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Graycliff Crystal Edicion Limitada

ndhaon91ndhaon91 Posts: 441
in Ratings & Reviews
I splurged a little bit for Christmas. I smoked this one today. I've found Graycliff to be very hit or miss. Most recently, I was very disappointed with the Double Espresso, consider the rave reviews. I was really underwhelmed. The construction seemed subpar, the burn was bad, and I didn't get a lot of nuance.

No such issues with the Crystal EL. That thing oozed rich buttery caramel from start to finish. What a treat.

Comments

  • j0z3rj0z3r Posts: 9,403 ✭✭
    Interesting. I like the Crystal EL, I think it's a good cigar and can be had for a good price. Having said that, however, I don't think it compares to the Double Espresso, which is my favorite Graycliff, and even feel it falls short of the regular Crystal. Now that's my opinion, and admittedly I wasn't crazy about the DE upon first smoke due to the first three I had performing terribly and not tasting good, but fortunately I didn't give up on them and was rewarded for my patience...the DE really needs 18 months minimum for it to shine.
  • Russ55Russ55 Posts: 2,765 ✭✭
    j0z3r:
    Interesting. I like the Crystal EL, I think it's a good cigar and can be had for a good price. Having said that, however, I don't think it compares to the Double Espresso, which is my favorite Graycliff, and even feel it falls short of the regular Crystal. Now that's my opinion, and admittedly I wasn't crazy about the DE upon first smoke due to the first three I had performing terribly and not tasting good, but fortunately I didn't give up on them and was rewarded for my patience...the DE really needs 18 months minimum for it to shine.
    Agreed. Graycliff's one of my favorite brands, and I hate to say this, but they do fall down a bit when it comes to consistency. I've smoked a ton of the DEs, and most of the time it's a fantastic smoke, but out of those I've had several that were crap. Either they were over filled or tasted way off. Because of that I'll never pay anywhere near their MSRP. Put their stuff in the 4-6 dollar range and I will buy it all day. Consistency issues or no, I do love their blending style.
  • j0z3rj0z3r Posts: 9,403 ✭✭
    On the topic of Graycliff, I smoked that Chateau Grand Cru you gave me Russ. I took your advice and smoked it on a clean palate to really take in the subtleties and found it be a more nuanced Graycliff than I'm used to. It was good but out of the Bahamas blends I'd rank it below the Crystal and about even with the Red....so out of the five blends I've tried it's tied for third place. Definitely would buy again, but like we've talked about, the msrp is way skewed and not a good value...the $4-$7 range is reasonable however.
  • Russ55Russ55 Posts: 2,765 ✭✭
    j0z3r:
    On the topic of Graycliff, I smoked that Chateau Grand Cru you gave me Russ. I took your advice and smoked it on a clean palate to really take in the subtleties and found it be a more nuanced Graycliff than I'm used to. It was good but out of the Bahamas blends I'd rank it below the Crystal and about even with the Red....so out of the five blends I've tried it's tied for third place. Definitely would buy again, but like we've talked about, the msrp is way skewed and not a good value...the $4-$7 range is reasonable however.
    It really is nuanced more than most of the others. That's a good word for it too. Very delicate. That's about where I rank it as well. DE then Blue, then the Crystal/Purple, and then red. I'm going to have to try and get a hold of some Emeralds one of these days...
  • phobicsquirrelphobicsquirrel Posts: 7,347 ✭✭✭
    Interesting, I might have to try this smoke. Greycliff is a brand I just can't get into. I like the DE if the price is right.
  • docbp87docbp87 Posts: 3,521 ✭
    Is the Crystal EL made in the Bahamas, or somewhere else? I know that AJ makes a couple of cigars for Graycliff, and in my experience, they are pretty darn different from the couple of Bahamanian sticks I have had. The DE might be my favorite Graycliff I've had, though I wish the blend were available in some different vitolas.
  • j0z3rj0z3r Posts: 9,403 ✭✭
    The Crystal EL is made in Nicaragua iirc. To me it almost captures the flavor of the Bahamas blends, much better than, for example, the 1666 or G2. Both new EL blends are quality cigars imo, even if they're not quite as good as their Caribbean brothers.
  • JCizzleJCizzle Posts: 1,913 ✭✭✭
    Are these infused cigars?
    Light 'em up.
  • Russ55Russ55 Posts: 2,765 ✭✭
    JCizzle:
    Are these infused cigars?
    No
  • NightHawkNightHawk Posts: 247 ✭
    My personal favorite was the white label from the bahamas, i think that was the Crystal. I had purchased a few at the resort while I was down in Nassau for vacation. Great smokes, but maybe it made a difference that I had purchased it direct from the factory.
  • jj20030jj20030 Posts: 5,804 ✭✭✭✭✭
    found this old thread and i agree a great smoke, still have a couple in the humi from may i put in and fired one up tonight, i also love the platinum edicion too image
  • chemforeverchemforever Posts: 1,200
    jj20030:
    found this old thread and i agree a great smoke, still have a couple in the humi from may i put in and fired one up tonight, i also love the platinum edicion too image
    Only have one left. An enjoyable smoke for sure.
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