Quote Originally Posted by allusred View Post
This it seems is one of the extremely rare times I've two brain cells lighting up at the same time.
So...
I do remember smoking the Prince Phillip, also the Royal Jamaican ,perhaps but not sure about the Flor de Jamaica,tho can't recall the Mario Palomino cigars at all.
Some of the Canary Islands cigars of that period...70s-80s were also quite nice. In Madrid, Spain very easy to find Cubans,but in Vitoria Gasteiz (Basque territory ) no luck,tho Canary Islands cigars (can't recall the brands) were readily available and of excellent quality.
As I remember Puros Vargas Reserva, La Palma Canary Islands Cigars,were available here in U.S.
Good Long Filler Handmades, popular sizes I think were Presidentes & Churchills.
Best regards,
Bob.
Hi Bob,

I believe that General Cigar made Montecristo and Partagas and Consolidated made Don Diego and H. Upmann in the Canary Islands. These were the main players but there were some others that escape me now. The General brands were top drawer but Consoldated (under Dick DiMeola) really slipped before they moved to the Dominican Republic (and improved considerably). As I remember, the Canary Island cigars mostly used Cameroon wrappers that were more highly prized them. Mild, smooth and well made cigars were the most expensive but by today's standards they'd be medium priced. No super premiums in those days.

The original Mario Palomino was my favorite Jamaican, sort of a cross between Macanudo and Royal Jamaica, like a fuller Mac. The brand has had at least two incarnations over the years that I tried. The most recent I tried from the Devil site a couple of years ago, Dominican made, attempting to reproduce their Jamaican heritage but the sweetness is with citrus rather than the honey-molasses of the original. The new ones are incredibly light bodied, bit over packed with a fragile wrapper but inexpensive. Palomino was pretty well regarded in their heyday, 1970s and before, perhaps second in reputation only to Macanudo.

Flor de Jamaica was very well made and may have been a proprietary marque of Faber, Coe and Gregg. Short story is that I got stuck with 8 boxes of maduro Churchills that I gradually smoked through.

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2013 Torano Colisseum Churchill. Supposed to be a 49 ring but looks, feels like a 47 but not a bad smoke.
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