my go to is xhibition bar in harrah's
it's in the middle of the casino floor so it's a little noisy but cigar-friendly and will comp you top shelf if you play 25c VP and tip well

Not sure if there have been any posts in this thread on note-taking, but anyone want to discuss how they structure their notes? I know there are a lot of templates that can be found.

my default is by time frame...

Construction, smells, tastes pre light
1/3
2/3
3/3
final notes

I rate out of 5 possible on Construction, Value, Flavor, and an Overall. I also track price and smoke time.

Just got my 5er from the Monster

La Riqueza
Vengeance Natural
H. Upmann Cameroon Vintage
CAO Cameroon Anny
Artorius - anybody try these?

oh the humanity!

got a box of padron 1964 Anniversary Serie A for christmas. these things are massive. been cutting them in half and smoking them as two robusto size cigars on different days. i love it! i might never buy a robusto again. anyone else do this?

Great thread. I enjoy good expensive cigars along with my favorite drink. Remy Martin mixed with Grand Marnier. I constantly feel guilty for spending $12-20 on one cigar. Any of you Cigar guys know of a great cigar in the $7-8 range? Looking for value.

see above....cut ur $16 Churchill in half ...lol

Thanks!

are freshly hand-rolled cigars any good? I mean freshly hand-rolled like I stand there while a costa rican rolls a cigar for me and then I go smoke it immediately. My sister will have cigar rollers at her wedding reception in costa rica... just wondering if, in general, a fresh rolled is better or worse than one that has aged in a humidor.

I would think the draw of smoke would better, but the subtle favors gained through aging would be minimized. Agree/Disagree?

The best cigars I've smoked up to this point are the Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 and an Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story. Damn those are fine smokes. Continuing to plow through the rest.

We have very similar taste. These are two of my absolute favorites as well. I have done some reviews in this thread of both a bunch of posts back.

zero

zero - If you were to grab a single out of every box at a cigar store, roughly what percentage of them would you consider unsmokeable?

I've stubbed out a few cigars that were still in their first 1/3 because they were really unpleasant. One was an Arturo Fuente Exquisitos that tasted terrible, particularly with my hangover. I stubbed another one yesterday: a Punch Magnum that halfway through developed a cloying tang, which was a bit bizarre considering it started out as a mild-bodied, full-flavored, above-average cigar. I had a 5 Vegas Series A that had the world's thinnest wrapper that unraveled first before splitting and basically disintegrating. There are one or two others as well.

This is all out of less than 30 cigars, and I feel like I did a pretty decent job of picking up an assortment of what should be above-average to excellent cigars (although they're mostly $6 and below). I didn't think I'd be so polarized so early. Am I just picky?

Also, I'm forcing myself to smoke one or two of every cigar I picked up before ordering boxes. I'll probably end up with a bundle of RP 1992 Seconds, a box of Short Stories, and a cheap daily smoker, probably something like Gran Habano Vintage 2002 or CAO Brazilia.

I am pretty picky about cigars and my taste runs more toward the Maduro side so many of the milder and robusto cigars are unsmokable to me. One exception is the Fuente Hemmingway (short story etc) series which is amazing. Last time I was in canada I smoked a fantastic non-maduro cigar as well so I think that its mostly a quality issue. I would say that about 50% of the cigars in my cigar shop are a pass but mostly due to taste preference.

Getting a bundle of RP 2nds is a great idea as they will still be very good. CAO Brazillia is a nice smoke but nothing really special. The great thing about cigars is that there are so many you should just try as many as you can while maintaining a good reserve of cigars you know you will enjoy at the right time. Its like coffee or fine liquors and wines. Even if a new cigar is not "the best ever" its still a new experience. Also when you are stocking up, try to find a good smoke for "non smokers." I picked the RP Vintage 1999 Connecticut shade which is mild but flavorful. Its not as much fun smoking alone and if you have generous friends they will usually bring a nice liquor to sip while smoking.

Having a well running humidor though is a must. I took years to make it a priority and can't believe I waited so long.

zero

I think I will probably end up with a coolerdor within a month or two

Can someone recommend me a decent humidor? Avg price and quantity would be fine.

I'd hop onto cigarbid and find a 100+ count humidor, or I'd just make a tupperdor/coolerdor.

I finally have space for a coolerdor, probably going to do it soon. Already have 2 100 count desktops and a 10 cup tupperware full.

How do you plan to humidify yours? Beads, Gel?

fresh rolled is cool for the novelty factor, but ime they can be a little harsh.

Anyone here smoke Cigarillos?

I've been enjoying these when I only have 5-10 minutes: $.50 each in bulk from JR

A very good substitute for owning/maintaining a humidor are Arturo Fuente Humidor bags, I was recently turned on to them and they work well for cheap.

All this, also dont buy cigars from ****** humidors, and if you have no chance then to go to a place with a ****** humidor, at least get the newest arrivals. Smoking a fresh non dried out $5 cigar is > a dried up $15 one imo.

I've got it up and running already hahahah =/

I went with a sock full of kitty litter (seriously). It's an aquarium filter media bag stuffed to the brim with silica gel-based kitty litter from Petco, and it keeps it at a constant 65%.

The only thing in there right now is a box of AF Short Stories. I've got three cedar trays for holding singles that are making their way to me right now. It will be stocked soon with a bundle of Gran Habano Vintage 2002s and hopefully some RP Seconds.

I just bought a small humidor and I cannot get the humidity above 55%. I took out the humidifier that came with it and put in the gel bubbles but it still isnt helping. HELP!

1942 padron