Should I Get Cigar Factory Seconds?
UPDATE: Since writing this post nearly two years ago I have tried some factory seconds. From my experience I can tell you that there are some truly awful factory seconds out there and I have wondered whether or not there was just some “cosmetic” imperfections with these cigars. Wrappers exploding, flavors nowhere to be found and a generally negative experience ensued with most of the seconds that I have tried. Is it possible that the term “second” is just some kind of marketing ploy to try to get consumers to buy cigars that are made with tobacco that is inferior to the tobaccos used in the ready for prime time cigars?
What I can tell is that there are some good, cheap cigars out there. For example, I do like the Joya de Nicaragua Fuerte Series B because it has a lot of flavor and comes with a small price tag. According to the literature on this cigar the wrapper for the JdN Fuerte is the same as the wrapper for the Antano while the filler tobaccos (and I’m assuming the binder as well) is “slightly” different. Some of the house blends from the various online retailers are pretty good as well.
Another way to cut back on the cost of your cigars is to buy smaller cigars. Usually, smaller cigars are less expensive and, as an extra bonus, with smaller cigars your wrapper to total tobacco volume is pretty high, which means you are experiencing more of the flavors and character of the wrapper with smaller cigars. That’s a good thing because the wrapper is the highest quality leaf in a cigar and many in the industry believe that the wrapper is responsible for a disproportionate amount of the flavor found in a cigar. Maybe even think about getting some of those cigars in tins – the CAO Lx2 in a tin is pretty good.
Now back to the original post.
****************
I’m looking to load up my humidor and I was looking around for some good ones that are less expensive. Sure, I could do some extra homework and find a bunch of different cigars that are cheap but, I don’t know, that just seems like too much time and effort for me right now. That got me to thinking about factory seconds.
Seconds are just cigars that don’t meet the cut for some reason. They may have something wrong with the wrapper, they aren’t packed correctly, or something else. Maybe they’re misshapen – you don’t really get to know what’s wrong with them until you get them. But, to be honest, I really haven’t gotten to many factory seconds before so I don’t know what to expect.
That’s where you come in. Should I even consider buying a couple dozen factory seconds? Is their quality so poor that it’s not even worth the discounted price? Basically, what should I expect from factory seconds? I was specifically looking into getting some Rocky Patel factory seconds and, knowing that it’s a very high quality brand, I can’t imagine they would sell something, even as a second, if the quality was not there.
Even though I do want your response I did some searching about factory seconds and found this from Cigar Advisor:
- Each manufacturer has their own way of “processing” bundle cigars. Sure, you can find some real dog rockets in the bundle aisles, but like boxed “firsts”, the tobacco in bundles and second cigars has been cured and aged prior to rolling. That said, I wouldn’t doubt that many bundle cigars are not aged after rolling, as are most boxed premium handmade cigars.
So, what do you think? Should I go ahead and get some seconds?
Cuban Cigar Outlook for 2009
This first story got me worried about Cuban cigars:
Why are sales of Cuban cigars down? The minute the subprime mortgage crisis turned global, of course, demand had no place to go but down. And, there’s always the quality issue that has plagued manufacturers in recent years. So far, the damage hasn’t been bad.
Habanos S.A., which makes the storied Montecristo, Cohiba and Partagas brands, moved $390 million in 2008. That’s a drop of 3 percent from 2007.
****
Unsurprisingly, Habanos blames smoking bans in France, Germany and the United Emirates (among others) in addition to the financial crisis. If you can’t find a place to smoke, you aren’t likely to do it as much (a trial I endured in Scotland last year).
****
American cigar dilettantes weren’t able to piss away as much on Cuban sticks as they may have in the past. Duty free shops thus moved fewer cigars than usual, with total sales in these venues down 24 percent from 2007 to 2008.
Maybe since demand isn’t forcing more production the Cuban cigar makers will get to focus more on quality. Unfortunately, for me mainly, I can’t really talk about the quality of Cuban cigars since I’ve only had one. Yes, I know, that sucks.
Not everything is all doom and gloom for Cuban cigars, not by a long shot. Even though they were whacked with two big storms in 2008 they are set to have a great crop in 2009.
The world’s premier tobacco region in western Cuba has recovered from two powerful hurricanes in 2008 and is about to produce one of the best crops in years, growers said on Tuesday.
Lush green fields of the leafy plant stood ready for harvest in the island’s Vuelta Abajo region of Pinar del Rio province, a sacred place for cigar smokers around the globe.
Curing barns were filled to the roof with leaves that have already been picked.
“The tobacco has a lot of oil, and it’s good size. The more oil you have, the more flavor,” said planter Leonardo Moreno.
To rap all of this up Cuba is set to have their annual cigar fest:
The 11th Habano Cigar Festival was opened on Monday at the Havana Convention Center by Raul de la Nuez, minister of Foreign Commerce.
The event brings to the Cuban capital more than 1,000 participants from 70 countries including producers, experts, smokers, business people and researchers.
In summary, the state of Cuban cigars is strong! Cuba, on the other hand….
Cigars for Service
From The [Florida] News-Press:
The nonprofit Cigars for Service has sent more than 7,000 cigars to members of the armed services on overseas assignments since it was organized about six months ago, leader Chuck Ley told the Lehigh Acres Chamber of Commerce today.
The organization also sends personal hygiene items, tools, specialty foods and hometown newspapers, Ley said.
For more information or to get involved:
Website: cigarsforsoldiers.org
Phone (Ley): 239-471-2325
Email (Ley): Chuck@LeydBack.com
Anti-Smoking Marketing
It’s all about marketing.
Make people think that the very safety of children is at stake when they are around smoke and you win most of the war. Make people think that the very safety of children is at stake whenever they see a smoker and you have won the war. Seriously, who’s against the safety of children?
And this isn’t a cigarette v. cigar thing either. Just because there are extra things added into cigarettes do you think that the smoke-Nazis won’t come after cigars as well? Of course they will!
Here’s a little insight into the minds of the smoke-Nazi marketing campaign:
That’s why so many health professionals are praising an article in the January issue of the journal Pediatrics. Authors of that study, from the Center for Child and Adolescent Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital and other health institutions, used the term “third-hand smoke.” And widespread attention to their work made “third-hand smoke” a part of the American vocabulary almost overnight.
That opened the doors for all of us to talk about how to protect our families and friends — especially children, the elderly and the sick — from a potentially serious health risk.
“It’s so valuable, the contribution of this term,” says Dr. Sumita Khatri, a pulmonologist at MetroHealth Medical Center who’s conducted research on air quality and asthma. “It just makes communication easier and faster.”
The smoke-Nazis think that “third hand” smoke is their silver bullet against us. They will use it to push for more regulations against cigar use and will use it to raise our taxes to ever greater heights.
SCHIP? That’s just a small step towards their ultimate goal of outlawing cigars. But, until they finally do reach that fateful moment when all the world’s children are safe from the menace that lingers on our clothes and in our hair for days after we smoke a cigar, they are content with taxing us as much as possible.
The budget proposal that [Pennsylvania] Gov. Rendell unveiled earlier this month includes a 10-cents-per-pack tax hike on cigarettes — up to $1.45 per pack — along with first-time taxes on cigars and smokeless tobacco.
The campaign to eradicate cigar smokers is based on half truths and marketing. Whenever the studies fail to scare voters enough they find terms, like “third hand smoke”, that will do the job scaring voters. Do we really want to lose our right to smoke cigars because the other side has better marketers than we do?
CAO L’Anniversaire Cameroon Robusto Cigar Review
This is one of my older reviews but I think it matches up fairly well with my previous reviews of these cigars. I gave the maduro version of this cigar (torpedo vitola) a 93 a little over a month ago. Here is the review:
Well crafted, I can only see one blemish. Solid brown wrapper and from a very solid lineage. Most CAOs seem to be very good.
Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $7.50
Ze Lights!
Lots of smoke and an excellent draw. There is spice, which tastes like red pepper flakes, and the flavors are crisp – not muddied down at all. The flavors just explode on the tongue. It is medium bodied.
Like most CAOs this is a great cigar. It might actually be better than most I have smoked.
90 points
Alright, this wasn’t much of a review. So here are some others who have reviewed this cigar:
Stogie Guys: “The flavor thankfully builds over the next few inches to include notes of almond, graham, and honey.” They thought it was mild-medium bodied and, given the price, do not think it’s a great cigar.
Her Humidor: “The cigar picks up a spicier profile in the second half as well as a leathery and vanilla spice base flavor. I had some ice water on hand to quell the heat to the back of my throat. The cigar also shows some nuttiness to go along with the aged leather flavor.” She thought it was medium bodied and, if you can get this cigar cheaply, you should go and get some.
Alright, there you go. I have some more recent reviews of this cigar in the pipeline. So stay tuned and I’ll get ‘em out!
