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So the seconds I believe I have a fair idea about, that it's merely minor cosmetic issues or a few too many produced (???). Are there ever true issues with the way these smoke or taste compared to the proper versions?
How good are the knock offs? Are they close enough that without the bands you'd have trouble picking which was which? Has anyone tried them and compared? Are they worth trying out?
I haven't tried the CI knock offs before, but I have smoked the Consuegra lines from JR Cigar and they're pretty decent for the price. The Consuegra Dominican 450 robusto is a good early day smoke with coffee. I think most of the line are overruns of Punch, El Rey Del Mundo, Hoyo de Monterey and JR Ultimate. They do need a little rest ...
Just my opinion; CI has a massive offering of very nice low priced sticks. The 2nds and knockoffs are a waste of time, I've tried a bunch of them. Stuff like Schizo, Obsidian, and Legado De Pepin are available at very cheap prices, and are a a good deal better in every aspect.
And for what it's worth, most 2nds are not as advertised, they are not $8 cigars with a sun spot on the wrapper. They are not close to the real deal most of the time.
I have enjoyed the Macanudo and Cohiba knockoffs for what they are, $2 cheapies. Close? No, but enjoyable as cheap sticks. I have thoroughly enjoyed the JR alternatives much more, specifically the Cuban E.L. alt of Cohiba Sublime...
I've never pulled the trigger on any of these...
But being the cheap-o cigar smoker that I am, I am surprised I haven't. I am usually all over the cheap stuff.
But, at the same time, kinda like @RogueBallBoy mentioned, there are so many name brand cheap stuff out there already...may be a waste of time. Cbid has some deals out there...
I have several of the "Oliva" seconds from CI and they have been great..
For the price, they smoke smooth and nice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Usafvet509
I second the macanudo knockoffs are good. I have also smoked a fair share of AJ seconds and they are good. I dont think either stand up to a side by side compsrison but are good cheapies. If you are looking for another good cheapie recomendation I truly enjoy General Grants. They are a little ugly but smoke good.
I thought at some point someone did some side by side comparisons of knockoffs to name brands?
Probably at the other place, maybe?
The last bunch of "seconds" I got from CI were the ligero laced seconds. Rumors were that they were Cains, since the sizes matched up with various lines of Cain cigars. I got the "F lanceros" and although definitely not a Cain F lancero second (if seconds of those even exist, which is highly unlikely), a really tasty smoke for the $2 price tag and definitely smoked above it's price point. I think I bought 4 or 5 bundles of 15.
I don't think I've ever bought seconds that claim to be rejects of an established brand, so I have no idea if they have the same flavor profile as the more expensive "firsts".
While I cannot vouch for CI knock offs or seconds I regularly get the Alec Bradley seconds from famous smoke shop and they are so close in my opinion that without bands it would be nearly impossible to tell the difference. Especially if you are aging retentive like me and let everything or almost everything cure for at least 6 months before smoking them.
One BOTL sent me one of the 4.2" X 34 "Pequeno" size Cohiba Knock-offs in a sampler pack awhile back. I've since purchased a couple of the bundles of 30. They're not exactly the same, but similar to the Red Dots. A nice quick smoke for the price.
I have the Red Dot version on my list as those little cigars can be had for under $2 in bulk, and I've figured going smaller may be better than going cheaper (but also for a quick smoke), but some have mentioned they were ho-hum and so I'm not as inclined as I was.
I do have the CAO Karats on my list to try next month as I know I like the Gold Robustos. But the Red Dots are actually a little bit cheaper in the small cigars but more expensive in the larger cigars...
Those Legado de Pepin's are a good Corojo wrapped cigar. I picked up a box for around $50 on the devil site...Quote:
Originally Posted by RogueBallBoy