Blends

[MichiganM]

One thing that I have never liked about non-cuban cigars is all the different blends within the same brand. By blends I mean different brands within the same brand...such as Gurkha Regent, Gurkha Legend etc etc. The fact that you know what you're gonna get with cuban cigars is one thing I've always liked about them. The brand and blends haven't changed dramatically in many years..although you'll see new sizes here and there and now you have the Reservas and EL's....you don't see a new brand pop up every 5 minutes, or so it seems with the non-cubans.

What is your guys take on it...for you who do smoke non-cubans? For me, it's one of the top reasons I tend to gravitate more toward cuban cigars myself. It just gets to be a headache looking at 6 different blends within the same brand, when cuban cigars have only a handful of brands total.

I know it's a bit different, because the 2 markets are completely opposite in size. But where do you guys sit on all these blends?

 

[Poni]

here we go again.... :hysterica

 

[MichiganM]

here we go again.... :hysterica

I thought it was an innocent question. :dunno:

I hope it's not another 8 page thread lol. :closedmou

New blends every other week is just crazy sometimes though. Hope I'm not starting a commotion.

 

[Crazy_Llama]

I'm actually a fan of having lots of blends inside of the brands, but then again I'm also a new cigar smoker and am enjoying finding lots of different brands and blends inside of the brands.
and yes it can be annoying when you are looking for a new smoke to try but anything can be annoying.

Also with the Gurkahs they have so many different blends because to my understanding they buy leaf that is hard to find or there is only so much of and make specialized blends that result in a smaller batch size and many different blends.

have only had one Cuban so I wont comment on the dark side

 

[Fox]

Not to worry, Jason. I am too worn out from the other thread! :smile:

I do agree though, I prefer puros and think that factor is also in play with regards to your thread about aging.

 

[MichiganM]

Not to worry, Jason. I am too worn out from the other thread! :smile:

I do agree though, I prefer puros and think that factor is also in play with regards to your thread about aging.

Glad to see I'm not the only one worn out. :stretchgr

I definitely agree with you on that second part.

 

[Wasch_24]

I'm actually a fan of having lots of blends inside of the brands, but then again I'm also a new cigar smoker and am enjoying finding lots of different brands and blends inside of the brands.
and yes it can be annoying when you are looking for a new smoke to try but anything can be annoying.

Also with the Gurkahs they have so many different blends because to my understanding they buy leaf that is hard to find or there is only so much of and make specialized blends that result in a smaller batch size and many different blends.

have only had one Cuban so I wont comment on the dark side

What happened to the other one?

 

[Jwrussell]

One good thing about the whole "NC Blends" thing: you can pick whatever size you want within the blend. Like Torano Signatures? Only smoke Robustos? NO PROBLEM. Same blend, bunch of different sizes. Only smoke Robustos but love the taste of the Cuban Bolviar PC? Sorry. You are out of luck. There's similarities between bolivars of different sizes, for sure. But not the same blend.

So. Pluses and minuses. But I hear ya on this one Jason. WAY too many different NC smokes.

 

[MichiganM]

One good thing about the whole "NC Blends" thing: you can pick whatever size you want within the blend. Like Torano Signatures? Only smoke Robustos? NO PROBLEM. Same blend, bunch of different sizes. Only smoke Robustos but love the taste of the Cuban Bolviar PC? Sorry. You are out of luck. There's similarities between bolivars of different sizes, for sure. But not the same blend.

So. Pluses and minuses. But I hear ya on this one Jason. WAY too many different NC smokes.

Excellent way to look at it, didn't think of it that way.

I, so far, have only had a Boli PC...and I love Coronas and Robustos...was gonna get a box of BBF for my next cuban box purchase but you may have spoiled it for me! :rolling:

But yeah, even though there is a rediculous amount of n/c brands and blends, it does allow the consumer pick of the litter. They could probably cut it in half though and still have a great selection.

 

[Wasch_24]

Excellent way to look at it, didn't think of it that way.

I, so far, have only had a Boli PC...and I love Coronas and Robustos...was gonna get a box of BBF for my next cuban box purchase but you may have spoiled it for me! :rolling:

But yeah, even though there is a rediculous amount of n/c brands and blends, it does allow the consumer pick of the litter. They could probably cut it in half though and still have a great selection.

Is that the only Cuban you have smoked? Or the only Bolivar?

 

[MichiganM]

Is that the only Cuban you have smoked? Or the only Bolivar?

The only Bolivar...I have some other vitola's including CJ's but so far I've smoked a handful of PC's.

 

[indyrob]

There are more blends than you think Jason. The Nicotiana Tabacum plant is just like the Cannabis Sativa in regards to it's many different strains out there.

But in a single plant, there are 3 main points of harvesting.
Corona - Top
Centro - Mid
Libra de Pie - base

The centro has three sub parts...
Centro Ligero
Centro Fino
Centro Gordo

Even the base has some sub parts...
Libra de Pie
Uno Y Media

There's more....
Most of these from the Uno Y Media to the Centro Gordo can be used as wrappers which can have an impact on flavor.

The majority of the these leaves can also be further calssified into 4 areas:
Volado, Seco, Ligero, and Mideo Tempo. The balancing act of these harvesting points and classification of tobacco leaves is what makes up the blend.

Different Growing regions have a huge impact on the flavor of the leaf. I for one wouldn't want to smoke anything grown in Detroit, but I wouldn't mind something from Nicaragua. When you have something that isn't geo-specific like Cuban Tobacco, you use whatever you can. There are cigars that utilize a 5 country blend...but how can you make sure that the profile will be consistant for years to come? Inclimate conditions or weather might ruin one country's crop and make another's fluorish...having an impact on your next year's offering. Atleast a puro (of any country) will remain consistant year to year.

I think I've typed so much I forgot what I was trying to say. I usually just say :welcome: and go from there...so I appologize if I went off about something unrelated to the question.

 

[indyrob]

Sorry...it did a double post. Either my point was so bitchin' that the Board thought it should be posted twice or I was too impatient and hit submit too many times...

 

[Wasch_24]

Yeah, I would not reccomend buying BBFs based on liking the Bolivar PC profile.

 

[Wasch_24]

Damn Rob you were so proud you had to post that twice? :rofl:

 

[indyrob]

Sorry...it did a double post. Either my point was so bitchin' that the Board thought it should be posted twice or I was too impatient and hit submit too many times...

There's my problem...but hey, it was a bad ass post!

 

[CWS]

The only Bolivar...I have some other vitola's including CJ's but so far I've smoked a handful of PC's.

Love the Bolivar line from the BBF to the Corona Gigante.

 

[Eric]

http://www.botl.org/community/forums/showthread.php?t=2001&highlight=vitola+blend

 

[MichiganM]

There's my problem...but hey, it was a bad ass post!

That was definitely a bad ass post Rob. Lots of stuff there I didn't know. That last part is probably why I don't care for quite a few cigars off the top of my head. Now that you mention it I do typically go for cigars that are puro's from their respective country, and typically enjoy less the cigars that aren't.

Awesome post man!

 

[Legends of the Playground]

This is one of the reasons that I have soured on NCs. As htey constantly try new marketing gimmicks (that's really what the new lines are) they tend to forget what made them good. Case in point... I used to like the CAO L'Aniversaire (sic) in both natural and maduro. Then they started messing with the blends and eventually changed them plus adding a bunch of other lines that, IMO, aren't that good. But, they sell more and that's what they're in the business to do. But I wont smoke their cigars anymore.