ESG revisited

[fetterjohn]

Ashton ESG

Smoked the first one when I had receivec it right out of the box...I thuroughly enjoyed it and new that they would get better and better as time went by. Well, this is very true. This is the second ESG for me, and with only 4 months on it, has become a great, well-rounded, flavorful treat. I have 3 more sitting and will revisit these about every 4 months to watch the changes. :thumbs:

-Fetter

 

[Big Stick]

Good to hear, Ive got a couple resting as well

 

[denverdog]

Great to hear about the improvement in these. I was a little disappointed in the overall lackluster reviews I have seen. I have yet to try one but look forward to torching the one I have on New Years Eve.

 

[moki]

Great to hear about the improvement in these. I was a little disappointed in the overall lackluster reviews I have seen. I have yet to try one but look forward to torching the one I have on New Years Eve.

I've liked these all along so... I'm also liking the negative reviews. Maybe it'll create a meme that'll make 'em easier to obtain.

 

[AVB]

You caught me there, I had to look that up. ???

Meme: n. A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another.

I've liked these all along so... I'm also liking the negative reviews. Maybe it'll create a meme that'll make 'em easier to obtain.

 

[lucasbuck]

Looking forward to trying my first thanks to my SS.

 

[FlyFish]

This is a VERY hard post to type...Moki and a few others here know my history in discussing this cigar on the other Board. Just FYI to the folks here I am generally a Fuente "hater" when it comes to the "Uncle Louie's 58th birthday limited edition, two per customer, sorry it's a year late, costs more than a car payment, WOW did ya get a look at that band, yes we still make them but they are only for sale in Las Vegas, I have to have some cuz the rest of the guys do" cigars.


A friend of mine who ended up getting two full boxes of these dropped a couple on me as part of a Christmas trade.


Well, yesterday I had a five hour drive home, a 24 oz WAWA Kona blend coffee in the cupholder and I figured what the hell.


I will publicly say this as hard as it is for me to do...I FRICKIN' LOVED THIS CIGAR!


Perfect draw, nice sungrown spice on the lips and tongue pre-lite, and a flavor that reminded me of the 858 sungrown but more refined and complex. It did burn a little up one side in the middle third and required one touch up but it had been out of his humi for a week or so and that could have been more a storage than construction issue. The flavors were more refined and less in your face than the VSG blends. I considered it full bodied and medium in strength. Not a ball buster by any means but no empty stomach 7AM smoke either. Pleasantly in the middle. I think that if these were available and priced less as a collector's piece and more as a cigar for folks to smoke I'd profess to be a big fan.


If you have the scratch and don;t cringe at the price and you have a source to get them, I think these puppies are pretty darned good. Hell will still freeze over before I drop this much on a Non-Habano cigar but those of you who have them won't be at all disappointed IMHO. Drop the price on this thing to 10 bucks or so and count me in with the group trying to find them.


Mr. Levin has a winner here.

 

[moki]

This is a VERY hard post to type...Moki and a few others here know my history in discussing this cigar on the other Board. Just FYI to the folks here I am generally a Fuente "hater" when it comes to the "Uncle Louie's 58th birthday limited edition, two per customer, sorry it's a year late, costs more than a car payment, WOW did ya get a look at that band, yes we still make them but they are only for sale in Las Vegas, I have to have some cuz the rest of the guys do" cigars.

[snip]

I will publicly say this as hard as it is for me to do...I FRICKIN' LOVED THIS CIGAR!

For you to say that, Scott, is a huge thing for you, I know. You must really, really have enjoyed that cigar. I do too.

The good news it that the "online meme" is that these cigars are no good, so it's working in our favor.

If you have the scratch and don;t cringe at the price and you have a source to get them, I think these puppies are pretty darned good. Hell will still freeze over before I drop this much on a Non-Habano cigar but those of you who have them won't be at all disappointed IMHO.

For me, Habano, non-Habano, Jamaican, Japanese, whatever, I don't care where the cigar comes from. If I like it, I'll spend the money on it. Granted, $18 a pop is stiff for these, but it's about the price of an Esplendido, and both are nice for special occasions IMHO.

The good news is that these should be the most expensive ESGs. Other vitolas should be coming along soon that will all be less expensive than this Churchill.

 

[Ginseng]

Fascinating! Thanks for sharing your experience. I can't get them for any less than $20 here so it's a bit steeper yet. And A, although the other vitolas will be less expensive in absolute terms, I imagine we can expect Cohiba-level pricing relative to other cigars in the vitola. ???

Wilkey

 

[moki]

Fascinating! Thanks for sharing your experience. I can't get them for any less than $20 here so it's a bit steeper yet. And A, although the other vitolas will be less expensive in absolute terms, I imagine we can expect Cohiba-level pricing relative to other cigars in the vitola. ???

Sure, none of 'em are gonna be cheap... but look for the silver lining, Mr. Wang!

 

[The Volusianator]

I've only had one and really enjoyed it. I've got about 8 more and just haven't had the chance to take that long to smoke another. When I do, if it's as good as the first, I'll certainly be getting more.

 

[Tapewormboy]

"Uncle Louie's 58th birthday limited edition, two per customer, sorry it's a year late, costs more than a car payment, WOW did ya get a look at that band, yes we still make them but they are only for sale in Las Vegas, I have to have some cuz the rest of the guys do" cigars.

LOL!!!

Glad to hear that you liked it FlyFish.

I like the ESG also, probably smoke one tomorrow night.

After stopping in at a bunch of shops in the last month, every one of them had at least 1 full box, mostly without limits. It doesn't seem like they are flying off the shelf, probably due to the medicore first reviews and price. We can hope that Ashton realizes that the price is too high and corrects it in future sizes. There's no doubt that the new robusto will be cheaper than the $18 MSRP of the Churchill, but it'd be nice if the Robusto ended up around ~$8 per stick.

 

[cincycigarman]

I just smoked an ESG Churchill tonight that I bought at Holt's this time last year. It was good in the first third, got a little bit bitter at the 1/2 poins...I think it needs more humi time, maybe it entered a sick period?

I will let the other 2 I have sit a little longer and revisit.

 

[Shooter]

I have liked them from the get go. Just don't know if I have any left. I do know who has/had a bunch of em. :sign: If ya still have em and want to sell em back lemme know.

 

[ChiTown_Huck]

I just had my second one of these, and it was a very different experience from the first. The first one I had, I really enjoyed. It had a nice spice with a hint of sweetness and richness, I assumed from the Opus wrapper. The second one was almost all peppery spice. It was enjoyable, but it seemed more like a Nicaraguan cigar rather than Dominican. I have a couple more, so I looking forward to seeing if this was that one stick or what. Interesting cigars these.