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Graycliff 1666

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Graycliff 1666

I've had this cigar sitting in the bottom of my humidor for close to 6 months now, and quite frankly I hadn't smoked it up until now because I was turned off by all the horror stories one comes across on the internet about this particular cigar. The 1666, along with the Padilla Obsidian, seem to be by and far the two most frequently criticized or bashed cigars to adorn the "premium" cigar world. I decided however that I should at least give it a try before damning it to sit there forever, and here is what I found.

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I had this cigar in the "Pirate" vitola, a 6x52 torpedo that retails on CCOM for $14.50, although frequently had for less in various samplers and other deals. Let me start off by saying, before we get into anything involving smoking, at least this cigar looks like something that might be worth $10. A nice oily, rugged looking maduro wrapper is adorned with the simple yet attractive 1666 band. Stick feels solid and tight in the hand, and pre-light aroma reveals a rather delicious tobacco/cinnamon combination. So far things are looking good!

I cut it with my guillotine cutter, and the initial draw was quite perfect. Once again, nothing bad so far!

The lighting was quick and easy, producing a good even light. First few puffs hit me by surprise. It was delicious! The dark tobacco and cinnamon translated well into the smoke, with notes of bitter chocolate and moist earth. Smoke output was excellent, overall I was impressed thus far. I was pairing this stick with a nice Dr. Pepper and a glass of ice water.

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After the first 1/2" or so, a problem finally arose. Burn was getting VERY wavy, and the wrapper seemed to not want to stay lit. I touched it up and was off and going again, but not for long. The ash first fell at about 3/4" in, right into my lap I might add. I wasn't expecting the ash to fall that quick, but upon inspection the ash was very fine, dusty, and fragile. It crumbled at the lightest touch or breeze. I evened out the ash on the foot and did a quick touch up light and again was off to the races.

No more problems for another 1" or so, then the flavor went downhill. The deliciousness of the intial bit was gone, replaced by a rather acrid taste that reminded me of burnt sugar, and not the good kind of creme brulee burnt sugar. The was also getting rather, for lack of a better word, repulsive. It was jagged and rough and looked like it was itching to fall at any minute.

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.....and it did.

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About this time things had gone down hill so far I was in the sewage ditch at the bottom. The cigar started to go out, and was having constant burn trouble. It finally wen't out completely so I cut off about 1/2" behind the burn line to see if it could be revive. I lit it up one more time and thought I was back in the game, until I looked at the exposed foot and was greeted with this not-so-attractive tunnel down the middle of the cigar -

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At this point I had about had enough trouble with this thing, and decided it wasn't worth anymore of my time. I stopped trying to salvage anything from it and chalked it up to a total loss. The 1666 had met its demise.

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Now, this is the only 1666 I have ever had. One bad experience is hardly enough to formulate a well founded opinion on the quality of a certain cigar, so I am not going to comment on how I feel about the 1666 as a line in general, but this one certainly didn't rub me the right way. Lot's of people seem to have good things to say about these, maybe it needed more rest? Who knows. Bottom line, I will not be putting my money towards any of these any time soon. If I happen to be gifted one, I'll of course give it another try with an open mind, but this one was definitely a big thumbs down from Mr. Pillow.

Comments

  • stephen_hannibalstephen_hannibal Posts: 4,317
    Hmm I wonder if dry boxing helps these?
  • bigharpoonbigharpoon Posts: 2,963 ✭✭✭
    stephen_hannibal:
    Hmm I wonder if dry boxing helps these?
    Exactly what I was thinking.
  • Duder2Duder2 Posts: 926
    stephen_hannibal:
    Hmm I wonder if dry boxing helps these?
    I think I've read that it does.
  • ug danug dan Posts: 375
    Does'nt sound like much would help them.
  • Duder2Duder2 Posts: 926
    ug dan:
    Does'nt sound like much would help them.
    Yeah, my experience with the 1666 hasn't been great. I have a couple of pirates that I will let sit for at least a year before I touch them to give them one last shot. I will try dry boxing them as well to see if it helps.
  • Poker_SlobPoker_Slob Posts: 1,269 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I have had maybe 10 or so of the 1666. I have never had a bad experience with any of them. I have a 10 pack sampler in the humi with about 8 months of rest, plus a couple singles. I think I will smoke them in a week or so. That way I can try the entire line in a short period of time. I have a feeling that the ones that are made in the Bahamas, are going to be much better than the few that are not. I know that the 1666 is made off site.
  • cabinetmakercabinetmaker Posts: 2,560 ✭✭
    I've smoked quite a lot of them in the presidente vitola and have had no construction issues. I keep them at 65% RH and the burn perfectly. Also, the flavors transition nicely from a chocolate to a coffee dominant making them perfect for a pairing with morning coffee. Matter of fact, I think I'll light one up now.
  • sightunseensightunseen Posts: 2,130 ✭✭
    cabinetmaker:
    I've smoked quite a lot of them in the presidente vitola and have had no construction issues. I keep them at 65% RH and the burn perfectly. Also, the flavors transition nicely from a chocolate to a coffee dominant making them perfect for a pairing with morning coffee. Matter of fact, I think I'll light one up now.
    My only good experience with the 1666 has been with the presidente vitola. I've had a couple of the Pirates and they pretty much sucked.
  • cabinetmakercabinetmaker Posts: 2,560 ✭✭
    Yea, I've had the pirates too, not nearly as good and definately had construction issues.
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    the 1666, no matter how long it is in any humidor, does not get any better. 65% rh will even out a bit of the burn issues, but the flavor is noting special. it isnt a bad tasting cigar, it is just WAY over priced for what it is.
  • gdsim1gdsim1 Posts: 213
    Has anyone had any Graycliff ANYTHING that was worth a recommendation? The 1666 was such an awful experience for me that Ive not tried anything with a Graycliff label since.

  • sightunseensightunseen Posts: 2,130 ✭✭
    gdsim1:
    Has anyone had any Graycliff ANYTHING that was worth a recommendation? The 1666 was such an awful experience for me that Ive not tried anything with a Graycliff label since.

    Try the Professionale (blue label). I had the Pirate (torpedo) vitola and it was a very good smoke. Great flavors and no burn problems whatsoever.
  • KriegKrieg Posts: 5,188 ✭✭✭
    Graycliff is the Gurkha of the Bahamas.

    "Long ashes my friends."

  • Russ55Russ55 Posts: 2,765 ✭✭
    gdsim1:
    Has anyone had any Graycliff ANYTHING that was worth a recommendation? The 1666 was such an awful experience for me that Ive not tried anything with a Graycliff label since.

    I've had several that I really like, but the msrp is too high. The professionale is great with some rest, the DE, the 1666 in the presidente size as cabinetmaker suggested. I'm looking to try their whole line, but have to hunt around a bit for deals.
  • j0z3rj0z3r Posts: 9,403 ✭✭
    gdsim1:
    Has anyone had any Graycliff ANYTHING that was worth a recommendation? The 1666 was such an awful experience for me that Ive not tried anything with a Graycliff label since.

    The 1666 is a terrible cigar to introduce you to Graycliff. I like the blends that are made in the Bahamas, the Original red label, the professional blue label, the Espresso black label, the Crystal white label...I think all those are very good, of course your mileage may vary as the flavor profile might not be to your liking.
  • MAJORdorMoMAJORdorMo Posts: 356
    Great review, mrpillow.

    I actually liked the Graycliff 1666. However, it went out after an inch. I figured the bad taste was because of the relight. I guess I was wrong.
  • gdsim1gdsim1 Posts: 213
    j0z3r:
    gdsim1:
    Has anyone had any Graycliff ANYTHING that was worth a recommendation? The 1666 was such an awful experience for me that Ive not tried anything with a Graycliff label since.

    The 1666 is a terrible cigar to introduce you to Graycliff. I like the blends that are made in the Bahamas, the Original red label, the professional blue label, the Espresso black label, the Crystal white label...I think all those are very good, of course your mileage may vary as the flavor profile might not be to your liking.
    Will give a couple a shot j0z3r. Im still afraid of em, but I will give em a shot. Worst case scenario, they replace Gurkha in my all-time doghouse... :-)

  • cabinetmakercabinetmaker Posts: 2,560 ✭✭
    I got mine for $5 each. I bought 4 bundles.
  • bigharpoonbigharpoon Posts: 2,963 ✭✭✭
    It's been quite a while since I had a 1666 but I remember liking it and only having to do minor touch-ups. I just got another one and I'm looking forward to it. Thanks Cabby!

    I had my first Graycliff Professional last weekend and really liked it. No burn problems at all and nice flavor the whole way.
  • Renaissance_ManRenaissance_Man Posts: 973 ✭✭
    So I had the 1666 last night and.... tossed it in a third in... :/ horrible burn, going out all the time, and honestly - the flavors did not work for me to warrant a struggle till the end... so disappointed - especially since it had some rest! I will however go now with a professionale and G2.
  • sightunseensightunseen Posts: 2,130 ✭✭
    Renaissance_Man:
    So I had the 1666 last night and.... tossed it in a third in... :/ horrible burn, going out all the time, and honestly - the flavors did not work for me to warrant a struggle till the end... so disappointed - especially since it had some rest! I will however go now with a professionale and G2.
    Sucks to hear it didn't work out. If you ever want to give the 1666 another shot, I would recommend the presidente vitola (not sure what size you smoked), Cabi and I both have had good experiences with that size.
  • phobicsquirrelphobicsquirrel Posts: 7,347 ✭✭✭
    gdsim1:
    j0z3r:
    gdsim1:
    Has anyone had any Graycliff ANYTHING that was worth a recommendation? The 1666 was such an awful experience for me that Ive not tried anything with a Graycliff label since.

    The 1666 is a terrible cigar to introduce you to Graycliff. I like the blends that are made in the Bahamas, the Original red label, the professional blue label, the Espresso black label, the Crystal white label...I think all those are very good, of course your mileage may vary as the flavor profile might not be to your liking.
    Will give a couple a shot j0z3r. Im still afraid of em, but I will give em a shot. Worst case scenario, they replace Gurkha in my all-time doghouse... :-)

    I find it funny how people give gurkha a bad name. They have like 50 blends, so unless you have had a good majority of them putting them in the doghouse is pre-mature. I mean sure I can get it if you've had a few or many that were dog rockets but there are many good sticks from them. Of course things are always different for people, but I have to add, Greycliff is in my doghouse. Their sticks are way too expensive and not that flavorful in my mind. If one can find them on a deal then give them a whirl but like gurkha cigars and most other high priced cigars only on a deal of some kind. Hell I won't even spend 30 bucks on an opus, though opus's are probably one of the few cigars that I feel are worth a few extra pennies.
  • j0z3rj0z3r Posts: 9,403 ✭✭
    phobicsquirrel:
    gdsim1:
    j0z3r:
    gdsim1:
    Has anyone had any Graycliff ANYTHING that was worth a recommendation? The 1666 was such an awful experience for me that Ive not tried anything with a Graycliff label since.

    The 1666 is a terrible cigar to introduce you to Graycliff. I like the blends that are made in the Bahamas, the Original red label, the professional blue label, the Espresso black label, the Crystal white label...I think all those are very good, of course your mileage may vary as the flavor profile might not be to your liking.
    Will give a couple a shot j0z3r. Im still afraid of em, but I will give em a shot. Worst case scenario, they replace Gurkha in my all-time doghouse... :-)

    I find it funny how people give gurkha a bad name.
    Who all is "you people"? Only one person said anything about Gurkha, and he's as entitled to his opinion about Gurkha as you are to the opinion you expressed about Graycliff. I don't care for most things Gurkha that I've had and I like Graycliff...so do I have bad taste, or is it just different from your own tastes and preferences?
  • gdsim1gdsim1 Posts: 213
    phobicsquirrel:
    gdsim1:
    j0z3r:
    gdsim1:
    Has anyone had any Graycliff ANYTHING that was worth a recommendation? The 1666 was such an awful experience for me that Ive not tried anything with a Graycliff label since.

    The 1666 is a terrible cigar to introduce you to Graycliff. I like the blends that are made in the Bahamas, the Original red label, the professional blue label, the Espresso black label, the Crystal white label...I think all those are very good, of course your mileage may vary as the flavor profile might not be to your liking.
    Will give a couple a shot j0z3r. Im still afraid of em, but I will give em a shot. Worst case scenario, they replace Gurkha in my all-time doghouse... :-)

    I find it funny how people give gurkha a bad name. They have like 50 blends, so unless you have had a good majority of them putting them in the doghouse is pre-mature. I mean sure I can get it if you've had a few or many that were dog rockets but there are many good sticks from them. Of course things are always different for people, but I have to add, Greycliff is in my doghouse. Their sticks are way too expensive and not that flavorful in my mind. If one can find them on a deal then give them a whirl but like gurkha cigars and most other high priced cigars only on a deal of some kind. Hell I won't even spend 30 bucks on an opus, though opus's are probably one of the few cigars that I feel are worth a few extra pennies.
    Here's my thing brother - for a company that bills itself as "The Rolls Royce of Cigars", how many of the 50 or 60 or 100 or whatever number of blends they're up to this week do I have to try & have the same result with before Ive had enough? This is not an opinion I hatched after trying a Sherpa and a Cuban Legacy & deciding every Gurkha product was ****... Ive tried a good many of their sticks, low dollar, high dollar and in between. How much money do I have to spend, having the same burn issues, weak smoke, etc?

    To paraphrase one of my favorite quotes - fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me... fool me a couple hundred bucks worth over the years that I COULD have spent on better sticks, UP YOURS. LOL

    Sorry, didnt mean to hijack the thread... sounds like I need to give a Professionale & maybe a G2 a whirl, thanks for the advice all. :-D

  • laker1963laker1963 Posts: 5,046
    gdsim1:
    phobicsquirrel:
    gdsim1:
    j0z3r:
    gdsim1:
    Has anyone had any Graycliff ANYTHING that was worth a recommendation? The 1666 was such an awful experience for me that Ive not tried anything with a Graycliff label since.

    The 1666 is a terrible cigar to introduce you to Graycliff. I like the blends that are made in the Bahamas, the Original red label, the professional blue label, the Espresso black label, the Crystal white label...I think all those are very good, of course your mileage may vary as the flavor profile might not be to your liking.
    Will give a couple a shot j0z3r. Im still afraid of em, but I will give em a shot. Worst case scenario, they replace Gurkha in my all-time doghouse... :-)

    I find it funny how people give gurkha a bad name. They have like 50 blends, so unless you have had a good majority of them putting them in the doghouse is pre-mature. I mean sure I can get it if you've had a few or many that were dog rockets but there are many good sticks from them. Of course things are always different for people, but I have to add, Greycliff is in my doghouse. Their sticks are way too expensive and not that flavorful in my mind. If one can find them on a deal then give them a whirl but like gurkha cigars and most other high priced cigars only on a deal of some kind. Hell I won't even spend 30 bucks on an opus, though opus's are probably one of the few cigars that I feel are worth a few extra pennies.
    Here's my thing brother - for a company that bills itself as "The Rolls Royce of Cigars", how many of the 50 or 60 or 100 or whatever number of blends they're up to this week do I have to try & have the same result with before Ive had enough? This is not an opinion I hatched after trying a Sherpa and a Cuban Legacy & deciding every Gurkha product was ****... Ive tried a good many of their sticks, low dollar, high dollar and in between. How much money do I have to spend, having the same burn issues, weak smoke, etc?

    To paraphrase one of my favorite quotes - fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me... fool me a couple hundred bucks worth over the years that I COULD have spent on better sticks, UP YOURS. LOL

    Sorry, didnt mean to hijack the thread... sounds like I need to give a Professionale & maybe a G2 a whirl, thanks for the advice all. :-D

    I would suggest that you DON"T start with a Professional. I have tried at least a half dozen of them and was disapointed EVERY time.

    The crystal is a decent stick, pricey but tasty too. Just my opinion.

    The Gurkha's are like Pheebs said. There are so many that you are bound to find some you don't like, but there are many good ones too. Maybe you could tell us some other sticks you like, and get some suggestions for Gurkha's to try based on that.
  • GadwinDuilGadwinDuil Posts: 474
    I now cast a spell - which demands this thread rise from the dead upon my command.

    I've had a couple 1666s in my humi resting waiting for a day that I was bold enough to try them. I was hesitant to do so because of how many bad but also mixed reviews I've read on these sticks. I did the Mystery stick game earlier from rossdavey and as it turns out he sent me a La Aroma de Cuba - 5 Vegas Miami - and a Graycliff 1666.

    This is also the first Graycliff I've ever had, let alone the first 1666.

    I may be a new cigar smoker so my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt... But as of alst night when I smoked that mystery Stick C - I said, out loud to myself,
    "If I had to smoke only one cigar for the rest of my life - It would be this cigar"

    The draw was amazing the entire way through, it was soft the whole way and the entire stick had a sweet chocolate taste from the very first pre-lit draw all the way to the last draw. Only once in the two hours I was enjoying it did it even burn too hot in order to affect the flavor, and a couple times I TRIED to get it burning hot to see a difference.
    After it got going on a steady tempature this cigar was a fugging chimney, and I wouldn't even have to do a full draw to get a huge mouth full of smoke.
    It went out on me once and it was my fault due to an extended break in draws, and the ash didn't hold on very long at all (maybe an inch at a time). But that is where I run out of cons for this cigar.

    I'm seriously more afraid to try it now a second time than I was to try it in the first place now, because this time was just so great I'm afraid it had to have been a fluke.

    Ross says it had about 2-3 months of age on it before he sent it out, and I let it rest a week+ before smoking it. But I wouldn't be suprised if Ross also bewitched it with some kind of magic. There's no other explanation as to why it was so excellent.

    Now, Thread, I demands of you... RISE FROM YOUR GRAVE!
    image







    And then rescue my daughter... I guess
  • TheedgeTheedge Posts: 316
    The 1666 is not my favorite, I don't see myself purchasing anymore anytime soon. I'm sort of in the same boat with Gurkha, and I've tried quite a few. I guess I do recall liking the shaggy. Now the double espresso from Graycliff is another story, I could smoke those all day.
  • AdcuriumAdcurium Posts: 179 ✭✭
    The 1666 is also one of my favorite cigars. I only had one, so far, but I have 4 more waiting in my humidor!
  • Ive got 2 in my humi with about 5 months rest...I may have to give it a shot soon...Im like most on here, been afraid to try them because of the rep it has been getting
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