dzg Posted March 4, 2012 Posted March 4, 2012 Hello Fellow Cigar Aficionados, I would like to introduce myself to you all. My name is Neal and I live in Toronto, Canada. I visit Cuba on a regular basis and my first introduction to Cuban cigars was back in 2010. At the time I was in Varadero and tried a few of the famous brands (Romeo y Julieta, MonteCristo etc) I was left feeling rather underwhelmed but keep in mind I had no idea what models to ask for or even what vitola ... I just relied ont the advice of the person selling them. On a subsequent trip I tried a few more (Partagas, Cohiba) and I visited the Hotel Nacional LCDH, what a treat that was, the lady serving me was very knowledgeable and she tried to persuade me to try some Vegas Robaina but I was headstrong and thought that she was trying to foist a lower grade on me (yes I was totally illiterate when it came to cigars), Eventually I bought a box of Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No.2. I thought my love affair with stogies was beginning and when I came back home I bought a wood humidor but my cigars ended up spoiling (white mould) as I did not know how to maintain a humidor, I also admit that the Hoyos turned out to be a very average smoke. Though this could be because I spoilt them by not maintaining them properly. Not having gobs of cash on hand and faced with the destruction of over $200 in cigars I lost faith. Subsequent trips to Cuba had me carting cigars back for friends who placed orders with me for certain brands and Limited Editions. Eventualyl I tried to get back in to myself it but everytime I walked into a smoke shop here and saw the prices I just walked out again, I suppose the prices of the cigars in Cuba had ruined me from spending the premium commanded in the Great White North. Luckily my brief flirtation with cigars taught me enough to know what I seek and like in taste and quality. My preference is for rich, sweet, smooth cream, chocolate and coffee flavours. I dislike overly peppery, bitter, campfire type smokes (they remind me of cigarettes and I cannot stand that). My current favourite is H.Upmann 46. As I approach my 40th I have started to contemplate alot about life, I suppose its a major milestone and I realised that I must cultivate a few vices .... women are given so the other is to be cigars. This time I decided to become educated, to learn from fellow aficionados and hopefully be able to find some Habanos that speak to me so that a new love affair can begin. I also will continue travelling to Cuba regularly so I will have easy access to the cigars and the low prices. Hopefully I can start to accumulate some for myself instead of taking orders from friends. I also learnt about the "coolidor" so it seems there is hope! I am not a rich man so I will avoid the more famous brands like Cohiba, Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta ... hoping to find better price/quality ratios in some of the brands that do not have such big cachet. So I hope to learn from all of you and eventually become a contributing member. Thanks for reading and keeping in mind my newbie status please forgive any silly questions I may ask in the near future. Enjoy your cigars in good health!
Trevor2118 Posted March 4, 2012 Posted March 4, 2012 Hi Neil, Welcome to the Friends of Habanos Cuban Cigar Forum. What a greaty intro. All new members are encouraged to spend some time familiarising themself with the rules and guidelines of this forum. Our mantra is Laughter, Friendship, Loyalty, and Fraternity. Trevor
Squarehead Posted March 4, 2012 Posted March 4, 2012 Welcome to the FOH forum Neal and happy smokes.Nice intro btw.
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