than happy to smoke NCs.

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

It's really not that bad, they're rather easy to come by and the prices can be cheaper than many high-end premiums. There are plenty of CCs under $10 a piece.

...That being said, they always do benefit from rest/aging. In fact, some practically demand aging but I'm sure you've noticed that since you got your first humidor that a year or two into it you have cigars that are a year or so rested. It just takes some time...in the mean time there are some great brothers that occasionally sell aged CCs for no profit, just to make room. This is very beneficial in the beginning stages of that side of the hobby.

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

CC's or NC's? Copious amounts of both please :)
But, more CC's than NC's

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

NC's=cigars for dummies. This made me laugh. Hard. Guess I should be more refined.

I tried to clarify, brother. I meant no disrespect. Sorry if you took it as an insult, as that was never my intention. I have no place to talk about refinement, as I'm as refined as a drunk goat. Just trying to state the difference -as I see it- between nc's and cc's.

And Kevin, please remember your previous post. Just saying ... its probably been awhile since you've worn the CA skirt.... :D
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Re: CC's or NC's?
 

Some thoughts of mine in red. :)

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

A company that would knowingly ship a product somewhere that it is illegal to buy, sell or even have is automatically shady IMO. Also the fact that I can get CCs for about as much as premium NCs doesn't mean much, I can't afford to exclusively smoke LPs or Padron Annis either, CCs are pretty darn expensive, to me anyway. I'm happy you have good sources and rarely get a shipment intercepted, and I sincerely hope your good fortune continues.
I wish the world were different and I could just go to a b&m, pick up a few CC singles to try and see what all the fuss is about, maybe keep a few for a special occasion if I really really like em. Exactly like I do with the high end NCs, but I can't. For me illegal+expensive makes it a deal breaker, just not worth it.

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

CC's cost(decent ones, not sh*t) $3-$.....well I dunno some ballers might have ~$600 or so VINTAGE VHTF CC's.

So if you can afford $3-$6 a smoke you could easily smoke exclusively CC's.

If you could go to a B&M and buy them, you wouldn't like the prices. Ask the members that live in other countries.

Many of them technically still get them "illegally". "Discreet" shipping so they don't get hit with taxes.

FWIW :2

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

Undertand your feelings, though I disagree with your propostion that shipping to the US automatically makes them "shady". I have met several of these people in person, and consider them upstanding gentlemen.

Possibly someday you will be able to walk into a B&M in the States and buy Cubans...time will tell.

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

Tell me how you really feel.

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

I fail to see how shipping to paying customers makes them shady. All the online shops I'm aware off fully comply with the export laws of their respective countries. These aren't American companies and therefore they are not bound by, or required to follow, American laws. They are just shipping a product that a customer has requested and paid for. If that customer happens to be an American then the legality, or lack thereof, of the transaction is on the customer side and therefore the responsibility of the customer not the vendor.

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

Any vendor who would ship to such a "shady" customer is shady by association.:rolleyes:

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

Ok then, so we're saying here is that any non-US vendor who obeys the laws of their own country is shady because they don't don't follow US laws that have absolutely zero bearing or hold on them? Riiiiiiight...... :tu :rolleyes:

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

Would the real shady please stand up?


http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kt...cxrxo1_400.png

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

:r

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I wouldn't try and convince him, less buyers means more stock availability for us :D

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

Stock availablilty isn't an issue for me as a Canadian ;) What I find mildly amusing/ignorant is the suggestion that any non-American is somehow doing something wrong by not obeying US laws that have no jurisidication over them in the first place.

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

I can count the number of times I was really blown away with an NC in the last year, 2.
I have had some great ones, and some bad ones but only 2 where out of this world.
I am blown away almost weekly with CCs and the rest are still really good. This has been my experience.
I would not want to have missed out on those 2 amazing NCs though as they where sooo incredible.
I think there is a place for both, CCs and NCs in my humi, I just prefer CCs everyday right now.

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

Im smoking a cuban cohiba lancero i got one my last trip to london and you know what its plugged its **** nothing more nothing less im going to stub it out under my shoe and light up a opus X i got at foxs in saint James street the same place i got this lancero and you know what im going to enjoy it more than this.

Both are good smokes cuban and non-cuban if you only smoke one kind youre a fool if you think you will find a cuban taste in a non-cuban youre a bigger fool they are two different things but both are good at some point.

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

I agree, "fool" may be an extreme word though as many (myself included, although I am learning) may just be inexperienced in the world of CCs. If you smoke strong NCs all the time and an occasional CC, you will not taste the subtle nuances of that CC as you are used to such dominating obvious flavors found in NCs.

I smoked NCs everyday, and loved them. I smoked an occasional CC to try it out, and I could never understand the following CC had. I did a personal experiment (Advised by a friend) and quit smoking all NCs for a month while I indulged in tons of CCs and man I am in love now.

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

Shady simply means under the table, below board. You don't have to sell drugs on a street corner to be shady. You don't have to be dishonest either. In my opinion shipping product to a place where it is illegal is taking part in a shady deal, especially if it requires "discreet" shipping. To get Cubans in the US you have to show a certain degree of shadiness and disregard the law, so does whoever ships them to you. Hell that might be half the fun.

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

:bh
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Re: CC's or NC's?
 

May be fool is a bit extream but ill stand by it.

CCs take time to get used to this i agree with but dose it make them better than NCs that are good right off the bat IMHO HELL NO

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

Do you guys think CCs will lose some of it's 'mysticism' if the embargo were to ever be lifted? But my opinion in regards to this whole matter is that I only smoke particular brands of NC's while me personally haven't had a CC I didn't like.

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

I've always heard shady used as a synonym for disingenious, similar to dodgy in British English- in regards to a dealer/source it would mean they were liable to lie, cheat or doublecross you in a deal. A shady dealer is one who might just as soon rob you at gunpoint than give you the stuff, or try to pass off something cut down with oregano or baby powder, or in the case of cigars, a glass-top box of cohibos. Now that's shady. Since it's a term that originated in a context where flouting the law is an accepted part of the game, simply doing something illegal doesn't make you shady- it's breaking the compact of trust with the customer that does. So in that sense, none of my sources are in the least bit shady. :D

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

Of course. They will also go way up in price and have a temporary dip in quality as production is ramped up beyond capacity, so all of the noobs will be severely disappointed and think it was always a bunch of hype.

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

:tpd:

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

Good thing I smoke them for the flavor and not the mysticism. ;)

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the rest of the world doesn't give a rats ass about your little embargo and vendors outside the US are neither required to obey nor enforce US laws. It's simply impossible to disregard a law that doesn't exist. If you're not breaking any laws then you're not being "shady"... you're serving your customers, and that's just called doing business.

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

No need to get so worked up... If you think it isn't shady in any way to ship a product to a place where it is illegal, then I respect your opinion. I don't understand it, but I respect it.

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

NC's for me. Just for background info I have smoked several CC ranging in different maracas and most have left me underwhelmed. But, one PSD4 (the 3rd one I smoked) was the best damn cigar I have ever had, the thing was an experience and I went into it pessimistic only to be blown away. Then I bought a whole mess of CC's which I have been smoking this week and they are up there with my NC's but still not what I like. For me when I smoke a cigar and really pay attention to it I can find plenty of flavors. But that PSD4 was different, I was watching the Cards and just picked it on a whim thinking I would S can it and grab a NC. It's just not worth the time, $, and I run a risk with possibly drawing attention to my job. But man, if they all could be like that one CC I would be a CC man.

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

I'm not worked up, I just don't get the mentality that labels a business as "shady" for following all applicable laws. If you feel bound to follow the laws of your country that great but doesn't mean that citizens or businesses belongin to other nationalies should feel the same compunction to uphold your law for you. That's just stupid.

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

Yes. :tu

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

:D Good call.

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

Both for me

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

Dang, I had to read every post in this thread before someone came up with my answer!

More like:


Sure! Watcha got?

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

Don't buy Cuban cigars, don't smoke tobacco, don't speed, don't download music from the internet, don't have sex before marriage, cool whatever floats your boat...your stance on any of these issues doesn't affect my life.

Re: CC's or NC's?
 

Some of the Best and Worst Cigars I've smoked were Cubans. Same goes for the NCs... I think the NCs have come a long way in recent years quality and taste wise, whereas the Cubans really haven't made much strides. Don't get caught up in the mystique of the origin or the brand. Trying all different kinds till you find what floats your boat is what makes the whole experience as great as it is...

Enjoy
TF