Great advice; I still rarely purchase boxes as I like to try a little bit of everything except for flavored cigars. I like Cubans but have found numerous NC sticks that are incredible. I’m OCD so I quickly moved from one humidor to five. When I purchase my next home, I’ll purchase a large cabinet.
i would typically smoke a €17 Havana in Vienna, usually Romeo & Julieta or Rey del Mundo or Montecristo,
but i actually like Dominican cigars better; Arturo Fuente Hemmingway Signature is my favourite, after decades of Royal Jamaican Double Coronas and H Upmann 2000s and Punch Robusto Maduros
funny thing about Vienna is that when you pay €17 for one of them there weeds, they still make you pay €0,30 for a box of matches to light the damn thing with…
I am a newbie so i have been buying in sets of 3. This new hobby and get pricey.
I only buy the ones that are rolled between virgin’s thighs!
From Crimson Tide:
Capt. Ramsey: How do you like that cigar?
Hunter: It’s good, sir.
Capt. Ramsey: It’s your first?
Hunter: [coughing] Yeah.
Capt. Ramsey: Well, don’t like it too much. They’re more expensive than drugs.
I decided a while ago that while I like smoking cigars I like it better when I smoke the occasional one. You definitely have to wash whatever you were wearing and if it’s a sport coat or something that’s a trip to the dry cleaners. Not a fan. I don’t mind having a drink by myself but I need someone to smoke a cigar with and given that I spend a decent amount of time on my own…fewer cigars. The point is that when I do smoke cigars I am willing to pay a relatively high amount. I like Davidoffs a lot. Any good Corona is nice but I have come to enjoy the smoothness and consistency of the Davidoffs. Like the Grand Cru No. 4 a lot.
I smoked a 20th Anniversary Arturo Fuente “Believe” during Super Bowl. It took me places I hadn’t been before. My go to cigars are Padron Maduro for an enjoyable cigar, Dominican Cohiba with big wines or Scotch and Padron 1964 Maduro when I want to be left alone with a full flavored cigar. The AF 20 was sneakily smooth, slow burning and tasty. It almost seemed mild but I was getting a buzz. The flavor profile was consistent until the toothpick in the nub started burning. Expensive, but if you can find one, get it, kick everybody out and be one with that cigar.
Jim, I feel the same way about smoking. I only do it socially. If you get a hankering, give me a shout. I have a pretty decent stash.
.
Was gonna say something really funny here… but the gentleman in me took over. 
Being a cigar novice, my experience is minimal other than the fact that I like them occasionally (6 max per year). I’m going on a golf trip coming up, so I grabbed a few at the local cigar shop based on his advice:
El Gueguense Robusto
Oliva Serie V Meanio Robusto
Guardian of the Farm JJ
Fuente Don Carlos Double Robust
So, how did I [he] do? Any of these better than the others, in your opinions?
There lots of things to learn and try in the cigar world.
1- tar build up is usually caused because your RH is too high for the tobacco mix and fire : dry box a day or two before lighting up
2-The bigger the cigar does not mean an harsher experience (especially in Cubans), usually they are more smooth (ex: a monte 2 vs a monte 1) and the smaller guage will show a big profil (expecially if they are young)
3-Cigars are like wine, you can age them if they are properly stored. For most Cubans it is true but for some NC you will loss the flavors profile meant to be had ( EX; A DE Flying pig with age is nice but you are not getting the PIG Punch you are looking for when your buying those)
4-Never put flavoured cigar with your ‘normal’ ones
5- Great Cubans are the easy target/example but there are ems to be found in Nicaragua (a bit less in the Rep Dom for me but still.) :
-AF is a classic for most of the lineup and a usually cheap cigar
-FF Opus x are nice if you like having a nic buzz and your ass kicked ( a few exception but for the most aprt they are big guns)
-AF Anejo are prob the best of the whole AF line up IMO
-Drew Estate ( not the flavored ones, all the rest MUWAT, UnderCrown, etc)
-Illusione is hard to beat price wise as they are one of the best P/Q Ratio I’ve seen since I’ve started smoking
-The classic Padron, I have still to find one I did no like ( even the x000 line is a nice stick)
-Tatuaje and their endless special run cigars are usually a good choice
-Viaje if you like the full flavor treatement (Skull and bones lineup come to mind)
-If you have the chance to go to Vegas: Arturo Fuente Casa Fuente are the single best NC you can find ( but they are Cuban level expensive if not more)
-there are lots of lesser known brand to try ( Olivia, Pedromo, Aurora, and I am missing a bunch I know)
If your about to grab a Cuban name from the Dom Rep I would advise you select something else as they are for 99% of them an ugly experience ( IMO).
6-Don’t go to a internet forum and ask for sources, it is considered impolite and you will get picked on to say the least. Register, post and intro and interact for a couple of months ( yes months) and read, read, read!
Take your time, try out different stuff before going deep on a brand ( must like wine) .
Hope this helps!
Depends on where you’re playing
I don’t get it.
Bend, OR.
Kidding, I kid.
Brandon, the Oliva Milanio Figurado was a number one cigar several years back. Pretty big, spicy and quite tasty. It could cripple a novice so it’s a good thing it’s a shorter Robusto.
The Don Carlos is a benchmark cigar. Highly consistent, medium plus, flavorful with a touch of spice and smooth.
The El Gueguense is another spicy cigar, leaning towards pepper and closing in on full-bodied.
I’ve not tried the Guardian of the Farm but know it too is medium plus with pepper and spice.
If you are playing golf, smoking these sticks and having cocktails, I hope it’s a benefit scramble round that don’t care about winning, just having fun. And remember, when everything kicks and you are addressing the ball, choose the middle one or a point that covers both balls, depending on how many you see.
Louis, Could expand on the “dry box” comment? My humidor runs on the higher side of humidity, should I be removing the cigars a day or two before smoking them? Does a ziplock bag work? Will this change the flavor or just the way it burns?
Randy, thank you. That’s very helpful - exactly what I was hoping for. This is a very casual couple of rounds and I’m not married to enjoying these on the course necessarily. It’s a group of 10 college buddies escaping reality for a few days and enjoying golf, exceptional beers of Bend, and a river float. Should be fun. Thanks for the insight.
Hey Mark!
Yes zip lock can do the trick ( or a lock&lock container sold at wallmart most of the newbies use for a first humidor).
Being into cigars for years I have a spare humidor that does the trick as I turned to cooler for the whole stash long ago.
The idea is to slowly let the rh lower on the cigar so yes 1-2 day is correct but 3-4 wont hurt also). Remember that most cigars are shipped world wide with system to keep a stable rh in transport. Thats said donc leave a cigar for month on a counter once its drys out (I mean dryed not bowed a couple of days) the cigar will never be the same even after you re humidify.
There will be no changes per say to the flavor profile in the dry boxing method ( it may be better as the tar build up burns and add a bad taste).
When you say runs on the high side of the RH I suppose it’s 70% ? Shoot for 64-65% with boveda packs ( which are just a wonderful product for us cigar smokers). Higher RH will not do anything except help a tar build up IMO.
Hope this helps!
Thank you for this information.
Pleasure !
That said, with halloween around the corner look for the little monsters box release ( if tatuaje still makes them) a nice mix and match of small cigars that has a good following.
I took the advice from a local Cigar shop and basically bought ten different cigars. As I smoked them I learned what I liked and what I didn’t. I settled in on the robusto size cigar. Now my go-to-cigar is the Partagas D4. The best I had was aged D4 2010 Special Edition. Unfortunately I have none left and they are impossible to find. I am waiting for Partagas to come up with a new D4 Special Edition, and I will stock my humidor and age them.