From Fuente 8-5-8s to ... "We're Gonna Get'cha".

[Columbo]

This time of year, as many here do, I tend to start smoking an occasional cigar. Particularly in the mornings, as lawn and garden work starts picking up.

It's not so much because I won't smoke cigars indoors (out of kindness to Mrs. C), as much as it cuts the reaction I suffer from everything outdoors this time of year.

Go figure, but I always feel better puffing away on a cigar when the grass and pollen are flying. The stick doesn't taste quite as good as it does lounging on the evening patio. But it does the trick.

And like many here, I tend to like at least a decent cigar, even for lawn and garden duty.

So for many decades, I would happily puff away on a "cheaper cigar", an AF 858, my preferred daily, as I bounced along on the tractor.

Nowadays, I no longer bounce along on a tractor so much.

And looking at the prices of 858s, I don't think I'll be puffing them on lawn and garden days much anymore.

Almost one hundred and ninety dollars a box with some vendors. Almost $8 a stick ... for an 858. Nuts. I don't think I paid much more for Padron '64s not that long ago. This was once a $2 or $3 cigar for me. They should just round the price up to $8.58, and complete the holdup. I can't even imagine what a box of '64 Anniversaries is now selling for.

Thankfully, I still have about 175 858s in the cabinet. I'll still be smoking them, along with hundreds of other better cigars stashed in there over the years. But only on the evening patio, where I can fully enjoy them.

No more $8 "cheap cigars" for my morning battles with cut grass, pollen and tractor dust.

Next lawn and garden day, I'm going to try something I haven't touched in 45 years. A $1 US-made White Owl. I recall them having a brand phrase in the early 70s ...

"We're gonna get'cha". Thanks to the crazy price spikes on decent cigars, they just might.

I'll let you know how that goes.

 

[DogLeg]

It's been a long time, but I don't have fond recollections of White Owls.

I have just been buying one of the cheap bundles when they go on sale for mowing duties. My supply for this year are Factory Smokes I bought on sale last summer.

 

[Columbo]

It's been a long time, but I don't have fond recollections of White Owls.

I have just been buying one of the cheap bundles when they go on sale for mowing duties. My supply for this year are Factory Smokes I bought on sale last summer.

I hear you. But for a dollar, the worst that can happen is I waste a dollar after a few puffs.

It only has to overcome the pollen as I stroll about the estate, and taste tolerable.

We’ll see. The older I get, the cheaper I sometimes get about these things.

 

[Njguy1977]

In my opinion I’d much rather buy a cigar international knock off and enjoy a cheap, reasonably priced smoke then smoke a white owl. If my memory suits me, I’ve smoked white owls once…..once! LOL

Larry

 

[Titleist]

Life's too short to smoke cheap cigars IMO.

Do what makes you happy.

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

CI had some wonderful Room 101 sticks for about $3.50 a piece last summer. Breakfast in Portugal, Christmas in Miami may have been another and Muzzleloader.

I ordered a bunch around that price and the three names listed above really hit above their price point.

The different AJ Fernandez samplers have not disappointed me either.

Cigar King has some great deals. Good house sticks. Another place to haunt.... A very well kept source for cigars.

The Privade Cigar Club farm roll grab bags are absolute steals. Especially for yard smokes. They are much more than yard gars. They just don't have labels.

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

Just going to CI's homepage, the weekend deal, the deal of the day etc list all kinds of wondeful options for $3.50 a stick.

The Black Pearl Morano (purple label) are one that I am not ashamed to have in my humidor and cigar buddies are not upset if I bring them to share.

 

[Columbo]

Just going to CI's homepage, the weekend deal, the deal of the day etc list all kinds of wondeful options for $3.50 a stick.

The Black Pearl Morano (purple label) are one that I am not ashamed to have in my humidor and cigar buddies are not upset if I bring them to share.

Thank you. All very nice suggestions. And I will look them over. Anything under $4 is a sensible lawn smoke for me.

But I am going to start with a humble $1 stick, if only out of nostalgia. Maybe next week. Maybe it will bring back 50 year old memories of puffing a Phillies in a '73 Ford wagon with all five windows down on the way to Channels.

I don't get ashamed over my cigars. If someone doesn't like it, they can just get off my lawn.

 

[alpster]

You should try the AF Curlyheads. I get them for about $120 for a box of 40. Smoking one as I type. Great daily smoke. No frills, doesn't even have a band. Best $3 you can smoke. IMHO

 

[Columbo]

So this past week I took the big plunge, and came down off my 858 perch. My usual local cigar shop doesn't carry these machine made types, but the vape and tobacco store across from the discount supermarket across town did.

They didn't have singles. But for $5.29, I was able to pick up a sleeve of 5 White Owl New Yorkers. That's five smokes for less than one 858. My cursory reconnoitering revealed that these New Yorkers are among the most natural flavored, and among the better tasting, of the popular machine mades, in a respectable ring size and length.

And here's how it went.

If cigars were coffee, I would say these dollar New Yorkers are like a decent instant coffee. For people used to finer brewed coffees and better hand mades (like me), there is an urge to look down on them as something unpalatable. I resisted that knee-jerk, and pressed on with them. They're not unpalatable, but they're not going to provide delicious long lasting memories, either. There's flavor there, but it's not too complicated, not very rich, and not without some undertones that take getting used to (as in ignored if possible).

I made the mistake of cutting the first two, which exasperated that last flaw.

These are HTL wrappers (tobacco paper), and the first thing I noticed is that they are sweet, almost too sweet. I could not smoke this cigar with a cup of coffee if there were any sugar in it. Did I mention that they are sweet?

But because the fill presents a slight bitter note at the end of a modest nuttiness, the almost over sweet wrapper actually creates a tenuous balance. The sweetness cuts that bitter note, and makes it ok. But cutting the sticks as I did on the first two, pushes them to run heavy on the bitter side.

The third and fourth ones I smoked factory punched, and it was a much easier smoke. And it also ran a lot longer, almost 35 minutes, which is pretty good, as these are not large cigars.

But they were generally smokable and not horrible, and did serve as an effective yard stick. Good in the background, if you don't focus on their flavor too much. I don't think I would use them for other than that purpose (to control the pollen), but they did the job. My allergies were tamed.

If I was sitting on the patio, and had to really pay attention to them, I think it would be a different story.

So are they a good value at $1? Yes, without question. It's a good smoke for just a dollar.
Are they a good value at $2? For these New Yorkers, I would say yes, but with the above caveats. And with some grimaces along the way.

Are they a good value at $3? No.

For $3, I think I could do a lot better. And for a lot of years, I did.

But that's the thing. They are not $3 cigars. They are not $2 cigars. And bought in quantity, I understand this is well under $1 a stick. And for under $1, I really can't complain too much.

They're exactly how they market them: it's a working man's cigar for someone who has a family to feed, car and mortgage payments, wants to save so his kids can go to college, keep his head above water, and can't afford to throw around $8 or $10 for a pleasure smoke at the cigar salon. It's the same guy that treats himself to an occasional lunch at the Wawa and drives on Mastercraft tires. Every dollar matters. And they prefer to spend them elsewhere rather than on themselves.

And I have nothing but respect for those men, and I thought of them as I puffed on these. They're the ones who keep the trains and my electricity running. And they don't have time to sit around and deeply cogitate upon the finer nuances of their cigars. And they weren't that bad in that broader perspective.

So I could live with them, much as I could live with waking up with Nescafe if I had to; it's not luxurious, but it does the job. These did the job.

I am going back a lot of years now. But I think these New Yorkers were a hair better than the Phillies that I mentioned from 50 years ago. Back in the day when I counted dollars like manhole covers and budgeted just enough for gas each week. Yes, I can definitely relate to being tight with a dollar, and with those who do so.

And they come individually vacuum sealed, so they don't even need a humidor. Just rip off the foil, stuff it in your maw, and light 'em up. A working man's stogie if there ever was one.

I may or may not grab another sleeve. Time will tell.

In the meantime, I will look over some of those $3-4 options out there.

Today, I wandered about the lawns with a pipeful of SWR, as the dog romped about. And that was a very nice return to the usual gentility for me.

 

[Columbo]

You should try the AF Curlyheads. I get them for about $120 for a box of 40. Smoking one as I type. Great daily smoke. No frills, doesn't even have a band. Best $3 you can smoke. IMHO

... next up are some Curlyheads. A sibling to what I'm used to, and priced right at what I am willing to pay for a yard stick.

 

[DogLeg]

So this past week I took the big plunge, and came down off my 858 perch. My usual local cigar shop doesn't carry these machine made types, but the vape and tobacco store across from the discount supermarket across town did.

They didn't have singles. But for $5.29, I was able to pick up a sleeve of 5 White Owl New Yorkers. That's five smokes for less than one 858. My cursory reconnoitering revealed that these New Yorkers are among the most natural flavored, and among the better tasting, of the popular machine mades, in a respectable ring size and length.

And here's how it went.

If cigars were coffee, I would say these dollar New Yorkers are like a decent instant coffee. For people used to finer brewed coffees and better hand mades (like me), there is an urge to look down on them as something unpalatable. I resisted that knee-jerk, and pressed on with them. They're not unpalatable, but they're not going to provide delicious long lasting memories, either. There's flavor there, but it's not too complicated, not very rich, and not without some undertones that take getting used to (as in ignored if possible).

I made the mistake of cutting the first two, which exasperated that last flaw.

These are HTL wrappers (tobacco paper), and the first thing I noticed is that they are sweet, almost too sweet. I could not smoke this cigar with a cup of coffee if there were any sugar in it. Did I mention that they are sweet?

But because the fill presents a slight bitter note at the end of a modest nuttiness, the almost over sweet wrapper actually creates a tenuous balance. The sweetness cuts that bitter note, and makes it ok. But cutting the sticks as I did on the first two, pushes them to run heavy on the bitter side.

The third and fourth ones I smoked factory punched, and it was a much easier smoke. And it also ran a lot longer, almost 35 minutes, which is pretty good, as these are not large cigars.

But they were generally smokable and not horrible, and did serve as an effective yard stick. Good in the background, if you don't focus on their flavor too much. I don't think I would use them for other than that purpose (to control the pollen), but they did the job. My allergies were tamed.

If I was sitting on the patio, and had to really pay attention to them, I think it would be a different story.

So are they a good value at $1? Yes, without question. It's a good smoke for just a dollar.
Are they a good value at $2? For these New Yorkers, I would say yes, but with the above caveats. And with some grimaces along the way.

Are they a good value at $3? No.

For $3, I think I could do a lot better. And for a lot of years, I did.

But that's the thing. They are not $3 cigars. They are not $2 cigars. And bought in quantity, I understand this is well under $1 a stick. And for under $1, I really can't complain too much.

They're exactly how they market them: it's a working man's cigar for someone who has a family to feed, car and mortgage payments, wants to save so his kids can go to college, keep his head above water, and can't afford to throw around $8 or $10 for a pleasure smoke at the cigar salon. It's the same guy that treats himself to an occasional lunch at the Wawa and drives on Mastercraft tires. Every dollar matters. And they prefer to spend them elsewhere rather than on themselves.

And I have nothing but respect for those men, and I thought of them as I puffed on these. They're the ones who keep the trains and my electricity running. And they don't have time to sit around and deeply cogitate upon the finer nuances of their cigars. And they weren't that bad in that broader perspective.

So I could live with them, much as I could live with waking up with Nescafe if I had to; it's not luxurious, but it does the job. These did the job.

I am going back a lot of years now. But I think these New Yorkers were a hair better than the Phillies that I mentioned from 50 years ago. Back in the day when I counted dollars like manhole covers and budgeted just enough for gas each week. Yes, I can definitely relate to being tight with a dollar, and with those who do so.

And they come individually vacuum sealed, so they don't even need a humidor. Just rip off the foil, stuff it in your maw, and light 'em up. A working man's stogie if there ever was one.

I may or may not grab another sleeve. Time will tell.

In the meantime, I will look over some of those $3-4 options out there.

Today, I wandered about the lawns with a pipeful of SWR, as the dog romped about. And that was a very nice return to the usual gentility for me.

Very nice review. Thank you.

 

[House Boy]

Back in the day I've smoked a few white owls, not a bad smoke, but than I discovered Anthony & Cleopatras, to me very good smoke and at 17 years old I looked cool smoking them. As I got older my taste in cigars got more refined, 858 are very very good, can't go wrong with anything Fuente.
I've smoked thousands of cigars and never found them habit forming.

 

[Columbo]

In the spirit of the old Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoons, we'll call this very long post "A Fist Full of Curly Heads" ... or "Not Necessarily A Bad Thing".



The Curly Head is one I've never bothered with before, as I've been long settled on the 858 as my budget stick. The 858 is tasty and very predictable, if not complicated. And historically affordable. It's just gotten too expensive to waste on dusty lawn days. It's not a high-value budget stick anymore.

For those from Philadelphia, a Curly Head is best described as the "scrapple" of the Fuente line, made from what was left over from their better sticks. A cigar literally made from floor scraps. Not necessarily a bad thing. Fuente tobacco is generally very high grade.

I loved scrapple growing up. So maybe I was missing out on these all along.

Being a hand made, my local cigar shop did have them, in singles, and in boxes of 40. To be fair to the preceding White Owl, and knowing their reputation, I bought five to start. A fist full. A little over $3/ea, just as advertised. Less than half the price of an 858. But over triple what a White Owl New Yorker costs. In simple cellophane and naked (and that saved time in smoking them; the first thing I do with any cigar is peel off the billboard, some of which nowadays are big enough to see from the highway).

So home I rode into the sunset, feeling like Eastwood in a spaghetti western. With a fist full of Curly Heads.

Rousting them out of their cello next morning, the first thing I noticed is that they are old school rolled, like cigars I remember an uncle smoking when I was a kid. As perfectly similar as the White Owls were, these were decidedly not.

Each is constructed just slightly differently from the others. Every stick was just a little different, with bigger variances than you normally see with a Fuente and most premium hand mades. Not necessarily a bad thing. And in many ways, a very charming thing. These had character. Each one was unique that way, and it made each a unique smoke.

Consistency can get boring, as long as the detours don't run into the ditch. And these five all stayed on the road, construction-wise, and taste-wise.

And most importantly, at least in those first five, the sticks were all consistent on fill and firmness. There is nothing worse than a soft, uneven cigar, especially for us stronger clenchers. Those poor New Yorkers looked like road kill at the end by comparison.

My eyes are shot. But I've probably cut over 5,000 cigars by now, and can do it on feel. The caps on these all cut a little differently, which can vary the draw. On a couple, I cut them novice style just to be sure (placing the cutter flat on the counter). It wasn't my eyes.

The Curly Head has a reputation as a beginner's cigar, an entry point into the world of Fuente and better hand mades. That means mild. And these were definitely mild. The wrappers had a pleasant earthy taste, though. Not sweet, and not bitter. Not as toothy or rich as an 858 Maduro, but still with an entertaining enough mouth feel. Worlds better feeling and tasting than the New Yorker.

The light was easy, and the partly closed foot (we'll just call it an open toe) ignited instantly on a single jet. You could probably match light these easily. I didn't clip the feet to attempt any toasting; it's just a $3 cigar after all. The burn was generally even from beginning to end, with no relights required.

Cigar smokers sometimes describe a cigar's behavior in thirds ... like a hockey game. I assess them in halves, like a football game. The Curly Heads did not have the full game consistency of the White Owls. They didn't behave quite like more premium cigars, either.

But the White Owls only play like a good Division III college team. Definitely worth the price of the ticket, and you cheer them on, knowing what they are and hoping they always do their best.

The Curly Head by comparison is a legitimate NFL game, just not featured as a network game like the 858s and other finer cigars I usually smoke.

These are not the 70's Raiders in December; they didn't necessarily play any stronger in the second half. They are in some ways like the early 70s Jets, in that you weren't quite sure what you were going to get from half to half, or game to game. It always depended on how much Joe Willie was in there.

But on the whole, they reminded me most of the '72 Giants: a little too inconsistent to play with the best, lacking a Tarkington, but made up of lots of interesting bits and pieces in return, still good much of the time, and always reasonably entertaining. And certainly worth the price of admission (in the cheaper seats).

Not necessarily a bad thing.

The flavor was there, but you sometimes had to hunt for it. And it did vary a little from stick to stick, and sometimes wandered during the smoke itself. On the first couple, I found myself huffing them pretty good at times, digging for a little more flavor. That cut down the burn time, and on one it barely lasted 30 minutes. But the Vitamin N on these is so restrained; it's a mild stick. You could probably smoke it with a Hoover and not overload. On those that were more flavorful, it could be a 50+ minute smoke. And a good one.

And it was good flavor, and definitely Fuente flavor. I could occasionally taste my 858s in there, and I could also taste a wee bit of Opus X every so often, and a few other Fuente sticks, too. No bad notes. Good flavor, but sometimes a little distant. Staying with the football analogy, it was like watching the game from the upper deck at times. From the $3 seats back in the day.

Not necessarily a bad thing.

And in the all-important yard test, they easily did the job. I didn't really notice them unless I wanted to. What I noticed was pleasant. And they completely quelled the usual outdoor irritants.

So what's the verdict? We'll change the perspective from football to spirits.

The Curly Head's essence, a cigar made from many others, reminds me of a decent blended Scotch. I am a fan of the best blended Scotches; a top-tier blender can sometimes create a better, more interesting flavor than a single malt.

And as cigar blenders go, Fuente is one of the big ones.

So let's just say these Curly Heads were like a nice blended Scotch ... and water. And the water varied from drink to drink. Some were a little wet at times. But sometimes, you got a double.

Not necessarily a bad thing.

Are they better than a White Owl New Yorker? You bet. At $3 (over 3x the cost) I would sure hope so. Maybe not three times better. But substantially better in the subjective ways that matter most. Would I trade three White Owl smokes for one Curly Head? Depending on how long I want to puff, maybe so.

However, they lack the consistency and stronger good flavor of an 858. And don't even bother comparing them to the premium, more complex sticks. But it's only a $3 smoke. And in 2024, that's now an economy hand made.

A good economy cigar is all about hints and samples, hinting at what more money buys. This one delivered all the right hints. I think it tastes better than most comparable budget hand mades I've tried over the years (most of which are nearly tasteless, or taste like seasoned dirt). You know them, the ones the mail order vendors throw in for free, or are the house brands of certain cigar warehouses. I'll be kind and not name them.

This one is not one of them.

There is nothing bad about a Curly Head. Its sins are sins of omission.

Not necessarily a bad thing.

This one has some taste. It's a light taste, and it varies, but it's usually a good one. It's a cigar that a seasoned smoker used to richer sticks would be comfortable with, if not necessarily excited about. The excitement is whether the next one is a wet Dewars and water ... or whether the bartender is going to slip them a double. A slight enough variety to make it interesting without being wary.

Not necessarily a bad thing.

And that should make the yard days sufficiently interesting enough for me this summer.

So I went back and bought a box of 40.

And that ends this little thread. For now.

 

[alpster]

In the spirit of the old Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoons, we'll call this very long post "A Fist Full of Curly Heads" ... or "Not Necessarily A Bad Thing".



The Curly Head is one I've never bothered with before, as I've been long settled on the 858 as my budget stick. The 858 is tasty and very predictable, if not complicated. And historically affordable. It's just gotten too expensive to waste on dusty lawn days. It's not a high-value budget stick anymore.

For those from Philadelphia, a Curly Head is best described as the "scrapple" of the Fuente line, made from what was left over from their better sticks. A cigar literally made from floor scraps. Not necessarily a bad thing. Fuente tobacco is generally very high grade.

I loved scrapple growing up. So maybe I was missing out on these all along.

Being a hand made, my local cigar shop did have them, in singles, and in boxes of 40. To be fair to the preceding White Owl, and knowing their reputation, I bought five to start. A fist full. A little over $3/ea, just as advertised. Less than half the price of an 858. But over triple what a White Owl New Yorker costs. In simple cellophane and naked (and that saved time in smoking them; the first thing I do with any cigar is peel off the billboard, some of which nowadays are big enough to see from the highway).

So home I rode into the sunset, feeling like Eastwood in a spaghetti western. With a fist full of Curly Heads.

Rousting them out of their cello next morning, the first thing I noticed is that they are old school rolled, like cigars I remember an uncle smoking when I was a kid. As perfectly similar as the White Owls were, these were decidedly not.

Each is constructed just slightly differently from the others. Every stick was just a little different, with bigger variances than you normally see with a Fuente and most premium hand mades. Not necessarily a bad thing. And in many ways, a very charming thing. These had character. Each one was unique that way, and it made each a unique smoke.

Consistency can get boring, as long as the detours don't run into the ditch. And these five all stayed on the road, construction-wise, and taste-wise.

And most importantly, at least in those first five, the sticks were all consistent on fill and firmness. There is nothing worse than a soft, uneven cigar, especially for us stronger clenchers. Those poor New Yorkers looked like road kill at the end by comparison.

My eyes are shot. But I've probably cut over 5,000 cigars by now, and can do it on feel. The caps on these all cut a little differently, which can vary the draw. On a couple, I cut them novice style just to be sure (placing the cutter flat on the counter). It wasn't my eyes.

The Curly Head has a reputation as a beginner's cigar, an entry point into the world of Fuente and better hand mades. That means mild. And these were definitely mild. The wrappers had a pleasant earthy taste, though. Not sweet, and not bitter. Not as toothy or rich as an 858 Maduro, but still with an entertaining enough mouth feel. Worlds better feeling and tasting than the New Yorker.

The light was easy, and the partly closed foot (we'll just call it an open toe) ignited instantly on a single jet. You could probably match light these easily. I didn't clip the feet to attempt any toasting; it's just a $3 cigar after all. The burn was generally even from beginning to end, with no relights required.

Cigar smokers sometimes describe a cigar's behavior in thirds ... like a hockey game. I assess them in halves, like a football game. The Curly Heads did not have the full game consistency of the White Owls. They didn't behave quite like more premium cigars, either.

But the White Owls only play like a good Division III college team. Definitely worth the price of the ticket, and you cheer them on, knowing what they are and hoping they always do their best.

The Curly Head by comparison is a legitimate NFL game, just not featured as a network game like the 858s and other finer cigars I usually smoke.

These are not the 70's Raiders in December; they didn't necessarily play any stronger in the second half. They are in some ways like the early 70s Jets, in that you weren't quite sure what you were going to get from half to half, or game to game. It always depended on how much Joe Willie was in there.

But on the whole, they reminded me most of the '72 Giants: a little too inconsistent to play with the best, lacking a Tarkington, but made up of lots of interesting bits and pieces in return, still good much of the time, and always reasonably entertaining. And certainly worth the price of admission (in the cheaper seats).

Not necessarily a bad thing.

The flavor was there, but you sometimes had to hunt for it. And it did vary a little from stick to stick, and sometimes wandered during the smoke itself. On the first couple, I found myself huffing them pretty good at times, digging for a little more flavor. That cut down the burn time, and on one it barely lasted 30 minutes. But the Vitamin N on these is so restrained; it's a mild stick. You could probably smoke it with a Hoover and not overload. On those that were more flavorful, it could be a 50+ minute smoke. And a good one.

And it was good flavor, and definitely Fuente flavor. I could occasionally taste my 858s in there, and I could also taste a wee bit of Opus X every so often, and a few other Fuente sticks, too. No bad notes. Good flavor, but sometimes a little distant. Staying with the football analogy, it was like watching the game from the upper deck at times. From the $3 seats back in the day.

Not necessarily a bad thing.

And in the all-important yard test, they easily did the job. I didn't really notice them unless I wanted to. What I noticed was pleasant. And they completely quelled the usual outdoor irritants.

So what's the verdict? We'll change the perspective from football to spirits.

The Curly Head's essence, a cigar made from many others, reminds me of a decent blended Scotch. I am a fan of the best blended Scotches; a top-tier blender can sometimes create a better, more interesting flavor than a single malt.

And as cigar blenders go, Fuente is one of the big ones.

So let's just say these Curly Heads were like a nice blended Scotch ... and water. And the water varied from drink to drink. Some were a little wet at times. But sometimes, you got a double.

Not necessarily a bad thing.

Are they better than a White Owl New Yorker? You bet. At $3 (over 3x the cost) I would sure hope so. Maybe not three times better. But substantially better in the subjective ways that matter most. Would I trade three White Owl smokes for one Curly Head? Depending on how long I want to puff, maybe so.

However, they lack the consistency and stronger good flavor of an 858. And don't even bother comparing them to the premium, more complex sticks. But it's only a $3 smoke. And in 2024, that's now an economy hand made.

A good economy cigar is all about hints and samples, hinting at what more money buys. This one delivered all the right hints. I think it tastes better than most comparable budget hand mades I've tried over the years (most of which are nearly tasteless, or taste like seasoned dirt). You know them, the ones the mail order vendors throw in for free, or are the house brands of certain cigar warehouses. I'll be kind and not name them.

This one is not one of them.

There is nothing bad about a Curly Head. Its sins are sins of omission.

Not necessarily a bad thing.

This one has some taste. It's a light taste, and it varies, but it's usually a good one. It's a cigar that a seasoned smoker used to richer sticks would be comfortable with, if not necessarily excited about. The excitement is whether the next one is a wet Dewars and water ... or whether the bartender is going to slip them a double. A slight enough variety to make it interesting without being wary.

Not necessarily a bad thing.

And that should make the yard days sufficiently interesting enough for me this summer.

So I went back and bought a box of 40.

And that ends this little thread. For now.

Now that was a heck of a fine review. I agree with most of your observations. Few things I enjoy more than a real premium smoke. A lounge chair on the lake with cold brew and a Don Carlos #3 or a Padron Anniversary is about as good as it gets. However those everyday rides on the tractor or working at one of my 1000 hobbies/chores are what the Curly Heads were made for. If you need a little more vitamin N, there is a Maduro verion of the CH.