Relatively New to Cigar Smoking

the99rock

I started smoking cigars last summer, and have smoked every now and then since.  I have tried many different brands (Baccarat, Acid, Arturo Fuente, OpusX, Romeo y Julieta, etc) and I was wondering if some of you cigar veterans have any tips or advice for cigars.  So far my favorites are John Bull's and Baccarats, but I am looking for more to try.  Any advice would be appreciated, thanks.

kuzi16

tips? i have one


slow down. the slower you smoke the better off it will be in many aspects.

and dont forget to enjoy it.

bige1371

Rock I too am a Cigar Rookie about 9 months here. I think you might like the Fonseca or Gurka micro batch. They are both good mild cigars. That is what I am smoking now. Let me know what you think. Brett

undulac

Since you just started you are like many others. You mentioned cigars that are $30+ per stick but you favorites are in the $2-$3 range. This is a good thing because you can buy a box for what 2 OpusX cost. The cigars that you mentioned have a Connecticut wrapper which 99% of the time mean they are a mild/creamy smoke. This is how most people start out and then eventually build up their tolerance to more of a medium to med./full smoke. My best recommendation is to call a customer service rep. at ccom and tell them what you like and that you are looking for similar qualities in a stick. Don't be afraid to tell them how much you want to spend. They are not used car salesmen (not knocking car salesmen out there, I know it's the nature of the business). They will get you the most bang for your buck because they want to earn your repeat business. My recommendations for you that have similar qualities to your favorites are in no particular order. . .

5 Vegas Gold
Bahia Blu
CAO Gold
Cigar.com Blue Label and Purple Label
Cu-Avana
Gurkha's Park Ave.
Perdomo Reserve 10th Champagne
Repasedo '96 Connecticut
Rocky Patel Connecticut
Sol Cubano Conetcticut

There are many more but most of these (other than the CAO) you can get between $2-$3 per stick when on special. Check out the daily deals well, daily and you can learn from there. Again, I'd call a rep and get started. You will regret you found this hobby. haha

xmacro

Most of the advice I'd give has already been said by the posts above, as well as some excellent recommendations - only one I'd add is Nub Connecticut or a Man O' War Virtue. Also, even though it's a medium, the Cohiba Red Dot that wwhwant mentioned is a really great one too

wwhwang

I'm new to the smoking scene, too. Just started about a month or so ago. I'd suggest a Cohiba Red Dot (good, but pricey), Man O' War Virtue, Man O' War, Oliva Series O, and Oliva Series Conneticut Reserve.
I've heard really great things about the Rocky Patel Royal Vintage, Gurkha Turk, and 5 Vegas Gold, but I haven't gotten around to smoking them yet (though I do have them).

the99rock

Thanks for all the advice guys.  I will definitely try most of the cigars that you have suggested, if not all.  Thanks again

 

Jesse

Fourtotheflush

the99rock:

Thanks for all the advice guys.  I will definitely try most of the cigars that you have suggested, if not all.  Thanks again

 

Jesse

My advice would be to stick around this forum. Read, Read, Read.

Post and chat, meet the peeps here, have fun and asks questions.

babsdpu

I agree with FTTF: Read, read, read, but also: Sample, sample, sample!

Try as much as you can. Don't worry about what's on the band or how much it is. Just go with what you like! And learn as much as you can from the knowledgeable people on this forum (and the ones at Cigar.com too!).

doromath

To expand on all the great advice here I would say focus on sampling and casting your net wide. I wouldn't suggest buying anything in more than a 5 pack. I usually go for singles or doubles (I'll generally give a cigar I don't like a second chance).

CCOM has the best deals and variety on samplers of any site, and if you call in their agents will be able to work with you on pricing, or trading out if you KNOW you don't like a cigar in a sampler. Plus, if you build rapport with your agent they'll tip you off on deals and will begin to learn what you like to help you find stuff.

Also, I highly recommend the AJ Fernandez Dirty Dozen. It's a heck of a deal and I'm smoking through it now. Great cigars one and all, with a good spread of flavors and bodies so it'll show you what good, well blended cigars smoke like and also teach you a little about what you like.

TatuajeVI

Ok, here's my "pro-tip"

Call in your orders to cigar.com. Ask for Jeff Jackson (that dirty, rotten ***!) and see if he can hook you up on some special prices. The ones listed above in this thread are usually ones Jeff can knock down to some pretty sweet prices (like $2-4 a stick) and best of all - you don't need to wait for a special. Jeff doesn't seem to mind, and I get some great sticks at excellent prices.