Cubans

[Corvin]

Wrappers do constitute the majority of your flavor.

As for pre-embargo, don't waste any money, even if they can authenticate them, the shelf life of a cigar is about 50 years. It'd be like paying for the 2000 dollar bottle of 1940's burgundy just to say you have the 1940's burgundy, it's content is really more like vinegar than alcohol at this point, but hey, it's still a 1940's burgundy. Similarly with a cigar, even if kept in prime condition, tobacco ages, but only to a point, which is approximately 50 years. The longer it ages though, the less flavor it will have as the oils evaporate. Which means unless these pre-embargos were the strongest cigars ever produced, they'll be like smoking macanudos by this century easily.

As for the more common "pre-embargo" cigars, the pinars (typically 8-12 a stick) I just don't buy the story of "we found a stash of tobacco in a warehouse after 40 years." Even if true, who's to guarantee the tobacco was kept in ideal conditions all that time, and even if it was, the above problem occurs. Finally, to claim that it is a pre-embargo cuban, legally they'd only have to have less than one percent of the cigars total make up actually from pre-embargo leaf in order to keep the claim. It's not false advertising if some part of it is pre-embargo leaf.

So, nobody should ever waste their time with these.

Thanks for the info, I didn't realize that they only had to have 1% to make the claim.

I didn't realize that cigars only had a 50 year shelf life either. Hopefully the "It's a girl" AFs that I've got will still be ok when my daughter turns 18 in 2025.

[prostartjr1738]

I know this is an old thread but I figured Id post here rather than starting a new thread. Was smoking at my local b&M today talking to a few guys. They were telling me that one way to tell if a Cuban is "real" is if it smells slightly of horse manure (spelling?). That it wont smell like weve all come to know as the cigar smell. Any truth to this? I dont know if I could bring myself to put a cigar in my mouth and smoke it if it smelled like horse manure, I dont care what country its from.

[BigMacFU]

No, just not so.

[chefchris]

I never smell cigars. Never have. I have friends that do and I don't know why. They smell the same to me. But I'm gonna have to call bull shit on the ISOMs smelling like ... well ... bull shit.

[basil]

I dunno - I've had some, more than a few, that yes, smelled like a barnyard. First time I smelled that I was dubious, but have come to know that it's a mark of a cigar that is going to smoke very nicely. Sean, some I'm talking about you and I have had from the same bunch, recently. So maybe it's a perception issue. Not all of them smell that way to me, and I don't mean to say that an absence of that smell a sign of an inferior cigar.

I always figured it could be just part of what vegetative material goes through after it leaves the plant; e.g., ammonia production, composting processes, etc.

[BigMacFU]

I'm not saying they can't smell like that, I'm saying that that is not the mark of an ISOM as opposed to any other cigar.

[Fat Freddy]

I had occasion recently to smell an ISOM and compare the aroma to cigars manufactured elsewhere. I couldn't discern a difference and none had a barnyard quality. They were stored together in the same humi.

[ggiese]

I dunno - I've had some, more than a few, that yes, smelled like a barnyard. First time I smelled that I was dubious, but have come to know that it's a mark of a cigar that is going to smoke very nicely. Sean, some I'm talking about you and I have had from the same bunch, recently. So maybe it's a perception issue. Not all of them smell that way to me, and I don't mean to say that an absence of that smell a sign of an inferior cigar.

I always figured it could be just part of what vegetative material goes through after it leaves the plant; e.g., ammonia production, composting processes, etc.

If it's those farm rolled you guys been smokin', no doubt it has a 'manure' smell to it!!

Actually - now that you mention it - some of the best fresh farm rolled Kooban cigars I've had do have a bit of a barnyard smell to 'em.

But - nope - that is definitely not what distinquishes real from fake. I say you go back and tell 'em to prove it!!!

[prostartjr1738]

Ok thanks guys, thats pretty much what I figured. It was the first time Ive ever meet this guys so jus wondering if he knew his stuff or what. He seemed a little "off the wall" to me to begin with.

[BigMacFU]

I say you go back and tell 'em to prove it!!!

George, are you suggesting he makes him bury his nose in some bullshit and then bury his nose in a nicaraguan/dominican, then go back and bury it in the cow pie again and then finally bury it in the cuban? Because if so, I agree, get your friend to do that if he's so sure

[basil]

If it's those farm rolled you guys been smokin',

I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about.

[ggiese]

I know this is an old thread but I figured Id post here rather than starting a new thread. Was smoking at my local b&M today talking to a few guys. They were telling me that one way to tell if a Cuban is "real" is if it smells slightly of horse manure (spelling?). That it wont smell like weve all come to know as the cigar smell. Any truth to this? I dont know if I could bring myself to put a cigar in my mouth and smoke it if it smelled like horse manure, I dont care what country its from.

nope - bum info...