for guys who have been around Cuban cigars for some time

[Ken Gargett]

Please pardon my faux pas. But really - Ken? The high minister of misquotes, the surly sultan of spin?

As an aside, the image of you taking a tub, with shower cap and rubber ducky, leaves me a bit ill at ease, yet strangely at the same time........

i was about to jump in and defend you in this - i like chick pea soup, or stew - and often cook it. however...

[cellinisart]

Take your time! Rome wasn't built in a day and acknowledge it will take 5 years to really get an understanding of Cuban cigars.

I agree but it also depends on how much one smokes... it will take a 2 cigars a week guy a year to gather what a 3 cigar a day guy will get in a couple of months.

[Ken Gargett]

specifically, i would not have touched the monte C's with a barge pole. i would have never attempted to try, so hard, to find a cuaba i liked (though that LE was good).

i agree with the posts imploring people to go with their own tastes. had i done so, i'd still have a bundle of SLR DC's from 2001. i got a dozen or two from rob but at that stage, i had a view of SLR as bottom end of the rung and could not work out why (a) that cigar just blew me away and ( why no one else seemed interested. so i didn't back myself. pretty much ditto for the habanos 2000 festivals.

i'd also have bought a few more dodgy fakes for scungy mates. more than happy to share endless smokes with good mates who are interested and keen - or simply because they are good mates - but there are just a few who will front for a cigar assuming your humidor is their humidor but would never do the reverse in a squillion years (the last bloke who got a dodgy fake proceeded to lecture us all on the glories of cuban cigars etc etc etc and then proclaimed this as one of the greatest cigars ever made - everyone was happy). but on the more positive side, definitely try and encourage a few more mates to take up the hobby.

what else?

good storage from day 1 (not rob's dodgy, though much appreciated, collapsible humidor that led to 12 months fighting with the insurance companies, though to be honest, i really enjoyed that).

been a little more selective with some of the later LE's and RR's. some of the early LE's were so cheap that i would have gone harder.

i used to keep detailed reviews of everything i smoked. i have been slack for the last couple of years and regret that. must get back into it again and recommend everyone does when starting.

finally, the one thing i did right, even though it has hurt the bank balance way too much, was to stock up to excess. the plan was to get to the stage where i have enough cigars that those boxes i want to give some years in the cellar/humidor, i can. meanwhile, i can smoke well till they are ready, then the rotation of aged smokes is there if i want it. i'm just about there.

as for an acceptable quantity, it is a bit like rockefeller said when asked how much money was enough, 'just a little bit more'.

[Guest rob]

Ken always told me that its prudent to count the cigars in your cabs... just to make sure

[craigos]

I should have committed to smoking 1 cigar a day (singles, different) for the first 2 months and then decided to buy boxes. I have bought and sold so many boxes .....

[PigFish]

i was about to jump in and defend you in this - i like chick pea soup, or stew - and often cook it. however...

...with or without tofu?

Somehow I identified you as a chickpea eater early on!!! -LOL

Passing a moment on the friendly banter; rereading a part of the post makes me think that some might have construed what I said as being anti-review. I can see that in it myself and I am hoping it was not taken that way. More specifically I was throwing an insult on those who would be inclined to want to direct another based on their 'superior' taste, commercial interest or otherwise. Peer reviews are the backbone of an interesting cigar related forum and frankly we should all attempt to do more... Knowing what your friends are smoking and why, identifying the ones with similar tastes is a benefit to all parties.

I think Bart is pretty well caught up on his quota though!!! Cheers. - the

[smll2]

This is a great thread. Thanks Gentlemen.

[Ken Gargett]

Ken always told me that its prudent to count the cigars in your cabs... just to make sure

i'm sure all those cabs of 48 and boxes of 23 that smithy sent me were an aberration.

[Ken Gargett]

tofu is food?

have not touched it for decades.

[Colt45]

...with or without tofu?

Somehow I identified you as a chickpea eater early on!!! -LOL

For my part, I agree about the tofu - pfui!! But c'mon garbonzos? Food of the earth! (KG probably is a tofu eater....)

[Ken Gargett]

For my part, I agree about the tofu - pfui!! But c'mon garbonzos? Food of the earth! (KG probably is a tofu eater....)

refer above post.

you try and help some people but...

[Colt45]

refer above post.

you try and help some people but...

KG, you should know by now - I'm not a fast post reader, I'm not a slow post reader. I'm a half fast post reader.

(unlike some though, I do read)

[Fatcigar]

Is hind sight always 20/20...not necessarily but close enough haha

As a cigar smoker since '95......6 years ago, became more serious (or more crazy depends on who you ask!) about purchasing more than just daily smokes to lay down for aging. All are done with the ultimate goals of having the best smoke!

Sooner to find your most favored smokes will save you both time & money. Often found joining a cigar group can enrich one's knowledge and interest quickly. Having a knowledgable tobaccoist is a dream! We in Asia are indeed fortunate to have ready access to experienced staff from PCC. Sooner a cigar smoker can correctly chose his/her preferred smokes, sooner a collection can be started for aging process. Once asked a world-famous cigar aficionado about which brand/vitola/marcas to collect for aging? The answer was after 15 years, all are holy smokes!!

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

[Huckleberry]

I used to think I knew alot about cigars after 22 years of enjoying them. After reading every post in this thread I realize that my self-endowed knowledge isn't significant enought to even mention. This collection of posts have to be some of the most thoughtful and well written that I have ever read.

I wish I would have pursued Cuban cigars with the same passion that I used and exhausted trying to find NCs that could take their place.

[boopdeep]

This is a fantastic thread; I thought a timely bump would be helpful to others as well. Enjoy.

[DougB]

Great reading, thanks for the bump

[SMQQKIN]

Wow. I really enjoyed reading this thread.

[jnel]

Such a great thread! So much helpful advice.

[1fastmach1]

Excellent thread. Lots of good info in here. Awesome bump.

[PigFish]

... looking at this thread again, I wondered if I had previously posted to it. I don't remember half the stuff I write. Scanning down the page I saw a post from Van and had a tear well up in my eyes...

Rest in peace amigo! -Piggy

[Trent0341]

... looking at this thread again, I wondered if I had previously posted to it. I don't remember half the stuff I write. Scanning down the page I saw a post from Van and had a tear well up in my eyes...

Rest in peace amigo! -Piggy

I never knew him but have seen various tributes to him in several sites. As I was reading through this thread and came across his post I felt like I had a tiny understanding of why so many hold him in such high regard.

[Smokin_Safari]

In an attempt to get over my Winnie Reds and early greying hair, I planned to just sit for a couple of hours per week on a Sunday and contemplate stuff. 15 years later and I'm trying to achieve the plan weekly with a puro.

Just don't forget there are great cigar producers apart from Cuba (sorry Rob) - getting involved with something you love just like the opposite sex, cars, guitars, wine means that you invariably try, collect different makes and models and usually at the same time (just don't get caught!)

So advice wise, do what you want - sure, listen to well rounded experts such as (some of) these fine fellows but if the smoke tastes fine no matter how you light it, you don't spill ash on the carpet, your wife sees you enjoying something other than blowing cash on running dogfood, then who cares?

One caution though - think big in terms of proper storage as only now after buying something like 26 humidors am I finally getting serious.

Marty

[Stiks]

Fantastic read! Just read throught the whole thread and really enjoyed it.

[Smokntaz]

Fantastic read! Just read throught the whole thread and really enjoyed it.

Same here. Now I just have to increase my budget and work on my stock!

[dcse]

No regrets.

When I identify a trusted cigar merchant, I have been a loyal costumer and profited from it.

The only advice I would offer is to encourage a measure restraint: Do not pull the trigger every time you see a fantastic cigar or box of cigars!