I have been buying from Famous for the last few months. I have to say that they are a quality company. Their customer service is excellent (I have had a few cases of sticks damaged in transit, and they have replaced them quickly and without argument). Their customer service reps are friendly, and you don't feel like you are being rushed out the door when dealing with them. Prices are very good, and the Cigar Monster hourly deals (and 11:00PM Eastern time round ups are great).
However, the reason that I am posting this is to extol the virtues of their house blends. Most online retailers' house blends leave a lot to be desired. So far I have had four of their house cigars and have been impressed with them all.
The ones that I have tried have been
Famous Final Blend: A creamy, smooth maduro with a chocolate/ espresso flavor
Famous Nicaraguan 3000: Earthy/ spicy box pressed, medium-full bodied box press
Siboney: Full bodied that tastes like a premium. Imagine an AB Tempus mixed with a Man 'o War mixed with a La Aurora Cameroon.
Famous Private Selection Nicaraguan Corojo: Excellent, smooth Nicaraguan with a bold corojo flavor.
I have a Siboney Reserve (Don Pepin Blend) waiting to be lit up and looking forward to it.
Has anyone else had any experiences with Famous house blends?
I haven't tried any of their house blends, but I've had their Camacho alternative. It wasn't bad, and it would have been better with some humidor time, but it was expensive. A box of 20 went for $99.99, while a box of 25 Camacho Corojo Monarcas went for $95.95 on Cigar Place.
The Famous Nicaraguan 3000 is a terrific cigar, with a great price point. I've got a box of the robustos sleeping in the humi.
Haven't had any of the others you mention, but the Siboney sounds like a real treat.
You're sure right about them being a QUALITY vendor, too.
I bought a few things off them lately, and they've been great. They do seem to have more house blends/exclusive brands than anyone else. I don't think that's necessarily a good thing, but it keeps them out of direct competition with the bigger names.
Anyway, I still haven't tried any of the GH2 torpedoes that I got as a freebie with a humidor I bought.
If you like that Corojo taste, then I really recommend the Nicaraguan Private Corojo. Had one yesterday and smoked it down to the nub.
Just bought a pack of Buho corojo robustos. Looking forward to trying them.
QuoteJackal - 4/5/2010 11:01 AM
If you like that Corojo taste, then I really recommend the Nicaraguan Private Corojo. Had one yesterday and smoked it down to the nub.
Just bought a pack of Buho corojo robustos. Looking forward to trying them.
So many cigars, so little time. ;-)
I'm fond of the Famous Beunos maduritos. They're a 4 x 42 Nestor Plascencia Nicaraguan puro stick that run about a buck each. Give them a month in the humidor and they are a nice short smoke. Nothing fancy or complex but they are powerful little guys. I grab one of them or a Punch London Club maduro for the post office run down to the settlement. They last long enough to get me both ways with a little piddling time in town included.