Newbie Questions

**UCBear7987** · 03-21-2007, 12:41 AM

Ok, I have a few (two) questions that I'm sure many of you will be able to easily clarify for me...what exactly is B&M? I'm assuming it's a tobacco shop BUT is it some chain thing? or just a general term? And second, I've realized talking about Cubans on the forum is a bit in bad taste..BUT..at the local tobaaco shop by my house they've been advertising these "legal Cubans", is that some bogus thing? I want to try them, but I don't entirely trust the advertising.I mean, the guy says that they're pre-embargo tobacco(some person "forgot" he had all of this Cuban tobacco in storage somewhere,found it, had it rolled blah....blah...blah), which I understand would make them perfectly fine to purchase/own etc. etc....BUT they seem entirely too cheap to be true Cubans. (You can grab a small stick for 4.50, and the larger ones for roughly $10-$12) I'm hoping that one of you know better about this. Again, thank you for for the welcome...and thank you in advance for any replies.

**ReV** · 03-21-2007, 12:57 AM

Originally Posted by UCBear7987

Ok, I have a few (two) questions that I'm sure many of you will be able to easily clarify for me...what exactly is B&M? I'm assuming it's a tobacco shop BUT is it some chain thing? or just a general term? And second, I've realized talking about Cubans on the forum is a bit in bad taste..BUT..at the local tobaaco shop by my house they've been advertising these "legal Cubans", is that some bogus thing? I want to try them, but I don't entirely trust the advertising.I mean, the guy says that they're pre-embargo tobacco(some person "forgot" he had all of this Cuban tobacco in storage somewhere,found it, had it rolled blah....blah...blah), which I understand would make them perfectly fine to purchase/own etc. etc....BUT they seem entirely too cheap to be true Cubans. (You can grab a small stick for 4.50, and the larger ones for roughly $10-$12) I'm hoping that one of you know better about this. Again, thank you for for the welcome...and thank you in advance for any replies.

First off, look up at the search option... its very usefull... i suggest browsing the 'newbie guide' thread http://www.cigarsmokers.com/showthre...t=newbie+guide ; but to answer your question, B&M is just a general term for cigar shops.

Second, say ISOMs.... thats seems to be the P.C. term around here, its defined in that newbie guide i mentioned.

Third, who cares if those sticks are true ISOMs or not, if they're cheap, go try em. If ya dont like em, so what they were cheap... if you do, well you found yourself a good cheap smoke.

**WOXOF** · 03-21-2007, 01:14 AM

B&M = Brick and Mortar

You could give the pre-embargo cuban stuff a try. Don't get your hopes up. It is possible to get cigars that have pre-embargo cuban tobacco in them. It's more hype than anything, for that amount of money you can buy some really good cigars. I'd pass.

**UCBear7987** · 03-21-2007, 01:24 AM

Alright, thanks for the information and advice.

**Wingfan13** · 03-21-2007, 09:42 AM

Originally Posted by UCBear7987

Ok, I have a few (two) questions that I'm sure many of you will be able to easily clarify for me...what exactly is B&M? I'm assuming it's a tobacco shop BUT is it some chain thing? or just a general term? And second, I've realized talking about Cubans on the forum is a bit in bad taste..BUT..at the local tobaaco shop by my house they've been advertising these "legal Cubans", is that some bogus thing? I want to try them, but I don't entirely trust the advertising.I mean, the guy says that they're pre-embargo tobacco(some person "forgot" he had all of this Cuban tobacco in storage somewhere,found it, had it rolled blah....blah...blah), which I understand would make them perfectly fine to purchase/own etc. etc....BUT they seem entirely too cheap to be true Cubans. (You can grab a small stick for 4.50, and the larger ones for roughly $10-$12) I'm hoping that one of you know better about this. Again, thank you for for the welcome...and thank you in advance for any replies.

The cigars you are talking about sound like Pinar. Does that ring a bell ? I hear they are very good.

**UCBear7987** · 03-21-2007, 09:59 AM

Pinar? No, doesn't really ring a bell...but then again I haven't been to the smoke shop in a while. Finally, going home for the weekend so I'll be able to take a look then. I guess I'll give them a try when I do. God, I hope the weather stays nice enough for me to be able to sit out on my porch and enjoy them.

Again, thanks for the replies.

bigsmoke · 03-21-2007, 10:04 AM

ISOM's are the best cigars in the world. These ones they are trying to sell you are not legit.

**drew_goring** · 03-21-2007, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by bigsmoke

ISOM's are the best cigars in the world. These ones they are trying to sell you are not legit.

Actually they most likely are legit in a sense. They are rolled with pre-embargo tobacco. However this could mean that a bit of the stuff is sprinkled in. And who knows the quality of the tobacco, or how it was stored for the past 50 or so years.

From what I understand, they aren't bad sticks, but aren't great either. If you want, try them. If you like them, great. If not, good too. You are only out 10 or so bucks.

**Shelby07** · 03-21-2007, 12:37 PM

Originally Posted by bigsmoke

ISOM's are the best cigars in the world. These ones they are trying to sell you are not legit.

That is extremely subjective. While most ISOMs are very good, I don't think they are the be all/end all. A lot of the allure of ISOMs is that they aren't legal in the US. When I first started this hobby I tended to think that an ISOM would be heads above other cigars that were legal. as the song says, "It Ain't Necessarily So."

The Pre-Embargo cubans have not been given a good reception. From what I understand, bales of cuban tobacco imported into the US before the embargo were supposedly found in some warehouse in the US which makes it legal. There was no mention of the quality, care, or specific origin of the tobacco, only that it was Cuban. Since then a bunch of cigar makers have jumped on the bandwagon and started using this tobacco to roll "pre-embargo cuban" cigars.

That doesn't mean that they are 100% cuban, nor does it mean that they are among the best cigars in the world. In fact, most reviews that I have read haven't been too kind.

While you can buy pre-embargo cigars that were rolled before the embargo and properly cared for, they are very expensive and not usually generally available in your local B&M.