real or psychosematic

shilala · 02-22-2010, 12:10 PM

I'm going to say 1a.)More or less, so to speak. 1b.) To some extent, yes. At least I can't think of a cc that lacks it, except maybe RS12's. 1c.) I don't consider it a "smoothness at all. Just a weak "rosey sweeteness" that gets overpowering in some cigars, is very faint in others.

For part 2, I have to go with your ribeye hypothesis. Sometimes I love a Los Statos or La Corona. Sometimes a Cohiba cigarette (which very much brings that hay sweetness to the forefront). It all depends what I'm in the mood for, and how I want it delivered, and at what "speed".
I seldom have a desire for that distincy cc flavor, as I enjoy more body, fullness and in the faceness that different nc's impart.

"Good" or "better" is wholly subjective. That's why it's an argument that goes on forever and can never be won. It makes for interesting conversation, or downright disdain, depending on the parties involved.

Sometimes I really get a hankering for a crappy cc, sometimes I get a hankering for a "good" one, but mostly I enjoy the package a Nic puro brings along, or a Dominican puro. I don't feel any are necessarily "better" than the others, but more that different profiles fill different temporary desires.
Kinda like women.

Snake Hips · 02-22-2010, 07:46 PM

I'm going to go with some others here and echo Tom about the nose smoking. The "smoothness" of the Cubans you hear described I think applies to this; I've encountered nary a non-Cuban that I can blow the whole puff out my nose without serious tear production. I can do that with Cubans very easily (though I don't prefer it).

1a) There is indeed one distinctive flavor characteristic I find in Cuban cigars. The flavor of it I can't describe at all, and it's not necessarily good or bad, it's just there. I happen to like it. And besides that flavor, I also find that the profiles of the Cuban marques are each unique to anything found in the non-Cuban world.
1b) I have not found it present in ALL Cuban cigars, but it varies depending on the individual cigar. Sometimes a Cuban I'm smoking is crap, or isn't distinctive, or is boring or whatever, and I don't find it. Sometime a Cuban I'm smoking is very good, but it's a total departure from anything else I've smoked off the island; often the case is that some flavor characteristic is dominant ("young and unbalanced," some would say) and I can't find the "twang" through it.
1c) The "smooth" characteristic, as I described above, is more in relation to the nose smoking. French inhaling and snorking are both much more pleasant with Cubans to me. "Smooth" in general is not monopolized by Cuban tobacco - I smoke many, many non-Cubans that are smooth as a lacquered n' waxed baby's ass on the palate (Padron 1964 and 1926 in particular), but through the nose I can only do a small amount before it melts my sinuses.

2) The difference, as I describe, is not that significant that Cubans are so much better. I believe it's personal taste. To my taste, the unique flavors of each brand are something to seek out, something I like. But there are tastes in the non-Cuban world that are not found in the Cuban world, and I look for those on occasion as well. The Nicaraguan sweet-spice and the butter-cream taste of some others are something I love to have in my regular rotation.

02-22-2010, 12:10 PM	#1
shilala Dear Lord, Thank You. Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Scott Posts: 13,721 Trading: (252)	Re: real or psychosematic I'm going to say 1a.)More or less, so to speak. 1b.) To some extent, yes. At least I can't think of a cc that lacks it, except maybe RS12's. 1c.) I don't consider it a "smoothness at all. Just a weak "rosey sweeteness" that gets overpowering in some cigars, is very faint in others. For part 2, I have to go with your ribeye hypothesis. Sometimes I love a Los Statos or La Corona. Sometimes a Cohiba cigarette (which very much brings that hay sweetness to the forefront). It all depends what I'm in the mood for, and how I want it delivered, and at what "speed". I seldom have a desire for that distincy cc flavor, as I enjoy more body, fullness and in the faceness that different nc's impart. "Good" or "better" is wholly subjective. That's why it's an argument that goes on forever and can never be won. It makes for interesting conversation, or downright disdain, depending on the parties involved. Sometimes I really get a hankering for a crappy cc, sometimes I get a hankering for a "good" one, but mostly I enjoy the package a Nic puro brings along, or a Dominican puro. I don't feel any are necessarily "better" than the others, but more that different profiles fill different temporary desires. Kinda like women. __________________

02-22-2010, 07:46 PM	#2
Snake Hips Götterdämmerung Join Date: Nov 2008 First Name: Tyler Location: Directly above the center of the Earth Posts: 1,013 Trading: (10)	Re: real or psychosematic I'm going to go with some others here and echo Tom about the nose smoking. The "smoothness" of the Cubans you hear described I think applies to this; I've encountered nary a non-Cuban that I can blow the whole puff out my nose without serious tear production. I can do that with Cubans very easily (though I don't prefer it). 1a) There is indeed one distinctive flavor characteristic I find in Cuban cigars. The flavor of it I can't describe at all, and it's not necessarily good or bad, it's just there. I happen to like it. And besides that flavor, I also find that the profiles of the Cuban marques are each unique to anything found in the non-Cuban world. 1b) I have not found it present in ALL Cuban cigars, but it varies depending on the individual cigar. Sometimes a Cuban I'm smoking is crap, or isn't distinctive, or is boring or whatever, and I don't find it. Sometime a Cuban I'm smoking is very good, but it's a total departure from anything else I've smoked off the island; often the case is that some flavor characteristic is dominant ("young and unbalanced," some would say) and I can't find the "twang" through it. 1c) The "smooth" characteristic, as I described above, is more in relation to the nose smoking. French inhaling and snorking are both much more pleasant with Cubans to me. "Smooth" in general is not monopolized by Cuban tobacco - I smoke many, many non-Cubans that are smooth as a lacquered n' waxed baby's ass on the palate (Padron 1964 and 1926 in particular), but through the nose I can only do a small amount before it melts my sinuses. 2) The difference, as I describe, is not that significant that Cubans are so much better. I believe it's personal taste. To my taste, the unique flavors of each brand are something to seek out, something I like. But there are tastes in the non-Cuban world that are not found in the Cuban world, and I look for those on occasion as well. The Nicaraguan sweet-spice and the butter-cream taste of some others are something I love to have in my regular rotation.