Hey Brothers,
This is my first non-intro post! So as a recent cigar fiend (albeit long-time smoker), in the past six or so months I have very quickly emerged in the scene with 600 sticks, 12 humidors, Opus X, God of Fire, cuban Cohibas and Partagas Serie D, Ashtons, Davidoffs, Padrons, you name it. But I'm still constantly finding new cigar recommendations and stores/brands I haven't heard of, so I wanted to collect your feedback. What are your favorite sticks/brands/stores that I should be aware of? I'm an avid smoker, average about 3 sticks a day, anywhere from mild/mellow and creamy to full/complex and spicy. I have smoked about 90% of the top cigars of this past year, although I'm still dying to try an Eye of the Shark. (I would probably shit myself if I had the extra cash to cough up for this: https://regencycigar.com/cigars/limited-edition-cigars/rces-rarest-limited-edition-sampler-2565.html). If you're looking for some Opus X, cigarandpipes.com has a deal on the tin of 3 reserva d'chateau and the belicoso xxx and the 5 sampler of the Lost City. Also, you can still find most Opus X on https://www.cigarsdirect.com/cigars/arturo-fuente/opus-x/ although they're mostly overpriced at this point. Just paying forward the love from my research; I can't shell out the cash for them atm, but I figured some of you might be fiending for some.
The Davidoff store clerk in NYC recommended me the Royal Release (can't cough up the $100 for it just yet) and the Year of the Rooster, which I did buy but am hanging onto. He was also super candid and told me half the store was overhyped/overrated, although he did recommend the Lord Byron brand, which I had never heard of. My current favorite stick is probably the long version of the God of Fire Aniversario (I'm saving 9 in my humidors, along with the smaller stick-- I think it's called the 54?). I'm a bit of a deal hound and I've purchased from these stores off the top of my head:
On another note, what are your favorite brands/sticks? Do you think that some brands are super overrated (other than the notoriously controversial ones like Rocky Patel, Gurkha, etc)? Or sticks within brands? I heard that the $100 Zino Platinum Scepter figurado was way overhyped, for instance, along with a large array of Davidoffs (even though the brand is one of my favorites). Currently looking at getting a Master Selection and a Chefs Edition, as well as the 50 year anniversary Padron, and I'm just now tuning into the Diamond Crown lines. I had my first Opus X and Padron last night/today and I was pleased to find that they were not overhyped as far as I am concerned, at least the ones that I tried. What's in your humidor?
This is my first non-intro post! So as a recent cigar fiend (albeit long-time smoker), in the past six or so months I have very quickly emerged in the scene with 600 sticks, 12 humidors, Opus X, God of Fire, cuban Cohibas and Partagas Serie D, Ashtons, Davidoffs, Padrons, you name it. But I'm still constantly finding new cigar recommendations and stores/brands I haven't heard of, so I wanted to collect your feedback. What are your favorite sticks/brands/stores that I should be aware of? I'm an avid smoker, average about 3 sticks a day, anywhere from mild/mellow and creamy to full/complex and spicy. I have smoked about 90% of the top cigars of this past year, although I'm still dying to try an Eye of the Shark. (I would probably shit myself if I had the extra cash to cough up for this: https://regencycigar.com/cigars/limited-edition-cigars/rces-rarest-limited-edition-sampler-2565.html). If you're looking for some Opus X, cigarandpipes.com has a deal on the tin of 3 reserva d'chateau and the belicoso xxx and the 5 sampler of the Lost City. Also, you can still find most Opus X on https://www.cigarsdirect.com/cigars/arturo-fuente/opus-x/ although they're mostly overpriced at this point. Just paying forward the love from my research; I can't shell out the cash for them atm, but I figured some of you might be fiending for some.
The Davidoff store clerk in NYC recommended me the Royal Release (can't cough up the $100 for it just yet) and the Year of the Rooster, which I did buy but am hanging onto. He was also super candid and told me half the store was overhyped/overrated, although he did recommend the Lord Byron brand, which I had never heard of. My current favorite stick is probably the long version of the God of Fire Aniversario (I'm saving 9 in my humidors, along with the smaller stick-- I think it's called the 54?). I'm a bit of a deal hound and I've purchased from these stores off the top of my head:
- Cigars International (the MMAO deals can be insanely good and that's where I amassed the bulk of my collection)
- Cigar.com (great selection, usually seem to be somewhat pricier though) -- really wanna order more of the Caldwell Anastasia
- Thompson (great 5-pack fever deals if you want some Rocky Patel Vintage '03, Alec Bradley Tempus Centuria, Caldwell, Avo, Griffin, or Zino)
- JR Cigars (solid selection, hard to find promo codes)
- Neptune Cigars -- my second biggest store next to CI, esp with the 15% off we get
On another note, what are your favorite brands/sticks? Do you think that some brands are super overrated (other than the notoriously controversial ones like Rocky Patel, Gurkha, etc)? Or sticks within brands? I heard that the $100 Zino Platinum Scepter figurado was way overhyped, for instance, along with a large array of Davidoffs (even though the brand is one of my favorites). Currently looking at getting a Master Selection and a Chefs Edition, as well as the 50 year anniversary Padron, and I'm just now tuning into the Diamond Crown lines. I had my first Opus X and Padron last night/today and I was pleased to find that they were not overhyped as far as I am concerned, at least the ones that I tried. What's in your humidor?
