Cigar Thread

[chisness]

Don't have much exp at all but R&J's are easily my fave out of the 5 or so I've tried, seems like a perfect not too mild not too strong taste.

[cjmewett]

I can't give any sort of authoritative info on "the best cigars," because it's really a matter of taste. That said, I really enjoy the Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 (I know, theoretically not as good as the 90s, but more suited to my taste), Romeo y Julieta Aniversario (black and silver band), Arturo Fuente Hemingway and Don Carlos #2, and a nice little $4 cigar by Cusano called the 18, which is certainly the best value and might be the most consistently smooth, easy-smoking cigar I've ever had.

[Daddy Warbucks]

Something big that has been left out of the OP.

Lighting

The best thing to light cigars with is a butane lighter, preferably a dualjet for a wider flame. Butane is preferable to a normal lighter because the gas won't change the flavour of the tobacco. If you don't have access to a butane lighter, try using the cedar paper that comes with most cigars. Just break off a piece, light it, then light your cigar for it.

To light your cigar, hold it about an inch above the flame, then roll the cigar between you thumb and index finger to get an even light. A good cigar only needs to be smoked every minute or so to stay lit, so try to avoid relighting your cigar.

On cutting, a double edged cutter is best. This applies pressure evenly to both sides of the cigar at once, reducing the chances of tearing the cigars wrapping. After that, the hierarchy i believe goes double edged cutter > cigar scissors > single blade cutter.

My personal favourites are cohiba's and monte cristo's, but because i'm a euro and can get genuine cubans, i can't comment on what the quality or taste is like on their US counterparts. If you can get the real thing though, my usual is the monte cristo number 2, which will run you about 20 dollars a cigar. It's very smooth, and has an easy draw. Very enjoyable to smoke.

[amplify]

Fuente Fuente Opus X is easily the best cigar commercially available. I don't smoke anymore but I have smoked thousands of cigars and nothing else comes close with respect to construction, draw, flavor. Magnificent smoke. I don't know if they are any more available now, they used to be pretty scarce.

Definitely buy your smokes from www.jrcigar.com, they are by far the best, for pipe tobacco as well. Once I started smoking the heavy heavy perique tobaccos like Dunhill I stopped smoking cigars.

[MTUCache]

[ QUOTE ]
Fuente Fuente Opus X is easily the best cigar commercially available. I don't smoke anymore but I have smoked thousands of cigars and nothing else comes close with respect to construction, draw, flavor. Magnificent smoke. I don't know if they are any more available now, they used to be pretty scarce.

[/ QUOTE ]

Opus X are certainly great cigars, but very over-hyped. They may be worth the MSRP on them, but you can find many cigars which are very similar for a much more reasonable price.

Opus X are available at pretty much any decent tobaconnist year round. Dealing with Fuente (the manufacturer) isn't usually a treat for smaller shops, but any decent sized shop will have plenty of Fuente product on the shelves.

The Fuente Anejos are even more rare/expensive than the Opus, and arguably a better smoke. They usually only come out near New Years and Father's Day, and usually sell out of any retailer within a matter of hours, regardless of the price.

If you're looking for a great cigar, with flawless construction, and a good reputation, the Opus X is a great place to look for it. But, pretty much anything in the Fuente line is going to have similar quality, and probably a much better price. Personally I prefer the Hemingways to the Opus, simply because there isn't as much of a nicotine-punch in them.

Keep in mind, Fuente is just one of several GREAT cigar manufacturers that larger shops will carry. Punch, Cohiba, Carlos Torano, La Aurora, Romeo Y Julieta, Macanudo, etc, etc are all great larger manufacturers.

Lately though I've been focused on some of the more boutique cigar brands. Brands like Padilla, Tatuaje, Rocky Patel, are much smaller operations, but put out absolutely fantastic products.

The Acid line, mentioned earlier in this thread is a very popular line of infused cigars, made by Drew Estate. They're advertised more as an "entry" type cigar, and definitely marketed towards young people, but some of them are very good smokes as well. Although the older, more traditional, smokers may look down on you for liking them, they do have some very good cigars. My personal favorite infused cigar is the "Java" (made by Drew Estate for Rocky Patel).

Couple things I'd like to touch on from the original poster... throw out the crap sponge that comes with your humidor. It's garbage. Get something from your local shop that is an ACTIVE humidification system. Something that can release and absorb moisture. Products like "the puck", or humidor gel, or humidity beads, are all very cheap and are MUCH more effective at maintaining your humidity level. Additionally, when "curing" your humidor, it's probably best not to wipe down the spanish cedar on the inside with water. Applying that much moisture directly to your humidor could actually warp the wood inside it. If you've got the patience to wait a couple of days, just set a small bowl of distilled water inside of your humidor... the wood will absorb what it needs without ending up with a puddle at the bottom of your humidor or warping.

My current list:
- Hemingways... my favorites. Always on hand.
- CAO Brazilia/Italia... nice change of pace.
- Cusano 18 (double Connecticut)... my go-to for a milder smoke. Perfect for an inexperienced smoker.
- Comacho Corojo
- La Aurora (Preferido or C Ananos)
- Rocky Patel Edge (or Edge Lite)


Also, for those of you lucky enough to be going to Vegas in the near future... make sure to check out the Casa Fuente. I haven't been there yet, but as a Fuente slappy, it sounds like paradise. All the Anejos and Opus X you could want, along with their own private blend you can only get from Fuente's ONLY retail location on the planet. Expect to pay a premium (obviously... it's on the strip), but keep in mind that a portion of Casa Fuente's profits go to help the Cigar Family's charities, so you can feel good about yourself while you're dropping $500+ on something you're going to light on fire.

Whew... can you tell I'm passionate about my cigars yet. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[Bicycles_Biatch]

Carlos Tarrano are the best daily smokers I've found.

If you're in vegas you have to stop by the Pyute smoke shop... BEST prices on the west coast.

[amplify]

I'll also put in a kind word for the Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur, an excellent cigar at any price.

[cjmewett]

[ QUOTE ]
My current list:
- Hemingways... my favorites. Always on hand.
- CAO Brazilia/Italia... nice change of pace.
- Cusano 18 (double Connecticut)... my go-to for a milder smoke. Perfect for an inexperienced smoker.
- Comacho Corojo
- La Aurora (Preferido or C Ananos)
- Rocky Patel Edge (or Edge Lite)

[/ QUOTE ][ QUOTE ]
Arturo Fuente Hemingway and Don Carlos #2, and a nice little $4 cigar by Cusano called the 18, which is certainly the best value and might be the most consistently smooth, easy-smoking cigar I've ever had.

[/ QUOTE ]
This man knows what he's talking about.

[guids]

I agree, I just found my notes, and Ive had them all except teh rockey patel, I gave them all between a 6 and a 9, so good stuff there. Personally, I think opus X, adn the padron aniverseries (26 and 64) are really over-rated, they are kind fo harsh, even thogh they burn good. I just got a call from a friend, and Im going out, but tommorow, Ill post on how to spot fake cubans, I have ordered from 2 internet sites, 1 good, one bad, but I got a guy in jamaica that ships them up to me now, he told me everythign too look for.

[Rick Nebiolo]

[ QUOTE ]
Definitely buy your smokes from www.jrcigar.com, they are by far the best, for pipe tobacco as well.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've ordered from them for ten years and never had a problem.

~ Rick