Esteli Nicaragua cigars

[Briar Lee]

I’ve become addicted to Bouy Gold tobacco. It’s not only ridiculously dirt cheap its a ridiculously good Virginia bright leaf forward blend.

At the tobacco shop in Versailles today where I was buying two pounds of Buoy Gold for about $25 there were Odessey hand rolled cigars on the counter, three for six bucks.

Odessey is imported by Scandinavian Tobacco from Estelí Nicaragua, probably the most prolific producers of hand rolled long filler premium cigars in the world.

These Estelí cigars are much like Buoy tobacco from North Carolina.

Not the best there is but damned close to being as good as the best. Not fancy, but a good, delicious, solid smoke.

Someday the do gooders will hike the forty cents a stick maximum tax on cigars and this world class two dollar a stick cigar bonanza will end.

Stock up now, while they are cheap.

Premium, large hand rolled long filler cigars of any brand were at least a dollar a stick forty and fifty years ago, in bundles.

Two dollars a stick today is an incredible bargain.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I smoke some Esteli while playing golf. Not in the upper tier but quite good and a great value.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

I’ve become addicted to Bouy Gold tobacco.

I didn't realize tobacco could be addictive.




On a serious note, the problem with these cheap cigars is usually that they're too mild for my taste. I'll give one of these Odesseys a shot though.

I don't know who makes these, but I've stocked up because they have a kick of pepper that is hard to find in a cheap stick.

Just a hair over a buck a piece, for the robustos. Short filler on these.

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Take a look at our Famous 365 Robusto Natural Cigars as well as other cigars here at Famous Smoke Shop.

www.famous-smoke.com

 

[Briar Lee]

My father and his fellow Grade A milk producers made the best tasting whole milk on the planet, fifty or so years ago.

There were some fortunate minerals and nutrients in the prairie grass of South West Missouri that made the milk taste good.

The best filler for cigars still comes from selected fields in Cuba. If there hadn’t been a Cuban Revolution 65 years ago there’d not have been Dominican, Honduran, and Nicaraguan cigar industries of any size.

That said, non Cuban cigars were good fifty years ago and much, much better today.

There is still some milk produced in Southwest Missouri, as well. Not much by hillbilly farmers who named every cow, which each knew their place in line to be milked. The fescue has overrun the prairie grass and immigrants on HB-1 visas have replaced the family men who milked the cows, but it still tastes like good milk, you know?

 

[dottlejockey]

This is one of my 3 favorite soils in the world for cigar tobacco. I actually enjoy some of the higher end Nicaraguan cigars just as well as stuff from the blessed isle of Cuba. The third shout out goes to Dominican Republic, however, i don't enjoy their lower end stuff. I've said for years that a person wants a budget stick that's still good quality and has lots of value in the flavor department, Esteli is the place to look!

 

[camaguey]

Odessey is not a favorite of mine. I found little body and extremley mild for me . It is what in Cuba is called tabaco flojo. In my opinion , there are better choices at low prices. But , if you like them , they are the way to go...for you.

 

[Briar Lee]

It would be in the best interest of everyone in America and in Cuba to normalize our trade relations.

The Cubans still operate our cars from the fifties. We have to be content with Dominican, Honduran and Nicaraguan cigars. We’d both come out winner.

But last night I was with a group of folks that were teenagers when I was born in 1958.

If they were Cuban immigrants in Florida, they could go back to Cuba and say there stands my house the government stole from me in 1959.

But inside that house in Cuba would be somebody who’d lived there 65 years.

It’s a problem Solomon couldn’t solve.

But long course of time will.

 

[PipeIT]

I stay away from General Cigar Co. & Scandanavia Tobacco Group for anything…

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

I stay away from General Cigar Co. & Scandanavia Tobacco Group for anything…

Might as well tell why...

 

[PipeIT]

Might as well tell why...

Well…

I guess the question(s) any serious cigar smoker would ask, are these brands as good as they once were, from the original producers?

And would the cigar experts/aficionados say now, they are producing the best of what these blends once were?

Tastes are subjective, and if they make something someone enjoys, there’s nothing wrong with that, smoke what you enjoy.

I’ve been told by a cigar expert to avoid General/STG brands that these brands now aren’t what they use to be.

And then I think too, with there being so many blenders out there in the world now, offering cigars of all prices, why bother with these brands, rhetorically speaking of. So I stay away, with so many choices, from the top new world blenders, I see no reason to bother…

 

[Briar Lee]

The reason to buy an Esteli cigar imported by a recognized brand like Scandinavian is they have a reputation to protect and they’ll switch producers if there’s too many bad cigars.

God couldn’t count all the cigar makers in Esteli.

Only the best sell to the majors.

It’s sort of like Nortb Carolina bright leaf.

If the package says Buoy or American Harvest it’s good stuff.

 

[PipeIT]

The reason to buy an Esteli cigar imported by a recognized brand like Scandinavian

I wasn’t talking/referring to who is Importing, but who is making the cigars.

Odyssey cigars are made by General Cigars, and it’s my understanding STG makes cigars too, even though General is suppose to be a subsidiary under STG. I don know all the fine details.

I’ve never heard anyone say before ‘EstelI Cigar’, because it where most of them come from. There’s also Herrera Esteli by Drew Estate, I’ve seen these called simply Esteli Cigars.

Herrera Esteli Habano Cigars - Drew Estate

Herrera Esteli is the brainchild of Willy Herrera, newest member of the Drew Estate team. Willy's presence at Drew Estate is notable.

drewestate.com

If I had to bet my butt on Cigar smokers when it comes to General and STG, I’d think any of them would take a Fuente any day over anything made by General/STG, and Fuente are from the Dominican Republic too. But Fuente is making a factory in Nicaragua, so this will be interesting to see these cigars in the future.

 

[Briar Lee]

There are over 80 factories in Esteli all making essentially the same product, hand rolled Nicaraguan cigars.

Nicaragua Rising | Cigar Aficionado

Where only decades ago the industry foundered, a combination of rich volcanic soil and a concentration of know-how have conspired to make Nicaragua the largest producer of premium cigars in the world. | Cigar Aficionado

www.cigaraficionado.com

In such a place the workers won’t have any loyalty. They’ll pack over to another factory for a penny more a stick.

You and me could go to Esteli and buy a ship load of cigars.

But, how would we sell them?

 

[PipeIT]

There are over 80 factories in Esteli all making essentially the same product, hand rolled Nicaraguan cigars.

Nicaragua Rising | Cigar Aficionado

Where only decades ago the industry foundered, a combination of rich volcanic soil and a concentration of know-how have conspired to make Nicaragua the largest producer of premium cigars in the world. | Cigar Aficionado

www.cigaraficionado.com

In such a place the workers won’t have any loyalty. They’ll pack over to another factory for a penny more a stick.

You and me could go to Esteli and buy a ship load of cigars.

But, how would we sell them?

I was editing over my last reply, not sure you saw it completed.

Well there are still good cigars in the Dominican Republic, and Honduras. I assume, don’t think Fuente is ever going to shut down their Dominican Republic production.

 

[danimalia]

I’ve become addicted to Bouy Gold tobacco. It’s not only ridiculously dirt cheap its a ridiculously good Virginia bright leaf forward blend.

At the tobacco shop in Versailles today where I was buying two pounds of Buoy Gold for about $25 there were Odessey hand rolled cigars on the counter, three for six bucks.

Odessey is imported by Scandinavian Tobacco from Estelí Nicaragua, probably the most prolific producers of hand rolled long filler premium cigars in the world.

These Estelí cigars are much like Buoy tobacco from North Carolina.

Not the best there is but damned close to being as good as the best. Not fancy, but a good, delicious, solid smoke.

Someday the do gooders will hike the forty cents a stick maximum tax on cigars and this world class two dollar a stick cigar bonanza will end.

Stock up now, while they are cheap.

Premium, large hand rolled long filler cigars of any brand were at least a dollar a stick forty and fifty years ago, in bundles.

Two dollars a stick today is an incredible bargain.

I've seen the Odysseys around, and because I haven't had many bundle cigars I've liked, I guess I thought I was kind of above them. Well, now my curiosity is piqued. I am always looking for a solid, cheap smoke.

 

[danimalia]

I wasn’t talking/referring to who is Importing, but who is making the cigars.

Odyssey cigars are made by General Cigars, and it’s my understanding STG makes cigars too, even though General is suppose to be a subsidiary under STG. I don know all the fine details.

I’ve never heard anyone say before ‘EstelI Cigar’, because it where most of them come from. There’s also Herrera Esteli by Drew Estate, I’ve seen these called simply Esteli Cigars.

Herrera Esteli Habano Cigars - Drew Estate

Herrera Esteli is the brainchild of Willy Herrera, newest member of the Drew Estate team. Willy's presence at Drew Estate is notable.

drewestate.com

If I had to bet my butt on Cigar smokers when it comes to General and STG, I’d think any of them would take a Fuente any day over anything made by General/STG, and Fuente are from the Dominican Republic too. But Fuente is making a factory in Nicaragua, so this will be interesting to see these cigars in the future.

STG makes a lot of cigars in Latin America, and acquired General Cigars a few years back. There are some really nice non-Cuban Punch, Hoyo, and La Gloria cigars under their purview. In recent years, they've tried to modernize and partner with other cigarmakers (OK, it's A LOT of Aj Fernandez, but also Dion Giolito from Illusione and Espinosa) for releases that take advantage of all their available leaf and economy of scale. Would I rather have a Punch Diablo over a good Opus X or Don Carlos? Probably not. Would I choose it over the Gran Reserva or Chateau Fuente lines? Yeah.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

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These are pretty good. Short filler though. Pretty good flavor. They're not your usual mild cheap cigars.

 

[Sigmund]

It would be in the best interest of everyone in America and in Cuba to normalize our trade relations.

I agree with you on this one. Wihout getting political I really think our relationship with Cuba is pretty stupid and I always have. The US has "Normal trade relations" with governments that are much worse in many ways. It always seemed like a grudge match. Meanwhile, politicians smoke their secret stash of Cuban cigars in the back room.

I can buy all of them I would want in the EU but I stick with a pipe. I prefer it most the time and its a lot of cash up in smoke.