Any Thoughts on Belmondo Vintage Reservas?

[Amanda]

Talked to a guy friend of mine today who also enjoys cigars. He gave me a couple Belmondo Vintage Reservas he had on hand. I'm gonna wait till tomorrow to smoke them, but am eager to hear the thoughts of anyone who may have already smoked them. If I like them, I may consider switching. But they also have to be affordable enough to where I can smoke them as often as I currently smoke my Berings without busting my budget. I'll be eagerly awaiting responses.

[ggiese]

I have not heard of these, so I did a little bit of Internet searching...

Some guy named "Scot" writes (this couldn't be our Scott, because I know he likes these cigars, even though he's never smoked them...):

I got one of these with my first Thompson sampler. The cigar looked great and even smelled good before lighting. Unfortunately that’s where the positive stops. The taste was rather complex with hints of the Wall Street Journal, an old milk carton, and a worn out Firestone radial. I highly recommend this cigar for your neighbor whose dog keeps using your lawn as the crapper.

Thompson cigars writes:

Belmondo, Thompson’s special baby, was an early entrant into the cigar boom sweepstakes. Originally marketed at $90-$110 per box, it was made with top-of-the-line tobaccos always in short supply. Our typical insistence on using only quality tobaccos proved Belmondo’s undoing. When our supply became unreliable, rather than resort to inferior grades, we simply took one of our favorite cigars off the market. Now, however, the time is right for Belmondo’s return! And in its Vintage Reserva edition it’s better than ever.

They're supposed to be medium strength. Certainly a step up from your Bering's. Let us know what you think of them!!!

[CoventryCat86]

LMAO!! That "Scot" guy sounds pretty astute when it comes to cigars!! I'm NOT a fan of Thompson offerings so I'll go with his recommendation.

There are LOTS of affordable cigars out there Amanda from places like JRCigars, CigarsInternational, Famous-Smoke, SeriousCigars, etc.

This place is in DIRE NEED of a "New Guy (or gal) Sampler Trade" thread.

[grand cru no 2]

I do believe I've heard of these, but I know certainly that I haven't smoked one. Having said that, just fire it up and smoke it!

No need to be a slave to any brand btw. If you like these, and you still like your Berings, no reason you can't smoke 'em both. My humi contains a wide spectrum of brands, and I enjoy the different smoke I get with each brand.

[Amanda]

As I write this, I'm about halfway through my Belmondo and I'm enjoying it! I can't say yet whether I like it better than my Berings. It's definitely different and noticeably stronger. I'll probably track down my friend Matt and see where I can pick up a box of these, depending on how expensive they are, of course. And I definitely plan to experiment with brands now that I have some true cigar aficianodoes advising me.

When I'm done with this, I'll be heading outside to take in some rays and will smoke another of my Berings to see how it compares. Nothing more relaxing than sunbathing with a nice cigar.

[Chè]

Years ago... Maybe they are tolerable nowadays.

[grand cru no 2]

As I write this, I'm about halfway through my Belmondo and I'm enjoying it! I can't say yet whether I like it better than my Berings. It's definitely different and noticeably stronger. I'll probably track down my friend Matt and see where I can pick up a box of these, depending on how expensive they are, of course. And I definitely plan to experiment with brands now that I have some true cigar aficianodoes advising me.

When I'm done with this, I'll be heading outside to take in some rays and will smoke another of my Berings to see how it compares. Nothing more relaxing than sunbathing with a nice cigar.

That's my kinda girl there.

[JStrider]

Nothing more relaxing than sunbathing with a nice cigar.

soo..... have you seen this thread?

http://www.cigarsmokers.com/t825-the...ng-thread.html

[SFG75]

As I write this, I'm about halfway through my Belmondo and I'm enjoying it! I can't say yet whether I like it better than my Berings. It's definitely different and noticeably stronger. I'll probably track down my friend Matt and see where I can pick up a box of these, depending on how expensive they are, of course. And I definitely plan to experiment with brands now that I have some true cigar aficianodoes advising me.

When I'm done with this, I'll be heading outside to take in some rays and will smoke another of my Berings to see how it compares. Nothing more relaxing than sunbathing with a nice cigar.

Glad to hear that it isn't too bad. You might want to write down a rating on the back of the label or jot down some notes when your done. I like the Thompson phoenix naturals and the Iguana maduros, but have never tried anything else that they have. A few housebrands are good, especially the J.R. variety.

Some things to keep in mind

1.)Smoke it before you ask about it, 9 times out of 10, others haven't.
2.)Sometimes the "better" ones are the crappiest-and the most highly recommended simply because of their price.
3.)There are diamonds in the rough