Any comments on these?

I have only smoked the churchhill I thought it was a pretty good cigar. I have one left somewere I beleive I will dig it out and try before I decide to jump.

YUK, BLAH, PHOOEY, GAG, CHOKE, NO Good... Don't buy these...

Low

LOL @ Low ...

... and I'm TRYING to hold back comment, but I don't know how long I can last ... 😉

Hold out till 8/14... ;o)

I've just recently been introduced to these and found them to be an excellent smoke. Full flavor, med/full bodieed, very smooth maduro smoke. I jumped on the special, be interesting to see how these are with a few months rest on them.

Low, Then's who's GL from Belville NJ???? LMAO

Dog rockets!

Not fit for bass players. Tried one once and thought I just lit a rolled up newspaper.

I'd like to know if this is old or new stock. The original Estevan Cruz was made at Tabacalera Tambor and blended by Don Douglas, who also blended Bahia and Bucanero. That was the cigar that received very high ratings in both Smoke Magazine and Cigar Aficianado. Since 2000, it's a totally different cigar; perhaps more powerful, but lacking the smoothness and complexity of the original Estevan Cruz.

I've tracked down an article that appeared in Cigar Aficianado, July, 2000. Portions are reprinted below:

"Estavan Cruz Releases New Dominican Version

U.S. Cigar Sales Takes Over Manufacturing

After being removed from the cigar market for several months during 1999, Estavan Cruz has resurfaced with a new manufacturer and a new blend. The brand is now being made in the Dominican Republic with a fuller bodied taste. Owners hope this will attract more customers while retaining their existing clientele.

Originally released in December 1995, Estavan Cruz was manufactured at Tabacalera Tambor in Costa Rica under the supervision of Douglas S. Pueringer. In May 1999, Pueringer signed an exclusive deal with Tony Borhani to manufacture Bahia cigars. This left the owners of the Estavan Cruz brand in search of a new manufacturer.

Steven Sacks, president of Estavan Cruz said 'I was really upset. The brand was starting to do well and we were left out to dry.'

Finding a new manufacturer wasn't as difficult as Sacks believed it would be. After discussions with several cigarmakers in the Dominican Republic, Sacks reached an agreement with Bent Ahm of U.S. Cigar Sales to undertake the project in Santiago. Ahm also supervises the manufacturing of Habano Primero and Don Tomás Dominican Selection.

Sacks said,'We've always had a good relationship with Bent,and he was up for the challenge of making a new blend.'

The new Estavan Cruz line is available in six sizes: Corona Gigante (7" by 54 ring gauge), Belicoso Torpedo (6" by 54), Robusto (5" by 50), Poncho (5 1/2" by 52), Lonsdale (6 1/2" by 44) and Churchill (6 7/8" by 48). Made with an Ecuadoran binder and a blend of filler tobaccos from Brazil, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, the sizes also feature a Sumatra wrapper from Ecuador. For those looking for a darker, richer cigar, the line is also available with a broadleaf maduro wrapper from Connecticut."

So the question remains...which cigar is this?

The following comes from the CBid description:
"It's hand-rolled with a very attractive, oily Connecticut Broadleaf maduro wrapper."

Based on the description in CA article, my guess is that these are Dominican.

============================================================
Steve*R wrote:
"I'd like to know if this is old or new stock. The original Estevan Cruz was made at Tabacalera Tambor and blended by Don Douglas, who also blended Bahia and Bucanero."
============================================================

I'd like to know the same thing for the same reasons ...

The feline has exited the sack! %$#@#$%&*!!!!

THL: I'm not sure what your comment about the cat being out of the bag is supposed to mean.

As a person who has shared cigars and cigar knowledge for over forty years, I think it's incumbent on me and others to share what they know about a particular cigar. Even if I knew that these boxes of Estevan Cruz were hand blended by Don Douglas in Costa Rica in 1999, I wouldn't consider not sharing the information with other cigar smokers. In the same vein, if these cigars are Don Tomas clones then I think there's the responsibility to inform people that these cigars are new product-Dominican.

Whether I'm able to acquire a box(es) at a favorable price should not be a consideration.

Steve*R,

Maybe this is what he was talking about...

18. TL of Eldersburg, MD $35.00 2 of 2 Dec 08, 08:50 PM EST


I thank you for your continued diligence in the sharing of your experience.

Take care

Steve*R your input is greatly appreciated. Your cigar knowledge puts you in an elite class with only a few others on this board and you probably have forgotten more about cigars than I'll ever know. Fact is, these cigars flew under most folks' radar for years. I'm lamenting the fact that that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. If we wanted to pay retail, this site would not exist. It appears that I have offended your altruistic sensibilities and for that I apologize.

Heck ... for $35 ... I'm willing to take my chances. If they are the blend from the Don Douglas era ...

WOO-WOO !!!

If not, for around $1.50 a cigar, they are still better than most of the comparable cigars (price wise) that are offered here ... and I've had both.

I use to rave about these here years ago, especially the 'Short Cruz', until I wised up (as per Lowman's comments above) ... to keep the prices down.

Heck ... they're $25 cheaper than the discounted retail they've got 'em at CI !!!

And since CB seems to have a 'connection' to a lot of the closeouts and 'older' forgotten lines ... I'm leaning towards that it's not the latter.

Or, just email customer service, and ask ... 😉

There ... now the cat IS out of the bag ... and at least I've got mine ... hehehe!

...oops ...

I think I just stepped on my tounge ... LOL!

I just blew up te photo they've got over at CI, and it does say 'Dominican Republic', and I should have known that very few cigars are produced in Costa Rica anymore, becasue of the extreme high costs ...

... oh well, I'm still happy, becasue they are still a good cigar, if you like them a little more 'full-bodied', which is what lean towards anyway ...

... and it's still a good deal.

I think I'll pass... I got a box of Puros Indios Real for $28.00 last night. So I think I've found my deal for the week. I'm happy and no risk on a box of Rockets. Though these are most likely not in the Zelo de Cuba catagory...

ajeorth

All these closeouts are cleaning me out. I appreciate the deals, but I've had enough for awhile. Thanks, Slim for the detective work.

----Hey Lowman, you from Belleville, N.J.? I used to live there on Mill St.