• Hi Guest - Come check out all of the new CP Merch Shop! Now you can support CigarPass buy purchasing hats, apparel, and more...
    Click here to visit! here...

Off-Brand Cubans

Gotcha, entertaining can mean a lot of things, singing, dancing, telling jokes and such. Thought maybe they did a few of those things whilst burning. hahaha :D
 
MNBrian said:
So maybe off-brand isn't the best term...

I've been looking at some less well-known cubans and considering buying them, and I'm just wondering if anyone has had any experience with these brands and can tell me if I'm wasting my money.

I'd like to stock up on something that I won't feel so bad about giving to friends of mine and smoking myself on a daily basis. And really, I'm trying to hang on to boxes for aging which means not smoking them. So short of buying a billion boxes, or buying the regular amount and just not smoking anything for 5 years, I'm considering using this "opportunity" to try some different brands and see if anything holds up.

Examples -

Vegueros
Quintero Y Hermano
Sancho Panza
Quai Dorsay
Fonseca

So what say you -- smokers with more experience than me... Should I even waste my time? Are even these brands of cubans better than the DC's and NC's I could be buying instead?

Looking for advice.
Click to expand...

I like the Quintero Y Hermano Favoritos, for a low end CC I like the very much.
 
BlindedByScience said:
I get that, I'm pretty much in the same boat. Not that I'd turn down a JLP, but I have better that I'd prefer for the time I have to enjoy a smoke.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't turn one down either. It's been years since I had one so I'd give them a chance if someone offered it to me or I was out of country and saw one in a B&M.
 
Friday night I went into my B&M's humidor to pick up a couple of sticks. I asked about Vegeuros, and he said "blach", and so, I stayed away from them. I told him I was wanting to try some of the low budget end smokes, and he showed the JLP's and Quintero's. I grabbed a Quintero and BBF. The Quintero seemed fine in the first half but around the last third got pretty harsh. The BBF on the other hand was nubbed because it was fantastic.
 
Vequeros developed a somewhat less-than-stellar reputation based the original offerings. But, I quite like the new blend Vegueros. Their profile reminds me of a Montecristo. Hard to believe anyone who's actually tried one would steer you to tripa corta JLP's & Quinteros instead.

Since the new Vegeuros are packed in 16's, their pricing only appears to be in the budget-cigar range when you look at the box price (as compared to more typical 25's). Also, with all the new vitolas unique to Vegueros, it's hard to compare individual pricing apples-to-apples. But, they're really right in there with most any other tripa largo CC that's not a super-premium or LE/RE. I say grab one and give it a try. If your B&M thinks so little of them, perhaps they have them under-priced for what they really are.
 
CigSid said:
The only one I like in this bunch is the Quai D'orsay. If you can rest them for a few years, you will be rewarded with caramel, coffee, and sweet hay... Love my QdO's...
Click to expand...
I have some old machine-mades from, I think, the early 90s. Can't remember names, and they're buried in the humidor, but they are like what you mentioned, a sort of caramel and sweet hay, minus the coffee.
 
CigSid said:
The only one I like in this bunch is the Quai D'orsay. If you can rest them for a few years, you will be rewarded with caramel, coffee, and sweet hay... Love my QdO's...
Click to expand...
That sounds delicious. Seriously...my son's college fund is getting rather low. I think I have to stop reading any more threads for a while.
 
I think what Brian means is regional brands vs global brands. The big ones like Cohiba, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta vs Rafael Gonzales, Q'uai d' Orsai, La Gloria Cubana.
 
C is correct! Looking for the gems of the local brands!
 
Last edited:
Quai D'Orsay is a great cigar, but for value the Fonseca No1 has been pretty awesome when it has some time on it.
 
Update: Thanks to Napa, I've had a chance to try some QdO's and they're amazing. I also put in an order for some of the Jlp's which arrived today. I planned on letting them sit for a while but ended up pulling one right out and smoking it. Just like BBS and others have said, distinctive Cc taste with some rough edges ROTT. Also a little on the mild side but the draw and construction were still a helluva lot better than the average nc at the same price point!

I'm very satasfied to have a few boxes of cc's that I can hand out to my less experienced friends so that they too can enjoy a very different smoke than what they are used to!

Thanks to everyone once again for all the advice. Still making my way through a few of the other sticks mentioned in due time!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top