Cigars!

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

What kinda cigars do you all like?

I'm sitting here finishing off the last of a bottle of Macallan 12 and smoking my last Montecristo, and thinking that life is pretty darned good sometimes.  I really should do this more often. 

I'll need to buy some new cigars soon, and I'm curious what cigars you all like and what you like 'em.

[Sindawe]

Tobacco is not one of my vices, but on those rare occasions I consume the stuff I tend to favor Nat Sherman's Nat's Cigarillo's. http://www.cigarsinternational.com/prodDisp.asp?item=CS-NSA&cat=79  It goes quite well with The Macallen actually.

[Cosmoline]

If cigars are the single malts of tobacco, then pipe tobac is the fine wine.   I'm currently hooked on Esoterica's famous Penzance flake.  With pipe tobac you can mix a vast array of flavors from the ultra-intense and spicy Louisiana Perique to smokey Latakia and sharp Virginias.   

[Ex-MA Hole]

Monte Christo White Label.

Actually my local guy has his house blend that is my lastest addiction.  I like them a lot.

Headless Thompson Gunner - If you want- shoot me your address and I send you a couple.  Real good stuff, in my opinion.  Kurt's out of Londonderry, NH.

I quit drinking, but from what I remember, these would go real good with the Macallan.  Have you ever tried the 15?  I liked a lot more.

Hey- any suggestions for NA drink to go with a cigar?  No mater what I've tried, I can find a damn thing that even comes close a nice scotch and a cigar.

[SpookyPistolero]

Hear, hear! Cosmoline speaks the truth. Any flavors you like, at any depth and complexity. Marrying pipes to a favorite blends is one of the genuine pleasures in life (my meerschaum loves light english blends, for example). It's difficult not to feel a solid sense of improvement in your general situation whilst puffing slowly on your briar (or cob, or meer or.....). See my sig for more information.

I did used to smoke cigars from time to time, however, and always leaned towards very mild ones. I had a genuine Cuban a couple of weeks ago and was really not very impressed.

[S. Williamson]

Let's see...

If someone else is buying, a Fuente Fuente Opus X is always good. 
Padrone Anniversary maduros are up there.
CAO L'Anniversaire Cameroons, torpedo shape, are the ones I first fell in love with. 
For indulgence in a guilty pleasure, Acid Liquids are pretty decent.  Almost like a Cojimar White Sage.

Toranos, though, are what I have most often.  IMO, the best are the 1916 Cameroon or the Exodus 1959.

Regarding pipe tobacco, the only stuff I like that's sweet is Blockade Runner by Cornell & Diehl.  For everything else, I like varying combinations of red virginia, latakia, a relatively small amount of white burley, and maybe a dash of light cavendish.  Any of 'em are good out of my only remaining (and by far, the most expensive) pipe I have (or can find)... a Peterson Churchwarden Dublin Ebony.

plus plus

over



equals a true day off. 

[S. Williamson]

ex-ma hole: Hey- any suggestions for NA drink to go with a cigar?  No mater what I've tried, I can find a damn thing that even comes close a nice scotch and a cigar.[/b]
Try ginger ale.  Just about any will do--Seagrams, Schweppes, Canada Dry, whatever. 

Also, good coffee (not Folgers, not even Starbucks) is a fine companion. 

Oolong or Earl Grey tea. Milk/sugar/honey/whatever as you see fit. Green tea is too delicate.

Any of the above work for me whenever I'm uninterested in alcohol for the time being. 

[SpookyPistolero]

I find that rooibos red tea goes really well with pipe smoking, so you could give it a try with cigars. It always feels like the coffee of the tea world, sans caffeine.

[Ex-MA Hole]

Thanks!

[TarpleyG]

Headless Thompson Gunner - If you want- shoot me your address and I send you a couple.

We should get some cigar trading going amongst us....

Greg

[Waitone]

Someone tag me!  I'm goin' in.

Cigars???  Drop by www.jrcigars.com
Largest cigar retailer in the world.  I've been to three of their 4 storefronts.  Lets just say I'm impressed.  The Burlington, NC walk-in humidor is only 25,000 sq ft.  The company has a great website.  Selection is unfreakin' believable and shipping charges are reasonable.

Me?  I specialize in good but cheap cigars.  Unbranded but sourced from branded factories.  JR's is the Disneyland of cigars.

http://www.jrcigar.com/index.cfm?page=cigars

Prefer single malt scotch.

[TarpleyG]

Oh, and I prefer either CAO Criollos or Partagas Spanish Rosadas....

Greg

[Ben]

Hey HTG -- I smoked your recommended Cuban Montecristo when I was in Belize last week. My first Cuban. It was nice and mild (how I like my cigars).

Given that, I did find out for myself that though good, Cubans aren't necessarily tops over cigars from other countries. I like Hoyo Excaliburs best, then in no particular order, Punch, Romeo y Julieta, and Espanolas (when I can find them).

I also recently got into Redneck cigar smoking via the much maligned Thompson Cigar Company, smoking those flavored Roughnecks -- little ugly looking things, but fun.

[Ezekiel]

I'm a HUGE fan of Onyx Reserve.

[ilbob]

I am not a big fan of tobacco at all, and don't use it, but I find second hand pipe and cigar smoke far less offensive than second hand cigarette smoke.

[Devonai]

I rarely smoke cigars, but when I do I prefer an Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva (I believe that's the correct spelling, don't hold me to it) in the $6-$10 range.

I smoke a pipe almost every day.  I've been working through a supply of Black Mallory recently, as well as a strong Perique/Black Cavendish blend the tobacconist (Gold Leaf, Seabrook, NH) calls Lobotomy.  I also normally have a supply of Mac Baren Navy Flake on hand, something with Latakia in it, and some "candy" (white or golden Cavendish with a light case).

As far as pipes go, I prefer Canadians.  Anything with a straight stem, really.  I can't stand trying to clean anything greater than a quarter-bent.

And as far as I'm concerned, there is no scotch other than Laphroaig.

[StopTheGrays]

Someone tag me!  I'm goin' in.

Cigars???  Drop by www.jrcigars.com
Largest cigar retailer in the world.  I've been to three of their 4 storefronts.  Lets just say I'm impressed.  The Burlington, NC walk-in humidor is only 25,000 sq ft.  The company has a great website.  Selection is unfreakin' believable and shipping charges are reasonable.

Me?  I specialize in good but cheap cigars.  Unbranded but sourced from branded factories.  JR's is the Disneyland of cigars.

http://www.jrcigar.com/index.cfm?page=cigars

Prefer single malt scotch.

What??? They do not carry Rocky Patel's 

I smoked a 12 year vintage torpedo last night and it was so good. I tried his newer 7 year vintage and was a little disappointed in the flavor.
I also like the Esplendido from Partagas. The shape and size of it is perfect for the tobacco inside it. In fact I like most cigars that are shaped like that.

[auschip]

For an everyday smoke I prefer the La Gloria Cubana Serie R - usually the #6.  I smoked a couple really nice cigars over the weekend; the Funete Opus X Churchhill, and the Davidoff Diademas Fina.  Of the two I prefered the Davidoff.  Both of those cigars are considered pricy at $30 & $25 respectively. 

For a shorter smoke the Ashton VSG Sorcerer is nice, but you have to be careful, since it is easy to get en uneven burn because of the odd shape.

[wingnutx]

[Cosmoline]

Those price tags are another reason I favor pipes.  Thanks to the boomers who decided they were hip a decade ago, the good ones run over $10, $20 or more each. But you can still get the finest pipe tobac in the world for $6 to $12 a tin, and it will last for dozens of smokes.  The pipes cost a bit, but they also last a long time.  I favor a basic Stanwell churchwarden which ran about $90.  I attach the short stem to it.  It's not exactly orthodox, but it's a survivor.  I bought it five years ago and it's still going strong.  The cheap wood pipes are best avoided.  Here's a site that reviews the top tobaks:

http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/

[wmenorr67]

Had my first Cuban last night.  Had to come to Iraq to get it.  While I did like it everyone is in agreement that they are not any better or worse than Dominicans or others.  The biggest thing about them is that they are banned in the states.  That being said it would be nice to have a humidor over here since the ones that we bought yesteday were dried out could use some time to rehydrate and then they probably would smoke even a little better.
As for the alcohol that is forbidden for me while I am here where I am for the time being.  However, a Cuban and Mountain Dew is not all that bad.

[Ex-MA Hole]

wmenorr67-

Thank you for your service.  If you run low on smokes, let me know.

I'd be honored to send you some.

M


P.S.  TarpleyG- I'm in.

[wmenorr67]

ex-ma hole,
Running low on smokes could become a problem on a two-fold account.  I have a humdior full back in the states and I am debating on having SWMBO boxing them up and sending them.  The other issue is that even if I purchase them here is getting a humidor to maintain the freshness.  Things tend to dry up here in a hurry.  Also I have found that non-alcohol Beck's is not half bad.  Not as good as the real stuff but better than nothing.

[Ex-MA Hole]

Cigars in a plastic wrapper + damp Paper towel + double Ziplock bag?

What do you think?

[Waitone]

Place cigars in a ziplock and zip it closed.  Place the cigars (in the bag) into another ziplock bag.  Wet a paper towel so that it is wet but does not drip.  Place the towel in the second bag and close it all up.  Polyethylene will transmit moisture at a slow but steady rate.  Watch the towel and when it looks dry, pull it out and insert another wet towel.  Great method for slowly rescuing dry cigars.  Great field improvised humidor.