NC vs. CC

C

Costa

Cohibo Aficionado
First off, not looking for sources or to buy here in states. I have had my share of CCs when in Canada and the Carribean, but believe I was probably too inexperienced to fully "get" if they are at such a higher level than the NCs.

Do the majority of CC's blow away the NC's? Read a few post's in the forums, and some say yes, some say no. Some say there is no comparison.

The reason this comes up is I will be spending almost 3 weeks in Europe this May/June (a three days in Venice then jump on a ship to Croatia, Greece, Italy, France, then get off and spend a few days in Spain) and will have the opportunity to find out for myself with a better palate than I did a few years ago.


Thank you.
 
To me - It is all about taste buds. If they are fried (like mine), then I am not able to appreciate some of the subtleties. My personal opinion is that Camacho (11/18) and Opus are better (for me) than almost any CC. I like them strong and potent. (Again, just my :2)

Enjoy the heck out of the trrip, take a bunch of your favorite sticks with you, as you may find cigars expensive in some of the places you stop.
 
I think the fascination with Cubans is the “forbidden fruit” aspect. A lot of the Nicaraguan and Dominican makers are shipping in Cuban dirt (or so I hear) and are doing scientific studies to get their soil nutrients just right and are taking better care of the land they grow on. Cubans are not---or are not allowed. You’ll have a chance to see if there’s a difference for yourself! Enjoy!
 
Not sure what profile you like, but IMHO, I vastly prefer Cuban cigars in a very general sense. There is also no question for me that the best NCs are definitely better than 'some' Cuban cigars, but I would put that number to be quite small.
 
J-Man said:
I think the fascination with Cubans is the “forbidden fruit” aspect.
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I couldn't disagree more.
I don't disagree that you think that, I disagree that the fascination is due to it being "forbidden fruit".
 
It's alot to do with individual tastes and experience. Some will say Cuban cigars are the Holy Graille, while others really prefer Non Cubans. I am middle of the road, and far from an experienced Habano smoker. I like cigars on both sides of the line between CC and NC. Would I smoke solely Cuban cigars if they were easier to obtain? Probably not since I like several NC's, but I would definitely smoke both as I do now. For some it's about the "forbidden fruit" aspect of it, but a large majority simply smoke them because they like them. Those who smoke most if not all Cubans will definitely tell you it isn't about the "forbidden fruit" because they have collections to put some B&M's to shame. They simply enjoy the cigar for what it is, and it just happens to be Cuban. The cigars ARE different. Water, soil, climate, etc. I don't know for sure, but there is something about that little island that makes their cigars unique. Again, I am no expert, and partake of the darkside far less than the the NC side, but I like them, and enjoy them when I can.
 
Conch Republican said:
To me - It is all about taste buds. If they are fried (like mine), then I am not able to appreciate some of the subtleties. My personal opinion is that Camacho (11/18) and Opus are better (for me) than almost any CC. I like them strong and potent. (Again, just my :2)

Enjoy the heck out of the trrip, take a bunch of your favorite sticks with you, as you may find cigars expensive in some of the places you stop.
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IAgree.gif
Not necessarily with the choice of cigars, but with what I perceive as the sentiment attached. See my signature? It's not meant to be derogatory by any means, just my point of view.

And do enjoy the trip as well as whatever you choose to smoke during the journey.
:)
 
Many guitarists will ask whether valve (tube) amps or solid state amps are best.

Well there's no answer. If you ask Eric Johnson, its valve valves valves. If you ask BB King, well he uses a solid state amp.

As for CC vs NC, the best one is the one that you like most. I smoke CC's only, I've tried a few NC's, but haven't found anything that I would say is significantly better than the CC's I usually go for.
 
daniel2001 said:
Many guitarists will ask whether valve (tube) amps or solid state amps are best.

Well there's no answer. If you ask Eric Johnson, its valve valves valves. If you ask BB King, well he uses a solid state amp.

As for CC vs NC, the best one is the one that you like most. I smoke CC's only, I've tried a few NC's, but haven't found anything that I would say is significantly better than the CC's I usually go for.
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Nice analogy and example. Thanks!
 
Costa said:
First off, not looking for sources or to buy here in states. I have had my share of CCs when in Canada and the Carribean, but believe I was probably too inexperienced to fully "get" if they are at such a higher level than the NCs.

Do the majority of CC's blow away the NC's? Read a few post's in the forums, and some say yes, some say no. Some say there is no comparison.

The reason this comes up is I will be spending almost 3 weeks in Europe this May/June (a three days in Venice then jump on a ship to Croatia, Greece, Italy, France, then get off and spend a few days in Spain) and will have the opportunity to find out for myself with a better palate than I did a few years ago.


Thank you.
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Yes, the majority of CCs blow away the majority of NCs. There are many fakes around the world because of this. Make sure what you buy on your trip is legitimate.
 
opus said:
Yes, the majority of CCs blow away the majority of NCs. There are many fakes around the world because of this. Make sure what you buy on your trip is legitimate.
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I completely agree with this statement, although there are some NC cigars that I enjoy immensely.
 
Ahhh, the voices of experience, thank you.

As I feel I am still "finding myself", I am looking forward to the trip to partake in only CC's so I can better understand the difference.

Will probably not bring any with me, as I would like to smoke as many CC's as I can, as these can not be purchased at the local B&M, so have been really studying the CC review boards on what to "attack" first.

Off topic, but this place is a virtual encyclopedia of cigar knowledge, its amazing what you can find with the search button. I sometimes have trouble getting to sleep, and will read the boards for a few hours about different subjects (most recent the art of tasting with the nose), and its amazing.

I will be honest, I am afraid that with the knowledge I have gained here pertaining to smoking (tasting through nose, picking up the subtleties of the taste, etc.) that I may be ruined, and the $$$$ I have invested in filling my vinotemp to the max won't have the same allure....lol.
 
Have fun on your trip, is this going to be business or pleasure?

From a quality stand point (construction, draw, appearance, etc) through history there have been times when it could be definitively stated that Cuban cigars without question were the best. However there were also times when Cuban cigars went to crap and other countries were by far the best.

At this time the quality of premium cigars around the world is excellent. It would be a long and difficult argument to say a cigar from the Padron Serie 1926 family was any better or worse quality then a top Cuban.

What it gets down to is taste, which is someone's opinion.

I am just grateful that there is a enormous selection of quality cigars from many countries to savor and enjoy.
 
Costa said:
I will be honest, I am afraid that with the knowledge I have gained here pertaining to smoking (tasting through nose, picking up the subtleties of the taste, etc.) that I may be ruined, and the $$$$ I have invested in filling my vinotemp to the max won't have the same allure....lol.
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LOL that's a definite possibility. I've found that most people switch over gradually, though.

I would bring several NC with you for the trip so that you can make a more accurate comparison.
 
Have fun on your trip, is this going to be business or pleasure?
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Pleasure, have been planning this whopper for a while.

Stayed away from my yearly trips to Green Bay to see my Packers. With airfare, hotel in Green Bay, and good tickets to the game for two, its easily the cost of a week in the Caribbean, if not more.

But there is nothing like spending a few days in Chicago, going to Iwan Ries & Co and picking up a butt load of cigars, and smoking them in Lambeau field parking lot before the game (had a smoke with Mike Ditka in Chicago, but a story for another time...).

So, no Lambeau for a few years to save for my trip to Europe. Makes it a tough football season, especially living in the heart of dreaded Patriot-nation....lol.
 
Costa said:
Ahhh, the voices of experience, thank you.

As I feel I am still "finding myself", I am looking forward to the trip to partake in only CC's so I can better understand the difference.

Will probably not bring any with me, as I would like to smoke as many CC's as I can, as these can not be purchased at the local B&M, so have been really studying the CC review boards on what to "attack" first.

Off topic, but this place is a virtual encyclopedia of cigar knowledge, its amazing what you can find with the search button. I sometimes have trouble getting to sleep, and will read the boards for a few hours about different subjects (most recent the art of tasting with the nose), and its amazing.

I will be honest, I am afraid that with the knowledge I have gained here pertaining to smoking (tasting through nose, picking up the subtleties of the taste, etc.) that I may be ruined, and the $$$$ I have invested in filling my vinotemp to the max won't have the same allure....lol.
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If you haven't already seen it, be sure to read this thread.
http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showthread.php?t=24672
 
daniel2001 said:
Many guitarists will ask whether valve (tube) amps or solid state amps are best.

Well there's no answer. If you ask Eric Johnson, its valve valves valves. If you ask BB King, well he uses a solid state amp.

As for CC vs NC, the best one is the one that you like most. I smoke CC's only, I've tried a few NC's, but haven't found anything that I would say is significantly better than the CC's I usually go for.

nozero said:
Nice analogy and example. Thanks!
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I believe this really hits it on the head. Everyone is different and just like the analogy every guitarist is different. I have had my fair share of CC's and I would have to say the I consider, to my taste buds, some NC's over the CC's. Now I would stack up only the Opus, Coronado, Anejo's as being up there above the CC sticks, and stack everyday NC's under them. But it is to each his own. I would also say that my preference is skewed by how much I am paying as well. Do I feel that the CC's for the money are far better than the superior NC's? No but on a purely taste sense I still believe for my taste buds I consider the top tier NC's over the CC's that I have had. This is just my opinion.

J-Man said:
I think the fascination with Cubans is the “forbidden fruit” aspect.
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I would say this is true especially for new smokers. It is something that a new smoker hears about and knows about but since they are harder to come by, it makes it that much better. It is like when you are a kid and the cookie jar is on the counter. It could be oatmeal bran cookies but just the feeling of seeing and hearing and not being able to grab the cookie makes it better than it possibly is. But when you finally get one its like "hmmm....I kind of thought they would be better." But thank God for the process of human desires. Because even though I do prefer some NC's just the novelty of getting the chance to smoke a CC is what it is about for me.

:cb - Cheers

Ty
 
I've only had a few cc's so far. One was spectacular, one was wonderful, and one other was okay. Some botl's here have gifted me a number of others that I haven't got to try yet.
I think of the dark side as another avenue of finding a good cigar.
I don't think it's fair to cc's or nc's to pit them against one another. I imagine that there are a greater percentage of good smokes among cc's than among nc's, but I certainly don't have the experience to make that judgement on my own. I have to rely on experienced brother's judgement, and I'm fortunate to have that opportunity.

My personal taste is going to be the ultimate deciding factor.
I'm sure I'll smoke nc's that I like that others will consider unsmokable, and I've already smoked a number of nc's that I thought were total suck while others thought they were the second coming of Christ.
It's cool that I have a whole other world of cigars to explore that are outside my nc world.
What's cooler yet is that I can rely on the experience of far more seasoned botl's to show me what I might like. It's fun to say "I like this, this, and this in a cigar", and a brother says "You need to try this, you'll love it" and when I try it, I find he was right on the money.
That alone will spare me from a lot of dog rockets, and I can't even put to words how much I appreciate it.
 
It is all a matter of personal taste. There are many NCs that I enjoy...Fuente Anejos and Hemingways, Don Pepins and Tatuajes, Padillas. But I probably smoke 95% or more Cuban. It is because they are better to me. Not better, that's for each individual to decide for themselves...just better to me.
 
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