Well then... glad I lived to tell the tale. Yeah, I remember some white stuff occasionally too. I guess the greenish mold was why I lost my memory of that time.
Had a Cohiba with a buddy years back. It had that great Cuban flavor I like, but I didn't find it superior enough to other Cubans to justify the price differential. Davidoff was another one that was priced higher based on the brand perception more than the outright quality, imo. Good cigar, but for the dollar, it wasn't as great as it should have been. [EDIT: Cuban Davidoffs. Not the bull**** later ones.]
Smoke one this weekend. I was very impressed with it. It was a nice slow burn with good ash. A little stronger then I had anticipated.
Having a Montecristo Classic Series Churchill right now. Nice smoke at 3.99 from that sampler package.
From the early 20th century until the 1980s, Cuba produced special edition cigars for Davidoff and Dunhill on occasion. The 1980s Davidoffs are prized like none others and will often go for tens of thousands of pounds per box at Christie's auctions. Plume (or bloom) is a seeping of fine tobacco's sugars to the surface of the wrapper, and it happens over decades. Anything that develops on the cigar in under ten years is mold.
Yeah. I think they stopped in the early 90's. What do you mean tell the diff between white mold and plume? What I noticed on the occasional cigar just looked like a very slight fuzzy dust on the wrapper.... I just googled mold and plume and YES it looks like I had plume on most of those great cigars, though once or twice the plume had a greenish tinge to it. USually white, but sometimes greenish. Definitely not pronounced spots though, just a fine uniform layer of 'dust'... and those cigars tasted the absolute best. So I was most likely mistaken in thinking it was mold. Which explains why I didn't die.
Speaking of Cubans, if you're ever in Havana, the Partagas factory store (behind the old Capitol looking from Prado) usually has Flor de Rafael González Márquez Lonsdales. Relatively inexpensive; well under $200 a box of 25. About 7 inches, 42 ring size. Medium body. They go mostly to the English market. The Brits go bananas over them, and for good reason. Unbelievable smoke. Hard to find at Harrod's or Selfridge's; they sell out. http://www.cigars-review.org/Flor-de-Rafael-Gonzalez-Marquez-Lonsdales.htm
Blondies are nice. They just released Blondie maduros, too. Mmm... Good to know, if I can ever make it back to my birthplace uneventfully. I like the size, too. I'm sick to death of 50+ RG EVERYTHING, although that seems to be what the market wants today. BTW, the Rafael Gonzales petit coronas are outstanding cigars and can be had for ~$115 per box of 25 if you know where to get them. Half to a third the price of a premium non-Cuban, and quality for days.
BTW, if anyone has cigars fine and aged enough to have developed plume/bloom (same thing), they will not let you touch them, unless they're idiots. Plume is very delicate, and dissolves under the heat and moisture of human fingers. Something that rare has to be preserved by careful handling.
I've been needing a humidor for a while so I bought one off ebay. Got a good deal, glass top, holds 80-100 smokes. The seller threw in 7 Cohiba red dots. When it arrived in the mail today, the humidifiers (2 round black containers) had come free and there appeared to be a little wetness on one of the trays. My question is, do these take distilled water and if so do you soak them? The current reading on the hydrometer is 60. I've read that I should be around 70.
Wrappers on or off in the humidor? I heard you don't want the flavors from different smokes co mingling.
Please help save the last cigar factory of it's kind in this country. Forward to your friends. http://www.savecigarcity.com/ On the history of Cigar City located in Tampa FL. http://www.savecigarcity.com/index.php Recent NY Times article. The fight to save the factory has galvanized both Democrats and Republicans, among them Gov. Rick Scott of Florida. They are lobbying the F.D.A. to look carefully at the provisions they say could unfairly exclude the cigars made in the Newmans’ Tampa factory from the protection the agency may offer premium cigars. “It goes to the heart and soul of Tampa,” said Representative Kathy Castor, a Florida Democrat from the area who introduced a bill to try to protect premium cigar manufacturers. “This would be a blow to our cultural history to have the last remaining cigar factory close.” Eric Newman, who grew up in the area, said he would not shy from fighting to keep the factory doors open. “Cigars are to Tampa,” he said, “what wine is to Napa and automobiles are to Michigan.” http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/22/u...ng-them-tampa-is-close-to-no-cigars.html?_r=1
Smoked one the other day and I agree it is most excellent. I've tried several Drew Estates over the last few weeks and have not been disappointed. Blondie Jucy Lucy Java
I'm going to Tampa this November! Any recommendations on places to visit for cigars? (Or anything else notable, from wine/food to sights?)
Has anyone ever tried the Pinar del Rio Reserva Limitada? I have a bundle of 20 on they way. Also CI has Diesel Unholy Cocktails on sale 3.00 dollars a stick today only. http://www.cigarsinternational.com/joecigar/
The whole AJ Fernandez line is on sale this week at CI. http://www.cigarsinternational.com/flash/aj-fernandez-feeding-frenzy/ 20% off on top of that s well. Still thinking of picking up some of these Diesels stogies. http://www.cigarsinternational.com/cigars/84862/diesel-unholy-cocktail/#p-162329 Anyone care to share a review of them?