First Time...

BearBlood54

Hey guys I am a 20yr college student and I dreamt ever since I was a little kid that I would be a big shot and always a cigar in my mouth. Well I have neither (yet!) but I came here for some help. Please introduce me to this world of cigar I long for and take me in as your brother (lol). I never smoked a cigar before and want to make my first time a good one. Can I here some advice to what should my first cigar be? Thanx!

kuzi16

remember these words:

Cusano 18

 

its a great beginning cigar.  Worth every penny (even to a seasoned smoker)

if you dont like that one try the maduro version. 

handypantz

hmm.....maybe camancho 1962.......great medium cigar....a good starter imho

jihiggs

As soon as I started reading your post, cusano 18 came to mind. Kuzi beat me too it! welcome to our world, brother! Go to a decent cigar shop in your area, one that doesnt sell questionable pipes and du-rags, and get a cusano 18 double conneticuit robusto, I suppose you could get the double maduro, but I dont think id recommend that for the first timer, those are very tempremental any way. I recomend that cigar to all newbies.

ashmaster

A brand that comes to mind when I started is the Perdomo Champagne series. Not to strong, some nice flavors.

BearBlood54

I love this message board you guys are all welcoming!

About going to a cigar shop I don't know about any good one where I live, I now of some but they look trashy. (I live in Chicago, Illinois), but I was thinking if it would be smart to order a cigar of cigar.com, your guys opinions will be greatly appreciated!

Another thing I am going to get married this summer and I wanted to buy like 100 to 150 cigars to pass around to friends and relatives. I also don't want to break my account (Being a student and all my awesome parent decided they'll loan me the money until I got my post degree job) So I need advice on that too!

Thanks all!!

phisherman

Hi Bear, As Kuzi and Jhigs said: Cusano 18. The perfect first timer cigar. I still enjoy them; even though I usually smoke more full bodied cigars. And as far as ordering through cigar.com; you will not find a place with better service (I dare you; hahaha). Call them up and let them know what you have in mind and they will take good care of you. As far as wedding day smokes: Honduran Primeros. 100 cigars will cost you 100 bucks. You can't beat it. At a buck a stick you will not be upset when you see a bunch of cigars sitting in ashtrays with only an inch burned off (because the drunk punks didn't smoke the whole thing). It will happen. Still a good gesture at you wedding to hand out cigars. Good luck in finding time to smoke it inbetween taking pictures and gettign dragged to the dance floor by your wife ( congrats by the way). Best of luck to you and welcome to the forum. -Dave

Rathaven

Another nice starter (in addition to the Cusano 18), and my everyday smoke is the Sol Cubano Maduro Robusto. If you've got an extra dime or two, you may enjoy the Ashton VSG, pepperty~mild, clean smoke. Whatever you do don't buy a pack of White Owls or Swisher Sweets. Read the posts from the mayvens around here on lighting and drawing, and by all means enjoy it. Smoke slowly, don't rush it, or as my Zen Master would say, Don't just do something - sit there.

BearBlood54

Thanks phisherman and I will try to enjoy of the wedding day but like you said all those obstacles (heck i can barely breath now from wedding day planning, and school with finals omg HELP lol) and thanks Rathaven for the advice on smoking slower and really enjoy the cigar. Now I have a question (yes I am a newbie and please lets not rip the new guy lol) I was browsing cigar.com for at least the last week even before I decided to come on the message boards and I always check out the reviews and there something I don't understand. What are the difference between Churchill, Robusto, Toro, Toro Gordo, and there are a lot different kinds for other cigar brands. I use to think it's just different sizes but the same cigar but when I look at the rating a Churchill might get an 89 rating and a Robusto might get a 91 rating. Can some one please explain the difference for me? Thanks I am one step closer to being a more knowledgeable cigar Aficionado and I have you guys to thank! PS a lot of people said I should make Cusano 18 my first cigar, should it be the Double Connecticut or paired Maduro? Also what kind should I get (Churchill, Robusto, ect...) Thanks guys.

jihiggs

the difference is mostly size and durration of the smoke. a longer cigar will burn longer, a thicker cigar will not burn as hot as a thinner cigar. the thickness does change the flavor profile and body to a certain extent, but not too much. you may notice a churchill and a torpedo shape cigar listed as the same size or very close, this is just down to prefference. a torpedo has an end that tapers down to a point. a churhill like most other sizes is just an abrupt round end. there are different names for the same thing, its just a name. the basic sizes are robusto - 50x5, churchill - 50x7 (sometimes 48x7), corona - somthing like 42x5. and the torpedo size typicaly 52x6. the first number is ring guage measured in 1/64th of an inch. so a ring guage of 50 is 50/64ths of an inch in circumfrence. the second number is inches in length. As for the first cigar, get the cusano 18 double conn. robusto

Tccargill

Hey Bear welcome to the club, be careful though its not a cheap hobby (obsession for some, including myself). Cusano 18 is excellent, it wasnt my first cigar but ive had a few since. My first was a CAO Gold and it was excellent, I was hooked from then on. Try something mild if you dont take these guys advice on the Cusano 18. But im a believer in CAO, its an excellent brand.

Tccargill

I cant beleive I didnt think of this earlier when I read the reply about finding a good cigar shop. Go to www.camachocigars.com and click on the "where to buy" link, pick your state and city and it will show you the cigar shope near you. Id still buy from cigar.com though.

handypantz

to add to jihiggs comment....every cigar company has their own standards for sizes and the names they use to describe them.......so 2 companies might sell a similar cigar in a size thats a churchill....but they might not be the exact same measurements....its more like a guideline than a rule. And for your first cigar I would pick a smaller cigar...robusto or corona something around 5x50 or smaller. In the cigar world by no means does bigger mean better but 90 minutes of churchill smoking might seem a bit daunting to a newbie

CigarStudent.com

handypantz:

....its more like a guideline than a rule.

Parley? Stick to the code.

spidah

I used to live in Westmont and was a frequent customer of Stogies.  They treated me pretty well and had a decent selection.

joeten5

Macanudo Hyde Park is also a good choice. A good creamy melow flavor.