Cigar smokers - what makes Cubans so revered?

[DAPUNISHER]

Its like, I love steak, I love prime rib, I love rack of lamb. I love goat curry.

I also love Jambalaya.


Same thing with cigars

*golf clap* To everyone else, thanks for playing. That's a wrap. :awe:

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Havana Club rum is amazing compared to Barcardi.

Try the Bacardi 8 Year. It's world's apart from Bacardi's typical offerings (which are just vile).

 

[Nograts]

Not a very good analogy TBH, grey goose is better than almost any other vodka I have tried. 18 YO single malt is generally better than younger whiskies and truffles are a rare delicacy.

Completely agree with the Monster cables though lol

Grey Goose is AWFUL. I drink vodka straight when I drink, just no. Say no to the goose kids, there are better for less.

 

[Puppies04]

Grey Goose is AWFUL. I drink vodka straight when I drink, just no. Say no to the goose kids, there are better for less.

As I already said, I should have prefaced that with "I am not a vodka drinker". I have tried it in bars on a couple of occasions and it wasn't that much more expensive than the typical store brands smirnoff etc and I preffered it to them.

 

[balloonshark]

Grey Goose is AWFUL. I drink vodka straight when I drink, just no. Say no to the goose kids, there are better for less.

Agreed. I worked at a liquor store and the owner decided to order a case because we heard it was good. He opened a bottle for us to try and made martinis. Not a single one of us liked it and he never ordered another case. To me it had a kerosene or turpentine taste.

 

[Ns1]

for all of you guys saying grey goose is swill, you have clearly not consumed POPOV or VODKA. You know, those 1.5L plastic bottles of Vodka branded Vodka.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

for all of you guys saying grey goose is swill, you have clearly not consumed POPOV or VODKA. You know, those 1.5L plastic bottles of Vodka branded Vodka.

Or Smirnoff. Smirnoff is like rubbing alcohol.

I personally really like Russian Standard.

 

[balloonshark]

I thought Popov and Smirnoff were the same thing except for Popov is less expensive.

 

[Rakehellion]

Zubans >

 

[Rakehellion]

Pretense.

Cubans > all is the same idiocy that gets people to drink Grey Goose and 18 year old single malt, eat food with truffles and buy Monster Cable for their stereo. In blind tests Cubans fare poorly.

Homeboy just went off on a tangent. Most of those things are better than their alternatives.

 

[Rakehellion]

for all of you guys saying grey goose is swill, you have clearly not consumed POPOV or VODKA. You know, those 1.5L plastic bottles of Vodka branded Vodka.

I'm not much of a vodka drinker, but it just seems like people want to poop on everything they don't personally enjoy.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Definitely a difference. It's been a while since I've smoked a Cuban but I remember them being smoother with a nice taste that lingers.

 

[Dari]

It's the high lithium content.

This. Tried it in Mexico last year and I almost puked. Very dizzying. It's not for everyone. Also, since the lithium is in the soil, it's impossible to grow 'Cuban' tobacco anywhere else.

 

[Griffinhart]

A great cigar is a great cigar and a crap one is still crap. it doesn't matter if it's Cuban, Dominican, or whatever. In the US they have a huge mystique about them due to the embargo.

When traveling, I've had great Cuban's and bad ones. I have also had amazing domestic, Dominican and other cigars.

It's also worth noting that Connecticut shade tobacco is often considered The best tobacco for the binder and wrapper for cigars. Especially the tobacco grown along the Connecticut river valley in CT, MA and VT.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Or Smirnoff. Smirnoff is like rubbing alcohol.

I personally really like Russian Standard.

Spoken like a 14 year old who learned everything he pretends to know about booze from friends who read the liquor ads in Maxim.

In legit double blind taste tests Smirnoff routinely wins by HUGE margins over Absolute, Stoli, Belvedere, Cirroc, Chopin and the other big ticket, highly hyped poseur vodkas. Popov usually does okay and pretty much everything beats Grey Goose.

 

[PenguinPower]

Spoken like a 14 year old who learned everything he pretends to know about booze from friends who read the liquor ads in Maxim.

In legit double blind taste tests Smirnoff routinely wins by HUGE margins over Absolute, Stoli, Belvedere, Cirroc, Chopin and the other big ticket, highly hyped poseur vodkas. Popov usually does okay and pretty much everything beats Grey Goose.

Can you link to some of these legit double blind taste tests you a referring to for vodka and scotch? I am legitimately interested in reading the methodology and results.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Can you link to some of these legit double blind taste tests you a referring to for vodka and scotch? I am legitimately interested in reading the methodology and results.

I'm not going to search around for the methodology, but here's a couple to start. These are legit tests from fairly reputable sources that are several steps above guys testing in their living rooms.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/26/dining/26wine.html?_r=0

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Consumer/story?id=3201973

I'd love to see a single legit test where GG fares well or at least finishes above Smirnoff. I don't think one exists.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

I'm not going to search around for the methodology, but here's a couple to start. These are legit tests from fairly reputable sources that are several steps above guys testing in their living rooms.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/26/dining/26wine.html?_r=0

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Consumer/story?id=3201973

I'd love to see a single legit test where GG fares well or at least finishes above Smirnoff. I don't think one exists.

Those articles are old, but they make a good point, especially where one article talks about vodka for mixed drinks. The vast majority of vodka drinkers get it in something like a cosmo or screwdriver, and seeing as how vodka is supposed to be a neutral spirit, the second you add the strong flavors of citrus juice into the mix a bloodhound wouldn't be able to distinguish between most of them. But it's worth noting that both articles ranked Belvedere highest (Smirnoff won for value in the NYTimes piece, but both were given three star ratings), so clearly there's some vodka that can be distinguished and preferred; it's just not Grey Goose. Given that you said Smirnoff wins by "huge margins" over Belvedere... well, that's just flat out untrue, at least in the articles you linked, and belies your point that people are unable to distinguish higher quality spirits routinely in double blind taste challenges. All it does is reinforce the argument that people who claim allegiance to brands based on perception and marketing are full of shit, but that hardly represents everyone in the enthusiast community for any particular hobby.

And, for what it's worth, I generally keep a bottle of Smirnoff on hand. I'm not a vodka drinker, and Smirnoff is vaguely unpleasant straight, but it works beautifully in cocktails and costs half as much as the "premium" vodkas. But if I were drinking vodka neat? I'd probably spring for Belvedere.

 

[smackababy]

Vodka should be nothing but ethanol and water. How companies manage to fuck this up is beyond me. Smirnoff included. Tito's is the best I've had, and is the only thing I buy.

 

[Eug]

Truffles are awesome.

I never buy them though. Too expensive.

However, I do buy truffle oil from time to time, and even bought some truffle honey. Truffle oil goes well with some Italian dishes, and truffle honey goes well as a topping for cheeses.

 

[PenguinPower]

I'm not going to search around for the methodology, but here's a couple to start. These are legit tests from fairly reputable sources that are several steps above guys testing in their living rooms.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/26/dining/26wine.html?_r=0

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Consumer/story?id=3201973

I'd love to see a single legit test where GG fares well or at least finishes above Smirnoff. I don't think one exists.

Neither are double blind, and neither show Smirnoff winning by "HUGE" margins.

Also, not sure what makes them any more "legit," or "several steps above guys testing in their living rooms." Just some news articles with a small sample size drinking vodka. Seems on par with guys in their living rooms.

I'm really more interested in these double blind scotch tests.

 

[gorcorps]

I've asked the same thing and have yet to find an answer that doesn't amount to: forbidden fruit. I imagine some are of high quality, but high quality cigars can be had from other regions as well, right?

That's pretty much it. If you're not supposed to have it some people think it's the coolest shit ever. There were a bunch of kids at my school that bought a bunch of the booze/energy drinks when they were going to get banned, even though they all agreed they tasted like shit. There's just some people who get a kick out of stuff they aren't supposed to have.

 

[XLNC]

It's not just the "forbidden fruit" effect, though it applies to some degree. I have smoked about 15 Cuban cigars. Most were forgettable and overpriced, but the ones that were good, were far better than the best non-Cuban cigars I've had. They had a distinct lack of harshness in the throat, smoked very smooth, and the aroma was almost floral and intense. My palette isn't refined enough to pick out the unique notes, but the aroma alone was divine.

I find cigars from Nicaragua and Honduras come closest to these characteristics. I haven't been fond of most cigars from DR. That said, first time cigar smokers won't really benefit from a Cuban. I think your money would be better spent on a good Nicaraguan cigar, such as the Padron Anniversary series.

 

[Ns1]

That's pretty much it. If you're not supposed to have it some people think it's the coolest shit ever. There were a bunch of kids at my school that bought a bunch of the booze/energy drinks when they were going to get banned, even though they all agreed they tasted like shit. There's just some people who get a kick out of stuff they aren't supposed to have.

4Loko was fucking awesome - tasted better than hop filled IPAs

:flamesuit on:

 

[smackababy]

I'm really more interested in these double blind scotch tests.

A vodka double blind would be interesting for vodka drinkers. If anyone wants to suggest the cheaper vodkas are anywhere near as smooth as the most expensive ones, they are just plain stupid. Now, I'm sure it gets to a point where the increase in price is near negligible for the increase in "quality". But, this would be a good way to find out. Rate them in order of smoothness and see where each averages.

4Loko was fucking awesome - tasted better than hop filled IPAs

:flamesuit on:

4Loko was great, especially if you could get it in the areas where the higher alcohol content was allowed (Louisiana, for instance, had the good stuff). It didn't taste particularly great, but it would get you drunk in a hurry and energize you!