for guys who have been around Cuban cigars for some time

[marty922]

....

Buying quality, while never guarantees satisfaction, appears to go hand in hand with it. Trusting the folks that sell you cigars goes a long way to making the purchaseing and enjoying of cigars a lot easier.

...

. -Piggy

Whilst I am but a neophyte and have nothing to add compared to many here, this quote from Piggy's post resonated with me very much.

The peace of mind you have when buying from a reliable, trusted vendor removes one significant question if you happen upon a stick that is, to your mind, not stellar. You can put it down to your mood, your taste, the weather, an 'off-stick', not your style, not your flavour profile, etc. But the biggest thing it removes is the doubt "Is this stick legit?"

In my brief time with cigars, I've bought some stock from 'other' places - and given I haven't read or heard anything particular about them, there always remains a doubt in the back of my mind - have I bought what I paid for - something that should never enter your mind when you're kicking back on the deck, in the shed, or walking the dog whilst enjoying a cigar.

Cheers to Czar crew!

[Ryan]

Great thread and some very good responses.

Really only two things I can think of right now.

Support your local retailer, if you have one. If you don't, they'll go away.

Cigars may be expensive but ashtrays, lighters, accessories. If you find something you like and they don't have it, ask them to get it in, give them feedback.

It's in their interest much more than your's to keep cigar smoking legal in as many locations of your area as possible and are very likely doing more than you know in the background to keep it so.

As soon as you can, divert the funds from 5 - 10 boxes of cigars and get yourself to Cuba. Even Americans can go legally now on "people to people" tours. There's no excuse. I'm sorry I left it so long.

Quotes like the one below remind me of the reasons.

..

I still have a chuckle when I read "buy TEB JUN 07 this or that" or avoid 2001. When you see tens of thousands of cigars every year you understand how hollow such advice can be..

Put a little research into it and make the best of it. Go to factories if you can, farms too.

Don't go to Varadero, there are beaches all over the world.

Talk to as many people as possible.

You'll find that many beliefs regarding cigars you might previously have held as "gospel" suddenly become less important when you see them being grown, rolled, checked, sorted, boxed and stored.