Smoke. Definitely.

Living here in Colorado, smoking outside through the winter has turned into a pretty nice routine.

Start coffee pot.
Pour small glass of scotch.
Light cigar.
Go freeze outside.
Smoke/drink.
After 1"-1.5" of cigar, set cigar down, finish scotch and go back inside.
Warm up while pouring large cup of coffee.
Go smoke second third of cigar with coffee.
Warm up/pour another cup.
Finish cigar/coffee.
Go warmup.

It sucks, but it's way better than not having any cigar. I've survived out on the porch in temperatures below 0, depending on the windchill of course.

There are taste differences, but honestly I don't think my pallet is complex or experienced enough to be able to tell the difference in a blind taste-test.

First, like you said, would be the length of time it takes to smoke. That, to me, is the most important part about why I choose one size over another. If I've got the time to enjoy a nice Churchill, I'm going to consider it. But, if it's freaking freezing outside and I'm not going to survive longer than a half hour, maybe I'll just get through two-thirds of a Robusto. I'm definitely not going to be lighting up anything longer than a corona if I'm just going to end up bored halfway through or frozen to death.

Second, would be the ring-guage. I prefer a ring-guage in the 50s. It just feels better in the fingers, and has a draw that I prefer. People will tell you that a fatter cigar will have a much different flavor than a thinner one because of the different ratio of wrapper to filler, but I haven't really noticed all that much of a difference.

Third would be the length. This obviously has a lot to do with the time it takes to smoke, but can also make a big difference in the complexity of the cigar. The longer a cigar is, the more different unique leaves are going to be in the filler (assuming it's a long-filler premium cigar). So, the more combinations of burning leaves it's going to have throughout the cigar. A really complex, well-blended cigar is going to change flavor every half-inch or so because of this. If that's something you really enjoy, maybe a longer cigar will be better for you. For me, I don't mind a consistant flavor in my cigar. I enjoy complex ones, but only when I've really got the time and energy to sit down and focus ONLY on the cigar. If I'm drinking, playing cards, playing golf, etc... I don't care too much if it's going to be changing flavors every five minutes.

So... that's my take on it.
First priority is time on-hand. (Length)
Second is feel in-hand. (Ring-guage)
Third is levels of complexity. (a combination).

In my experience, a robusto is the right size for me in just about every situation. It's long/wide enough to get some complex flavors going. It's got a nice wide easy draw on it. It's a short enough smoke that I'm not going to spend all evening on one cigar. If I've got extra time I'll have two or three robustos instead of having one huge cigar.

this weekend I smoked a "La Flora" Ligaro... it was Awesome...

super dark-oily wrapper. Great flavor. Nutty taste. WOW

The thing was WAY strong though... basically put me on my ass.

Another great reply MTU. I thank you so much for your information. I have been looking over clubstogie.com this afternoon and between the posts here and there I have a fighting chance the next time I go to the B&M smoke shop. I got a nice short list of things to look for. The spring can not get here soon enough.

Short list to look for (please critique and advise):
Cusano 18 - I am pretty sure I have smoked a couple of these before and I enjoyed them.
Onyx Reserve
Punch Elite
Montecristo Afrique
Macaduno Maduro - I think I actualy have one of thse in the humidor right now. Supposed to be nice in a couple days. Looking forward to burning it.
A. Fuente Curly Head

Seems like a pretty solid list. At least a nice cross-section of what's out there in the industry.

I can tell you right now that there's cigars there that I loved, cigars I didn't, and two that I haven't had (but should).

You'll spend around $30 on that stash, and within two weeks you'll be back in there re-stocking up on all sorts of new ones.

One thing that I wish I would have done when I started smoking cigars (which really wasn't that long ago, just a few months really), was to keep a journal of what I liked and didn't like. Since I just get singles mostly, and go through a handful per week, I honestly don't remember what I thought about a lot of sticks I had a couple months ago... so now I see them in the B&M and I'm not sure if it's worth giving them another shot.

Oh... and do yourself a favor and google "Dog Watch Social Club". Best podcast on the net.

I'm just getting started with the cigar "hobby". I'm learning as I go and it's fun.

I bought this humidor "combo" kit from cheaphumidors.com:


The lighter is decent. Haven't used the cutter because I have a set of Xicar double guillotine cutters. The hygrometer has been decent so far, althouth I did have to calibrate it (I guess this is standard). The humidor is pretty well made. I seasoned it without any problems by taking a shot glass of distilled water and putting in the bottom. I also put charged my humidifier with a 50/50 solution that was included in the kit. I'm happy with the purchase.

This will probably be my last humidor purchase for a while since I would rather spend my money on the cigars themselves. So my next humidor will be a "Coolidor". You can find plans on Clugstogie.com for converting a standard cooler into a humidor.

I've ordered a set of 70% RH beads from Heartfelt Industries. I'm going to take my humidifier apart and replace the green foam stuff with these beads. Hopefully this will work better with the dry winter air.

As far as the actual cigars go, I've been trying out everything I can. I've bought a couple samplers online. I also have a B&M shop about 5 miles from my house that has a decent selection in a walk in humidor.

So far my list of cigars that I've tried include:
-La Finca Valentinos
-5 Vegas Gold Churchill
-Connecticut by Rocky Patel Toro
-Fonseca 5-50
-Gurkha Connecticut Robusto
-Playboy by Don Diego (different sizes)
-Assorted Romeo y Julietas

Probably some more, but those are off the top of my head. I have a few Montecristos and H Upmann's in my humidor, but haven't had a chance to try them yet. I also have a 5 pack of Vintage 1992 Rocky Patels that should be here today and a 5 pack of Partagas Black Classicos that should be here in Tuesday. I won these on CigarBid.

Out of all the cigars I have tried so far, the Playboy's were my favorite. They are a pretty decent early morning to afternoon cigar.

OK, this thread needs a bump. I have been smoking daily for the past couple of weeks. A couple cigars I REALLY enjoyed:

CAO Cameroon
Oliva Series O

I couple cigars I didn't enjoy at all:

Rocky Patel 1992 Vintage
Padron 1964 Anniversary

Now I know the ones I didn't enjoy are supposed to be higher end, but I just couldn't get into them. This is the third Padron I have smoked that I didn't enjoy. Is this just because my palette hasn't really developed enough or are there some cigars that you just don't like?

Also, I will be in Mexico and Las Vegas next week, and I am looking for something unique to smoke in both places. Ideas? The Opus X is not available anywhere in Arizona from what I hear, will I be able to get something in Las Vegas? Someone mentioned Fuente has a shop there, where is it located?

Edit: Forgot to ask. What are some good places to smoke on the strip? Does the wine bar in the Rio let you smoke there?

I've said before on this thread that the Rocky Patel 92 is my favorite cigar right now, but I agree with you about the Padron. I don't find them to be similar in any way. That said, I'm certainly no authority on flavor profiles and I just know what tastes good to me. So if you don't enjoy it, you don't enjoy it.

Unfortunately I can't answer your Vegas or Mexico questions, though considering your expressed preferences I'd say that you're probably not going to particularly enjoy an Opus X even if you can find one (certainly not to the tune of $30ish a stick).

Still haven't been there myself, but from what I understand it's in the shops in Ceasers... not that this narrows it down all that much, but it should give you a decent starting place. They will have all the Opus, Forbidden Opus, Casa Fuente, Anejo, Flora Fina, and Hemingways you could ever possibly want. Bring extra money. And as above-poster mentioned, if you're not a big Padron/Rocky fan, you may not enjoy the Opus either... that thing is a nicotine bomb with a LONG finish on it.

Also... new stick to pimp that I had for the first time last night. La Vieja Habana, by Drew Estate. I haven't been all that big of a fan of the DE stuff, because I hate the Acid line, but this one blew me away. The LVH not only was a very good mixed-filler cigar, but the price point on this badboy is PERFECT. Boxes of 20 under $50 online, unheard of for just about anything else we've talked about in this topic.

The Corojo LVH doesn't suit my personal tastes as well as some others, but I'm pretty damn excited to try the Connecticut, Cameroon, and the Maduro wrappers. At $2.50/stick, I'll be buying these by the box even if they're just average. Perfect for weddings, or non-smoking buddies. Great presentation, great box, great band, etc... they look like much more expensive cigars, and the taste/smoke/construction is enough to fool most people.

I've ordered from them for ten years and never had a problem.

~ Rick

Guys check this out... seems too good to be true. Unfortunately they don't ship to EU, so I can't try it myself The prices seem fantastic, and the webpage is serious enough not to seem sketchy.

http://www.puroexpress.com/

What exactly about that seems too good to be true?

They've got Sancho Panzas on there selling for upwards of $8-17/stick, even if you buy them by the box. I think I can get most of those around here for 1/3 to 1/2 that price.

I'm not too up on the pricing for most cubans, and I definitely don't know crap about Euro prices for them, but every price on this site seems to be ridiculously high.

On a second look, the prices on the Punch and Cohiba don't look all that bad... but still, not much of a "deal" to get excited about. You can find better prices at most of the online dealers.

Try http://www.coh-hk.com for Cubans.

I think the prices are good.

I have never ordered from them, but I have heard they are very reliable from people I know irl.

C-Dog

vnh sir, I'm gonna try them out. Also, if anybody knows a cigar shop where I could get Onyx Reserve shipped to Europe, plz holla.

Cigar.com

Have to call their 800 number to verify they ship to your specific country, but they don't say anything about not shipping to Europe.

I need to buy a box of cigars as a gift for someone who likes cigars, but only smokes them occasionally (i.e., he is not the connaisseur that some of you are). It's last minute, so I can't buy online. I'm looking for something that's $50-$75 a box and would be available at most B&M stores. Any suggestions? Is this price range too low to get anything good?

La Vieja Habana... about $35-40/box online, probably around $50-60 in a B&M.

Any of the wrappers are good (or so I've heard), although the Corojo are the easiest to find.

The Chateau Coronas look extra fancy, with the cedar wraps on them. Definitely don't look (or smoke) like $2/stick cigars.

Anyone have experiences with the Flavored Cigars?

ACID
CAO Flavors
or others I can't think of.

I have only really tried the CAO Moontrance, but I really liked it, and I think I am going to buy a box of each flavor they have, 6 in total. I may just buy the 6 flavor sampler and a box of Moontrance's first though.

C-Dog

Thanks for the rec. I called two nearby cigar shops and neither had these. Any other ideas?

Total cigar noob here. I don't understand why what you use to light a cigar matters so much. Wouldn't whatever flavor is imparted by the propane lighter/matches dissipate in a few puffs?

If you are using butane, or cedar to light your cigar it is fine becuase those two things dont give off much odor. When you light a cigar with a book of paper matches, the sulphur smell sucks up into all the tobbaco of the cigar and [censored] the taste up a little.

why would you want to waste those puffs? you wanna have gas or sulfur on your first bite of steak?

I ordered a small box of 15 Montecristos, and they got stuck in the customs, meaning I had to pay around the same amount as their value on in the shop to get em. So if you live in EU, you can certainly get a better bargain.

That aside, the product seems genuine and the service was great with the tracking codes and so forth.

I haven't tried too many different cigars so far (probably 15 or so), but I smoked a gurkha grand reserved and really enjoyed it.

I just picked up an Opus X at Casa Fuente on Monday, I'm excited. I'll report back when I smoke it.