I so want a cigar right now
A nice full bodied cuban like a Bolivar or Punch Double Corona
Nolan.
Nice pic!
I have finished off a Fuente 858 rosado tonight. I really like that cigar. I smoke two a month of those just hoping to get another box in the fall.
Any opinion on the best cigar that comes in a tube. I need to order a box for a golfing tournament
Travis:
I’m not clear if you need the tubes because you’re giving them as a gift or for your own use. These collapsible tubes work well. They take cigars of a ring gauge up to 52.
http://www.amazon.com/Telescoping-Airtight-Travel-Humidor-Cigars/dp/B00ACMOA5M/ref=pd_sim_121_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=41-IHOlRaYL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0Q37ZS9FDJ7EWPE7YG81
Steve,
I take them golfing and give them to buddies on the course. Typically I can throw a few in the front of the golf cart and I am set for the day.
Had an Estaban Carreras Barber pole on the golf course today. Very flavorful for a just under medium body cigar and reasonably priced too.
Partegas P2 last night, great cigar
I still cant find that earthy creamy chocolate complexity outside of Cuba, lots of other great cigars but i supposed its just like wine. For some people you just cant replace aged Bdx or Burgs, loads of other great wines but you keep on coming back. I am the same with cuban cigars
Had the new release Liga Privada Feral pig last night
This is a unique cigar, big full strong Nicaraguan flavor with a maduro wrapper, interestingly the expected pepper is not there which for me is great as im not a fan of spicy cigars
If you see these, try one but just dont make it a first cigar and make sure you are ready for a powerful smoke, definetly not a novice cigar, it is one of best full cigars ive ever smoked
Great obsessive compulsive disorder anecdote to share. I’m at a cigar shop and a customer – not a staff member – begins walking around emptying the black ceramic ash trays on the table and cleaning them with a towel. He doesn’t touch the stainless steel ashtrays.
I guess he does this after he’s had a drink or too. He loses that inhibition and the OCD kicks in.
How much spoof will we accept in our cigars? The ACID cigars are all flavored. Too much for me. I don’t want to smoke them. The George Rico American Puro that I’ve discussed on this board before has some Kentucky tobacco that has been fire-cured, giving some additional smokiness. I like that.
Has anyone ever done the roll-your-own for cigars? There’s a web site called Leaf Only that sells tobacco for people who want to roll their own. Some of it looks interesting. Like ligero cured to use as a wrapper. But it’s expensive. It looks like stuff my local boutique cigar shop buys for $11 or $12 a pound they sell for $40 a pound. And they have some Connecticut shade wrapper selling for $75 a pound.
Somehow or another, it sounds like buying a kit Cobra for $28K when you have no knowledge of mechanics and none of the tools. You have to figure a learning curve to teach yourself how to roll a proper cigar. It’s not like rolling a joint. ![[oops.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/1/1f129ddad071ffe5db6c99817c3cab666035a70a.gif "oops"){kind=small}
This is a third generation Nicaraguan who rolls cigars here in Sparks. He makes it look simple. But like I said, third generation.
By the way, his cigars are good and pretty cheap, if you’re looking for a house cigar.
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKrdrK6ZtUY[/video]
It has been awhile but got together with some friends to watch MNF last week and had a Crowned Heads Tennessee Waltz. A terrific cigar. I always pick a few up when in Nashville. I think this one was about 3 years old.
http://www.crownedheads.com/cigars/tennessee-waltz/
Jason
Sticking with Crowned Heads, I had their Four Kicks Piramide. A really nice cigar. Earthy and spicy. Perfect draw and smokes nice and even.
Jason
I am new to cigars but want to lean more. Based on responses, Mr French can decide where it goes from here.
So hard to know where to begin. My first rule is not to smoke cigars and drink wine. I make exceptions to this at the end of the evening, but never with wine I want to savor. Great with a glass of Rye, but that is my preference.
Second, don’t buy cigars by the box, at least initially. Experiment with different shapes and intensities. I prefer lighter wrappers which can be less intense (although that is not always true). Its kind of like California v. Old World, you may develop a preference on the level of intensity or you can like them both. The key is to realize that one person’s can’t miss cigar may not be your style. Right now I’m into some Arturo Fuente Rosado Sungrown Magnum R Vitola 44 that I bought recently, but my neighbor thinks they are just ok, not enough umph.
Finally, try cigars from all over. Sure, Cuban cigars can be great, but so can ones from the Dominican, Nicaragua, etc. Its somewhat like wines in that your best research is by trying them.
I try to buy locally because its fun to go into cigar shops and, if you tell them what you like, they can really steer you in the right direction.
We consider Arturo Fuente’s standard line of cigars as the prime example of medium body. The Chateau and Double Chateau are offered in natural, sungrown and maduro wrapper. Arturo Fuente is also a prime example of quality cigars. Try one each of the Chateaus to discover the flavor profile differences and to determine if you need a lighter or stronger cigar.
In this day and age, tobacco blending in cigars has become an art form on a parallel to wines being released these days. Never thought I’d see a wine that was Cab, Syrah, Petite Syrah and Carignan, let alone being drawn to it because of the flavor profile.
Never buy a box of cigars until you’ve tried several of them individually to determine consistency, quality and desirable flavor profile. Your taste in cigars will change just like it has with your wine, unless you become a Macanudo and Chianti die hard.
Just like Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate, there are magazines and website that rate cigars. You might find one that gives high scores to cigars in your flavor profile and follow their recommendations. One caveat. Some of the raters are advancing in age and losing sense of smell and taste. Some ratings have moving towards stronger cigars, just like it did with higher alcohol wines.
The Flor de las Antillas Toro by My Father Cigars, was the number one cigar of 2012 according to Cigar Aficianado. It is one of my better sellers to this day, unlike many other number one’s, BUT, I enjoy the cigar and recommend it customers. When go through 2 boxes a week in the winter and up to 5 boxes a week in the summer.
Just like winemakers who work for others, then bring out their own brand(s), so it goes for cigar blenders. E. P. Carrillo and A. J. Fernandez are a couple of good examples.
Just like in the wine industry, there are those people who have full time jobs and decide they want to be cigar producers. They contract with certain cigar companies or blenders, establish their vision of the product and go into business. Even winery owners and vineyard/winery owners get involved. Herb Lamb had his own cigars as does Fred Schrader.
There are groups who hold blind tastings of cigars and/or have theme dinners/cocktails with cigar parings.
No cigars with wine? Change the wine you are drinking. The down side is the tar build up on your taste buds. Remember the old pictures of cigar smokers with their Cognac? The high alcohol strips the tar from the taste buds. Works the same with wine, BUT, Sauvignon Blanc is the exception. While an SB doesn’t sound like it would go with a cigar, those with higher acidity cleanse the palate very well and the cigar can overpower the citrus notes.
Cigars give you trench mouth in the morning? Brush your tongue. It’s coated with tar. I don’t mean the top of your tongue. The whole thing. Front, middle, back and the most often missed sides of you tongue.
If you thought being a wine connoisseur was high maintenance, cigars are twice that.
A lot of new information for me. thanks.
Post your findings here. What Cigar or Pipe Are You Smoking? - Beer and Spirits - WineBerserkers
Looks like you now have great advice. Assuming your office is still in the same place, you should visit (maybe you already have) Maxamar Cigars on Chapman. Great selection of generally small batch cigars.
Jason
i like maduros myself,
but oddly enough, one of the most intensely flavoured cigars i ever smoked was a Montecruz 210 triple claro
that i got from Dunhill in San Francisco long about 1982…