Smoked my first ESG last night. Appearance-wise, not a bump or vein in sight, but the Colorado-color wrapper was kind of thick and leathery. Great cap, perfect burn and draw.
Smoked like a VSG Lite -- starts off with what tatsed like a blast of Olor and pepper, which tricked me into thinking it would be a much milder cigar than it progressed into. Within an inch or so, the pepper floated into the background and a leathery, slightly sweet flavor with just a touch of wood took over. Delicious down to the band, where it got a little hot and sour.
If $18 isn't much money to you, and you like VSG and Opus, then you can certainly enjoy this stick without regrets.
Glad to hear a review on this Cigar. I am trying to get my hands on some of these. My shop is only going to get one box and Im sure they will be gone the day they hit the shelfs.
"The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten." -Chris
Actually, at $18 a stick, these have been on the shelf for over a week at my local shop. Even the guys who buy PAM and Anos 100 by the box only seem to be grabbing one or two at most. I think Ashton has surpassed a lot of peoples' comfort levels with the price on these.
$21.95 and only one per customer in Brick, NJ. To rich for me, and I heard they need to sit for a couple of months to not be so harsh. That's just what i heard.
Your first shot puts him down, then you put one in his brain. Then he's dead, then we go home
I've have 5 sticks total. I'm not going to purchase anymore. I haven't smoked them yet and looking forward to. I'll probably let them sit for a few months to age them some more. At that price, I rather smoke Opus, Anejos, Davidoff or Tatuaje.
I'm have been picking them up (with the one stick limit at a time) when I stop by Holt's. Just building up a small supply to have in rotation. It'll be a once in awhile thing.
Posts: 818 | Location: Central New Jersey | Registered: March 15, 2005
The two that i have smoked have tasted like a litter box. tons of ammonia. i e-mailed ashton and they responded nicely and professionaly to my complaint saying this was the first they have heard of it. since then i have heard others loclly and online that have had mixed reviews. i was completely disappointed. i have one left that i'll smoke in a year or so. not sure why it tasted so young, as these have been over a year in the making...
Mine didn't burn straight to save its life and had no flavor.
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People aren't smoking cigars to be trendy, cool or stylish. They're smoking cigars because they like them. Because they enjoy the experience. Because for about $5 they can spend an hour sampling one of life's greatest luxuries. -David Savona
Posts: 1157 | Location: Ferndale, MI | Registered: October 03, 2004
Originally posted by Extensioncord: Actually, at $18 a stick, these have been on the shelf for over a week at my local shop. Even the guys who buy PAM and Anos 100 by the box only seem to be grabbing one or two at most. I think Ashton has surpassed a lot of peoples' comfort levels with the price on these.
People are buying one or two because they probably are only allowed to as per Ashtons instructions.
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People aren't smoking cigars to be trendy, cool or stylish. They're smoking cigars because they like them. Because they enjoy the experience. Because for about $5 they can spend an hour sampling one of life's greatest luxuries. -David Savona
Posts: 1157 | Location: Ferndale, MI | Registered: October 03, 2004
Mine didn't burn straight to save its life and had no flavor.
Amen to that, mine was the same way. Generally speaking I like the cigars made by the Fuentes, even the incredibly hyped-up OpusX's and VSG's at sometimes hefty prices. But this cigar lacked complexity, was very bland, burned unevenly, and most importantly cost 24 bucks for the 6 3/4 inch by 50 size. Biggest waste of money on the market in my opinion. Only thing about the cigar becoming of the price was the beautiful label. This cigar to me was little more than an glorified Macanudo at 3 times the price...
I haven't been impressed yet either. I've picked up five and laid them down to rest and finally smoked one the other night, and was not impressed at all. Very flat, and to be honest, nothing like a VSG at all. I'll stay with VSG robustos in the Ashton line, much better smoke in my opinion. These are over-hyped and over rated. Torano Virtuosos are much better smokes for a fourth of the money, and the VSG's at half the price are better. Tatuaje and Cabaiguan blow these away and are still half the price.
Mike
"Eating and sleeping are the only activities that should be allowed to interrupt a man's enjoyment of his cigar." Mark Twain
In an addenum to my previous post, and a post I made in another thread...I smoked my second of the five I've had resting in my Fuente humidor, and I'm still tremendously underwhelmed.
Both Ashton ESG 20 year salutes that I have smoked have "chunneled", or burned unevenly with a visible tunnel going straight up the side. I can't attribute this to anything but poor bunching and binding when they were made since they come out of a humidor that's at 70 degrees and 65 percent humidity, and the Fuente's they are next to burn perfectly. This uneven burning required constant touch up only to happen again at the same place each time. The initial light up of the cigar revealed some very bitter flavors that didn't even out until the first third of the cigar was gone. Toward the middle of the cigar, both did exhibit a bitter taste like that of ammonia that JSpriz said, very disappointing indeed. The wrappers on both of these cigars, as well as the other three that I have in the humidor are very rough, and filled with veins, nowhere near the quality of wrapper that you would expect on a cigar they charge this much for. As far as a creamy finish that they described in the review in the August 8 cigar insider, I want to know what the heck they were smoking, because neither of these have exhibited anything near creamy at all on the finish notes.
Better smokes for the money would be the regular Ashton VSG's, La Aurora Pueblo Dominicano torpedos, 5 Vegas Limitada torpedos, La Aurora 1495,Torano Virtuosos, Cuesta Rey Centro Fino SG's, Fuente Chateau Fuente SG's, Fuente SG Cuban Belicoso, Montesino SG's, Rocky Patel SG torps, and a few others. At $18 a stick MSRP, the Ashton ESG's are simply not worth the price..period. I checked my review figures on both that I smoked, and both came out to about 82 on the CA scale. Any of the other smokes I listed are way above that as far as quality of blend, construction, and can be had for half the price, or two of those versus one of the ESG's.
I talked to the tobacco store today where I got them from, and other people have said pretty much the same to him about the burn and quality issues, and I don't think he will carry anymore since they are just not up to par with the VSG's and he is able to get Ashtons when other dealers around here can't. Now that says something when a dealer isn't impressed with a "flagship" line of cigars.
Mike
"Eating and sleeping are the only activities that should be allowed to interrupt a man's enjoyment of his cigar." Mark Twain
Originally posted by CECtech: It sounds like these things need a little age on them. I've heard the same from some fellows around here.
If you tried this cigar you'd disagree. If this thing aged any more, it'd be as weak as sucking air through a straw. Maybe it'd go down a little more smoothly (the small amount of flavor present was bitter and unpleasant), but the cigars I had were lost causes. Nothing could save those smokes, and this is coming from someone who normally loves Fuente smokes. The VSG, OpusX, and even Don Carlos put the much more expensive ESG to shame...
I was in Chicago on Biz and came across a store that had 2 boxes. i bought two and smoked it right away. It was great. my other half loved the smell as well. It smoked like a VSG but without the dryness. It had great flavor and looks as good or better than most iv seen. the burn was perfect as well and held a great ash. at$23 a stick they are a bit pricy. but i convinced my self to go back and buy 15 more. since iv smoke 2 others. one was as good as the first but the other did not have the same burn and flaked a bit. For those that have not enjoyed them i would say try another. you cant rate a cigar on just one stick. But i guess if you are paying $18 to $25 they should all be prety close.
These go for 25 bucks at my local shop. I would like to try one but just can't justify spending that much money on a cigar that I'm not positive will blow me away.
I hate to point out the obvious but anything near or over $20/stick price point must be from an island that starts with a C ends with an A and in the middle has UB.
You can buy dang near any CC for $20-25 including aged stuff, so I won't be taking any chances with this stick. I love the VSG, Opus, and many others, but I buy them at MSRP only. In my opinion, they are worth the price at MSRP.
Best value in cigars right now is the Hoyo De monterrey Dark Sumatra (pick your size). Great flavor for about $5-6, with the $12 sticks not being anywhere close to twice as good.
Posts: 605 | Location: Alabama | Registered: November 09, 2006
Posted May 04, 2007 12:15 PM Hide Post I was in Chicago on Biz and came across a store that had 2 boxes. i bought two and smoked it right away. It was great. my other half loved the smell as well. It smoked like a VSG but without the dryness. It had great flavor and looks as good or better than most iv seen. the burn was perfect as well and held a great ash. at$23 a stick they are a bit pricy. but i convinced my self to go back and buy 15 more. since iv smoke 2 others. one was as good as the first but the other did not have the same burn and flaked a bit. For those that have not enjoyed them i would say try another. you cant rate a cigar on just one stick. But i guess if you are paying $18 to $25 they should all be prety close.
You experience dryness in the VSG? Which particular VSG--or all of them, for you?
