Hello all,just got back from this funky cigar shop in the hinterlands of central Texas,good humidor, and very personable and colorful proprietor, anyway as he is giving me the guided tour of his selection and I am telling him of my relative newness to the world of good cigars he pulls out this step stool and reaches up on this shelf about 10 feet off the ground and pulls down this box of ISOM Monte Christos #2's; 2 left in the box; now this is my 1st experience with ISOM's so I am intrigued,...I ask how much, knowing that if it is not obscene in my judgement I am going to buy at least 1 of them, he says twenty bucks, now I am so green I dont know if I was being taken or not, but I figure what the hell! I am smoking it as I am relating this and I can tell you I am not in cigar nirvana, it was a pretty good smoke, I say was because it just went out after sitting in the ashtray for about a minute and a half, and would not relight with about 3 inches left.I am a bit disappointed. I know I cant discount a brand based on one cigar but honestly I have in my short experience smoked any number of superior cigars for not near about the bucks. I know the questions in the back of you experienced apes minds,...was the cigar counterfeit, was the humidor poorly maintained, was the newbie being taken for a ride, etc. Fairly comfortable in answering no to all of the above. Anyway my education continues. Been fun. Updates forthcoming. FrankB Almost forgot the initial reason for this post; did I pay too much for this cigar?
ISOM Monte Christos #2 and further expeditions in the jungle
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Did you pay too much?
Thats really one of those things like did I pay more than you on the same car we both bought at different dealers.
I can find that cigar for right about 7-8 dollars. from one place and $18-20 from another place. So its all relative.
So.. IMO
No you didn't get creamed on the price.
Maybe the Monty 2 isn't your cup of tee.
In the jungle there will be many more to try, hang arround and start meeting folks in person.
Hbooker
Thats really one of those things like did I pay more than you on the same car we both bought at different dealers.
I can find that cigar for right about 7-8 dollars. from one place and $18-20 from another place. So its all relative.
So.. IMO
No you didn't get creamed on the price.
Maybe the Monty 2 isn't your cup of tee.
In the jungle there will be many more to try, hang arround and start meeting folks in person.
Hbooker
Reply to hbooker
hbooker,appreciate the analogy but it is a bit skewed, from your figures I should be able to buy a 20,000 car for about 10,000 dollars. You're right about the Monty not being my cup of tea, at least from my limited experience, but to put my choices in perspective I am now smoking a Cusano Cuban from the Dominican Republic that draws better, tastes richer, makes a huge amount of smoke,...for some reason I equate that with the mouth feel that the wine snobs talk about, and comes in at less than $3 a stick. I am not a tightwad, have indulged on an Opus X or 2, which incidentally I think are overrated and over priced, but my benchmark in this addiction is a good smoke for less than $5 a pop...everytime I find a good $3 dollar cigar I feel like Christmas came early. It's like this very realistic cigar store owner said to me ,... the leaf dont know it's supposed to be expensive. Kinda Zen at 3 o'clock in the morning and after 3 Jim Beam Black Labels, which incidentally ranked higher than Makers Mark in a blind tasting by 37 drunks at the Black Cat Lounge and Massage Parlor in Buda, Texas. Always looking for a bargain you know! Well I'm off to see the Lizard. FrankB
hbooker,appreciate the analogy but it is a bit skewed, from your figures I should be able to buy a 20,000 car for about 10,000 dollars. You're right about the Monty not being my cup of tea, at least from my limited experience, but to put my choices in perspective I am now smoking a Cusano Cuban from the Dominican Republic that draws better, tastes richer, makes a huge amount of smoke,...for some reason I equate that with the mouth feel that the wine snobs talk about, and comes in at less than $3 a stick. I am not a tightwad, have indulged on an Opus X or 2, which incidentally I think are overrated and over priced, but my benchmark in this addiction is a good smoke for less than $5 a pop...everytime I find a good $3 dollar cigar I feel like Christmas came early. It's like this very realistic cigar store owner said to me ,... the leaf dont know it's supposed to be expensive. Kinda Zen at 3 o'clock in the morning and after 3 Jim Beam Black Labels, which incidentally ranked higher than Makers Mark in a blind tasting by 37 drunks at the Black Cat Lounge and Massage Parlor in Buda, Texas. Always looking for a bargain you know! Well I'm off to see the Lizard. FrankB
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Chances are that if you bought a "Cuban" cigar from a shop in the US, it's a fake (98.975% probability or thereabouts), especially if it said Monte Christo on the box.
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Since you are so close, take a 1 hour drive down here to my humi tomorrow. I'll get you going with some good sticks. If you live in So. Austin it's only 45 minutes.
Monty #2
Cigar Texan, appreciate your kind offer,may very well take you up on it sometime in the future. My wife and I plan on a day trip to San Antonio sometime during my assignment here in Austin. If I remember correctly the #2 is one of your favorite smokes. As to the cigar being counterfeit, I appreciate yalls expertise. So either I was bamboozled or the vendor was; I hope it was the latter. I hate being a schmuck. FrankB
Cigar Texan, appreciate your kind offer,may very well take you up on it sometime in the future. My wife and I plan on a day trip to San Antonio sometime during my assignment here in Austin. If I remember correctly the #2 is one of your favorite smokes. As to the cigar being counterfeit, I appreciate yalls expertise. So either I was bamboozled or the vendor was; I hope it was the latter. I hate being a schmuck. FrankB
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718 Posts
Here's what I noticed as I was reading your original post. This is the first time you're in that cigar shop, right? And this guy, out of a clear blue sky, offers you a Cuban cigar? Sounds hokey to me. I would expect most 'legitimate' cigar vendors to not take such risks. He doesn't know you from Adam. You could be a fed. Not likely, but not impossible. Now, if you had said you had been going to this shop for some time, and had developed a good relationship with the proprietor, then I might believe he was taking you in his confidence and offering the genuine article. But the way I read it, since you confessed to your newness to the sport, he decided to play you. Take Jack up on his offer. Compare the real McCoy to what you tried. Just be forwarned. It's a slippery slope.
counterfeit Monty#2
Hey drc, I can see how you could think I was taken for a ride, and might have been, and yes it was my 1st visit to the store,but I had a telephone relationship with this guy and was referred to him by a mutual friend from Little Rock who has known the guy for 20 yrs. So being the optimistic, trusting soul that I am I am going to continue to believe he didnt intentially screw me. FrankB
Hey drc, I can see how you could think I was taken for a ride, and might have been, and yes it was my 1st visit to the store,but I had a telephone relationship with this guy and was referred to him by a mutual friend from Little Rock who has known the guy for 20 yrs. So being the optimistic, trusting soul that I am I am going to continue to believe he didnt intentially screw me. FrankB
i've seen fake isoms displayed in plain sight in a mafia shop (sirwinston was with me so i have a witness... we almost lost our lives getting out of that place - by far the scariest cigar experience i've ever had ... lol). but every one, no matter which brand (and there were a lot) was $10. maybe the prices of fakes are higher in texas?? anyway- i agree with everyone who says you most likely got taken... doesn't texas have a make my day law? the least you can do is go back and fart in his humidor.
Frank B I know you don't want to feel taken on this purchase and maybe you were not. In the case this was a true havana the storage of this cigar could be the problem. for one you said the store owner climbed a ladder ten feet up to pull down a cardboard box. The humidity in that location in the humidor is not going to be the same at ground level where his readings are being taken, also the cardboard box could also take humidity out. Long term storage in a dry location will produce a cigar tasting like burning notebook paper compared to properly stored smoke. Your first havana should have produced a smoking experiance like no other you're had... at least it did for me.
I call them as I see them and I think you were taken.
The ISOM Monte #2 is a very good cigar. It consistenly
gets high ratings. I have a 1/2 box left - great flavor, med-full body, never plugged. MoTheMan tells me this is the only ISOM where they use leaves from all 7 layers of the tobacco plant.
I suggest in your continued smoking you find a real one and try it. Let us know.
The ISOM Monte #2 is a very good cigar. It consistenly
gets high ratings. I have a 1/2 box left - great flavor, med-full body, never plugged. MoTheMan tells me this is the only ISOM where they use leaves from all 7 layers of the tobacco plant.
I suggest in your continued smoking you find a real one and try it. Let us know.
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