A week ago I was at a friend's wedding in Charleston, SC. Beautiful town, great food, friendly people (a must visit in my opinion).
I stepped into a B&M in need of a smoke (stressed out). The humidor was over humidified, the bands were a bit narrower than the rest of the cigar. It was sparsely stocked with premium brands and little else. So I selected a Tat J21. I smoked the Tat J21 first and it was flat and muddy tasting. It wasn't good at all. I usually don't smoke one stick after another, but the experience was so bad that I bought the Cabaiguan to make up for it. The Cabaiguan was a bit better but still it didn't smoke well. I didn't enjoy the flavor. I think, like others, I have fallen out of love with DPG's cigars as of late. The quality has fallen off and the flavor profile just isn't there anymore.
I get home a few days later and light up a VR Unico and it was fantastic. Smooth, nicely tannic, and chocolaty. Up until now I have sort-of regretted the VR Unico purchase as a misfire (shoulda, coulda, woulda, bought a Monte #2 or a Diplomatico #2). But now, I'm not so sure.
The two contrasting experiences have some things in common. It was a while since I smoked (I tend to appreciate a smoke if I have had a layoff in between). Where the smokes diverge however is my VR's are from '06 and I keep them at 65% humidity. The Tat and Cab were both very clearly over humidified.
I am disturbed how different these experiences were. I thought that the DPG smokes were a sure thing and I was seriously let down. I don't know if the over humidification issue is that much of a factor, as I stated before I've been moving away from non-Cubans recently.
So for this smoker, in a head to head comparison, with a smoker that was VERY willing to be pleased by a smoke, the Cuban wins.
Thoughts?
I stepped into a B&M in need of a smoke (stressed out). The humidor was over humidified, the bands were a bit narrower than the rest of the cigar. It was sparsely stocked with premium brands and little else. So I selected a Tat J21. I smoked the Tat J21 first and it was flat and muddy tasting. It wasn't good at all. I usually don't smoke one stick after another, but the experience was so bad that I bought the Cabaiguan to make up for it. The Cabaiguan was a bit better but still it didn't smoke well. I didn't enjoy the flavor. I think, like others, I have fallen out of love with DPG's cigars as of late. The quality has fallen off and the flavor profile just isn't there anymore.
I get home a few days later and light up a VR Unico and it was fantastic. Smooth, nicely tannic, and chocolaty. Up until now I have sort-of regretted the VR Unico purchase as a misfire (shoulda, coulda, woulda, bought a Monte #2 or a Diplomatico #2). But now, I'm not so sure.
The two contrasting experiences have some things in common. It was a while since I smoked (I tend to appreciate a smoke if I have had a layoff in between). Where the smokes diverge however is my VR's are from '06 and I keep them at 65% humidity. The Tat and Cab were both very clearly over humidified.
I am disturbed how different these experiences were. I thought that the DPG smokes were a sure thing and I was seriously let down. I don't know if the over humidification issue is that much of a factor, as I stated before I've been moving away from non-Cubans recently.
So for this smoker, in a head to head comparison, with a smoker that was VERY willing to be pleased by a smoke, the Cuban wins.
Thoughts?