Not with your mouth?

I agree, I just found my notes, and Ive had them all except teh rockey patel, I gave them all between a 6 and a 9, so good stuff there. Personally, I think opus X, adn the padron aniverseries (26 and 64) are really over-rated, they are kind fo harsh, even thogh they burn good. I just got a call from a friend, and Im going out, but tommorow, Ill post on how to spot fake cubans, I have ordered from 2 internet sites, 1 good, one bad, but I got a guy in jamaica that ships them up to me now, he told me everythign too look for.

I've mentioned these in other threads, but the HdM Double Maduro Rothschild is really an excellent cigar for its price ($2-$3). Great flavor for those who like maduro wrappers.

-McGee

I agree with this. I've smoked Fuentes for ten years and had heard all about the Opus X before I finally tried one about a year ago. (I used to live in Dallas, and apparently they weren't available west of the Mississippi for quite a while.) All I can say is... meh. It was fine, but I much prefer the Hemingways. And I was completely underwhelmed by the Padron 26 that I had -- a $20+ cigar and I perhaps smoked half of it. It certainly wasn't a matter of bad construction or anything, it just didn't match my taste.

I tend to agree with you guys on the Padrons burning a little harsh. The first quarter is usually very pleasant, followed by a mediocre finish. I haven't tried the Opus X yet but I may not if you are comparing it to the Padron. Tonight I'll probably smoke an Acid I bought because I hadn't smoked one in some time, then I'll go to the store and pick up something else.

Exactly. In order to live up to the hype (and price) of a cigar like that, it's got to have that "something extra". In the case of Opus X, that something extra is a very heavy nicotine punch and a VERY long finish... not exactly positive things on many peoples' list of priorities.

Personally, I don't mind the extra nic-buzz. In fact, sometimes I'll specifically look for a cigar like that. But, that extra long finish on it is something that I really don't get any pleasure from.

As far as the construction, draw, burn, and flavor-profile, I'd give it a solid "A" grade in all categories... just doesn't fit well enough into my pallette to be worth the $15-30/stick.

As far as the Hemingways, which ones are you partial to?

Since I'm in CO, and the winter has been extra cold, I've been sticking to the Maduro Short Stories for my "regular" smoke (which is probably only two per week now) since I can get back inside within a half hour or so. During the summer I'll reach for a Cameroon Signature. I just can't get enough of that perfecto shape... especially since it still burns and draws so perfectly.

Also, have you tried the Cusano 18 Paired Maduro yet? I'm loving the Double Connecticut, but haven't tried the PM as of yet. I'm not big on Cusano's Vintage Corojo, but I'd definitely be willing to try some more stuff from them.

The best example I can give of a cigar with this sort of "nic-buzz" is the Ashton Heritage Churchill. This is the only cigar that's ever made me vomit -- my head was swimming. Seven or 8 years ago I smoked some sort of special edition Fuente that was something like a 10" x 60 -- lasted about two and a half hours and I felt like I'd drank a six pack of beer when I was done.
Totally agree.
I prefer the signature. I love the unique shape and the draw and burn are as good as on any cigar I've ever smoked. I think there's something to the fact that I broke into cigars smoking Curly Heads and 8-5-8s, so the Don Carlos line was like a luxury buy for me. For about five years I smoked them almost exclusively.
I don't smoke a whole ton of maduros and I haven't tried this one. Actually, the 18 is the only Cusano I've ever had. It was a recommendation from a shop owner a couple years ago and I wasn't expecting much at all when I saw the price tag. Needless to say, I was very, very pleasantly surprised. If you told me I could only pick one cigar to smoke every day for the rest of my life, it would probably be this one; I can enjoy it at 9am on a Sunday with coffee, the newspaper, and an empty stomach or at midnight after a big steak dinner (though that's when I'd prefer a Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 or a La Flor Dominicana chisel tip). I think there's a lot to be said for a smoke that's this smooth and versatile. There aren't a whole lot of cigars that I'd enjoy at any hour of the day.

I have no idea if it's useful to list these kinds of cigars, but the La Flor Dominicana Chisel did it to me.

-McGee

Yeah, I've had the same reaction to that cigar when I've smoked it on anything less than a completely full stomach.

Anyone ever had an Ashton Virgin Sun Grown (VSG)? It's my favorite legal cigar next to padron 1926.

I just got around to smoking one of these a couple weeks ago. Thoroughly enjoyed it (I think I had the Sorcerer). My only complaint was that the finish was a little long for my taste, if that makes sense.

-McGee

A question i had that a canadian friend of mine wasn't able to answer:

Are you able to buy genuine cuban cigars in Canada?

Yes, but there are fakes up there too.

Why is that? I thought Canada wasn't affected by the embargo?

Has little to do with the embargo, cuban cigars are very simple to fake, and there is a ton of money to be made selling fugazis to people who dont know the diff from an original.

I would be interested in knowing what some good starter cigars would be. The smoke shop around here was only mildly helpful in my quest to become a cigar smoker. It is actually rather intimidating to do into those places without much knowledge, so I thank the OP for making this thread and giving some insight on the terminology.

The cigar shop suggested getting some of the samplers that they had at the time. One was from Macanudo and the other was from Cusano. I smoked these a while ago, so I do not remember all my thoughts on them, but I thought the Cusano's that I had were excellent. I wish I would have remembered exactly what they were.

The real question that I have for all you people that know much more than me, what cigars should I start out with? And after I know some more and appreciate cigars where should I go from there? I think there is a progression in cigars much like scotch. You do not start out with an Islay scotch, but rather a Highland. There has to be something around that in cigars.

I want a good once or twice a week experience without busting the bank. Thanks!

This thread has got me curious about cigars. Whats a quality website to order from that doesn't sell fakes (like guids previously mentioned).

Thanks.

Combusted, do you smoke cigars already? If not, I don't think it's wise to start off by ordering Cubans. You have to order them by the box, I believe, which means you'd need to get a humidor, etc. It will be not-insignificant investment, and you should find out if you actually enjoy the hobby first.

I know that doesn't ansewr your question (I've never ordered Cuban cigars online), but it's just my two cents.

-McGee

I recently bought the Adorini brand Santiago humidor from http://www.humidordiscount.com/Humid.../Santiago.html


This is my second humidor, the previous one was from the same shop and relatively smaller model. Both these have been great, for the single exception that the hydrometers aren't very accurate. Other than that, they're perfect, come with a lifetime guarantee and quite affordable.

As for shopping for cigars, I recommend Spanish internet shops. The tobacco tax in Spain is quite nonexistant - meaning you can get very affordable prices on Cubans.

https://www.cigartradingonline.com/default.asp This shop has free worldwide delivery and ridiculously cheap prices. I'd especially recommend trying my alltime favourite, the Trinidad Fundadores (you can get 10x for $130!) which rate as top end Cubans but much cheaper than Cohibas.

I've heard wonderful things said about Onyx Reserve, http://www.cigar.com/cigars/viewcigar.asp?brand=151 which pack Cigar Afficionado ratings of 90+ but come at a $4/stick, but unfortunately none of the EU shops sell them so I haven't had the chance to try them out. People living in the North America should definitely try them out And pm me if you could arrange me a shipping of a few boxes

Honestly, I think the best way to get started with cigars is kind of the same way most of the guys around here started learning more about poker... find an online forum resource that you can trust, and lurk around for a while. My personal favorite is clubstogie.com... also, there's a handful of really good cigar podcasts out there that you can download.

One trap that you see cigar-newbs fall into constantly is the hype or reputation. As with most things, "value" has very little to do with "price", and everyone enjoys different things. I've smoked FANTASTIC cigars that were $2/stick, and I've smoked some complete dogrockets that cost me upwards of $15.

If you're JUST starting out, I'd suggest trying out a handful of the larger manufacturers, so you know you're at least getting a decent-quality product, and just buy single sticks. All different wrappers, all different sizes. You'll learn really quickly that you prefer a Connecticut or a Maduro wrapper, or if you like a Robusto or a Churchill. Once you learn the lingo and what you like, it's pretty easy to branch out from there to some other types of cigars that you're not familiar with.

Don't be intimidated by a B&M tobacconist... they should be there to educate you and to steer you in the right direction. You should be able to tell your tobacconist what you've liked or disliked in the past, and he should be able to point you towards some other pruduct that you might like. Preferably without just pointing you right at the $20/stick garbage.

Also, don't always associate a dark wrapper on a cigar with a very powerful cigar. Don't be afraid to grab that CAO MX2 just because it looks like a deathstick. It's surprisingly gentle. Likewise, don't always assume that a lighter wrapper means it's not going to knock your socks off. Some of the mildest looking cigars will have you swimming before you're done.

Keep trying, experimenting, learning. You'll find some favorites pretty quickly, but don't ever just limit yourself to one brand, one wrapper, one size, etc.

If you're anything like me, you'll jump right into it quickly. You'll start out thinking that you should only smoke mild cigars. Then you'll love a couple of really bold cigars. Then you'll start to appreciate the complexity of some expensive cigars. Then you'll realize that your wallet is empty and you need to find some good budget cigars. By that point your tastes and pallet will have developed to the point where you'll want certain cigar profiles for different times.

Yes... but not cheaply.

It's surprising, but the not having the embargo in Canada has actually hurt the real afficianados north of the border. It seems that their local shops will ONLY carry Cubans, because that's what 90% of the people in their shop want. They're just casual cigar smokers, and assume that cubans are the best, so that's all the shop will carry.

If you ask me, cubans aren't any better or worse than stuff that comes out of the Dominican, Nicaraugua, Ecuador, even some Costa Rican stuff... they're certainly different, but not really better. They've got a very unique taste profile that I can understand certain people enjoy, but why limit yourself to just one type of cigar when there's so many other great ones out there?

Add to that all the taxes, fakes, etc... I'm actually kinda happy that in the US we've been "forced" to enjoy so many other types of cigars.

Most of the cubans I've smoked I'd rank between 6/10 and 8/10... certainly above-average. But I've had some AWESOME smokes from other places (in fact, most of those are blends from two or three different countries).

Again, most of the mystique around cubans is that forbidden fruit thing... A casual smoker who smokes just one or two cigars per year is just caught up in the hype of them. Their reputation FAR out-reaches the actual level of their cigars.

These last two posts are both great and right-on. Agree about diversity being a good thing -- it frustrates me not to be able to find Dominicans in Europe.

Thanks for the great response!

I have always been curious what the difference is between the different sizes. Obviously, the longer cigars will smoke longer, but is there a taste difference or anything else?

It's generally understood that the larger sizes have more complex flavors, though this isn't always true. Often you'll find that the draw and burn are significantly different from one size to the next, as well.

Question for those others of you who live in cold places with smoking bans: where do you smoke in the winter?

I haven't had a cigar since well before Christmas, as DC passed a smoking ban on January 2. (It was already hard enough to find a place that didn't mind you smoking a cigar.) It's 43 right now -- warmest it's been in three weeks, probably -- and I'm considering just sucking it up and sitting on the porch. I rent and can't smoke indoors.

Suggestions?