Newibie and His cigars

[cba191]

i'm tryin as hard and fast as i can to get some good tradeworthy sticks, but i'll probably have to go the other way. i'm in the running for some stuff on the devil stuff, but we'll have to wait and see on that. i did win a gran habano sampler, some gurkha royal brigade perfectos, and some rp i-press toros recently. looking forward to seeing how they smoke. my humi is now a perfect 65% thanks to the lovely beads. and i'm smoking a CAO black gothic as i type this. :waving:

 

[cba191]

i just won a 5-pack of the gurkha centurian perfectos on the devil site for $19!! i've never smoked one, but i love the look of perfectos. i also got a fiver of the royal brigades for the same price. i'm hoping they smoke as well as they look. (that doesn't include the gran habanos that i won yesterday, or the i-toros a couple days before that, or the new lighter...) the devil is gonna break me.

 

[cba191]

could someone nuke this? wrong forum:angerhead

 

[CWS]

Did not belong in the Newbie trade thread where you sign up for a trade. Why are you upset?

 

[Swampfox21]

WOW CBA... sounds like your taking no prisoners...

 

[Mitch]

CBA,

OK, It’s cool that you are excited and there is nothing wrong with that hard desire to fill up your humidor, but learn from some of us that bought a whole lot of the wrong cigars to start with. Samplers are great, they let you try different brands to see what you like. I’d avoid fivers and multiples of anything in quantities of more than one or two until you have smoked them and know you like them. Be careful of the flashy cigars with huge advertising campaigns, they often sell more hype than flavor. Ignore ratings, they are a slippery slope and many lousy cigars are basing all of their sales on one good rating they got fifteen years ago when one good crop made their cigar far better than usual. Do a bunch of reading here, especially the threads on wish lists, reviews, and the what I’m smoking today as you will start to see the same cigars listed again and again.

Here are some brands I recommend, Get samplers from Pepin, Tatuaje, Arturo Fuente, La Gloria, Illusione, La Aurora, La Flor and Padron and smoke them. As you find cigars you like post up here lists of your favorites and the ones you didn’t like and you’ll get suggestions on what else to try. I started out filling and buying humidors faster than I was smoking them and wasted a lot of money on cigars I didn’t like. Remember three things:

Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want - it’s not bad to smoke a single bad cigar, but it sucks to have 24 left in your humidor once you know it’s a bad smoke.

Smoke what you like and like what you smoke – There is lots of hype out there, some companies like Gurkha don’t own a single tobacco farm, don’t employ a single roller and have cigars rolled for them, but mostly are a huge marketing company. They have a few winners now and then, but by using fancy shapes, cedar wrappings, glass tubes and fancy cigar boxes sell $4-5 cigars for far higher prices. Sorry if I offend any Gurkha fans, I like some too, but only at huge discounts from MSRP.

Third thing is the most important, learn how to smoke a cigar. I know it sounds silly, but trust me that until you learn to toast a cigar instead of blasting it with a blow torch while you are sucking on it, learn to control your puffing into slow deliberate blasts of flavor well spaced out and when to put a cigar down you will have lots of good cigars start out bad and get worse.

 

[Soundwave13]

Spot on Mitch.

(Except that last part - I think you meant to say "Until you learn... good cigars [may] start out bad & get worse."

I did that years ago & ended up with a few boxes I didn't end up smoking. So 'this time' around (early last year), I only purchased singles or doubles and in wide varieties to learn the differences between blends, origins, types of leaf/brand/blender, etc...

 

[njstone]

CBA,

OK, It’s cool that you are excited and there is nothing wrong with that hard desire to fill up your humidor, but learn from some of us that bought a whole lot of the wrong cigars to start with. Samplers are great, they let you try different brands to see what you like. I’d avoid fivers and multiples of anything in quantities of more than one or two until you have smoked them and know you like them. Be careful of the flashy cigars with huge advertising campaigns, they often sell more hype than flavor. Ignore ratings, they are a slippery slope and many lousy cigars are basing all of their sales on one good rating they got fifteen years ago when one good crop made their cigar far better than usual. Do a bunch of reading here, especially the threads on wish lists, reviews, and the what I’m smoking today as you will start to see the same cigars listed again and again.

Here are some brands I recommend, Get samplers from Pepin, Tatuaje, Arturo Fuente, La Gloria, Illusione, La Aurora, La Flor and Padron and smoke them. As you find cigars you like post up here lists of your favorites and the ones you didn’t like and you’ll get suggestions on what else to try. I started out filling and buying humidors faster than I was smoking them and wasted a lot of money on cigars I didn’t like. Remember three things:

Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want - it’s not bad to smoke a single bad cigar, but it sucks to have 24 left in your humidor once you know it’s a bad smoke.

Smoke what you like and like what you smoke – There is lots of hype out there, some companies like Gurkha don’t own a single tobacco farm, don’t employ a single roller and have cigars rolled for them, but mostly are a huge marketing company. They have a few winners now and then, but by using fancy shapes, cedar wrappings, glass tubes and fancy cigar boxes sell $4-5 cigars for far higher prices. Sorry if I offend any Gurkha fans, I like some too, but only at huge discounts from MSRP.

Third thing is the most important, learn how to smoke a cigar. I know it sounds silly, but trust me once you learn to toast a cigar instead of blasting it with a blow torch while you are sucking on it, learn to control your puffing into slow deliberate blasts of flavor well spaced out and when to put a cigar down you will have lots of good cigars start out bad and get worse.

I'll 2nd this, as another who bought WAY too many cigars during my infatuation stage (which I'm just getting out of now, to be honest).

If you like it, there will always be more. CBid is great, but good deals are had with much patience (meaning weeks or even months). And that's fine, because you can't smoke a 5er a day anyway. Bid SUPER ridiculously low, and plan to loose 80-90% of the time. When you win, it will be robbery, and that much more fun

$19 for Centurions is pretty good (I got 5 for $15 a little while back). But as Mitch said, don't by any more of them now...once you get the the END of that 5er and a week goes by and you think "Man, those were awesome, I really wish I had more" then sure, start patiently bidding on them.

About 6 months ago when I was were you are, I found the CAO Black and some Rocky Patel blends and just went frickin' insane because they were so great. Now, I still like those sticks, but I have enough now to realistically last me like 5 years...which at this stage is crazy, because 1) will I even like them in 5 years...? and 2) do I really want to invest that much in "aging" them like that at this stage?

So my advice: smoke more, buy less :glassesgr. Take notes, ask questions and chat on here. This is a really enjoyable hobby, but it's VERY VERY easy to get carried away (experience talking).

And welcome...it's great to have you, these Bros are awesome and a fount of knowledge!

 

[dannysguitar]

Good info Mitch. On a side note. I don't torch anymore, seems like a waste of time. The flavor has never been ruined. Any opinions on this?

 

[dpricenator]

The good news is that the Centurian Perfecto is one of Gurkahs winners. Never.... I repeat..... never buy a Gurkah at full price. The gran Habano Line is a good one as well. The Corojos are great and the conneticuts are good for a really light smoke.

 

[dpricenator]

Good info Mitch. On a side note. I don't torch anymore, seems like a waste of time. The flavor has never been ruined. Any opinions on this?

I'm sure there is a thread somewhere, but the acctuall flame of muy torch rarely touches the foot of the cigar. I would say it takes more time, but there is no waste there, 30 seconds maybe. My smokes light evenly and the entire foot is glowing before I ever put my lips to it.

 

[Mitch]

Spot on Mitch.

(Except that last part - I think you meant to say "Until you learn... good cigars [may] start out bad & get worse."

I did that years ago & ended up with a few boxes I didn't end up smoking. So 'this time' around (early last year), I only purchased singles or doubles and in wide varieties to learn the differences between blends, origins, types of leaf/brand/blender, etc...

Thanks I edited the glitch.

 

[RigilKent]

I'm sure there is a thread somewhere, but the acctuall flame of muy torch rarely touches the foot of the cigar. I would say it takes more time, but there is no waste there, 30 seconds maybe. My smokes light evenly and the entire foot is glowing before I ever put my lips to it.

i usually dont even puff on a cigar to start it. if you have a torch just toast the foot. In between toasting blow on the foot keeping the cherry red. this way you dont get the flames jumping up like while puffing sometimes. IDK works for me.

 

[Mitch]

Good info Mitch. On a side note. I don't torch anymore, seems like a waste of time. The flavor has never been ruined. Any opinions on this?

I notice a difference, not only in how the flavor starts, but how soon you get to a sweet spot and how the cigar will burn. I do use a torch when I'm out and about, but never draw on a cigar while I'm lighting it and I don't let the flame touch the foot either. I find a slow toast and blowing on the foot works best for me. Oh yea and the Alec Bradley table top lighter rocks!

 

[cba191]

thanks for the input. i guess i've been fortunate in that i've yet to smoke one i didn't like. granted, they have been good cigars according to the reviews i've read. i have a lot of rocky patels (20?) that i got for 2-3 bucks a stick. but got those cuz i've loved RPs that i've had so far. i really liked the Oliva serie G that i had, so i got a 5er. the gurkha regent and symphony that i had were tasty. i got lucky on those, cuz i bought them for cheap. i REALLY liked the perdomo that i had so i'm in on that cbid special as well. (i'm still waiting for a good padron deal, cuz i liked the 2000 that i had)
when i see something on cbid or elsewhere online that looks good i generally look for various reviews online to see whether or not it might be something that i might like.
i think that i'm done for awhile with the 10 packs for a while though. and yes, i do need to learn how to smoke the cigar. i'm getting better.

ps. is this the Cuban forum?

pps. and if i decide i don't like some of the stuff i have, they're good sticks that some people on here like. (i need some stuff for trades)

 

[Craig Mac]

ps. is this the Cuban forum?

I think most of us are American:smokingbo

 

[njstone]

Sounds good, man. I like a lot of Rocky Patels (most actually), as well as 5 Vegas, Oliva, Torano, and a lot of Gurkhas too. Perdomo is growing on me.

Padrons sales/specials must be rare--I have yet to see one, actually. You can occasionally win a 5er of a Padron or Fuente for a decent price, but it's rare--they usually go for pretty close to retail (demand is high I guess).

cbid and CI really are awesome places. I didn't realize before that I could find cigars that I really like for only $2-$3. Pretty sweet :grin:

Welcome to the insanity! Keep us posted on what you like/dislike, and remember to try not to judge a cigar by only one stick (for good or bad). You could check out this too:
http://www.botl.org/community/forums/showthread.php?t=4734

 

[MichiganM]

The slope is slippery my friend, remember that it's just a hobby. If you're OCD like me you can spend too much too fast. Welcome to our world!

 

[cba191]

having OCD can sometimes be fun. :dunno:

 

[Wigwam_Motel]

CBA,

OK, It’s cool that you are excited and there is nothing wrong with that hard desire to fill up your humidor, but learn from some of us that bought a whole lot of the wrong cigars to start with. Samplers are great, they let you try different brands to see what you like. I’d avoid fivers and multiples of anything in quantities of more than one or two until you have smoked them and know you like them. Be careful of the flashy cigars with huge advertising campaigns, they often sell more hype than flavor. Ignore ratings, they are a slippery slope and many lousy cigars are basing all of their sales on one good rating they got fifteen years ago when one good crop made their cigar far better than usual. Do a bunch of reading here, especially the threads on wish lists, reviews, and the what I’m smoking today as you will start to see the same cigars listed again and again.

Here are some brands I recommend, Get samplers from Pepin, Tatuaje, Arturo Fuente, La Gloria, Illusione, La Aurora, La Flor and Padron and smoke them. As you find cigars you like post up here lists of your favorites and the ones you didn’t like and you’ll get suggestions on what else to try. I started out filling and buying humidors faster than I was smoking them and wasted a lot of money on cigars I didn’t like. Remember three things:

Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want - it’s not bad to smoke a single bad cigar, but it sucks to have 24 left in your humidor once you know it’s a bad smoke.

Smoke what you like and like what you smoke – There is lots of hype out there, some companies like Gurkha don’t own a single tobacco farm, don’t employ a single roller and have cigars rolled for them, but mostly are a huge marketing company. They have a few winners now and then, but by using fancy shapes, cedar wrappings, glass tubes and fancy cigar boxes sell $4-5 cigars for far higher prices. Sorry if I offend any Gurkha fans, I like some too, but only at huge discounts from MSRP.

Third thing is the most important, learn how to smoke a cigar. I know it sounds silly, but trust me that until you learn to toast a cigar instead of blasting it with a blow torch while you are sucking on it, learn to control your puffing into slow deliberate blasts of flavor well spaced out and when to put a cigar down you will have lots of good cigars start out bad and get worse.

2nd that.

Oh on another note, careful. I have a 100 count, and It vomited after my last two shipments this week. The smokes are always going to be there, next month or so on, don't over leverage yourself. Unless its a hard to find.