So I’ve finally submitted my book proposal to my preferred publisher, 16 months after I initially came up with the idea, and I’m thinking I’ll smoke my first cigar if and when I sign the publishing contract. No real reason why, other than the tradition of celebrating with cigars and the fact that I feel like trying something new.
My first thought was that I’d like to try a Punch Rothschild EMS, since I’ve been smelling those cigar boxes most of my life (my father’s pipe tobacco has always been shipped in cigar boxes, most often the aforementioned variety). I have read good things about the Punch Champion, but I don’t know much about how the two compare. Other than that, I only have a few points to make:[LIST=1]
[B]Length[/B]—I want the cigar to be short enough that I don't have to commit a lot of time to smoking it. Something like 30-45 minutes should be about right.
[B]Ring Gauge[/B]—I don't want to have something huge hanging out of my mouth, but I'm also put off by smaller cigars. I would say my range is roughly between 30 and 50 gauge.
[B]Strength[/B]—This is difficult for me characterize, since I've never smoked before, but I am particularly interested in a "spicy" flavor which is balanced with some sweetness. Note that I'm not talking about cigars which are actually flavored. I like my coffee (and iced tea) strong like a kick in the teeth, but I don't know how this might carry over to cigars. Would it be reasonable for me to start with a Maduro?
[B]Cost[/B]—I will obviously be buying a single and I'd like to stay somewhere around $5 or lower (for reference, the website of my local shop lists the Punch Rothschild at $3.45 and the Punch Champion at $4), no sense wasting something truly fine on a newbie like me.
[/LIST]
Having said all that, what would you all recommend?
Any other tips you can provide about cigar smoking in general are welcome.
One more question, is “Natural” roughly equivalent to “EMS?”
Note to all potential posters: this is exactly the kind of information which is useless to me.
Adam, in case you don’t know, Swisher Sweets are the cigar equivalent of strip mall ATA TKD: they may be cheap, they may be more expensive when they come with accessories, but they will always be shit regardless of price.
Sorry… I’m a huge fan of cheap and widely available as a standard for everything.
I had a friend that swore by Punch. However, when I had a $10/day cigar habit, which was two cigars, I thought Punch tasted like they were part cardboard. Literally.
I had a few from different shops, but they were always stale tasting.
My favorite that had a spicy flavor was a brand I can’t remember the name of but the line came with a red, black or green ring and a picture of a woman on it (the ring). The red one was nice if that rings a bell to anyone.
My father is a long time cigar smoker. I can’t stand the things myself, but he’s a fan of Romeo y Julieta Havana Reserves. I think they’re about $4 or $5 a piece.
He says they’re rich and kind of spicy (peppery maybe) but still smooth.
The ones he smokes are about as big around as a finger and maybe 5 inches. He smokes them for just over half an hour and then tosses a couple inches away.
I’d say go to a cigar shop and talk to the folks there. I would imagine they’d enjoy sharing some knowledge with a potential customer.
Yeah, I’m definitely going to do that when the time comes. I have always been the type to do a lot of research prior to almost every purchase, and I’ve long held the belief that one should never be completely dependent on a salesman’s advice.
Thanks for the tip; I’ll see where that brand lives on the price list.
EDIT: It looks like you were talking about the “Romeo y Julieta Habano Reserve Robusto” (5" x 54 gauge), which goes for $5 each at my local shop.
This is my biased opinion, but I wouldn’t be too afraid to jump right in to a medium - full cigar. My first cigar, I think, was like a Macanudo Maduro or something.
Romeo Y Julietta is a great Cigar. I prefer the Reserve Maduro, myself.
Another great Cigar line is the La Flor Dominicana Ligero or, if you’re in a bold mood, the Double Ligero.
Perdomo Lot 23 - My buddy gave me one of these the other day. I smoked it and decided that this would probably be a pretty good first cigar. I’d probably get the Toro or the Churchill, which are both within your price range, give or take a couple bucks depending on where you’re buying.
My personal favorite Cigar Brand is Gurkha. I will smoke most of their cigars, but my personal favorite is the Grand Reserve, which are on the pricey side. But it’s a good Cigar to aspire to smoke, and it meets most of your criteria. And it’s a Cognac Cigar. :XXsmoker:
There are several Cigars in the Arturo Fuente Family lines that you could try as well. If offered, I will always accept anything from the green label(A. Fuente), or the black label(Don Carlos). And I will never turn down anything from the Opus X line.
Edit: If you’re gonna smoke Swisher Sweets, you may as well pick up a dog turd from the sidewalk. sprinkle it with sugar, and then smoke that. Fucking YUCK!
[B]Perdomo Lot 23 Robusto[/B] (Connecticut, 5" x 50 Gauge): $4.25
[B]Arturo Fuente Rothschild[/B] (Natural, 4.5" x 50 Gauge): $3.79
[B]Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Robusto[/B] (Natural, 5.25" x 50 Gauge): $8.99
This is listed here only so I don't have to look up the prices again, but do you think you could rank them according to quality? How would you describe the flavors?
Come to think of it, is it better to have a glass of water with my first cigar or can I go straight to bourbon?
Thanks, it’s an honor to have the Q Dot post “bitch” in my thread.
The real celebrating won’t start until I’ve got a signed contract, but finishing the proposal was big job in itself…something over 6,600 words which required more attention to detail than almost anything which will be discussed in the book.
If this thing gets published, I’m going to get an ad banner on Bullshido DAYoung style.
Out of the four that you listed, I would personally buy the La Flor Dominicana Ligero. It’s a fuller cigar with a spicy and leathery aftertaste initially, hints of like cedar or hickory maybe. It draws fairly well and burns very well. It tops off with a strong earthy aftertaste that again includes some burning wood aromas and flavours with quite a bit of creaminess. I usually prefer the Double Ligero over the Ligero, but I wont turn a Ligero down.
The Perdomo Lot 23 got an award from Cigar Afficianado when it came out, if I remember correctly. It’s medium bodied with the characteristic creaminess and woody undertones. Kinda crackles at the end with some nuttiness or maybe some toasted flavors. Over all, it’s a pretty mild and smooth cigar. On the sweeter side compared to the other ones here. I liked it a lot, especially after seeing the price. I thought it would be a lot more expensive, given that the lot 23 is supposedly grown in some special secret place somewhere.
The AF Don Carlos Robusto is another one of my favorite cigars for taste over all, I think. It’s a pricey cigar though, so I don’t buy it that often. Draws very well, but I think that adds to sort of issue with the burn. Maybe it’s just me, but this cigar doesn’t seem to burn very well when I smoke it. It’s somewhat earthy initially, and then becomes spicy toward the middle, and also somewhat fragrant(like basil or mint almost or something.)
The Rothschild is a pretty good Cigar due to the price. It’s not gonna be the Cigar that I normally buy from the AF brand though. They have so many more that are better, even though that one is pretty good. It’s a pretty standard AF taste IMO. Earthy with like some coffee aromas. It gets more leathery as time goes on, and significantly stronger. It’s pretty spicy if you smoke it past the 3 inch mark. Draws better and better with every puff, and burns like a typical AF cigar, which is not always that great.
[B]Perdomo Lot 23 Robusto[/B] (Connecticut, 5" x 50 Gauge): $4.25
[B]Arturo Fuente Rothschild[/B] (Natural, 4.5" x 50 Gauge): $3.79
[B]Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Robusto[/B] (Natural, 5.25" x 50 Gauge): $8.99
This is listed here only so I don't have to look up the prices again, but do you think you could rank them according to quality? How would you describe the flavors?
Come to think of it, is it better to have a glass of water with my first cigar or can I go straight to bourbon?[/quote]
I really like the Arturo Fuentes for high quality at a reasonable price. It’s probably what I would buy if I walked into a smoke shop looking for a cigar right now.
If it’s your first cigar, it doesn’t really need to be a long one like a Churchill. A short and fatty will probably be plenty for you.
I’ve been smoking a lot of Nub’s lately (for full disclosure my idea of ‘a lot’ is like 1 cigar on the weekend). They are made by Oliva. I’ve met the creator a couple times and he is a really cool guy from Pittsburgh or Philadelphia or some other cold northeastern city I can’t remember. They are good and generally a couple bucks cheaper than a full sized alternative.
I also really like some of the Drew Estate ‘Acid’ cigars. A lot of people look down on “flavored” cigars but some of Drew Estate’s cigars are incredible.
Other than than my stand by is a Rocky Patel Connecticut. That’s a good relatively mild cigar.
To the OP: Don’t over think it. You’ve never smoked a cigar. Pick a high quality mild cigar. Enjoy.
I actually have a Torano Exodus 1959 Silver in my box at home right now. I payed over $7 for it though, but I love that cigar. I’m on my third one. This cigar has like 5 kinds of tobacco in it. Draws and burns perfectly for me. A good suggestion as well, I would say.
I wouldn’t go as far as to say stay away from Cameroonian Tobacco, but I would have to agree that there are much better blends out there… for me, anyway.
I keep hearing good things about the Nub, but I havn’t smoked one. For newer and seemingly trendier Cigar lines, the ACID and the CAO seem to have taken off more rapidly around here than the Nub. I tend to stay away from flavoured cigars, so I would probably prefer the Nub over the ACID, and I’m not that big a fan of the CAO. Maybe the Brazilia, but that’s probably it.
The Rocky Patel Vintage 99 is a good cigar. I usually buy the red label cigars from Patel though. I think those are in their Vintage line as well. Not too much into Patel.
My normal backup, however, will always be the Romeo Y Julietta Reserve Maduro. Awesome Cigar for the price, IMO.
I don’t know how many more of these price list posts I will make, probably not many, but it’s good for archiving the information while also giving folks the opportunity to comment on what I’m considering.
[B]Nub 354[/B] (Connecticut, 3.75" x 54 Gauge): $4.25
Sadly, my local shop doesn't carry Torano. I figure I'll stay away from ACID, and anything else flavored, until I know what a cigar is like straight (I'm pretty sure there's a better word for it in the context of cigars, but I always prefer to drink a new liquor straight before I have it in a mix).
Thanks for all the input guys; I’m developing a hell of a list of candidates to explore in the shop. After all this learning, it’d be a shame if I turned out not to like cigars. Then again, that’s what trying new things is all about.
No idea what you’re talking about, but I may as well ask a question since folks have been kind enough to contribute to this thread (gotta appreciate attention from Fearless Leader).
Is there any advantage to a guillotine cutter over a punch?
Cutters are cheap enough that I may as well buy one if I like my first cigar, and I’m thinking that a punch cutter might work better for me given my spasticity (in other words, a punch cutter would eliminate the risk of my hand moving just before the guillotine makes the cut).
Give pipe smoking a try. It’s cheaper than cigars and way less trendy… plus you can get just as good or better quality of tobacco for a fraction of the price.
You can look at some of my tobacco and pipe review vids if you like. It’s by no means a truly comprehensive list, I’ve only got maybe 20 tobaccos stocked in my rotation, but I believe I have vids of some stuff I’ve smoked up. http://www.youtube.com/jamesejudy3