Cigar for a newb?

J

JaGWiRE

Joined
May 8, 2007
Messages
131
I've been trying out a few cigars. I've been trying to keep it on the low though because it seems like cigars have a crapload of nicotine.
I'm looking for relatively easy stuff to find. There are a few convenience stores around here, and one cigar store.
<$10 Canadian per cigar would be nice, or <$5 even better. Anything interestingly flavored would be decent too. I am thinking of picking up a jet lighter as the zippo and bics aren't doing the best job lighting them, and I think they leave too much chemicals and crap behind (your touching the flame to the cigar which I read you shouldn't do.) I have some matches I'll try.
I've been trying miniature colts, which have been nice. They have a little plastic tube on one end and I think are a tad bit bigger then cigarettes.
 
I know one person thats going to rag me for this but I suggest Arturo Fuente products. Just because theyre consistant for me and ive never had any problems with them other than that one time but to be fair it was raining and I had no umbrella. Might not be too cheap though depending on the tax of your location. Something like a short story or best seller would be great and won't knock you off your feet if your not use to the nicotine.
 
Damn right I'm going to rag on you

Anyways

Here's a list of nice mild-medium cigars to cut your teeth on

Ashton Cabinet
CAO Gold
La Gloria Cubana Series R
CAO Cameroon
Aurora Cien Anos
Aurora 1495
Punch Rothschild (hell, any Punch)

Strong Cigars
Ashton VSG
La Flor Dominicana L300, Chisel
Tatuaje Havana VI
Joya De Nicaragua Antano
Camacho 11/18
CAO Criollo
Flavored, I hate them, but ACIDs
 
Garageboy, anything in particular from that list? Like I said, something decently cheap, as I'm still experimenting, and sharing with friends. Mild is probably the way to go for me. We've been trying stuff like chocolate flavored cigars, so we really are newbs.
Something that goes well with Scotch would be nice too. Got myself some Glenfiddich 12 year old special reserve :). Miniature size would be a plus too as they take less time to smoke and end up with less nicotine in my body at the end of the day :P.
 
Have to give a thumbs up for the Ashtons and the CAO for a starter.
 
Hey Jagwire,

If you don't want to go with anything Cuban or super duper expensive or large, go to a good smoke shop and see if you can find Borkum Riff cigars. They're flavored and sweet, which is quite possibly what you're looking for, they're classy, unlike, say, Captain Blacks, Primetimes, or anything else like that. They're also relatively inexpensive, at around $13 CDN for a pack of 10. I personally am a big fan of the coconut ones. I'll let the others talk about Cubans. I'll be the first to admit that I don't know much about Cubans.

If you really want to get into good tobacco products, try pipe. You're already halfway to being an old man with the scotch, now go the step further, hitch up your suspenders, and get yourself a good, solid, mid-range Brigham, and try some of the Brigham blends.

Hope this helps.

Travis
 
I have always greatly enjoyed the Padron 2000. If it's as good now as it was 7-8 years ago, you will love it.
 
Here's a few of my personal fav's:

-Padron 3000/5000 maduro
-Fonseca vintage (best natural cigar!! IMHO;) )
-La Gloria Cubana, wavell/corona gorda maduro
-Bahia maduro red label mmmm....
-Arturo Fuente, chateau maduro/rothchild maduro/don carlos/hemingway
-El Rey del Mundo oscuro selection
-Indian Tabac super fuerte maduro
-Rocky Patel's the "edge" maduro makes padron seem like a macanudo!
 
Well, from my list, good cheap starter would be the CAO Gold/Cameroon. The Cameroon has all the essentials of a good cameroon wrapper cigar. Also, Fonsecas are good decent priced mild cigars. The Ashton, in both white label and cabinet selection are also great mild smokes.

For me, Rocky Patels have been hit or miss

Once ya get used to cigars, the La Flor Dominicana Ligero/Double Ligero for that hard hitting kick. (try the same ones in Oscuro, which is NOT a maduro even though it looks like it. Maduro= fermented, Oscuro is hand massaged natural)

Smaller ring gauge cigars tend to be less mild, so I recommend a robusto size, though shape normally isn't a deciding factor for me.

Enjoy!
 
Hamon said:
Hey Jagwire,

If you don't want to go with anything Cuban or super duper expensive or large, go to a good smoke shop and see if you can find Borkum Riff cigars. They're flavored and sweet, which is quite possibly what you're looking for, they're classy, unlike, say, Captain Blacks, Primetimes, or anything else like that. They're also relatively inexpensive, at around $13 CDN for a pack of 10. I personally am a big fan of the coconut ones. I'll let the others talk about Cubans. I'll be the first to admit that I don't know much about Cubans.

If you really want to get into good tobacco products, try pipe. You're already halfway to being an old man with the scotch, now go the step further, hitch up your suspenders, and get yourself a good, solid, mid-range Brigham, and try some of the Brigham blends.

Hope this helps.

Travis
Click to expand...

Where would I find a pipe, maybe the cigar store? How much should I expect to pay for a decent one, and what do I look for? I guess it couldn't hurt to check one out, I guess you light them with a regular bic or whatever. I guess the store also sells pure tobacco. I can't see this being much healthier then cigars or cigarettes (cause your still smoking tobacco and I guess pipe tobacco still has nicotine), but maybe I'd enjoy it more.
 
Many good smoke shops will also carry pipes. You can probably get away with spending about $50 on a pipe that will serve you for a good amount of time. One suggestion I would make is to buy a Brigham, which has room in the neck for a filter. A filter will help eliminate moisture collecting at the bottom of the bowl, which will help with a smoother, drier smoke.

You could start with a pipe other than a Brigham like I did too, which would make purchasing the Brigham down the road much more worth it.

Pipe smoking and pipe tobacco, because it is about taste and not about the nicotine effects, does not get inhaled, so instead of risks of lung cancer, mouth cancer is much more prevalent in pipe smokers. Maybe I'm just trying to justify it to myself, but I feel that the risks of mouth cancer are low if you smoke it only occasionally, like once a week or so. Don't take my word there as gold, however... I'm no doctor, nor have I studied the effects of sporadic pipe smoking.

Pipe smoking can be a bit of an art to be proficient at early, and it helps to do some research on some of the sites on the net devoted to pipe smoking. If you can find an experienced pipe smoker to teach you the ropes, that would be even better.

Again, I would never consider myself an expert on pipe smoking, but these are some of the things I've learned along the way. Pipe smoking is not as convenient as cigars, so it takes a bit more concentration to do. This may not be up your alley, but if you want to devote some time and attention to it, it can be a very enjoyable experience.

In my opinion, it's worth a try.

Travis
 
I'm sure you know this but don't inhale when smoking cigars, and unfortunately most of the cigars suggested fall closer to 20 dollars. We pay hefty taxes for our sins in Canada and tobacco is about the heftiest. Look at some of the machine rolled cubans you can get a box of small diameter ones for a reasonable price. Partagas P2 is an awesome cigar if you ever feel like spending 30 dollars, but it is a strong cigar.
good luck.
 
andy66 said:
I'm sure you know this but don't inhale when smoking cigars, and unfortunately most of the cigars suggested fall closer to 20 dollars. We pay hefty taxes for our sins in Canada and tobacco is about the heftiest. Look at some of the machine rolled cubans you can get a box of small diameter ones for a reasonable price. Partagas P2 is an awesome cigar if you ever feel like spending 30 dollars, but it is a strong cigar.
good luck.
Click to expand...


Yep. I figured most were about $20. I will eventually spend some $ on that, but I'd like to start out with cheaper stuff I can smoke with friends and not have to worry too much about the $.. What are your recommendations, and if your in Toronto / GTA, where do you recommend shopping?
I have asthma, so any type of inhaling in smoking would be a bad idea, why cigars and pipe are definitley beter for me.
What's involved in pipe smoking. The pipe, some pure tobacco you can buy, and what else, a little filter you buy / choose, and a lighter or match?
 
RockyNomad said:
Here are a couple of other sites for you:
http://www.famous-smoke.com/cigars/index.cfm
http://www.cigarsinternational.com/
http://www.thompsoncigar.com/

The first one ships internationally. My cousin just got back from Iraq and that is the only website they could use. They have good prices too.
Click to expand...


This all seems so complicated with pipes and stuff.
If i place an order, or go into a store, and have say $50-100, what cigars do you recommend I get that are cheap, but worth trying? I'd like to buy 2-3 of each type to share with friends. Flavorued would be nice like i said. A lot of these recommendats I'm guessing are quite expensive for any newbie.
What type of pipe is good for about $100, and comfertable? What type of pure tobacco do you recommend for a newbie?
I know I probably should be doing a lot of research, but I just want to enjoy myself, not read up for many hours on something like this.
 
Pass on the pipes for now, they're a bit harsher, and it takes a good amount of effort to get the perfect bowl. I'll recommend Dunhill's Light Flake, though.

Good, solid low cost cigar? Get a Punch, any Punch (I'm thinking Villazon factory, non Cuban Punch) They're around $5-8 US, even after NYC's 38% tax
 
I'm not from T.O. but i found this for you, i think you really need to go into a shop and see what the prices and selection are like. This shop seems to sell cigars and pipes so you can see it all at once and have one of the clerks to advise you.
The Smokin' Cigar Inc. http://www.smokincigar.com/
1699 Bayview Avenue
Toronto,Ontario, M4G 3C1
tel: 416-545-0063
fax: 416-545-1441
Andre
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top