So I had my first three cigars ever while I was in Europe, and they were cuban Cohibas. Not cheap, 12 pounds a cigar (and these ones were relatively small),but I came to love them.

Bought a sampler from CigarsInternational that was a one-day deal thing. They even removed the product listing at the end of the sale, so I don't actually know all the details about the ten cigars I received, but they include Cohibas, 5 Vegas, La Gloria, Punch, et cetera. It came with a humidor which I've seasoned, but it doesn't want to get to the right humidity levels. It's a mechanical hygrometer, and the humidor itself is likely not a particularly nice one, wondering if that's my problem.

Thinking about going by George's and seeing what he says on things in general. Never met him or been in his shop but I've heard good things.




If I've enjoyed my cigar experience so far, should I try for a pipe?

9/19/2011 10:35:18 PM

pipes are way different. chances are if you like a cigar you might like a pipe, but it's nothing like a re-fillable cigar.

if you want to try it though to get a corncob pipe. they cost like $4 and they smoke fine. the tobacco is almost free, like $2/ounce or something, which is a big plus from cigars.

[Edited on September 19, 2011 at 10:47 PM. Reason : .]

9/19/2011 10:46:20 PM

^Yeah, I mean, I enjoy the cigars, but I'm an undergrad with little income. So while I'll keep some around to compliment a scotch on the porch at night, I have a feeling that even a nice pipe would be... a lot cheaper hobby.

9/19/2011 11:45:48 PM

I'm in Europe. Any Cubans I should try?

9/19/2011 11:50:26 PM

^I tried a bunch of Cohibas. I'm not an expert but hey I'd recommend them for sure.

9/20/2011 12:13:13 AM

Where is a good place to buy a humidor? Also what about an engraved humidor because I think that my finace wants to give me that as a wedding present?

9/23/2011 9:05:46 AM

cigarettes are nasty, as are cigars (in my very limited experience, of course), but the two times i tried a pipe, i enjoyed it

9/23/2011 9:33:52 AM

Quote :

"Bought a sampler from CigarsInternational that was a one-day deal thing. They even removed the product listing at the end of the sale, so I don't actually know all the details about the ten cigars I received, but they include Cohibas, 5 Vegas, La Gloria, Punch, et cetera. It came with a humidor which I've seasoned, but it doesn't want to get to the right humidity levels. It's a mechanical hygrometer, and the humidor itself is likely not a particularly nice one, wondering if that's my problem."

.

get a digital hygrometer. you can get some at wal-mart for about 7 bucks.

how long did you season the humidor? for a new or dried out box you need to give it at least 3-4 days of true seasoning. wiping it down across the entire surface with distilled water, don't drench it because standing water will hurt more than help. what i did was take a sponge and wipe down the inside, re-soak it with distilled water and placed it inside a sandwich bag and placed it inside the box. closed the lid and left it for 24 hours. repeat that for 3-4 days. after that you should be ready to place your cigars inside.

also, if you are using the standard florist green foam for humidity control dump it. it's terrible. go to George's or order online something similar to the Xikar jar. I have a humidor that can hold 40-50 smokes and a mini Xikar jar holds my humidity great at around 67-70 RH. you'll refill it with distilled water every month or so.

9/23/2011 11:44:15 AM

So has anyone ever tried ordering cuban cigars online?

9/27/2011 6:15:54 PM

J-R's is carrying Rocky Patel now.

I went by yesterday and picked up a 4-pack of Macanudo's (1 Cafe, 1 Robusto, 1 Maduro, & 1 Gold Label), a RP the Edge Toro, and a Bering in preparation for my trip. I am looking forward to kicking back on the beach overlooking the Caribbean Sea and smoking a couple of cigars.

10/3/2011 10:16:46 AM

On the Cuban cigar issue . . . I had some in Ecuador almost a decade ago before I seriously started consuming cigars and I think I liked it, but I don't really remember. That being said, most people will agree that the Cuban cigar industry has withered under Castro and you can get equal or higher quality cigars out of the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Ecuador.


If you have access to them while overseas, by all means, smoke them. I always say the finest cigar around is the one you enjoy the most, but no reason to get wrapped all around the axle about being "Cuban", especially when so many cheap cigars are passed off as Cubans to unwitting tourists. The Cohibas I saw in the Bahamas were some of the saddest looking cigars I'd seen in a while. I stuck to the Perdomo Lot 23s I brought with me.

10/3/2011 5:40:30 PM

I was wondering if anybody has tried the name your price feature on http://www.cigarmonster.com/? I have found some decent deals posted on the cigars and accessories.

10/4/2011 10:13:43 AM

padron '26 80th anni. #9 maduro finest fucking cigar evar

10/7/2011 2:07:48 AM

The one-day-deal thing I got my humidor and cigars from re-emerged on Cigars International at its old price, so I have the list of cigars now.

- Cohiba Red Dot Robusto (5x49)
- Hoyo Excalibur Epicure (5.2x50)
- La Gloria Cubana Serie R #5 (5.5x54)
- Macanudo Hyde Park (5.5x49)
- Partagas Padre (6x50)
- Punch Pita (6.1x50)
- Cu-Avana Intenso Gordo (4.5x54)
- LHC Osc. Fuerte Robusto (5.5x54)
- Cuba Libre Magnum (5.5x55)
- La Estrella Cub. ’R’ (5x50)

10/21/2011 2:15:30 AM

i need to track down some Christmas Cheer.

10/21/2011 8:29:29 AM

^^^^^Even in foreign countries, the Cubans are expensive in the touristy areas because they will sell.

I paid $15 for a Cuban Partagas in Jamaica and it was no better than the Honduran Partagas I can get at JR's for $3.

Most of the Honduran and Ecuadoran cigars you can buy come from Cuban seed anyways. The climate and the growing seasons are so close to Cuba's, that there really isn't a difference that is noticeable.

10/21/2011 9:36:41 AM

anyone enjoy any pipes or cigars over Christmas?


my girlfriend gave me a tin of McClelland Holiday Spirit. I had asked for the popular Christmas Cheer, but the Holiday Spirit is good.

two questions

1. How long do tins of tobacco last? I don't smoke too often, so they are sealed up but they are also just sitting out next to my humidor. is there a shelf life?

2. For some reason my humidor is starting to lose humidity. I haven't smoked a cigar all winter so it's been closed except for topping off my humidity jar when needed, yet it's starting to drop into the low 60s RH. Is this due to the drier winter perhaps?

1/11/2012 10:30:40 AM

I was just getting ready to find this thread and post in it. My fiance got me a 300 count humidor for christmas and have been working stocking it up which is always fun to just buy stuff to store and try. Also smoked my first Opus X over christmas was impressed by how it is fairly smooth.

^ As for question 2 I would assume it is the drier air due to having to run the heat with the cold weather I have had to keep an eye on both my humidors to make sure the humidity doesn't start dropping in them.

1/11/2012 4:35:22 PM

yeah, that's exactly what i think too. i have read a couple places that said if you don't intend to smoke much over the winter just check and make sure whatever you are using for humidity control is full of water and then keep it closed as much as possible. it will regulate itself when the warmer season returns. that's my plan.

1/13/2012 9:21:06 AM

How long has it been since you checked the calibration of your hygrometer?

How to calibrate a hygrometer.

1/13/2012 4:10:13 PM

the hygrometer is fine.

1/13/2012 7:14:24 PM

The reason I asked is that I too just got a new humidor and the hygrometer was about 10% off out of the box.

1/17/2012 10:22:22 AM

ah yeah, my humidor or hygrometer aren't new. and have held humidity almost perfectly since reseasoning 8 or so months ago. this is why I was so concerned about the drop. but i'm almost positive it'd due to the lower RH and lower temps in the condo due to the winter season.




also, i picked up a couple Boveda packs, 72 RH to try in replacement of the Xikar jar. these things run about 4 bucks and last about 2 months so they may not be the best cost wise, but I'm interested to see how well they work.

1/17/2012 1:36:20 PM

Where did you guys get your humidors and what kind do you have? I'm completely clueless as to what makes one humidor $150 and one that appears to be quite similar only $40. I've started enjoying cigars again and it's getting old buying a few and having them dry out before I'm able to enjoy them.

Is something like http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H6BLQO/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1 a good enough place to start (obviously adding a something like the xikar jars or something)?

1/17/2012 7:03:39 PM

My small humidor came from stogieboys or famous smoke.com but can't remeber which one but my newest one came off ebay my fiancee bought it and that is all I know about it other than it holds a bunch of cigars and I got a cigar oasis to humidify it and so far great very consistent humidity.

1/17/2012 10:51:20 PM

I don't smoke cigars often, so I just need a cheap humidor... I just ordered this guy off of amazon... mostly favorable reviews... I might upgrade the hygrometer later on, as that's really the only negative thing i've seen on the reviews.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PJMU2C/ref=ox_ya_os_product

1/18/2012 9:40:55 AM

My first was a starter kit from Thompson Cigar seen here.

My new one is also from Thompson. It is a Bally 100 Count

In the first one, my humidifier leaked water into the humidor and swelled one of the corners until it cracked. After that, it would no longer hold humidity.

I need to go by JR's and pick up a couple of bundles of knockoffs to fill the new one up.

1/18/2012 5:54:10 PM

so lately my humidor has been losing it's charge, despite being a pretty nice one and not using it very often. i've got the crystal humidifier that's supposed to condition up to 50 sticks at 70% (i've only got around 20 in there). aside from re-wiping the wood down with distilled water, is there anything else i can do?

1/18/2012 6:05:30 PM

did you read my post up the page a little ways? Is it no longer holding humidity or has it just dropped to low 60s?

it could simply be due to the dry air in your home associated with the winter season. Mine holds perfectly around 70 RH but recently dropped into the low 60s RH when it finally got cold and we began using our heat more.

If you don't smoke much during the cold season i would just top off the crystal jar and try and keep the humidor closed as much as possible. It should be fine in the low 60s through the winter and center itself once spring hits.

1/19/2012 10:00:34 AM

yeah sorry, i just skimmed and didn't see it. it was at 58% the other day, so i refilled the crystals, wiped down the interior with distilled water, and let it sit overnight without cigars in there. i just checked it and it was at 65% empty. i went ahead and put the cigars back in because i guess they're better off in there than sitting out.

i haven't smoked in a while, and only check the humidity once a week or so, so it's not like i'm in there a lot with the lid open. i guess i'll just see how this latest recharge goes

it's barely a year old with light use, so surely it isn't losing it's ability already

[Edited on January 19, 2012 at 3:39 PM. Reason : .]

1/19/2012 3:38:14 PM

You may just need a little more humidity I would say try a drymistat tube they work on the same principle as the jars but take up less space i have a couple in my small humidor and work very well should be able to get them at JR's or anywhere else for 3-5 bucks.

http://www.drymistat.com/index.html

1/19/2012 4:14:29 PM

i love these things:

http://www.seriouscigars.com/Drew-Estate_Cigars_1162_details

once you get past the sweet wrapper.

1/19/2012 9:58:54 PM

BTTT with this nice warm weather anybody enjoying some cigars? I have been trying some out of my humidor but nothing I have enjoyed that much. I have come to the conclusion that I enjoy the feel and smoke of a box pressed cigar.

3/27/2012 4:10:31 PM

Enjoying a Casa Torano Maduro Robusto right now by Carlos Torano. First time I've had a Torano, but it's not bad, good draw and even burn too

My father in law bought boxes of Cigar Aficianados top 5 cigars, so I've been lucky enough to smoke two Alec Bradley Prensados (#1 rated cigar of 2011) and an Illusione Epernay (#3) in the last couple of weeks.

[Edited on May 31, 2012 at 8:30 PM. Reason : Dsda]

5/31/2012 8:27:25 PM

i had an illusione something or other a few weeks ago at the beach because the tender box guy recommended it, and i wasn't really impressed by it. i was kinda bummed because it was about $10 for a stick and i've had better cigars at half that price

5/31/2012 9:18:42 PM

I'd smoke a pipe but I quit smoking cigarettes years ago and I don't want to even risk wanting another cigarette. I almost always go into the smoke shop in Crabtree just to smell the tobacco.

5/31/2012 9:29:44 PM

I enjoyed a Perdomo Lot 23 Wednesday night. It burnt beautifully and was a very nice cigar.

6/1/2012 7:55:46 AM

Bttt!

Smoking an Oliva G Maduro tonight. One of my favorite low price cigars (<$6). I had a Rocky Patel Edge earlier this week, I've never been a fan of those, don't know why I still buy them.

There's not a lot better than sitting on the back deck with a couple beers and a good smoke this time of year. Especially now that I have an iPad that can stream Nba and NHL playoffs action

6/8/2012 8:50:54 PM

Jesse, when are you coming back to Raleigh? I'm gonna have to grab a couple Padron Anniversarys to smoke with you. I don't have any other cigar smoking buds here besides my father in law

7/3/2012 8:32:31 PM

Does anyone have experience with the cigar bars in downtown Raleigh? Like Havanas and Arma's? I've never been to either, but was told by something I don't entirely trust their opinion that it's mostly frat guys. Anyone have experience that says otherwise? Me and some friends will go and smoke cigars outside of Player's Retreat (mostly because of the scotch selection), but it's not always a smoking crowd out there.

7/4/2012 3:11:13 AM

I haven't been to Amra's in ages but it used to be pretty chill in there. live music on occasion, and the crowd was always easy going, from what I heard Joel Amra sold the place so it may be different now.

puffing on a drew estates Java tonight, mmm good.

7/6/2012 8:51:43 PM

BTTT come some body has to have been enjoying some cigars with this beautiful weather. Had the Alec Bradley Prensado the other night because I picked up 2 after they were #1 by cigar aficionado not great but still enjoyable.

8/27/2012 10:39:32 AM

As someone who used to enjoy cloves, what would you suggest I try for my first cigar?

8/27/2012 9:04:00 PM

I am not very familiar with cloves but I think a very easy smoke to find and enjoy is the Arturo Fuente 858 Flor Fina in natural or maduro most places should have it for 5-6$. But what I do remeber from cloves you might also try Acid cigars they are infused so can be a little different not for me but you might like.

8/28/2012 10:55:02 AM

^^start with ACID

8/28/2012 1:04:08 PM

ttt

12/23/2012 9:14:18 PM

Yes, Amara's did change hands. I have been going there for years and have a private locker there. Since the sale, I believe things have improved.

Dave has upgraded the cigar selection (now stocked by Empire Cigars), added free food on Sundays and replaced the smoke filtration system. He is planning on getting new leather seats in 2013. They have heaters on the porch (if you still want to sit outside).

They have live music about 4 times a week. My only complaint is that the music can get loud if you are sitting in side. I am usually there 2 times a week.

If you want to try something different, hit up the Meat Locker at the Angus Barn. Its a pretty chill place to smoke a cigar. Seating is limited...

[Edited on December 25, 2012 at 11:50 AM. Reason : l]

12/25/2012 11:49:09 AM

afternoon pipe filled with Honeydew and a Hendrick Gin & Tonic. not a bad porch pairing

4/21/2013 4:46:44 PM

Have a few cob pipes and a cheap hardwood pipe on the way.

Stoked.

[Edited on August 21, 2013 at 12:24 AM. Reason : .]

8/21/2013 12:24:11 AM

About to light up a bowl of 1Q after a hard day of yardwork and the weather outside is amazing.

8/25/2013 8:33:48 PM