Buying advice for someone who knows very little about cigars

[CJNI]

Hi folks

So my second child is expected in the next few weeks so I need a cigar for the occasion.

With our number one I had a Davidoff tubed cigar (can't recall wihch one) I got from Harrods but I am out and need something and so today I went to the nearest reliable cigar shack only to find it has now shut down.

I would have just walked in and bought something fat, tubed and reasonably long.

I have no real knowledge of the incredibly varied range of cuban and other nationalities cigars, I usually went by whatever looked cool and that I could afford.

Years gone by that meant Charatan Churchill which I quite enjoyed.

I rarely smoke anything, and when I do of late it's the cafe creme filter aroma tins, and I don't really smoke many of them.

So I need advice.

I want something for the celebrations for our baby and it really needs to be something impressive looking, and that I'll enjoy taking an hour and a half to sit outside the bar and smoke, with a nice whisky or 6.

My tastes are hard to define but if I was buying wine it'd always be red, something SE Aussie with some guts like a caby sauv.

Beer, I like proper english ale.

Whisky I prefer Jamisons to Bushmills and have never tried any scottish malts so no help there.

I like a good wide flavour, but it needs to have some warmth and sweetness to it I guess. Nothing really strong, nothing too extraordinary.

I have a limited budget - I'd pay a max of £20 GBP ($32USA or $37AUS) for a good cigar, but would creep a little over that for a 3 pack of something nice.

Given that I now have to order online as there are now no shops in Northern Ireland that I know of who sell good cigars, I guess a tubed cigar is a safe bet - I have no humidor so I buy, smoke, buy, smoke.

I do need to order soon as the missus is definitely going to have this baby in the next fortnight!

I doubt I'll ever smoke enough to get into all the particualrs of why one year of cohiba number blah is better than the previous year yada yada...I just don't go through that many cigars.

So if someone can suggest something - it can be cuban or non-cuban, I'm not fussy - that is fat, reasonably long and rounded, rich yet smooth within my budget, I can get my order in to Rob or some UK sellers I know of for the non-cuban stuff.

If I like the cigar then I will in all likelyhood never buy anything else for years as I would probably only have one or 2 a year, mind you if I can get a good 3 pack now I might binge a bit as I have a month off coming my way and could do with some relaxing evenings sitting with a bottle, a glass and a bloody big cigar.

I realise that my favouring of larger cigars may seem shallow, and it might well be so, but I reckon I've always had a better smoke from a bigger cigar than something skinny, plus I just like the feel of a big cigar - it's a tactile experience as well as a chemical one for me.

Churchill, Robusto - these are the sorts of thing I favour. I know that various makers call their cigars different things hence I need some guidance so I get what I am looking for.

Many thanks in advance.

[tigger]

A few ideas:

-In the Hoyo de Monterrey line: Double Corona, Churchill or Epicure No. 1

-La Gloria Cubana Tainos

-El Rey del Mundo Choix Supreme

Best of luck!

[Colt45]

The first two that come to mind for me are the Bolivar Corona Gigantes and the H.Upmann Sir Winston - both churchills. Along with Tigger's

suggestions, I'm sure members will offer up more.

Don't hesitate to check with Rob, Lisa, and Smithy as to what they feel might fit the bill - just don't let them try and sell you a watch

Best wishes for the pending birth.

[CJNI]

I will check these out, hopefully smithy and / or Rob will come along soon and give me their recommendations.

I just got my first Oris, so I'm safe for a wee while...

[tigger]

The first two that come to mind for me are the Bolivar Corona Gigantes and the H.Upmann Sir Winston - both churchills. Along with Tigger's

suggestions, I'm sure members will offer up more.

Don't hesitate to check with Rob, Lisa, and Smithy as to what they feel might fit the bill - just don't let them try and sell you a watch

Best wishes for the pending birth.

It's hard to go wrong with either of Colt's suggestions. The only reason I didn't suggest Upmann or Bolivar is their tendency toward full flavor/body. Both wonderful cigars!

[jquest63]

Vegas Robainas Don Alejandro

[bassman]

The most important advice for someone who knows little about cigars is know your vendor & don't buy fakes. By buying here you will be assured of highest quality regardless of the particular cigar you choose.

[anacostiakat]

All good suggestions.

I think a SIG VI or Cohiba Robusto would be good choices as well.

[CJNI]

Looking at it, the Cohiba Sig VI looks like one I just have to try.

Problem is I might like it too much....

Thanks folks - just comparing prices from a few places incliding club czar to get it delivered.

[CJNI]

Ok - the cigar czar prices are unbeatable. Order in process of being placed.

[thechenman]

Ok - the cigar czar prices are unbeatable. Order in process of being placed.

You said it brother...

[CJNI]

I'm afraid I had not read the small print - minimum order value was way over what I want to buy at present.

I'll source that Siglo VI locally, but I'll definitely be looking to place a proper order with Lisa sometime soon - those prices are just great.

Thanks again folks.

[Kangaroo495]

I realise that my favouring of larger cigars may seem shallow, and it might well be so, but I reckon I've always had a better smoke from a bigger cigar than something skinny, plus I just like the feel of a big cigar - it's a tactile experience as well as a chemical one for me.

Montecristo Open?

In all seriousness, why not take a Montecristo Edmundo? It's light on the pocket, big, fat, very creamy and chocolately, with coffee flavours as well. But it's not for ******* either. Seems suitable to your taste. Plus it comes in tubes

[CJNI]

Sounds like my kinda thing. Thanks.

I've found a good Havana cigar house in Belfast (15 miles away) who do a great range apparently, so I'm going there this week to see what they have.

[samb]

I would definitely recommend the CoRo. I imagine the the Siglo VI stands true to its name as well.

[asmith]

Don't hesitate to check with Rob, Lisa, and Smithy as to what they feel might fit the bill - just don't let them try and sell you a watch

Yes why haven't you bought a watch from us Colt?

[Colt45]

Yes why haven't you bought a watch from us Colt?

Because last time I made an inquiry, you tried to pawn off this Smithy Limited Edition Chronometer,

"guaranteed to tell perfect time - twice a day".

[CJNI]

Well, I went to a local cigar house - amazing selection.

I bought a pack of Backwoods sweet/aromatic for fun, mostly because I always wanted to try them.

Then the main event.

I agonised for a long time over edmondos and churchills and a few amazing looking robustos.

Then I thought about the pub where I'll be wetting the baby's head. We have an indoor smoking ban over here, so the only place I can sit and enjoy a drink and a cigar is outside.

I have a bladder the size of a walnut after a few ales, so I'd need to be able to nip in for a comfort break after a while.

I churchill would take at least 1.5hours and that's just too long.

So I thought I'd stick with a fairly fat but shorter cigar. The Cohiba Siglo VI Tubo was screaming at me. They had non-tubed ones, but as it'll be a week at least before I get to smoke it and I have no humidor, I thought the tubo was a safer bet.

So I dug deep into my pockets and bought one.

Next thing I will agonise over is cutting it.

I have a few of theose cheap plastic bodied single blade cutters, and a couple of the V-cutter versions.

I always feared using the straight blade ones in case I didn't get it right and ended up spoiling a very expensive cigar, so I usually used the v-cutter, and it seemed to work ok for me.

I've searched this forum for the current thinking on cutting/punching and couldn't find anything definitive.

Anyone got an opinion?

[maalouly]

Well, I went to a local cigar house - amazing selection.

I bought a pack of Backwoods sweet/aromatic for fun, mostly because I always wanted to try them.

Then the main event.

I agonised for a long time over edmondos and churchills and a few amazing looking robustos.

Then I thought about the pub where I'll be wetting the baby's head. We have an indoor smoking ban over here, so the only place I can sit and enjoy a drink and a cigar is outside.

I have a bladder the size of a walnut after a few ales, so I'd need to be able to nip in for a comfort break after a while.

I churchill would take at least 1.5hours and that's just too long.

So I thought I'd stick with a fairly fat but shorter cigar. The Cohiba Siglo VI Tubo was screaming at me. They had non-tubed ones, but as it'll be a week at least before I get to smoke it and I have no humidor, I thought the tubo was a safer bet.

So I dug deep into my pockets and bought one.

Next thing I will agonise over is cutting it.

I have a few of theose cheap plastic bodied single blade cutters, and a couple of the V-cutter versions.

I always feared using the straight blade ones in case I didn't get it right and ended up spoiling a very expensive cigar, so I usually used the v-cutter, and it seemed to work ok for me.

I've searched this forum for the current thinking on cutting/punching and couldn't find anything definitive.

Anyone got an opinion?

Colt would recommend that you bite the cigar ... I would recommend that you just cute the top just above the shoulder ... no matter what you do dont listen to Rob's advice of using your nail.

[Colt45]

I've searched this forum for the current thinking on cutting/punching and couldn't find anything definitive.

Anyone got an opinion?

Use your teeth....... hey, wait a minute.....

Personally, I think a punch for that girth is a bit small, but that's totally subjective. Here's a link to one thread:

Link

There are other threads as well, which you may have already read. If not, using the search function type in cutter*. Limit your search to

the water hole and titles only.

Enjoy the cigar!

[CJNI]

Ta colt.

Had a read on that and other threads after searching as you suggested.

I'm going to sharpen my trusty ERA James Barbour pocket knife and use it to remove the cap, leaving some shoulder for support.

Hope I don't screw it up.

I also just ordered a reasonably cheap 2 blade cutter to try it on a cheaper cigar to see if it is up to the job.

[Tampa1257]

Just my humble opinion, but I never enjoyed a V-Cut cigar. Opens up too much raw tobacco and leads toward accumulation of the tar, oils and nicotine which when combined with a lot of cigars smokers habit of smoking a cigar rather wet, just builds up at the V-Cut and makes the cigar taste bitter to my palate.

Here is a method of using either a single or a double blade cutter. Simply lay the cutter down on a table or flat hard surface, open the cutter, place the head of the cigar against the table and cut the cigar. The distance between the table and the blades will be exactly where you want to cut the cigar. Perfect cut every time. No Brainer............

[habone]

By the scissor type cutters...u will never use anything else