What's a good UK shop-available cigar to smoke for a newb?

[dentonparrots]

I've been given what appears to be some rare Dunhill cigars by a good friend, and without wanting to smoke them and ruin a very good cigar experience as a beginner I'm looking to buy a good cigar that's readily available in the UK in cigar stores...can you recommend any?

I'm really getting interested in cigars now through a thread on here about the Dunhills and thought "who better to ask?"

I've got to admit they're probably going to get smoked pretyty soon after buying them (they are already in a humidor room in my local store) so I'm not really going to age them at all.

Thanks for any suggestions you give me, Carl.

[greenpimp]

Without knowing your personal preferences I would suggest trying an assortment of Petite Coronas. You can taste the distilled essence of a marca in a PC and find out what you like and don't like, without spending an obscene amount on one cigar.

Specifically, all in my opinion of course, I would start with a few each of Montecristo #4, Bolivar PC's, Upmann Corona Major (in tubes), Partagas PC Especials, Por Larranaga PC's, and either Punch RS #12 or PC del Punch, in that order. There are more but I would start there.

Again my opinion, but PC's are a great intro into the marca's profiles. And those that don't have PC's, try a perla, the little buggers, such as a Trinidad Reyes, San Cristobal el Principe, Ramon Allones Small Club Corona. They pack a lot of flavor in a little package.

Have fun. Trying new ones is my favorite part of this.....whatever it is. Hobbession.

[dentonparrots]

Your advice is much appreciated and I'll definately look out for those when I'm in the store.

There's one particular one that has a hand-written sign saying it's the first time they've been available in the UK so I might get one of those too.

To be entirely honest with you I stopped smoking cigarettes and tobacco a few years ago (although I've been known to smoke "something else" from time to time in a pipe:-P ) and with my new-found sense of smell I might be able to appreciate the difference more :wink:

Thanks again and keep them coming...just imagine a complete novice who needs learned everything apart from the humidor/ temp levels and the very basics. I watched a few youtube vids on rolling them too.....passionate hobby!

[Mel39]

Hello Carl,

you don't say where you are in the UK.

I am in London, so only know the shops in town.

There is a Dunhill shop in St. James and further along the road is JJ Fox.

You are allowed to buy a cigar to sample and smoke on both these premises.

You will also get some helpful advice from the staff. As suggested, I too would recommend a PC (Petit Corona) as a starter. I am currently rapidly speeding though a 50 cabinet of Por Larañaga PCs.

However, you will soon discover that buying cigars in the UK is a very expensive habit. cigar-czar offers much better value for money. Why not make up a selection of singles from the PCs mentioned above and place an order with c-c. You won't be disappointed.

Mel39

[dentonparrots]

» Hello Carl,

» you don't say where you are in the UK.

» I am in London, so only know the shops in town.

» There is a Dunhill shop in St. James and further along the road is JJ

» Fox.

» You are allowed to buy a cigar to sample and smoke on both these

» premises.

» You will also get some helpful advice from the staff. As suggested, I too

» would recommend a PC (Petit Corona) as a starter. I am currently rapidly

» speeding though a 50 cabinet of Por Larañaga PCs.

»

» However, you will soon discover that buying cigars in the UK is a very

» expensive habit. cigar-czar offers much better value for money. Why not

» make up a selection of singles from the PCs mentioned above and place an

» order with c-c. You won't be disappointed.

»

» Mel39

Thanks for your advice and help, I'm in Carlisle, Cumbria so you're a bit too far away although it would be nice if I could pop into the local Dunhill store to find out more info on my Don Candindo's.

In my town I generally only really have Brucciano's newsagents! Saying that they seem to be passionate enough about cigars to have a humidor room in his nice shop and wear T-shirts advertisign certain cigar companies.

[Claudius]

» I've been given what appears to be some rare Dunhill cigars by a good

» friend, and without wanting to smoke them and ruin a very good cigar

» experience as a beginner I'm looking to buy a good cigar that's readily

» available in the UK in cigar stores...can you recommend any?

All Habanos are available in the UK AFAIAA. But not necessarily from your newsagent...

Regarding a recommendation, IMO a person new to cigars needs to try a full-flavoured cigar that will make a statement rather than a more refined, milder version the subtle aromas of which are better suited to the more experienced palate.

I'd also recommend starting with the smaller vitolas, as they usually pack more flavour and strength and are more approachable in the sense that you wont to have to be smoking them for an hour and a half or 2.

If you like full-flavoured and spicy, try a Ramon Allones Small Club Corona;

if you like a leathery, earthy smoke, try a Partagas Série du Connaisseur No. 3

if you want an earthy yet fruity smoke, go for a Saint Luis Rey Serie A. This one is larger than the other 2...

[dentonparrots]

» » I've been given what appears to be some rare Dunhill cigars by a good

» » friend, and without wanting to smoke them and ruin a very good cigar

» » experience as a beginner I'm looking to buy a good cigar that's readily

» » available in the UK in cigar stores...can you recommend any?

»

» All Habanos are available in the UK AFAIAA. But not necessarily from your

» newsagent...

» Regarding a recommendation, IMO a person new to cigars needs to try a

» full-flavoured cigar that will make a statement rather than a more

» refined, milder version the subtle aromas of which are better suited to

» the more experienced palate.

»

» I'd also recommend starting with the smaller vitolas, as they usually pack

» more flavour and strength and are more approachable in the sense that you

» wont to have to be smoking them for an hour and a half or 2.

»

» If you like full-flavoured and spicy, try a Ramon Allones Small Club

» Corona;

» if you like a leathery, earthy smoke, try a Partagas Série du Connaisseur

» No. 3

» if you want an earthy yet fruity smoke, go for a Saint Luis Rey Serie A.

» This one is larger than the other 2...

I can kinda guess I'm going to be in the store annoying the staff for a while..........

Man I am soooooooooooooooo tempted to light one of these Don Candido's but I'm going to resist the urge (for now......)

[Tampa1257]

» Man I am soooooooooooooooo tempted to light one of these Don Candido's but

» I'm going to resist the urge (for now......)

To smoke one of those Don Candido's now, with your inexperienced cigar smoking palate would be like taking 2 $100 dollar bills and lighting a match to them. A pure waste of money, a rare cigar and a future cigar smoking experience once you have trained your palate.

Claudius has given you some excellent advice, which I recommend that you listen to, it is your choice.

[Grasso]

» Man I am soooooooooooooooo tempted to light one of these Don Candido's but

» I'm going to resist the urge (for now......)

I can certainly understand where you're coming from. It'd be tough to have something so prized knowing that you could light it up any time you felt like it. It can't be said enough, though, "DON'T DO IT!" I've got several years of smoking cigars under my belt (although, admittedly, with a break since my recent restart) and I wouldn't even think about trying to take down one of those cigars yet. I just don't have the experience to fully enjoy it . . . but I'm working on that, slowly. If you did, you may regret it immediately - or it may take quite a while before you realize how much more you could have gotten out of it.

Do yourself a favor: Go get a nice sampling of some Petit Coronas. Don't let the small size fool you, they're fantastic smokes - one of my favorite sizes actually. After you do this, get yourself a tasting journal. This can be a notepad, a spreadsheet on the computer, or an actual purchased cigar journal. Now find a "wine aroma wheel" (google). This will be your guide. Sit down, and as you smoke, take notes. People often divide the cigar into 1/3 and base their notes on each third of the cigar.

As you get hints of flavor (don't worry if it's hard to identify - it is!), jot them down. Don't worry about what other people have said about your particular cigar, if you find the back of your mind saying "fried chicken" write it down. If it only lasts a second, then is gone - write THAT down. Keep all of these from the cigars you smoke. As you get more cigars under your belt, you'll get better at it, and taste more nuances. This is how you really get into it.

Good luck!

[Don Candido]

» » Man I am soooooooooooooooo tempted to light one of these Don Candido's

» but

» » I'm going to resist the urge (for now......)

»

» I can certainly understand where you're coming from. It'd be tough to have

» something so prized knowing that you could light it up any time you felt

» like it. It can't be said enough, though, "DON'T DO IT!" I've got several

» years of smoking cigars under my belt (although, admittedly, with a break

» since my recent restart) and I wouldn't even think about trying to take

» down one of those cigars yet. I just don't have the experience to fully

» enjoy it . . . but I'm working on that, slowly. If you did, you may regret

» it immediately - or it may take quite a while before you realize how much

» more you could have gotten out of it.

»

» Do yourself a favor: Go get a nice sampling of some Petit Coronas. Don't

» let the small size fool you, they're fantastic smokes - one of my favorite

» sizes actually. After you do this, get yourself a tasting journal. This can

» be a notepad, a spreadsheet on the computer, or an actual purchased cigar

» journal. Now find a "wine aroma wheel" (google). This will be your guide.

» Sit down, and as you smoke, take notes. People often divide the cigar into

» 1/3 and base their notes on each third of the cigar.

»

» As you get hints of flavor (don't worry if it's hard to identify - it

» is!), jot them down. Don't worry about what other people have said about

» your particular cigar, if you find the back of your mind saying "fried

» chicken" write it down. If it only lasts a second, then is gone - write

» THAT down. Keep all of these from the cigars you smoke. As you get more

» cigars under your belt, you'll get better at it, and taste more nuances.

» This is how you really get into it.

»

» Good luck!

All this talk about Petite Corona's is fine. I do not really want to take exception to it, but you should also try a few Lonsdales. That is what the Don Candido's you have are. See if not only you apprecitate them but also, if you enjoy finishing them. They last about an hour.

Cheers,

DC

[dentonparrots]

Thanks again for all your help and advice fella's it's really appreciated and I'll be popping into the store today I think....

[Grasso]

» All this talk about Petite Corona's is fine. I do not really want to take

» exception to it, but you should also try a few Lonsdales. That is what the

» Don Candido's you have are. See if not only you apprecitate them but also,

» if you enjoy finishing them. They last about an hour.

»

» Cheers,

» DC

Certainly, he could try some lonsdales, or robustos, or churchills. It's just easy to recommend PCs as they're about the most inexpensive and widely-available to get a good sampling of all the major marcas.

:-D

[winelover]

» I've been given what appears to be some rare Dunhill cigars by a good

» friend

Hi Carl welcome. I'm from the UK too, but nowhere near Cumbria I'm afraid. Would we be able to see some pics? Always enjoy seeing classics.

Thanks

[dentonparrots]

» » I've been given what appears to be some rare Dunhill cigars by a good

» » friend

»

» Hi Carl welcome. I'm from the UK too, but nowhere near Cumbria I'm

» afraid. Would we be able to see some pics? Always enjoy seeing

» classics.

»

» Thanks

Hi, Here's the Dunhills. They are Don Candido Seleccion Suprema No. 501's and come in pairs in individual coffins, which from what I've read on here makes them even rarer.

[dentonparrots]

I've been to the newsagents today and bought a couple to try.

There's a Dunhill Petit Corona and an H. UPMAN HAVANA, which has Cornas Junior written on the tube.

I'll try and take some photos taken of them and let you know what I thought.

[northo]

Hola dp

I'm surprised that Carlisle doesn't have a specialist tobacconist, don't know it well myslef, but was driving through the middle of town the other day, beautiful place.

Cigars from your newsagent won't have been kept in the best condition, a better bet is to go to small high-street wine shops like oddbins or majestic and you'll find that many of them have humidors with a few different type of cigar for sale. Mostly Montecristo (all of which I would highly recommend), Cohibas ('mortgage your house and smoke the best'), and Romeo y Julietas (not really my cup of tea).

Hope this helps

[northo]

» All Habanos are available in the UK AFAIAA.

You may be right C. But I always thought that H&F didn't import La Gloria Cubana. (Making it a little weird that we're getting a LGC ER this year)

[dentonparrots]

» Hola dp

» I'm surprised that Carlisle doesn't have a specialist tobacconist, don't

» know it well myslef, but was driving through the middle of town the other

» day, beautiful place.

»

» Cigars from your newsagent won't have been kept in the best condition, a

» better bet is to go to small high-street wine shops like oddbins or

» majestic and you'll find that many of them have humidors with a few

» different type of cigar for sale. Mostly Montecristo (all of which I would

» highly recommend), Cohibas ('mortgage your house and smoke the best'), and

» Romeo y Julietas (not really my cup of tea).

»

» Hope this helps

Although I call it a newsagents, they kind of do specialise in tobacco products too, having a seperate humidor room and a tobacco sectioon.

The stock all the main products that you have mentioned and really they are the best local stockists.

Cheers for the other suggestions and I'll make sure to buy them to try in the future..this is a hobby I'm really just embarking on and enjoying it so far!

Going to be testing the new ones very soon.....

[northo]

»

» Although I call it a newsagents, they kind of do specialise in tobacco

» products too, having a seperate humidor room and a tobacco sectioon.

»

» The stock all the main products that you have mentioned and really they

» are the best local stockists.

Ah, fair enough. In that case read a few reviews here and just go for whatever takes your fancy. If you have a humidor or somewhere to keep your cigars then I would advise against buying cigars in tubes, I've never had much luck with them in England and they are more expensive than their untubed counterparts.

Other than that, it's probably best to stick with cuban cigars, Non-Cuban cigars tend to regarded as slightly inferior and are just as expensive in England (the tubed dunhill cigar you bought will be non-cuban).

If you do start getting into cigars and decide on buying more than just the odd one, I really would highly recommend CigarCzar. Great customer service, excellent prices, and I am yet to have any order intercepted by Her Majesty's customs, which can be a problem with some european retailers.

Enjoy!

p.s. of the brands most often available in smaller tobacconists and cigar retailers in the U.K. Cohiba, Montecristo and Bolivar would be my favourites.

[dentonparrots]

» p.s. of the brands most often available in smaller tobacconists and cigar

» retailers in the U.K. Cohiba, Montecristo and Bolivar would be my

» favourites.

Apart from one particular one that has caught my eye (can't mind on the name of it) they are the 3 I'll be trying next.

As I've already mentioned I'm just getting into it really and apart from a "cigar" taste I'm basically trying to distinguish other flavours.

The H. UPMAN one that I tried had a very slight pineapple/ fruity taste on my pallet/ roof of my mouse and the Dunhill Petit Carona was a heavier one overall with a leathery, walnut/ wood taste from what I could make out, but bear in mind my pallet's obviously new to it all.

I preferred the H. UPMAN one for now.

I'll post a begginers review of my next one on here in the right forum next time, witha photo of it. From the sign it says that it is the first time they've been in the country.

Thanks again for all your help and advice folks

[dentonparrots]

I popped into my local store again today and came out with a Bolivar and an El Rey Del Mundo to have some fun with. My wish list just keeps on getting longer!

[Shelby07]

» ...My wish list just keeps on getting

» longer!

You ain't seen nothin' yet!

[dentonparrots]

» » ...My wish list just keeps on getting

» » longer!

»

» You ain't seen nothin' yet!

I bet....;-)