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Last post 4 years ago by izonfire. 48 replies replies.
Graycliff cigars, any good?
USNGunner Offline
#1 Posted:
Joined: 05-17-2019
Posts: 4,402
Hey all,

Graycliff cigars, any thoughts? This sampler is $80. Deal or no deal?

Graycliff Top-Twenty Sampler contains:
4 x Graycliff Profesionale Series PG (5.2”x50)
4 x Graycliff Double Espresso Series (4.5”x54)
4 x Graycliff Original Series PG (5.2”x50)
4 x Graycliff 30-Year Vintage PG (5.2”x50)
4 x Graycliff 10-Year Vintage Maduro PG (5.2”x50)

I've never heard of them before, but that's not so surprising. LOL.

Thanks.
Pudding Mittens Offline
#2 Posted:
Joined: 08-15-2016
Posts: 1,291
.
In my experience with Graycliff cigars, which goes back at least 11 years during which I've periodically sampled them, they have consistently ranged from "meh" to terrible, and are overpriced. They unravel or flake apart as I smoke them, taste like nothing in particular, and cost far too much.

This includes the 2009 version of me, who didn't know any better at the time, buying 20 of the blue-band "Professionale" blend in the "Pirate" (torpedo) vitola for $120, so $6 each. These were the most worthless cigars I've ever had. Nearly all 20 self-destructed via flaking and unravelling as I smoked them, and had zero flavor. Sadly I let them age more than 30 days (the return window) before trying one (lesson learned, ALWAYS smoke one ROTT so you can return dog rockets!) I should've just donated the $120 to charity or something.

A major online cigar retailer actually stopped selling them some years ago, and replaced their Graycliff brand page with a text notice saying that they're no longer carrying them due to too many quality complaints and excessive prices.

Even the cigars they hand out at CigarFest each year... which you would THINK would be pretty good ones, as they're trying to impress 6,000 potential customers, have ranged from "meh in flavor" (if you're lucky) to "meh in flavor and self-destructs as you smoke it".

Steer clear, would be my advice. Spend that $80 on something better.
.
USNGunner Offline
#3 Posted:
Joined: 05-17-2019
Posts: 4,402
Pudding Mittens wrote:
Steer clear, would be my advice. Spend that $80 on something better.


thanks. That's what I wanted to know. Applause
clintCigar Offline
#4 Posted:
Joined: 05-14-2019
Posts: 4,682
On the contrary to PM I have that exact sampler u mention. Purchased back in June of 2019. I've smoked through half and have had zero noteworthy construction issues. The flavors across all have been pretty good. They hover around medium body except for the double espresso which is more medium-full. They're not super complex but the flavors I got were enjoyable. Maybe they have changed things since 2009.
USNGunner Offline
#5 Posted:
Joined: 05-17-2019
Posts: 4,402
Well, now we're running 50/50.

I'm still going to pass. I've got a bunch of good smokes I like. If I'm going to experiment, we'll try fivers first. Thanks guys. ThumpUp
tonygraz Offline
#6 Posted:
Joined: 08-11-2008
Posts: 20,175
I've never had a good one, The closest to good was an old one from an estate a buddy of mine had a sale for. I remember posting about it in the "what cigar your smoking" forum, but I'm too lazy to search for it.
rfenst Offline
#7 Posted:
Joined: 06-23-2007
Posts: 39,100
Double Espresso is a good cigar. Pass on the others.
Thunder.Gerbil Offline
#8 Posted:
Joined: 11-02-2006
Posts: 121,359
In order to meet CI's volume requirements, most, if not all, of the Graycliff cigars sold here are made under license in Honduras or Nicaragua. There was a huge debacle on that and the quality differences years ago on here. I have no idea if all the posts still exist or not, but some posters got into it with SvenR pretty heavy over the whole thing. It actually got pretty nasty.


jespear Offline
#9 Posted:
Joined: 03-19-2004
Posts: 9,462
rfenst wrote:
Double Espresso is a good cigar. Pass on the others.


I agree, Councillor.
Luke753 Offline
#10 Posted:
Joined: 08-28-2016
Posts: 857
Wasn't impressed, I've had way better for alot less.

(NEVER utter these words around the opposite sex)
Palama Offline
#11 Posted:
Joined: 02-05-2013
Posts: 23,461
USNGunner wrote:
Well, now we're running 50/50.

I'm still going to pass. I've got a bunch of good smokes I like. If I'm going to experiment, we'll try fivers first. Thanks guys. ThumpUp


Good move. ThumpUp

I’m at the point where I’d rather pay $8 per for stuff I know and enjoy than chase a bunch of maybes for half the price.
Cathcam13 Offline
#12 Posted:
Joined: 01-11-2018
Posts: 1,264
I have only smoked 2 Graycliff cigars and was not wowed by them. In fact, I would go so far as to call both a Meh at best...... I agree with Paloma. There are far too many cigars out there I enjoy, so I would definitely give those a firm PASS.
jjanecka Offline
#13 Posted:
Joined: 12-08-2015
Posts: 4,334
I've had the Casillerias Privadas, the Meritage, and the Double Espresso. Out of those the Meritage was cheap garbage. The other two were cheap but tolerable.

I hear the ones at the actual Graycliff Hotel in the bahamas are much better.
KingoftheCove Offline
#14 Posted:
Joined: 10-08-2011
Posts: 7,600
I’ve had 3 or 4 different ones years ago..........they weren’t horrible...
They weren’t even close to good either.
The double expresso or whatever? Never had one.
You’ve already figured it out, your 80 is spent more wisely, in dozens of other offerings........and that’s just shopping here.
m j toal Offline
#15 Posted:
Joined: 03-06-2009
Posts: 3,226
rfenst wrote:
Double Espresso is a good cigar. Pass on the others.

👍🏻
KingoftheCove Offline
#16 Posted:
Joined: 10-08-2011
Posts: 7,600
m j toal wrote:
👍🏻

Nice avatar............heh
danmdevries Offline
#17 Posted:
Joined: 02-11-2014
Posts: 17,124
I don't remember buying any, but I know I've smoked a couple. Don't remember the cigar, but I do remember reading about the real vs licensed greycliffs when I had smoked them.

The experience didn't lead to a follow up sale, so I'm putting in another vote for no.
dstieger Offline
#18 Posted:
Joined: 06-22-2007
Posts: 10,889
Graycliff makes some very good cigars. 4 out of 5 offered on cbid are not among them. DE is quite good. Crystal used to pop up here once in a while and is also good. The CI Legend Graycliff (purple) is among the best mild sub $3 cigars avail here. Turbos avail lately are decent.

G2, G5, Professional (blue I think), something with copper colored label, a couple with red bands.....1966 or something....all trash.
Mandoman Offline
#19 Posted:
Joined: 12-27-2005
Posts: 4,761
With a little patience, you can get every one of those for under $2/stick, some at $1 or less.
I won a couple bids. They're underwhelming. They keep selling, so somebody out there likes them.
Who knows, maybe you'll like them.
KingoftheCove Offline
#20 Posted:
Joined: 10-08-2011
Posts: 7,600
Mandoman wrote:
With a little patience, you can get every one of those for under $2/stick, some at $1 or less.
I won a couple bids. They're underwhelming. They keep selling, so somebody out there likes them.
Who knows, maybe you'll like them.

Heh heh........Gurkhas keep selling as well...
Somehow there is this continuous market for crappy cigars...
Think
It’s gotta be the steady influx of noobs to cigar smoking....
And then...
I think there are some people who, even after years of smoking cigars, simply can’t really appreciate the “difference” between a good cigar, and a yard gar. Thus, they can’t justify buying good cigars, because cheap yard gars, to them, are pretty much just as good.

If my palate was dulled down like that, I’d be buying $1 cigars all the time.

Mrs. dpnewell Offline
#21 Posted:
Joined: 08-23-2014
Posts: 1,373
I haven't smoked these in years, so I recently bid a buck on two PG and two 1666. I grossly overpaid.

David
midmofan Offline
#22 Posted:
Joined: 04-25-2014
Posts: 1,108
Although most folks around here know this, in case any Newbies or Lurkers glance at the thread...

Graycliff started out as a cigar you could only get at the Graycliff Hotel in the Bahamas. According to their website:

The Graycliff Cigar Company, beginning production in January 1997 with a single roller in foyer of the Graycliff Restaurant, has now expanded to an award winning boutique Cigar Company with 16 master rollers, each an expert in the art of cigar rolling. The Graycliff Cigar Company produces five brands of cigars: Graycliff, G2, Bahiba, Cabinet Selection by Graycliff and the newly introduced B-Cuz by Graycliff.

As confirmed by the powers-that-be from here at C-bid in earlier threads, the Graycliffs that Cbid has and that the folks that own the Mothership sell are NOT made by Graycliff in the Bahamas by those 16 rollers. The name has been licensed and they are gennerally made/ mass produced in Nicaragua or Honduras especially for the owner of the Mothership & related companies like Cbid.

This was from Trish at CBid on this forum long-long ago:

We pay a fee to use their name. Its called a licensing fee, kinda like the fee you pay to be able to put your pro sports teams' names on t-shirts, jerseys, etc.... [G]raycliff is aware of it as they rake in the money. Nothing underhanded and no one has ever said that these cigars are from the Bahamas. We'll make mention of their name in the marketing information but again, nothing underhanded there.

You may not like how 95% of the products in the world are marketed, but that doesn't make it wrong. There's a lot of things I don't like: Pistashio ice cream, high credit card interest rates, kids mouthing off to their parents. But most of it I can't fix. So, like the pistashio ice cream thing, I just don't buy it. if you don't like the Graycliff cigars we sell, don't buy them.


And in a later follow up from her:

"[Graycliffs are] a sanctioned product, made in a different location.

If you want the real deal Graycliff cigars, you MUST purchase them from the hotel in the Bahamas. They don't distribute them anywhere else, to the best of my knowledge. So its safe to say that if you're purchasing it from us, its not made in the Bahamas. If you do your homework, you would find this information out and not be looking for them on an auction site.

If you were to buy a t-shirt that said Dallas Cowboys on it that wasn't licensed by the NFL, that would be a knock-off. If you go to Chinatown in NYC and buy a 'coach' purse that isn't actually made by Coach, that's a knock-off. If you buy a Graycliff cigar that you don't like, was made in Honduras but is licensed to a company that had it made in Honduras, that is NOT a knock-off - its a cigar you don't like."


Contrary to what Trish said (and to be fair this is an old post so things may very well have changed) it seems you can get genuine hotel-rolled Graycliffs in some places, but you are talking $20 and up per cigar.

Now none of that means the CI/Cbid Graycliffs are necessarily bad, but don't be confused.

Long time ago, I picked up some Graycliff Platinums (a type I don't see around anymore) as part of a sampler at CI and they were outstanding. I got another batch later on and they were nowhere near as good. Tasted blah and unraveled. Have not been tempted since then.
Hank_The_Tank Offline
#23 Posted:
Joined: 11-15-2016
Posts: 3,677
Hard pass.

Some of them were good 10+ years ago, now they are dog rockets. About as good as a Gurkha.
ZRX1200 Offline
#24 Posted:
Joined: 07-08-2007
Posts: 60,476
I got into it with SvenR over the claims of origin when the mazos clearly stated “made in Honduras” and we ask had quite a talk about the Espresso vs Double Espresso then the use of the “Double Espresso” on other cigars brands claiming it was a vitola not a comment on a blend difference.

The DE is good. The 30 Years were really good before the label change I wouldn’t push my recommendation past a label change here.
Dg west deptford Offline
#25 Posted:
Joined: 05-25-2019
Posts: 2,836
Pm me an addy, I'd be more than happy to send you a few of my remaining 30yrs gratis. Of course I'll consider them the bodyguards of the send to make it worth the postage.
Got one in a cigar of the month club from thomsux years ago and loved it so I bought a box and have grown to despise them. Reading this thread I suspect the box was different than the one I got in the sampler.
KingoftheCove Offline
#26 Posted:
Joined: 10-08-2011
Posts: 7,600
Dg west deptford wrote:
Pm me an addy, I'd be more than happy to send you a few of my remaining 30yrs gratis. Of course I'll consider them the bodyguards of the send to make it worth the postage.
Got one in a cigar of the month club from thomsux years ago and loved it so I bought a box and have grown to despise them. Reading this thread I suspect the box was different than the one I got in the sampler.

That good....eh?

Ha! Pretty sure that’s the first time I’ve read a negative cigar review quite so succinct, yet eloquent.
Applause
24132413 Offline
#27 Posted:
Joined: 01-25-2017
Posts: 555

.....The Graycliff 30 Year Vintage and 10 Year Vintage are excellent cigars. The rest are average, decent, ok.

Herfing
delta1 Offline
#28 Posted:
Joined: 11-23-2011
Posts: 28,754
I've had two authentic Graycliff cigars, both Crystals. Both excellent. Bought them at a local B & M...where I noticed all the Graycliffs had "Bahamas" on the labels and were rolled with shaggy feet. Don't recall any internet licensed "Graycliff" cigars rolled with shaggy feet.. AFAIK, those two Crystals were authentic made-in-the-Bahamas Graycliff cigars. They were pricey...about $18 and $20 (different sizes), before CA taxes...

the price tag of authentic Graycliff cigars keeps me from buying more. Maybe I'll pick up a few when/if I visit the Bahamas...

The Graycliff White/Crystal that I bought from C-Bid a few years ago were nowhere near the authentic Graycliff Crystal purchased from the B & M. I bought a fiver of Graycliff Professionale, with the royal blue label, marked off 90% from the original MSRP ($2.50 for a $25 cigar) and I wouldn't pay $0.25 for any more of those. Smoked the Double Espresso, which was OK, and an aged Platinum which was very good.

Here's my analogy: Graycliff cigars bought on-line from internet cigar dealers are to authentic Bahamas Graycliff cigars as Dominican Cohiba cigars are to Cuban Cohiba cigars...different products, with the same name, but if you like them, smoke them...

kinda like non-Cuban Partagas, Bolivar, Trinidad, Montecristo and Romeo and Juliet cigars...same name as Cuban made cigars but totally different manufacturers and tobaccos...and which plenty of cigar smokers enjoy...
SirKnight Offline
#29 Posted:
Joined: 12-19-2018
Posts: 605
Agree Delta, the Greycliff on here are not the same as the ones made in the Bahamas, I buy mine there directly at the hotel. They also have a roll your own where they show you how to roll and you can leave with three cigars you roll as well as tours and sc. Awesome place to eat as well.
jjanecka Offline
#30 Posted:
Joined: 12-08-2015
Posts: 4,334
Kind of like Gurkha, they sell a license to the name so other manufacturers canake whatever blend they want. Usually these get cheap manufacturer s that just want to make a quick buck so that's how a label gets a bad reputation.
USNGunner Offline
#31 Posted:
Joined: 05-17-2019
Posts: 4,402
I had a targeted strike on my mailbox just now. Out of the blue.

The Graycliff starter pack courtesty of ClintCigar. Thanks buddy.

https://imgur.com/gallery/BXNC717

So, what to do..........................?
clintCigar Offline
#32 Posted:
Joined: 05-14-2019
Posts: 4,682
^YW! I threw in that Saint Luis Rey Serie G Maduro too due to it being my most recent less than $10 favorite maduro find. Enjoy!
USNGunner Offline
#33 Posted:
Joined: 05-17-2019
Posts: 4,402
clintCigar wrote:
^YW! I threw in that Saint Luis Rey Serie G Maduro too due to it being my most recent less than $10 favorite maduro find. Enjoy!


Thanks my man. To quote the zombie, muahahahahahaha! Think
clintCigar Offline
#34 Posted:
Joined: 05-14-2019
Posts: 4,682
IIRC my order on these starting with favorite was as follows

Double Espresso
10-Year Vintage Maduro
30-Year Vintage
Profesionale
Original

For sure on the top 2 the last 3 are a little foggy lol. Might give u some sort of starting point. Herfing
USNGunner Offline
#35 Posted:
Joined: 05-17-2019
Posts: 4,402
clintCigar wrote:
IIRC my order on these starting with favorite was as follows

Double Espresso
10-Year Vintage Maduro
30-Year Vintage
Profesionale
Original

For sure on the top 2 the last 3 are a little foggy lol. Might give u some sort of starting point. Herfing


Got it. I appreciate that. I'll ash them in reverse order. Applause
jjanecka Offline
#36 Posted:
Joined: 12-08-2015
Posts: 4,334
FULL REVIEW
clintCigar Offline
#37 Posted:
Joined: 05-14-2019
Posts: 4,682
The Commie 13 sanctioned Graycliff review......stay tuned
ZRX1200 Offline
#38 Posted:
Joined: 07-08-2007
Posts: 60,476
https://www.cigarbid.com...yearvintagepgx/3500737/

Look what y’all did! You inspired a Floridian to be a real man and not lose a bid!!!!

Bravo!
dstieger Offline
#39 Posted:
Joined: 06-22-2007
Posts: 10,889
Yet, he gets if for only a third of msrp
clintCigar Offline
#40 Posted:
Joined: 05-14-2019
Posts: 4,682
LOL
Bones33 Offline
#41 Posted:
Joined: 08-08-2013
Posts: 238
USNGunner wrote:
Hey all,

Graycliff cigars, any thoughts? This sampler is $80. Deal or no deal?

Graycliff Top-Twenty Sampler contains:
4 x Graycliff Profesionale Series PG (5.2”x50)
4 x Graycliff Double Espresso Series (4.5”x54)
4 x Graycliff Original Series PG (5.2”x50)
4 x Graycliff 30-Year Vintage PG (5.2”x50)
4 x Graycliff 10-Year Vintage Maduro PG (5.2”x50)

I've never heard of them before, but that's not so surprising. LOL.

Thanks.

Wouldn’t touch it with a 70 foot pole
They all suck
Pudding Mittens Offline
#42 Posted:
Joined: 08-15-2016
Posts: 1,291
Bones33 wrote:
Wouldn’t touch it with a 70 foot pole
They all suck

I write 5 paragraphs, this guy nails the same sentiment in 11 words.

Bravo! I need to be more pithy!

(And yes, they do suck).
.
copuffer1 Offline
#43 Posted:
Joined: 09-15-2017
Posts: 11
I've smoked a few of the graycliff g2 sticks and I absolutely love those cigars. They're medium to light bodied, no strength, but ooooh, you will taste the cream from the get go.
ZRX1200 Offline
#44 Posted:
Joined: 07-08-2007
Posts: 60,476
Hey buddy, how you doing?

Do you like camping?
clintCigar Offline
#45 Posted:
Joined: 05-14-2019
Posts: 4,682
#10 what's going on with them Graycliff reviews? Herfing

Palama Offline
#46 Posted:
Joined: 02-05-2013
Posts: 23,461
copuffer1 wrote:
I've smoked a few of the graycliff g2 sticks and I absolutely love those cigars. They're medium to light bodied, no strength, but ooooh, you will taste the cream from the get go.


Howard, you reading this?
USNGunner Offline
#47 Posted:
Joined: 05-17-2019
Posts: 4,402
clintCigar wrote:
#10 what's going on with them Graycliff reviews? Herfing



Pending. That's why I passed on the review blind pass. Haven't had time to get to those yet.

As soon as I can block the time to do them right, I'm on it.

V
izonfire Offline
#48 Posted:
Joined: 12-09-2013
Posts: 8,642
copuffer1 wrote:
I've smoked a few of the graycliff g2 sticks and I absolutely love those cigars. They're medium to light bodied, no strength, but ooooh, you will taste the cream from the get go.

Celtic can be premature at times,
but he'll work with you to extend the experience.

Enjoy your smokes!
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