Just got a humidor and bundle of 10 cigars today, looking for a little advice setting up the humidor. I really don't know much, but I put the humidifier in distilled water. Ordered a digital hygrometer online today. Anything I'm missing? Anything I'm doing I shouldn't be doing. Additional advice?

Thanks!

Normally you season the Humidor. Wipe it down with a damp rag (distilled water), and then leave a shot glass full of distilled water in it for a few days.

Should I just store my cigars in a tupperware container or ziplock during that time?

Either one will work. It's only a few days.

I've had a few Acid Kuba Kuba's given to me by a friend. They are sweet and I enjoyed them. I know nothing about cigars, are these of good quality or I am smoking the Bud Light of cigars. Can you recommend any other sweet cigars?

even the owner of the acid brand refuses to smoke flavored cigars

i would never touch them, but baccarat makes sweetened cigars

seriously sweetened cigars suck... acquire a taste for good, regular cigars. try something like an Oliva Serie O or even a helix (if you are going cheap) to start

Ashton's are also a nice cigar to start on, but I've always been of the opinion that they are one of the worst "value" cigars out there. Way overpriced IMO.

this is true btw... at least i read it in an interview he had with Cigar Aficionado

ashton vsg torp's are the ****, but i agree once you get to 10 bucks a stick you are getting to the point where you could just buy some v. good cuban smokes

I mean, yeah, they are really good, but the extra cost ain't worth it. Pay a few bucks more and move up or pay a few bucks less and move down IMO.

Also CAO Visions (do they even still make these?) for 15-20/stick are soooo not worth it.

Padron 40th Anniversary's are worth the premium price though. Solid, sick cigar.

Has anyone gotten their hands on a Fuente Fuente Opus X recently? So hard to find.

Got my digital hygrometer in the mail today, feel like my humidor is seasoned well. Despite being prepared to do the salt test, the manual for the hygrometer specifically said not to do the salt test. I put the hygrometer in the humidor, and after about 8 hours it's reading 73/74. I'm assuming this is acceptable, maybe with more time it'll settle closer to 70/70.

Agree on the ashtons, good solid smoke imo. I've always thought thought Helix tasted like cheap weak cigs though.

Padilla are are decently priced mild-medium cigar try the 1948s.

Anyone have any good hookah tips?

Always negotiate price BEFORE the deed.

Got my hands on the new Oliva Cain the other day. I've only had one so far, but this is a great smoke. Highly recommend.

agreed, nice big wad of tobacco. only thing ive heard is a good friend of mine has gotten sick (runnign nose, sneezing etc) after smoking these on two occasions. This isnt an occasional cigar smoker either, so just something to keep in mind.

the one i had burned very well, good volume of smoke and took a good hour and a half to smoke at least, this was one of the double toros which are hefty at 6x60.

i am somewhat partial to the larger ring gauge stuff though.

anybody got any links to great online deals?

i just smoked a cigar with a glass of brandy...frankly, i don't see what the love of combining these two things is. in my experience, cigar + coffee = about 1,000 times more complimentary.

+1, a good cigar with coffee on a cold day is a great combination.

Until recently I hadn't smoked for at least six months, just picked up a box of Montecristo Legends to get back into it. They are a light, quick smoke, a great smoke for the morning or when walking the dogs.

I've been smoking cigars for 3 or 4 years and am no conniosseur on cigars. I don't smoke regularly, mainly special occasions or every once in a while I'll smoke one on my back porch on a nice day. I have a box of cigars I picked up in the Dominican a couple years ago and the last time I smoked them, I got a stomach ache and actually puked. So am I total wuss for throwing up or is this a common occurence?

Most people give up before getting sick enough to vomit. My understanding is that the nicotine causes the blood vessels to constrict in the tissues around your stomach; this causes a feeling a of queasiness. The quick fix is to drink a sugary drink with your smoke as this apparently mitigates this effect. Im not sure about the science, but having a dr. pepper with a big cigar has never failed me.

Of course over time you are going to become more tolerant of the high nicotine levels, but if you wish to remain a casual smoker i would recommend sticking with lighter smaller smokes and drinking something with sugar in it (cafe mocha works well too, or my personal fav is ~5 shots espresso w sugar).

imo we need a pipe smoking thread. been thinking about trying it out.

supergrunch:

cigars are way more addictive than i ever imagined. what started as a way to celebrate a business success slowly transformed into 2 cigars a day and palpable physical withdrawals plus crankiness if i didnt' have a cigar by evening.

that, plus in the height of my cigar smoking i probably spent a good 4 figures on stogies a year

i quit last year and am happy to have done so, but i still miss them. i quit after watching my mon die a horrible death of lung cancer and decided then and there i never wanted my kids to see their dad go that way (and yes i know stogies are nowhere as bad as cigs, but after watching her go no way i could smoke again)

my usual smoke was an Ashton aged maduro in robusto or churchill size, or alternately a tin every other day of Zeno Platinum small cigars or the orange label Avos.

on a happier note, i met and played poker with Emitt Smith at my fave cigar shop a few years ago and he was really cool (he smokes Ghurka Beautys)

wow pretty good deal, some of those are more than decent. the monte white was a fave of mine, thick almost "chewy" smoke from it and a fine wrapper.

I just smoked a Romeo Y Julieta #2 Habana, and thought it was alright, but I certainly want to try everything else before ever smoking one again. Any thoughts on what cigars to avoid given that I want to try a completely different tasting stick?

posted this in another thread, but, i got a pipe, and i was wondering if anyone could make some tobacco recommendations? (if you could include the price, as well, that'd be good)