ISOM's are a pain in the ass......

[sgoselin]

It occurred to me tonite that the pursuit of great Havanas is fun, but god what a pain. For years (over 30) I smoked mainly Dominican, Honduran, Nic etc. On a Saturday morning I could go to my local shop with a newspaper and a coffee, pick my cigar of the day and it was almost always perfect. My longtime favorites were alway Punch Chateau L, Excalibur No.1, and the Partagas #10. Later on I added Fuentes. I always knew exactly what they would taste like, the construction was always perfect and a bad smoke was a very rare occurrence. I knew what I liked and it was a warm secure feeling. Several years ago I got a computer and then the internet. My days of ordering the occasional box of Havanas from a very expensive shop in Montreal expanded. The world opened up. I became a Havanophile. Sometimes I look at this and shake my head. Lets see: I now spend at least a car payment on my hobby, the product is inconsistent at best, I never know what to expect. Is it too young? Is it before 95? Is the particular brand good in the country that I ordered it from? (ya know (insert country) has the best (insert brand). Does it have a little age? I mean the Bolivar used to be a strong cigar, but now its mellow, except that a lot of folks think it's not, but my grandfather told me that back when they were good, before the embargo, they were really cigars, but I had one the other day that was 52 years old imported from Cyprus and it tasted like dirt, but man it was mellow and spicy, ya know that old Havana flavor. And so I send money (or credit cards) to foriegn countries to fellows who send cryptic emails in broken English and pray that the only reason it has been 2 weeks with no arrival is that it took a long time to go through 5 countries. But hey, I'm just a regular guy who enjoys a good smoke and this is perfectly normal behaviour. Oh yeah, LOL!! I also spend my evenings tapping on a keyboard, looking at a little screen conversing with all the other regular guys who are even more normal then me. Having said all of this man I do love it. Well gotta go now. Have to place a few orders and check to make sure that my 187 humidors haven't dropped a percentage.

I am what I am.

[jsl]

ROTFLMAO!!!!

sg,

Now that's entertainment!!! Your story has inspired me. I think I'll just go and buy Havana!

Cheers!

jsl

BTW I just ordered a cabinet of 50 Bolivar Corona Extra. I hope they're good! LOL

LMAO.

Normal, normal, who is normal? What is normal? Normal is relative. Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you.

At least you get the Havanas. Me I live Havana vicariously through this web site! I am turning into a Habana Voyeur!

[rjs]

sgoselin,

Well said. You've also given me a few more thing to worry about that I hadn't thought of. Thanks a lot. LOL

... rjs

[DUFFER]

You are right on about the inconsistency but the pursuit of them could be much worse. I am always careful to get a few loose sticks before purchasing a box and will never buy a box from the same year if a single has let me down. The R&J Churchill was one of bigger dissapointments for a hyped ISOM. You are dead-on with the Bolivar comment. I was lucky enough to get a few PC in Canada a few years back from the older blend and they were the strongest cigars I have ever smoked. People talk about how strong ISOMs are but an OpusX from a good batch is what stregth is all about. When you get a good batch all the headaches that went into the pursuit fade away for a short time.

My ass feels the same pain... paying top dollar for cubans just to find that it too tightly rolled or plugged! Or if the burn is bad and the taste is harsh, I berate myself for not having the patience to let it rest in the humidor for a while. So when I sometimes have enough I go back to Davidoffs and AVO XOs. They seldom disappoint (except the strength and taste department)
alberto

[rjs]

For the benefit and entertainment of new LLG's, (isom smokers or not) I am brining sgoselin's post back up. (I hope you don't mind sg) Read, laugh, and enjoy!

... rjs

[rmr]

Ass pain, Ass pain. I'll tell you guys about ass pain. How about $760 CAD or about $490 USD for a box of Monte #2. Now that's ass pain. Has your ass ever felt that kind of pain? didn't think so. So until your guy's asses feel that kind of pain, don't tell me about your ass pain problems. Oh by the way, the #2 are great.

RMR

[jsl]

LMAO!!!

[Brandon]

LMPAO! (P=Painless)

[jsl]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON May-03-01 AT 05:32 PM (CDT)[/font][p]I thought I'd bring this one back for all of the new members. It is one of my favorites!

[mcgoospot]

You canadians never cease to amaze my, with no illegality in bringing in Cubans and with the great, cheap internet sites from spain and panama, why dou pay that kind of money?? mcgoospot

[dvickery]

mcgoospot...60% pefore you can pick em up at the post office.so you buy a 100us$...about 150c$...60%tax on the canadian value is about 100c$...thats about 250c$...plus s/h charges and a box of smokes is just about triple the internet us$ price that i would pay .i have ordered smokes off the internet but i get bolivar coronas jrs for about 250c$ in a shop in edmonton.another way to look at it is ... i can take the wife to cuba once a year and get a suntan and smokes...for less than buying them in canada.love my country just the same tho.
derrek

[funkymunky]

Sad but true. :-(

[mcgoospot]

I have places in Spain that ship to a buddy of mine in Niagara Falls, Canada. They ship sealed boxes with the shipping marked "documents". I have odered many times from them and they are perfect. I just drive across the border and pick them up. Prices are 1/3 what they are in Canada. For sites contact me at mcgoospot@aol.com