Any Cigar Smokers Out There?

Justice Hog · Post by **Justice Hog** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 12:53 pm

I've never smoked, anything, all my life until I graduated law school. While studying for the bar exam, I picked up cigars for the first time. The first ones I tried were pretty lame, to be sure, but as the years have passed (since 1997) so have my tastes.

Early on I was a fan of Thomas Hinds Honduran cigars but I can't find them anymore.

Since then, I've had the Arturo Fuentes, Cohibas, H. Uppmans, Macanudos, Montecristos, Romeo Y Julietas, etc. I've even had 4-5 cuban cigars (which, in my opinion, really weren't that special).

I guess my favorites these days have been the Romeo Y Julietas, 50+ ring cigars, especially the maduros.

I've never triend the "Monica Lewinsky" yet but ya never know.....

How about you folks? Any cigar afficionados out there? What brands do you like, don't like? Favorite ring size?

:feedback;

Irn-Bru · Post by **Irn-Bru** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 1:28 pm

When I was in high school and college I had no money but could afford cigars. Now I work and have some money but can't afford cigars. Funny how it works. . . :cry:

I was always a Padron kind of guy, at my core. I've puffed a 1964 Anniversario once, but for the most part I would stay in their normal series.

I really like La Gloria Cubana cigars, especially Serie R, which is so dark that I don't think light escapes its grasp. Great for after big meals.

JH mentioned Arturo Fuentes: I'm a fan of the Fuente Fuente Opus X.

Most of the time when I shopped I'd go by color, smell, and try as many of the big names as I could. The cigars above are the ones that I really settled on, but I always enjoyed trying something new, as well.

I've had a few Cubans here and there and liked them all.

As for size, I'd say it depends on the occasion or how long I have. As long as I don't feel like I'm chewing on a pen or pencil I'm usually good.

Chris Luva Luva · Post by **Chris Luva Luva** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 2:36 pm

I smoked one once and don't know if I was doing it right. I was told to not inhale it...like other things... LOL.

Gibbs' Hog · Post by **Gibbs' Hog** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 2:43 pm

Backwoods are cost effective and a joy to smoke. Also, black & milds and phillies are very fine too. :lol:

hailskins666 · Post by **hailskins666** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 7:06 pm

phillies, white owls.... wait, nevermind. :oops:

skinz74 · Post by **skinz74** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 11:20 pm

Picked up a box of Cuban Romeo Y Julietas while in both Turkey and Bahrain. I have found that I have become quiet snobbish on the taste of the R y J's. I guess now I'll have to try the Dominican variety and see if I can taste the difference.

$.02

BernieSki · Post by **BernieSki** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 4:32 pm

Cigars and Cognac love them both. I usually keep 100+ cigars in my humidor at any given time. I tend to like a cigar that is full bodied, and full strength, the best in the below $6.00 category IMO is the Joya de Nicaragua Antano. This powerful cigar will knock you on you’re a$$. I for once agree with FanFromAnnapolis that another nice cigar in this category is the La Gloria Cubana Series R. A nicer more refined but still has a kick is the Padron 1964 Anniversary or the Padron 1926 both are exceptionally smooth, complex , balanced and full-bodied flavor. Any cigar that is manufactured entirely from Nicaraguan tobacco will have good strength.
Whenever you purchase Cuban Cigars make sure that there is a Cuban Tax Stamp on the box, and remember the old saying "you get what you pay for". If you want to be sure that the cigars you purchase are not fake the best place to buy them when in the Caribbean is a place called "La Casa Del Habano", they are Cuban owned and only sell Cuban cigars.
One of my current favorite cigars is the Rocky Patel Edge, if you want power this the cigar for you, strong and spicy but not harsh. If you want to try a good cigar but are not sure what you would like try an Ashton VSG, aged Dominican tobacco, very smooth, one of Fuente's very best.

Chris Luva Luva · Post by **Chris Luva Luva** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 4:35 pm

How does a cigar knock you in your butt? And how are you supposed to smoke out? I don't smoke but I am curious to see if what I was told was correct.

hailskins666 · Post by **hailskins666** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 4:41 pm

Chris Luva Luva wrote:How does a cigar knock you in your butt?

see above comment regarding philles and white owls.... ROTFALMAO

Chris Luva Luva · Post by **Chris Luva Luva** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 4:51 pm

hailskins666 wrote:
Chris Luva Luva wrote:How does a cigar knock you in your butt?
see above comment regarding philles and white owls....

LOL, so wuts the difference between a cigar and a ciggarette?

Irn-Bru · Post by **Irn-Bru** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 8:20 pm

Chris Luva Luva wrote:How does a cigar knock you in your butt?

You don't inhale with cigars but there is still quite a bit of nicotine. Generally, but not always, the darker the cigar (and the bigger it is), the more you will feel it as you smoke. That's usually what people mean when they talk about a "strong" cigar.

Cigar 'highs', at least in my experience, are not pleasant. They are somewhat like a heavy cigarette buzz, except it lasts for a while. A lot of people -- especially younger guys -- will throw up if they smoke a strong cigar without being accustomed to them. The first time I had a Gloria de Cubana I previously hadn't smoked for over a year, and I thought I was going to :puke:

BernieSki · Post by **BernieSki** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 11:11 am

By the way the Old Virginia Tobacco Company has a speaial cigar called the "SJ-9" or better known as the Sonny Jurgensen SJ-9. I have never smoked one but I think I will have try one and write a review on it.

Here is the link to them.

www.tobaccobarns.com/sonnyjurgensensj9c ... rs%20Cigar

RedskinsFreak · Post by **RedskinsFreak** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 6:02 pm

If and when the Redskins return to their glory and win a 't-shirt game' -- one in which they hand out T-shirts to the players for winning a division, conference or league title -- I fully expect to be puffin' away on a SJ9.

KazooSkinsFan · Post by **KazooSkinsFan** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:02 pm

Irn-Bru wrote:
Chris Luva Luva wrote:How does a cigar knock you in your butt?

You don't inhale with cigars but there is still quite a bit of nicotine. Generally, but not always, the darker the cigar (and the bigger it is), the more you will feel it as you smoke. That's usually what people mean when they talk about a "strong" cigar.

Cigar 'highs', at least in my experience, are not pleasant. They are somewhat like a heavy cigarette buzz, except it lasts for a while. A lot of people -- especially younger guys -- will throw up if they smoke a strong cigar without being accustomed to them. The first time I had a Gloria de Cubana I previously hadn't smoked for over a year, and I thought I was going to

If you're getting a "high" you are inhaling too much. You only bring the smoke into your mouth and taste it and blow it out. Granted you will inhale some, but you shouldn't be enough to get 'high." This is non-scientific but the people I personally know who commented on getting a 'high' were cigarette smokers, probably used to inhaling.

On Cubans, you can get great cigars that are not Cuban and horrible ones that are. There is also a lot of counterfitting of Cubans. I used to get Cubans whenever I went overseas. While I still won't pass on them don't seek them out as I used to because some Dominican and other cigars are hitting the quality without the cost or counterfit risk.

I've also read that because of Cuba's cash crunch and national control of the industry they are cutting cost and often shipping cigars not aged adequately overseas, they recommend aging Cubans at least 6 months before smoking them if you can to ensure they are at least aged adequately. I also read that a big reason other countries are catching Cuba in quality is over the last 10 years or so the cigar makers who fled Cuba in the 60s have had enough time now to get their fields up to the quality of Cuba as it takes decades.

But still, you can get some truly amazing cigars from Cuba and despite all that it's hard to pass up on the opportunity to get a truly great Cuban cigar despite the risks of an expensive bad smoke.