I'm wondering if it would be a good idea to buy them or is there a high risk of getting crap, especially since they are discounted? I would love to get them with that much age on them but I’m not sure what condition they might be in. Has anyone had any experience ordering “aged”, “vintage” stock? In particular how was 1999 for Lusitanias? Thanks.

I would buy them!

Yea but under $180 a box I'm seriously sceptical. Although with almost 10 years on them it would be awesome. I don't know.

This is my biggest concern.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dusko007,

The years from 97-01 were plagued with serious quality problems. I have largely been disappointed by all marcas and vitolas from those years, including Partagas Lusitanias.

Then again, every box is different - but if it's on discount, that should tell you something.

Yea you’re right. I should better get a box of 07s or 08s. At least I know they are phenomenal.

quote:

Originally posted by Scottological:
The years from 97-01 were plagued with serious quality problems. I have largely been disappointed by all marcas and vitolas from those years, including Partagas Lusitanias.

Then again, every box is different - but if it's on discount, that should tell you something.

I was SO tempted to pull the trigger on these too but decided against it due to the same reasons .... $177.29 for a 9 year old box of lusi's.......very tempting.

I have had nothing but good luck with many Partagas Lusi,Punch Double Corona's Punch Churchill's.Especially from 97,98,99.The price is to good to be true but that might be because everyone is afraid to buy and your vendor just wants to sell them off.On the other hand they may be crap.Only you know the relationship you have with your vendor. Doesn't he guarantee his goods i am sure he would exchange or refund accordingly.

I remember there was a post like this a while ago started by Party Gus. He bought a box of "vintage" Lusi's from a reputable online vendor at a discount and vowed to never buy "vintage" cigars online ever again. $180 leads to some skepticism in my view. Let me try to find that thread.

Here are two threads on the subject:

http://forums.cigaraficionado.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/76...=104106884#104106884

http://forums.cigaraficionado.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/76...=781103405#781103405

just be aware that lots of issues existed in those years... but as Sheep said, this doesn't mean they are bad.. maybe people are just afraid to buy them...

last february, I found in an Amsterdam cigar shop 3 boxes of Partagas Series du conaisseur #1 dated June 1999.. at first, i was skeptical about them, remembering the issues that plagued Cuban cigars those years.. but then I started examining more closely the boxes.. the cigars looked great... they were very nicely bunched.. not overfilled, no hard or soft spots ... they just looked great... so I dcided to buy a box...

i tried one of them a few weeks back, and they are fantastic.. i just regret i did not buy all 3 boxes... mind you, I had already surpassed my custom exemption..

quote:

Originally posted by salibas007:
just be aware that lots of issues existed in those years... but as Sheep said, this doesn't mean they are bad.. maybe people are just afraid to buy them...

last february, I found in an Amsterdam cigar shop 3 boxes of Partagas Series du conaisseur #1 dated June 1999.. at first, i was skeptical about them, remembering the issues that plagued Cuban cigars those years.. but then I started examining more closely the boxes.. the cigars looked great... they were very nicely bunched.. not overfilled, no hard or soft spots ... they just looked great... so I dcided to buy a box...

i tried one of them a few weeks back, and they are fantastic.. i just regret i did not buy all 3 boxes... mind you, I had already surpassed my custom exemption..

Sal, I remember you talking about those a few weeks ago. You even had some nice pics to go along! How were those Partagas priced compared to current production? Are they being sold as "aged vintage" at a higher price or at a discounted price? It would be nice to go to a B&M and inspect the cigars yourself before buying, but that is a problem with these online vendors which is why I tend to steer away from them.

Originally posted by salibas007:
... mind you, I had already surpassed my custom exemption..

Ha ha, by like 5 boxes. Thanks for the advice guys. Well the deal is buy two boxes save 20%. But I'm not sure I want to commit to 2 boxes. Heck if I were to buy 2 and they suck well that will be a hard learned lesson. But damn 99 it's so tempting and on top of that this ridiculously low price
Maybe I'll give them a call.

ive picked up about 5 asst. boxes of vintage cc's online and they are smoking fantastic. ill probably stick to buying vintage rather than torturing myself for years aging youthful cc's.

my 2 cents.

Got a box of 98 Punch DCs. Fired the first one up last night and it was great. Lots of wood, leather flavor and rich smoke. I understand the concerns about vintage smokes and would suggest if you know the vendor and their return policy to go for it.

I've had some fine cigars from 99. Biggest concern is how well they have been stored the past 9 years.

I would pass unless you can get a cigarfax report upfront and a money back guarantee.

I went ahead and ordered them......I'll post a progress report.

Well mine are in. I haven’t had a chance to properly inspect them yet but they seem ok (no visible defects).

Ok, a thorough inspection revealed a few bumps and burses on some of the cigars where the feet are cracked a bit and, thanks to an awesome quality control, some of the cigars in both boxes are a little shorter than others (about 1/8” maximum). Curiosity got the best of me and I just had to light one up. Fearing the worst, but to my surprise it was quite good, especially straight off the truck. It seems like a well enough investment given the price. Are they as good as my 07s will be in 8 years? Probably not, as the 07s are showing great potential but nevertheless still very enjoyable. If I had to give it a score it would be somewhere between 85-87 (being off the truck and all). Construction was great and a very easy draw leading to a huge amount of smoke. While very flavourful (although somewhat missing the pepper kick) and stronger than the 07s it wasn’t very harsh at all. I sure hope both boxes are like this one I smoked today.

I'm hatin you Dusko!
that was a great deal!
seriously great to hear they got there safe and sound, I am going to give my 01's another week and fire one up. Hopefully they will be equally as good.

henry