Im not super super knowledgeable abotu cigars, but Ive read a few books, and tried and logged a bunch over the last couple of years so here is my contribution, if I miss something add it up.


Storage-

Im not going to get into the more "creative" (tupperware + element etc) ways of storage, as I just dont think its worth it. If you you really want to get into cigars, even before you go purchase any, buy yourself a good humidor, one that holds 50, they are reasonably priced, not too large, and they look nice. I have this one:

http://www.humidorvault.com/Junior-E...-12-8117mg.htm


First thing is to throw out the hygrometer that it comes with, and buy a nice digital one, along with an element. You can find all these things at any cigar shop, or the net. I went to homedepot, and got a set of magnets, glued them to the element, hygrometer, and 2 to the lid of the humidor, so you can pull them off easily etc.

Before you store anything in teh humidor, you need to cure it, and this is a little tricky, most come with instructions, but the gist is to get a brand new DRY sponge (some sponges come moist), a plastic bag, and either a jug of distilled water, or cigar solution. Personally I like the solution better, this is what I use:




Wet down your element (follow instructions), and instal your hygrometer, soak the sponge in teh solution, wet down the inside of the humidor with the sponge. Put the plastic bag on the bottom of the humidor, and the sponge on top of the bag, do not let any direct contact between the wood and the sponge. Close the lid for 12 to 24 hours. It should be cured after that. After a day or so, take out the sponge and bag, and let sit for another day w/ nothing in it, check your hygrometer to see if the humidity is holding steady at between 68% and 72%. If you are having trouble, and have a local cigar shop, bring the humidor in to them, usualyl if the owner is cool, he will help you/do it for you.


Stale/dry cigars:

a premium cigar investment is not lost if the cigars become dry due to poor storage. Using a properly cured humidor, you can revive your dry cigars, however, it will take considerably longer to revive them than it took to for them to dry.
Dry cigars should be revived slowly. First, place you cigars inside an open plastic bag on the bottom level or drawer of your fully charged and running humidor for four days. Next, remove the cigars from the plastic bag, keeping them at the bottom of your humidor for another two days. Finally, move the cigars up from the bottom to the top level (or drawer) of you humidor.
It will take approximately three to five weeks to revive your premium cigars to proper smoking conditions.


Onto the good stuff:

Cigars sizes, from some website:

Churchill: Traditionally, the churchill is held to be a larger cigar made popular by Winston Churchill. Normally it is 7 1/2 inches long with a 50 ring gauge.

Cigarillo: A small cigar around the size of a cigarette.

Corona: Traditionally this cigar is 6 inches with a 44 ring gauge.

Culebra: Three cigars of any size braided together form this shape. Yes you pull them apart before smoking!

Double Corona: A larger, but not quite double, corona cigar that is 7 inches long with a 50 or more ring gauge.

Esplendido: Made popular by the Cohiba, this size is about 7 1/2 inches with a 50 ring gauge.

Figurado: Any shaped cigar such as a torpedo or perfecto.

Giant or Gigante: A huge cigar 8 or more inches long with a 52 (or more) ring gauge.

Longsdale: A longer thinner cigar that is 6 inches by 42 ring gauge.

Panatela: A long thin cigar that is 6 1/2 inches by 28 ring gauge.

Perfecto: A classic shape that has a 48 ring in the middle and tapers on both ends.

Presidente: A larger cigar that is 8 1/2 inches long and a 52 ring gauge.

Pyramid: A cigar with a larger ring gauge end that uniformly tapers to a small ring gauge end.

Robusto: A short fat cigar about 5 inches long and with a 50 ring gauge.

Rothschilde: A short version of a robusto, usually 4-4 1/2 inches with a 50 ring gauge.

Torbusto: A new shape that combines the torpedo, toro, and robusto shapes. Made to date only by Altadis.

Toro: A new shape that is 6 inches long with a 50 ring gauge.

Torpedo: The bulk of the barrel is a larger ring (often 50+) that after 3/4 of the cigar tapers to a point.



Obv the larger the cigar, the longer it takes to smoke, a chuchill takes about 45 minutes, a Corona abotu 30 minutes, and Presidente abotu an hour.


Hand wrapped cigars are usually much better tasting than machine wrapped, but hand wrapping is usually less consistent, you can tell a machine wrapped cigar if there is a hole in it (negatting the need to cut it), or check the labeling.

Cutting:

Personally, I like the hole punches, as I can carry it everywhere w/o losing it, and you dont run the risk of drunkenly cutting your cigar too bad:



But some cigars dont work too well with them and a traditional cutter is needed:




Actual cigars:

This really depends on your taste, what I did was buy about 50 individual cigars at the shop, ran me a pretty penny, but I logged each one that I smoked in a little notebook for future reference.


My Fav:

H Upmann Vintage Cameroon, any size. These things are great.


I cant find my logbook right now, but when I do, Ill post some entries.

Guids,

Great post. I introduced cigars to a small bar I was running many moons ago and they took off. Now of course with all the anti-smoking laws no longer possible.

Just a little point on cutting cigars. If you've never done it before buy a couple of cheap and nasty cigars and practice on them first. The cutting action needs to be quick and deft, you don't won't to tear the tobacco wrapper.

At the moment I'm going through a Cohiba Cigarrito mini stage. Luckily over here in Europe we don't have any problems getting Cubans and in Spain they are very economical.

I have become addicted to acid cigars, but they are very hard to find in my area only 1 cigar shop sells them. Though it's best to buy cigars at tstone since they are much cheaper but their selection isn't that good but they do have acids.

Immediately after I turned 18 I became obsessed with cigars. This fling only lasted for about 10 months, but during it I came to learn that I, too, prefer a bullet punch cutter. I actually purchased a Xikar punch for a friend of mine.

I remember enjoying Montecristo White cigars quite a bit.

i have been enjoying cigars for awhile, but recently got serious about my cigs. i got a 400$ humidor that can hold up to 200 cigars (i keep around 20 in there), a hygrometer from radio shack, and a 75$ humidifer that i have to refill 1x/week with distilled water. as far as cigars go, i really like montecristos and churchills, but it has been too cold as of late to have a smoke outside.

http://www.cubancrafters.com/products.php/item_id/2619


These are awesome. I dont know how well they work with cigs, but cigar smoke I know fades a lot faster out of things, than cigarettes. W/ the candle, and maybe a cracked window, you cant even smell the cigar 30 minutes after smoking. These arent the exact candles my I buy at my cigar shop, but Im sure there isnt much diff.

finally, a worthy thread I have some knowledge of, lol. I have been very bad of late about taking care of my cigars. Shame on me. I have a humidor that holds up to 150, and I almost always keep 100 in there.

Some of my personal favs are H. Upmans and Romeo Y Julieta. I have tried many of their different styles of cigars and they are all of very good quality. When I get some more time later, I'll make a better post regarding these and other cigars.

How long can you store a cigar in the aluminium tube they come in?

I've never had a humidor, if I want a cigar I just buy a Romeo Y Julieta and smoke it.

I dont think the aluminum/cedar wrappings make too much of a difference in keeping humidity in.

before acid there was a cigar called the lars tetons. he made a few different ones but one was shaped like a rather large cone. it was like a torpedo that just kept getting bigger the end of it was probably 65 ring guage. these were incredible cigars. if you caqn find one now it will be very expensive (if it is and original around 1998) but it will be worth it.

great primer guids. i saw it while smoking a cigar...eerie. i busted out a 2002 cohiba robusto cause im still celebrating my superbowl win and its the best thing i have in the humidor now. if anyone wants a cheap daily i suggest the oliva serie g belicoso. awesome little smoke 3 buck...while they last. if you want to spend some dough TTT trinidad fundador or padron anniversario if you cant get cubans.

Didn't even know these existed, I also curtailed my smoking because of cold winters. Looking forward to trying this out.

oliva grand cameroon torpedos are my fav so far.

r&j's a close second

Don't have much exp at all but R&J's are easily my fave out of the 5 or so I've tried, seems like a perfect not too mild not too strong taste.

I can't give any sort of authoritative info on "the best cigars," because it's really a matter of taste. That said, I really enjoy the Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 (I know, theoretically not as good as the 90s, but more suited to my taste), Romeo y Julieta Aniversario (black and silver band), Arturo Fuente Hemingway and Don Carlos #2, and a nice little $4 cigar by Cusano called the 18, which is certainly the best value and might be the most consistently smooth, easy-smoking cigar I've ever had.

Something big that has been left out of the OP.

Lighting

The best thing to light cigars with is a butane lighter, preferably a dualjet for a wider flame. Butane is preferable to a normal lighter because the gas won't change the flavour of the tobacco. If you don't have access to a butane lighter, try using the cedar paper that comes with most cigars. Just break off a piece, light it, then light your cigar for it.

To light your cigar, hold it about an inch above the flame, then roll the cigar between you thumb and index finger to get an even light. A good cigar only needs to be smoked every minute or so to stay lit, so try to avoid relighting your cigar.

On cutting, a double edged cutter is best. This applies pressure evenly to both sides of the cigar at once, reducing the chances of tearing the cigars wrapping. After that, the hierarchy i believe goes double edged cutter > cigar scissors > single blade cutter.

My personal favourites are cohiba's and monte cristo's, but because i'm a euro and can get genuine cubans, i can't comment on what the quality or taste is like on their US counterparts. If you can get the real thing though, my usual is the monte cristo number 2, which will run you about 20 dollars a cigar. It's very smooth, and has an easy draw. Very enjoyable to smoke.

Fuente Fuente Opus X is easily the best cigar commercially available. I don't smoke anymore but I have smoked thousands of cigars and nothing else comes close with respect to construction, draw, flavor. Magnificent smoke. I don't know if they are any more available now, they used to be pretty scarce.

Definitely buy your smokes from www.jrcigar.com, they are by far the best, for pipe tobacco as well. Once I started smoking the heavy heavy perique tobaccos like Dunhill I stopped smoking cigars.

I disagree with using a lighter of any sort for a cigar. Matches are a much better choice. However, if using a lighter, then I think you are correct in your choice. I have a couple butane lighters, mostly for the convenience and ease of use but I rarely use them if matches are available.

Matches > Butane Lighter > Cedar Wrap > Gas Lighter.

I dislike matches, even safety ones, because they burn too quickly and the flame is uneven. If i don't have a lighter, i usually just light the cedar paper with the match, as it burns a lot slower.

Dont ever light your cigar with normal matches, only wooden ones.

Opus X are certainly great cigars, but very over-hyped. They may be worth the MSRP on them, but you can find many cigars which are very similar for a much more reasonable price.

Opus X are available at pretty much any decent tobaconnist year round. Dealing with Fuente (the manufacturer) isn't usually a treat for smaller shops, but any decent sized shop will have plenty of Fuente product on the shelves.

The Fuente Anejos are even more rare/expensive than the Opus, and arguably a better smoke. They usually only come out near New Years and Father's Day, and usually sell out of any retailer within a matter of hours, regardless of the price.

If you're looking for a great cigar, with flawless construction, and a good reputation, the Opus X is a great place to look for it. But, pretty much anything in the Fuente line is going to have similar quality, and probably a much better price. Personally I prefer the Hemingways to the Opus, simply because there isn't as much of a nicotine-punch in them.

Keep in mind, Fuente is just one of several GREAT cigar manufacturers that larger shops will carry. Punch, Cohiba, Carlos Torano, La Aurora, Romeo Y Julieta, Macanudo, etc, etc are all great larger manufacturers.

Lately though I've been focused on some of the more boutique cigar brands. Brands like Padilla, Tatuaje, Rocky Patel, are much smaller operations, but put out absolutely fantastic products.

The Acid line, mentioned earlier in this thread is a very popular line of infused cigars, made by Drew Estate. They're advertised more as an "entry" type cigar, and definitely marketed towards young people, but some of them are very good smokes as well. Although the older, more traditional, smokers may look down on you for liking them, they do have some very good cigars. My personal favorite infused cigar is the "Java" (made by Drew Estate for Rocky Patel).

Couple things I'd like to touch on from the original poster... throw out the crap sponge that comes with your humidor. It's garbage. Get something from your local shop that is an ACTIVE humidification system. Something that can release and absorb moisture. Products like "the puck", or humidor gel, or humidity beads, are all very cheap and are MUCH more effective at maintaining your humidity level. Additionally, when "curing" your humidor, it's probably best not to wipe down the spanish cedar on the inside with water. Applying that much moisture directly to your humidor could actually warp the wood inside it. If you've got the patience to wait a couple of days, just set a small bowl of distilled water inside of your humidor... the wood will absorb what it needs without ending up with a puddle at the bottom of your humidor or warping.

My current list:
- Hemingways... my favorites. Always on hand.
- CAO Brazilia/Italia... nice change of pace.
- Cusano 18 (double Connecticut)... my go-to for a milder smoke. Perfect for an inexperienced smoker.
- Comacho Corojo
- La Aurora (Preferido or C Ananos)
- Rocky Patel Edge (or Edge Lite)


Also, for those of you lucky enough to be going to Vegas in the near future... make sure to check out the Casa Fuente. I haven't been there yet, but as a Fuente slappy, it sounds like paradise. All the Anejos and Opus X you could want, along with their own private blend you can only get from Fuente's ONLY retail location on the planet. Expect to pay a premium (obviously... it's on the strip), but keep in mind that a portion of Casa Fuente's profits go to help the Cigar Family's charities, so you can feel good about yourself while you're dropping $500+ on something you're going to light on fire.

Whew... can you tell I'm passionate about my cigars yet.

Carlos Tarrano are the best daily smokers I've found.

If you're in vegas you have to stop by the Pyute smoke shop... BEST prices on the west coast.

I'll also put in a kind word for the Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur, an excellent cigar at any price.

This man knows what he's talking about.

...i dont, sorta. i take a small draw, followed by a very long mouth filling draw while at the same time inhaling, through my nose, the smoke from the tip of the cigar created by the original small draw. sounds complicated but i feel it gives me full sensory enjoyment of each puff. and yes ancardo i am a horrible wretched human being for thinking this through and enjoying it so, so much. dont even ask how i drink wine.