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Old 06-29-2018, 02:00 PM   #1
xrundog
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Construction vs. Taste

Since I started smoking a lot of cigars again (one a day usually), I've been smoking more non-Cuban cigars than I did before. A big part of the reason for that is I think that they are really better than ever. But the flavor varies much more than with Cubans. I like most Cuban cigars. And if I smoke one and don't like it, it's usually because something is wrong with the construction.
If one buys a premium Non-Cuban it's a pretty good bet that it will be well made. There are always exceptions, but a badly made premium cigar isn't usual. If you find a really well made $1.50 cigar, and it tastes good too, that's a real find! I've smoked some cheap bundle cigars lately that I think are pretty good.
On the other hand, I've smoked some premiums that were beautiful to look but had a flavor I did not care for. To be fair, I've only had a small number of cigars that I did not like the flavor of at all. That just put me off completely.
My recently trying to do some cigar reviews really got me thinking about this. What's more important, construction or flavor? I can smoke a cigar that is maybe a little iffy in how it's put together, and if it is really tasty, I'd rather smoke that cigar than one that is really well made but tastes bitter and off putting. Sure I don't want the cigar to come apart or anything. But if it's a tad loose and the wrapper is blotchy, that will not deter me like a bitter or gassy taste will.
So I guess taste is the most important thing. The problem is that taste is pretty subjective. We can agree on objective criteria for how a cigar is constructed. Any two of us will probably evaluate it similarly. But I might love the taste and you might not like it at all.
So I'm thinking that it's possible that construction is maybe 1/3 and taste is 2/3 of the cigar smoking experience.

What do you all think?

Last edited by xrundog; 06-29-2018 at 02:03 PM.
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Old 06-29-2018, 02:24 PM   #2
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Tim,

I think that's a fair, but harder question than I first thought it would be. I want both in a cigar. In a perfect world they would have both elements present, among others. Poor construction can easily ruin the taste of a cigar. So, you might actually have excellent tobacco and proper aging and care that are thwarted by poor construction, letting the side down. Flavor is key though, because that's what we really want. Let's face it we've all fought bad burn and tight draws, if the flavor is there. I mean, without the flavor then it's just a boring stick.

Cheers!
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Old 06-29-2018, 02:44 PM   #3
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without flavor I can justify tossing it, construction problems can be a pain, and they can literally be so bad you cannot smoke a cigar, but it is flavor above all else. For me, you all do what you all prefer.
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Old 06-29-2018, 04:01 PM   #4
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I agree on the 2/3’s to flavor. I have had some loosely rolled or less than perfectly contricted cigars that taste great.
Regarding habanos vs domestics, do the forner sell seconds? Seems like donesrixs put the less than great rolls into seconds.
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Old 06-29-2018, 04:29 PM   #5
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I've had a couple of domestics in the last month that were too young to nail down a specific flavor profile, but the construction was quite impressive.
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Old 06-29-2018, 05:35 PM   #6
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Well I sure never chose a crappy cigar because it was well rolled, lol. I'll smoke a cigar that I'm enjoying regardless of the roll though, so I guess I come down on the taste side all the way. Life's too short and all that.... Regards, John
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Old 06-29-2018, 07:22 PM   #7
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It does raise an interesting question though. Lew did quite well selling factory seconds, known domestic brands that had flaws. I may be wrong. Bit I can’t think of a cuban second, so that might explain one or two in a box are typically inferior.
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Old 06-30-2018, 05:46 AM   #8
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I weigh in on the flavor is more important than construction. Of course, as has been said, if the thing disintegrates in your hand or the ash tray, that's a real issue. I will tolerate short filler/mixed filler ash or even long filler ash falling off before I tolerate a bad tasting cigar.
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Old 06-30-2018, 05:51 AM   #9
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Cuban seconds may end up ground into short filler cigars
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Old 06-30-2018, 07:25 AM   #10
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And do. See Also Vequeres. And peso cigars.
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