When I first started . . . well, actually, when I first moved up from drugstore Garcia y Vega bundles to actual tobacco shop cigars . . . I thought the RyJ Bully (and the slightly larger ring gauge Anniversario) were the be-all and end-all of smoking pleasure. Used to go to every shop in town tracking them down!
Then a bit over a decade ago, I wandered into a tasting at a local B&M and they handed me a freakin' Ashton VSG Spellbound! I was completely blown away and started trying all kinds of new stuff, joined an online cigar forum and a few years later, this one . . . and yes, my tastes certainly changed over time. But they haven't changed much in recent years---I like strong cigars with a good kick and lots of dark, spicy flavors. Coffee bean flavors, for lack of a more descriptive term.
The San Cristobal Fabuloso has been my "go to" and favorite smoke for quite a few years now, pretty much since they first hit the market, and I like them as much as I first did every single time. So much so that nearly everything else I smoke, aside from some beloved high enders like GOF and Lost City and VSG, I compare to them. "Was it as good as a Fabuluso?"
Still try new stuff all the time. But if it's not up to snuff, if it's just not strong enough, I find myself saying "Well, that was nice but I think it's time for a REAL cigar" and I go light up a San Cristobal. :love:
~Boar