I'm a fan of the occasional cigar. Dunhills are my favorite, but I would consider myself far from a connoisseur. I'd hate to pay more than a few bucks for a nice cigar and end up hating the taste. Focus Cigars.
Cigars : DrFrylock :: Caffeine : 7-Up (Old-fart TiBbers will not have to click the link). But this is something we haven't talked about before, so what the hell?
Romeo Y Julietas are better "beginner" Cuban cigars because they're smoother and have a looser roll, but my favourites are the classics: Monte Cristo. Very smokey and natural, but have the best flavourful aftertaste. I'm actually less drawn to Cohibas, which are the most expensive and popular of the Cuban cigars. They're really stong (not not mention usually enormous). I know that both the Dominican and the Dutch also make fine cigars (like Oud Kampen to name one).
I'm fairly young, but I made it a point last summer to learn a little bit about cigars. Goal for next summer is wine. Personal favorite is Rocky Patel, as far as what is readily available. Don Pepin is good as well. Had the chance to get my hands on a couple Monte Cristo Edmundos, and I will agree with Crown Royal, they're simply amazing.
They sold fake Cohibas outside the clubs in Shanghai. I thought about picking up some Cubans at the airport before I left until I saw the fucking price. I know nothing about cigars except that my neighbor is hardcore addicted to them and for some reason Communist Cuba manages to outclass the world in cigar making somehow... I had one Cohiba while there that was real but it was like a cigarillo. I like that you don't have to inhale cigars but like cigarettes I have yet to ever have a body buzz or mind change from smoking them. Thus Ive probably only smoked 5-10 in my whole life.* *This is even after the Black and Mild "freaking" phase all us suburban honkies went through when we saw how cool it made black people look doing it.
I love cigars. Been smoking them occasionally since I was 12. This may seem a little young but I was allowed one at the end of every tobacco harvest on our family farm in Western Massachusetts. I also had a HUGE collection of excellent quality cigars from Fuente, Partagas, Padron, etc that I really wish I held on to. The tobacco buyers that would come out to negotiate prices for our wrappers and binders would try to sweeten the deal with boxes of cigars for my grandfather, father, and uncle. My grandfather made sure to point out that since I was also a male family member and eventual successor that they damn well better bring me some cigars next time too. Gramps was a great ball buster like that. So by the time I was 16/17 I had somewhere around a dozen or so full boxes of cigars my father was holding for me. Like an idiot as soon as I turned 18 I started handing these things out to my friends. So many premium cigars just wasted on dumb kids (myself included). The best cigars I've ever had have all been test cigars rolled on factory premises. I've been lucky enough to travel to a few of our customer's facilities and had the chance to smoke blends that never made it to mass market because of one reason or another. If I'm buying though it's usually a box pressed. They smoke more consistently and have a more even flavor throughout the smoke. I switch up what I'm smoking all the time and right now I'm working through boxes of Padron 1926 #2 Natural 5 1/2x52 and Alec Bradley Prensado 5x50. If you want to try some really decent box pressed that are on the less expensive side the Flor de Gonzalez and Oliva Serie G are two of my mainstays as well. Happy smoking
I like those ones with the rum flavoured skins that you can use to wrap blunts. They're the classy and expensive ones - right? Actually, I was in Cuba this past November. (Mostly because it was the only hot as balls and beautiful place I could visit and plead the "aw shucks, you're American, so you can't come with me and all my drunk ass friends" excuse with my husband.) I liked the little Partagás best, but of course purchased the obligatory monster Cohibas and Montecristos for all the people (read also: men) I wanted to make good with at the office.
I work near a couple of nice cigar stores, and both have deals once a week where certain cigars are buy 1 get 1 free. Usually it is the brands under the Altadas umbrella, and there are some excellent cigar brands available. One guy turned me on to La Gloria Cubana Serie R cigars. They are full bodied and are very good. They are $10-12 a stick, but when you get two for the price of one it is a very good deal. I also like Romeo y Julieta. Davidoff cigars are pricey but very good and mild.
Cohiba and Montecristo (both Cuban and Dominican varieties) also make robustos, not just Churchills and double coronas, and everything in between. I was never a big fan of Cohibas, seemed your just paying more for the name. Montecristo was always a better smoke, whether it was a Cuban or a Dominican (though the Cubans were better). I typically smoked one of two sizes: a double corona (Montecristo #2) or a robusto. I had a pretty good connection for getting Cubans, but some of my other favorite Dominicans were Fuente Fuente Opus X (extremely pricey) and Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story.
Agreed. Most recently I bought a box of Padron Family Reserve 45's, have 4 left, and they have been absolutely amazing.
I've always been a fan of cigars, but never knew much about them until I decided to fix that recently. My girlfriend's parent's bought me a nice 125 cigar Savoy humidor for my birthday that I've kept stocked with a combination of the premium imports the company I work for offers (that I get for free and gladly hand out to friends), and, for now anyway, a series of Thompson Cigar sampler packs. With the sampler packs, you get a chance to try (normally) 10-15 cigars from different makers of different styles. For someone who is still trying to find his way in the cigar world, these have been really useful in helping me find out what I like (the answer, I've found, is a lot of them). It also helps that you can buy them for about $40 shipped, so you can try out some new one's without breaking the bank. With the samplers, I've had multiple cigars from Rocky Patel (my favorites being the Edge and Vintage 1990), Alec Bradley (Tempus and Prensado), Olivia (Serie G--awesome--NUB, and Cain F), Padilla (Serie 68 and two others I can't remember), Gurkha (European Selects), and others that I can't think of right now. The next on my list to try are Padron, Perdomo, and My Father. That list continues to grow since we get a subscription to Cigar Aficionado here in the office. As far as Cubans go, I was in Grand Cayman recently and bought a couple Cohibas and Monte Cristos. They were all really good, but the Cohiba is definitely over-priced for what it is. Question for the more seasoned guys here. What are your feelings about using the beads/gels to maintain humidity in a humidor? I'd like to get rid of the water humidifier since I've had trouble with humidity regulation in the dryer months.
Use propylene glycol. <a class="postlink" href="http://www.humidor-guide.com/humidifier/the-correct-liquid" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.humidor-guide.com/humidifier ... ect-liquid</a> Never heard anything good about other stuff.
I'm a fan of the Fuente Hemingway and Don Carlos cigars. I'm sure that there are better and possibly cheaper cigars, but the two liquor stores I frequent both have them. Cohibas are definitely overpriced, but as an American, it's kind of cool to say you have an illegal cigar when you get the ones that are actually from Cuba.
One of my favorites is La Aroma de Cuba by Don Pepin Garcia. I get mine for around $7.00/stick depending on what style of cigar you purchase. They come in many different sizes and styles and are smooth with good flavor. I'm a fan of medium bodied cigars and this is one of my favorites. Not too dark, not too light, but just right. I'm also a fan of every Don Pepin cigar I've had. I don't think you can go wrong with anything by him. I also like Villiger Export cigars every now and again. They are priced very well (around $5) and come in a box of five. They produce nice, thick smoke and have a nice flavor. I tried these on a recommendation from a guy at my local smoke shop and have bought several boxes since. They are small and perfect for golfing or just sitting around smoking and enjoying a glass of scotch.
I've had a couple Perdomo cigars and am really not a fan. I was recommended the Lot 23 as a good first cigar, and honestly, I'd rather smoke a strawberry philly. The fuente Hemingway is next on my list to try.
The Padron 1964's are probably one of, if not my favorite cigar. The Ashton ESG's are definitely up there also. Like several other people have posted, its worth a few extra bucks for a nice smoke. Kind of off topic, but I'd like to try pipe smoking but don't want to pony up a bunch of cash for pipe if I don't like it. Anyone know of a good pipe that is reasonably priced?
I am a pipe smoker. A good briar pipe can cost a lot, but you can get started really cheap with a corn cob pipe. You might laugh but they smoke great. They get fairly hot. But it is a good and inexpensive way to see if its your thing. It smells delicious too. If you have a local tobacco shop, go to them for advice. They can show you a good pipe for around $30 or so. Its really about what you want it to look like. Get a pipe that matches your personality. Also, if you get a pipe, make sure you smoke similar types of tobacco out if it. Don't switch from a cavendish/burley mix to an English blend in the same pipe. English blends are typically much stronger and will overpower the other flavors making your pipe taste like English blend forever. A lot of people have more than 1 pipe for different tobaccos. My local shop has a blend called Black Russian. A mild/sweet flavor that smells excellent.
Seconded. I'd go with the glycol beads/crystals container though for a 125ct humidor. They seem to work better on smaller sized applications. The problem with using a glycol solution on a sponge type humidor is that the sponge eventually gets clogged up with glycol causing the water to sit on top which can lead to mold.
Everyone do yourself a favor and pick up some Alec Bradley sticks...the Family Blend is my goto smoke. Worked in a cigar shop for several years (ended about 6 years ago).