Return to the Days of Old

While the debate rages on regarding the quality of Cuban cigars released in 1999 through 2000, the 2001 vintage will no doubt be mentioned as one of the best years ever to be released from Cuba. While the majority of what we smoke is still from1998 and older, we are concentrating on buying 2001 stock to start aging. Having sampled a wide variety of cigars from 2001, we have found that the level of craftsmanship has returned to the levels that have made Cuban cigars famous, and more importantly, so has the quality of tobacco. True, these cigars may still show a little youth, but it is undeniable that these cigars will age very nicely, if you have the will power to lay off them for a year, two would be even better.

The Montecristo No. 2 was always one of our favorite cigars a rich, full-bodied experience, but over the past couple years it has really been disappointing not living up to its legendary reputation. We often found ourselves saying, "Remember when...", and, "God, I wish...". Well, our prayers have been answered, as all of the Monte 2's from 2001 that we have acquired, have the potential to be some of the best that we have ever smoked. Truly, an epic smoking experience which can only be described as that brief moment in the delivery room just after you see your child enter the world, and just prior to cutting the umbilical chord, and the realization that YOU are now responsible for that eight pound, crying, mucous covered baby. But forget about all of that, I'm just talking about that brief moment when you "Da Man", unconquerable, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Now, imagine that moment lasting for 1 1/2 hours; an epic Cuban cigar experience, and that's the reason why men smoke more Cuban cigars than they have babies. Tonight, I was given some oily, leather-colored, musty smelling H. Upmann No. 2's from 2001 that again, while different, will be every bit as good (actually, I think they are slightly better) as the Monte 2's. There are several reasons, IMO, why the 2001 vintage is so great.

First, was the departure from the Habana 2000 seed back to Corojo. The Habana 2000 seed was a hybrid developed in the mid-late 90's for its higher yield and greater resistance to blue-mold. But, in fact, was no better at preventing blue-mold and, IMHO, did not smoke or age as well as the Corojo. Why depart from something that has made your product unrivaled and so desired all over the world?

Second, from a quality standpoint, the cigar boom of the 90's was one of the worst things that could have happened to the cigar industry. Increased demand required all cigar producing countries to hire new workers and increase tobacco production. Tobacco that would have been culled out into short-filler, was now being sold as premium tobacco. There was a time when Arturo Fuente 858's, the Hemingway and Don Carlos lines, and anything out of the Miami-based La Gloria Cubana factory, were one of my favorite cigars, Cuban or Domestic. With the exception of Padron, who has continued to maintain excellent quality and consistency through the cigar boom and into the present, I don't see any hope for many of the other the domestic brands, who would much rather concentrate on marketing their products than return to what once made their cigar so great. Cuba, on the other hand, understood that it needed to makes some necessary changes to improve their products. The 2001 vintage is the fruit of those efforts.