I brought back one particularly interesting Cuban (fake?). I suspected it was a fake once I looked closer at the band and had a few draws on it—turns out it might be a non-existent Limited Edition. It’s marked as 2007, but as far as as I can tell, Habanos SA never released any 2007 LE cigars. Their first Pyramide style LE was rolled out in 2008. Interesting fake cigar.
I had one possibly good/great cigar (Hoyo De Monterrey, tubo, a No.2?) but it was so plugged I couldn’t get a draw on it. Tried up til the middle but I gave up by then. The flavor was pretty darn good, so was the construction. Ah well.
There was a very nice Petit Edmundo from Montecristo. It had great construction, with a super looking wrapper. The smoke was a little light but good tasting nonetheless. The draw was excellent—and I never had to relight it. But It comes in metal tubes and I didn’t really feel like unpacking 25 metal tubes and bringing them into the states… I’m lazy. Must also mean that the cigar was not that memorable compared to ones I’ve smoked in the past. To be honest, I rather pay the same amount of money and buy a VSG or a Fuente.
I tried a Cohiba Lancero (or pig-tail). These Cohibas they sell in Bahamas are pretty rough and shoddy in appearance. Almost every Cohiba has a rough and veiny wrapper. The smoke was not that glorious either. This particular pig-tail however was one of the better Cohibas I smoked while in the islands. It really improved at the mid point. The beginning was a bit rough but nowhere near as bad as the other Cohibas. Other Cohibas I smoked: the Sublime, the Esplenido, 2004 Limited Edition, 2008 Limited Edition.
None of the cigars I smoked during that week evoked any Cuban-ness or Cuban vibe. There is a certain smell/flavor that I associate heavily with Cuban cigars and I didn’t get them during this time. It might partially have been due to some windy days during my trip. It was pretty difficult to light up a cigar with just box matches outside, thanks to remnants of Paloma.
Oh, found some really good looking Series D, Partagas No 4 cigars… they had some great dusting on them. But they tasted crappy. In retrospect I did smoke alot of these cigars outdoors, usually while sitting in the hot tub. In my opinion the smoke you exhale and the smoke from the burning end of your cigar add to the experience. I think the windy days may have removed that aspect for me, unfortunately.
The Dominicans and Nicaraguans I brought to the Bahamas with me were great smokes however. The Romeo Y Julietta No.2 in tubes were a solid smoke – I recommended them to VA and Min and they both liked them. I was actually hoping to find a stronger smoke though.
I couldn’t find a Trinidad habanos for the life of me… Bahamas sucks for Cuban cigars. Cohiba is pushed really hard there, along with some Partagas, Romeo Y Julietta and Hoyo De Monterrey.
This is my third trip to the Bahamas (Freeport) and I am fairly certain now that the Cubans are sending the lower-quality cigars to the islands. I can’t imagine that England is getting the same mediocre quality Cubans. If you take a trip to the Bahamas, make sure to bring a few of your own favorite cigars from home. Your visions of great Cuban cigar smoke while at the Bahamas will just be blown away and leave only a hole in your wallet.
