Cohibas?

[PerpetualNoob]

Is it just me, or are these highly overrated? I got these Lonsdales in a combo pack, I think they were about $5 apiece. I've smoked three of them so far, and don't get me wrong, they're not bad cigars, or anything, but even the mail order list on them is $10+, and I'm just not seeing it. I know they're not "the real thing" Cubans, but it sure seems to me there's at least five bucks worth of hype built into that sticker price, or I'm completely missing the point, one or the other. Since I don't get any pleasure from people seeing me smoking "prestigious" cigars, I know from reading CS for the last month that same $10 can get me two, or even three cigars that I will enjoy just as much. It's always possible that I'm just not sophisticated enough to appreciate them.

 

[germantown rob]

I don't think it is you, they just use their name to sell, and that seems to work well enough.

 

[inspector]

Avoid "red dot" Cohibas, they have nothing to do with real Cohibas. Bland and simple although well-constructed.

 

[mikeyj23]

I think it's just a credit to you that you actually have taste buds and aren't a complete victim of placebo. General Cigar (the owner of the Dominican Cohiba you see in the U.S.) was sneaky in 1978 and got the trademark for the name "Cohiba" in the U.S. and made the brand look like the Cuban brand (owned by Cubatobaco). Most people see the name on a shelf and think of the reputation of the Cuban brand and therefore assume that they're somehow related (or the same) and the Dominican cigar must be great.

There is no hype over Dominican Cohibas except for legal issues of trademark infringement and wishes that General Cigar wouldn't continue to denigrate the reputation of the Cohiba brand. I'm sure there are plenty of gorillas here that enjoy the Dominican Cohiba and this is certainly not a slam on them in the least. This is my post, so I'll tell you that there are plenty of better ways to spend your $10 than on a cigar overinflated by a reputation not its own.

 

[Costa]

It's always possible that I'm just not sophisticated enough to appreciate them.

Think you have proved the opposite. I think as stated above, there are better ways to spend your hard earned cash. I am with you, found the to be underwhelming......:ss:tu

Enjoy the ride!

 

[blugill]

One of the cigars I enjoyed the most recently is a Cohiba red dot. I got it on a sampler and for a medium bodied smoke I loved it.

I haven't paid full price for one yet and they might not be a good value at all though.

 

[Full_Metal_Humidor]

I think it's just a credit to you that you actually have taste buds and aren't a complete victim of placebo. General Cigar (the owner of the Dominican Cohiba you see in the U.S.) was sneaky in 1978 and got the trademark for the name "Cohiba" in the U.S. and made the brand look like the Cuban brand (owned by Cubatobaco). Most people see the name on a shelf and think of the reputation of the Cuban brand and therefore assume that they're somehow related (or the same) and the Dominican cigar must be great.

There is no hype over Dominican Cohibas except for legal issues of trademark infringement and wishes that General Cigar wouldn't continue to denigrate the reputation of the Cohiba brand. I'm sure there are plenty of gorillas here that enjoy the Dominican Cohiba and this is certainly not a slam on them in the least. This is my post, so I'll tell you that there are plenty of better ways to spend your $10 than on a cigar overinflated by a reputation not its own.

:tpd: well said!

 

[orca99usa]

The Dominican Cohiba is simply a lame marketing ploy, General Cigar trying to cash in on a reputation they neither built nor uphold. The ruse works on some people. A coworker swore that Dominican Cohibas are simply Cuban Cohibas rebanded in the Dominican to get past the embargo (like that would work). He was stunned when I told him that not only are they not one and the same, the Cuban company actually sued United Cigar over the hijacking of their trademark name.

This is an entirely different situation, in my opinion, than that of cigar makers who fled Cuba and took their cigar names with them when they established themselves in Honduras, the Dominican Republic and several other places. This is a company essentially stealing a name that they had no role in building to increase sales (and prices) of an average-at-best cigar that pales in comparison to the actual article. I do not buy Dominican Cohibas.

 

[PerpetualNoob]

Think you have proved the opposite. I think as stated above, there are better ways to spend your hard earned cash. I am with you, found the to be underwhelming......:ss:tu

Enjoy the ride!

After what I estimate to be around 190,000 cigarettes, and nearly 20 years of chronic sinus problems, my senses of both taste and smell are seriously diminished. I'm not whining about it, and I don't blame anyone but myself. That's just the facts. I have to accept that there are a lot of the subtler nuances of cigars, or anything else, that I'm never going to be able to detect, but other people can. I get the earthy, leathery, tobacco, and pepper flavors, and very occasionally a hint of things like chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, and a few others, but really subtle flavors like nuts or "toast", for instance, are beyond the limits of my sensory apparatus.

Having said all that, it doesn't mean that I don't still enjoy a fine cigar, or Scotch, or Smoked Porter, or IPA, foods, coffee, or lots of other things, but when I try and am disappointed by things I've heard others rave about, I always wonder if there's something to it that I can't detect, or if it's really just not there at all and everyone else is delusional. It's great to have a sounding board where, at least as far as cigars are concerned, I can get other's opinions.

You's guys are THE SHIZNIT!

 

[Poriggity]

IMHO, the dominican Cohiba is the WORST tasting cigar on the market, even more so than a Macanudo!
Scott

 

[Full_Metal_Humidor]

yeah, the local B&M has them for $15 and another one close to me has them for $20, i would rather go and get a PAM if i wanted an expensive cigar, since that way it would be worth it. but if i didn't want to spend a bunch of money on one cigar then i would just get 3 or 4 decent ones.:2

 

[PerpetualNoob]

I think it's just a credit to you that you actually have taste buds and aren't a complete victim of placebo. General Cigar (the owner of the Dominican Cohiba you see in the U.S.) was sneaky in 1978 and got the trademark for the name "Cohiba" in the U.S. and made the brand look like the Cuban brand (owned by Cubatobaco). Most people see the name on a shelf and think of the reputation of the Cuban brand and therefore assume that they're somehow related (or the same) and the Dominican cigar must be great.

So, if I understand what everyone is saying, the Cuban Cohiba guys set up a factory in the D.R. to make licensed "fake" Cohibas, and then the Red Dot guys came along and started making fakes of the fakes? Could this be what I actually have? On mine, the "O" is red in the center, and then at the far right end of the band, there's a larger "O", also red in the center. Or is there literally a red dot on them somewhere? Well, I just Googled "Cohiba red dot" images. They do indeed look like mine, so I guess that's what I have.

Like I said, they're decent cigars, but I would't go out of my way to get one, and I sure wouldn't pay any premium for them. Has anyone ever done a side-by-side comparison of the "original fakes" and the "fake fakes"? That might be interesting.

 

[mikeyj23]

So, if I understand what everyone is saying, the Cuban Cohiba guys set up a factory in the D.R. to make licensed "fake" Cohibas, and then the Red Dot guys came along and started making fakes of the fakes? Could this be what I actually have? On mine, the "O" is red in the center, and then at the far right end of the band, there's a larger "O", also red in the center. Or is there literally a red dot on them somewhere? Well, I just Googled "Cohiba red dot" images. They do indeed look like mine, so I guess that's what I have.

Like I said, they're decent cigars, but I would't go out of my way to get one, and I sure wouldn't pay any premium for them. Has anyone ever done a side-by-side comparison of the "original fakes" and the "fake fakes"? That might be interesting.

Nope - no Cuban Cohiba guys ever had anything to do with the Dominican Cohiba. I was probably a little confusing in my first post - there are the Dominican Cohibas you see that have the yellow and black Cohiba band (although they don't say Havana), and those aren't owned by General Cigar. They aren't really fakes, per se, since they don't purport to be Cuban. The General Cigar Cohibas are the red dot ones like you have.

Check out the description of the Dominican Cohibas from Cigar.com:
"As one of the best selling and most famous brands in the world, the Cohiba is a super premium blend with an esteemed reputation for quality and flavor.
Cohiba is the best-known name in cigars. After Castro took control of Cuba, this brand was commissioned by the Dictator to make the finest Cuban cigars available. Early on they were reserved for dignitaries and high ranking government officials. Over time the cigars became available to a wider audience and are now considered the top cigar manufactured in Cuba today...The Cohiba Red Dot is the legal, Domincan version of Cohiba, and the only one made in the US that can legally bear the trademark. Like its Cuban counterpart, the Cohiba Red Dot uses only the finest tobaccos and the most qualified rollers in constructing this legendary cigar. It is finished with a West African, Cameroon wrapper that gives this cigar a sweet and rich aroma that is medium to full-bodied. The Cohiba Red Dot is the product of five years of intensive research and blending efforts by General Cigar, makers of Punch, Partagas, and Hoyo de Monterrey."

They make it seem like the Dominican Cohibas are just an arm of the Cuban brand, even though they're completely unrelated and the Cuban brand would love for Dominican Cohibas not to exist anymore. They do their darndest to make it seem like they're part of the Cuban brand. Deceitful advertising at its best.

 

[PerpetualNoob]

Nope - no Cuban Cohiba guys ever had anything to do with the Dominican Cohiba.

...

(major snippage)
...

They make it seem like the Dominican Cohibas are just an arm of the Cuban brand, even though they're completely unrelated and the Cuban brand would love for Dominican Cohibas not to exist anymore. They do their darndest to make it seem like they're part of the Cuban brand. Deceitful advertising at its best.

AHA! Now I get it.

I've smoked a few Cubans over the years, but none of them were Cohibas. Whenever I would travel to Mexico, Canada, or the U.K., I would always make it a point to have one every couple of days, or so. None of them were really very memorable, except for the Upmann Tubos, but I could never put my finger on what it was I liked about them. Now I know. They weren't dried out!! I would buy several cigars when I got there, and it could be up to two weeks before I got around to smoking the last of them. I didn't know I needed to put them in something sealed. Even a zip-lock with a humi-pack would probably have drastically improved my experiences with Cubans. I'll know now, should it come up again. Live and learn, right?

 

[icehog3]

AHA! Now I get it.

I've smoked a few Cubans over the years, but none of them were Cohibas. Whenever I would travel to Mexico, Canada, or the U.K., I would always make it a point to have one every couple of days, or so. None of them were really very memorable, except for the Upmann Tubos, but I could never put my finger on what it was I liked about them. Now I know. They weren't dried out!! I would buy several cigars when I got there, and it could be up to two weeks before I got around to smoking the last of them. I didn't know I needed to put them in something sealed. Even a zip-lock with a humi-pack would probably have drastically improved my experiences with Cubans. I'll know now, should it come up again. Live and learn, right?

Exactly...got most of my cigar education from the members here, no better place for that.

 

[PerpetualNoob]

yeah, the local B&M has them for $15 and another one close to me has them for $20, i would rather go and get a PAM if i wanted an expensive cigar, since that way it would be worth it. but if i didn't want to spend a bunch of money on one cigar then i would just get 3 or 4 decent ones.:2

By the way:

In the 4-5 days after the time I am appointed Supreme Galactic Dicatator, and before I get beheaded, one of the things I will make sure to do is to kick Billy Mays in the nards, preferably with a 5-yard running start. The next thing I will do is make slotted screws illegal. Not sure which I hate more, it's too close to call.

 

[dwhitacre]

In California you would pay much more!!!








And like it!!!

 

[PerpetualNoob]

]In California you would pay much more!!!

And like it!!!

As I'm sure you're aware, the purpose of government is two-fold. First, they are to punish you for any success that you have, because it is NOT FAIR to those who are less successful. The second duty is to protect you from yourself, by relieving you of your excess money, since you are stupid and will do stupid and unhealthy things with it, like, for instance, smoking cigars. These duties are clearly set out in Articles I and II of the Constitution. The State of California takes these duties very seriously, second only to Massachusetts, and you don't even appreciate all they do for you, ya buncha ingrates. If you had your way, you would make your own decisions about how you live your life and spend your money, and no good can come from that!

It's plainly obvious that YOU HATE THE CHILDREN!!!

 

[madurolover]

As I'm sure you're aware, the purpose of government is two-fold. First, they are to punish you for any success that you have, because it is NOT FAIR to those who are less successful. The second duty is to protect you from yourself, by relieving you of your excess money, since you are stupid and will do stupid and unhealthy things with it, like, for instance, smoking cigars. These duties are clearly set out in Articles I and II of the Constitution. The State of California takes these duties very seriously, second only to Massachusetts, and you don't even appreciate all they do for you, ya buncha ingrates. If you had your way, you would make your own decisions about how you live your life and spend your money, and no good can come from that!

It's plainly obvious that YOU HATE THE CHILDREN!!!

:r :r

That was hilarious. :tu RG for you

 

[PerpetualNoob]

:r :r

That was hilarious. :tu RG for you

I'm not sure exactly when or how it happened, but some time during my lifetime, the various governments of the world have completely jumped the rails. Imagine my dismay when I discovered back in February that you can no longer smoke in Shiphol Airport. AMSTERDAM!!! You can walk out into the street and smoke weed or shoot heroin, and that's apparently fine, but you can't smoke a cigarette in the freakin' airport? IN AMSTERDAM? During that 13-hour flight from Seattle, three things helped keep me sane: the iPod, Commit lozenges, and the knowledge that at least once I got to Shiphol I would be able to relax for a while in that weird little lounge up on the second floor and have a few cigs and some frosty beverages. And then I couldn't.

The world has gone completely insane, Brother, and just when you think you've seen it all and nothing can surprise you anymore, someone does something even more colossally stupid, like it's some kind of contest, or something. At least they're doing it all for our own good, right?

P.S. - Your "NOBAMA" sig thingie made me chuckle.