The PH Cigar Thread
Discussion
Mastodon2 said:
As a beginner, I'd go for something mild-medium. Something like a Por Larrañaga Petit Corona or Picadores. These are pretty light, not particularly complex and they're not too big, so you're unlikely to be overwhelmed by strong flavour, and they won't last too long, but you'll still get an hour from one. Alternatively, the Gurkha Royal Challenge would make a good first cigar. Your best bet though, is to ask your tobacconist what they'd recommend for beginners, if they're any good they'll point you to a good stick. Avoid the temptation to jump in with the strongest or richest cigar you can - I'm sure this won't be an issue as you seem sensible enough to ask for recommendations, I'm sure more than a few would-be cigar smokers have had bad experiences trying to look like the big man smoking the biggest, richest stick they could get their hands on. Avoid the Dunhill Aged though, this is probably the mildest stick going and while I've not had one, I have seen them being smoked and never heard much praise, they're mild to the point of flavourless, it seems. If you like that, try more cigars and increase in body (depth of flavour) and try ones with more complex flavours. Try different vitolas (sizes), experimenting with different gauges (thickness) and lengths, as they do smoke differently. Most of all, relax, enjoy yourself and appreciate that what you're smoking, a rolled stick of cured tobacco that is a genuine marvel to behold.
For some general advice for getting smoking, forget the hype about Cubans, they're good but they're placed on a plinth by reputation, people - generally those who smoke for the image, not the enjoyment, choose Cuban because they think they're the ultimate cigars. They're good, but the new world offerings are as good, often cheaper and in my experience, have a wider variety of flavours. Go in with an open mind and rate anything you smoke on merit. Price is not everything either, there are some expensive sticks I don't rate, and some cheap ones that are very good. Forget the country of origin or price as being as indicator of quality, though accept that there is generally a minimum price for proper premium cigars, those that are hand-rolled with long filler tobacco. Use a butane lighter, smoke slowly and enjoy the flavour. If the smoke is getting hot or bitter and you're not near the end of the end of the cigar, you're taking too many draws per minute, two or 3 a minute is about right.
Thank you for taking the time to give advice, as it happens after my post I took the dog for a walk into Rochester and found myself in The Old City Cigar shop.For some general advice for getting smoking, forget the hype about Cubans, they're good but they're placed on a plinth by reputation, people - generally those who smoke for the image, not the enjoyment, choose Cuban because they think they're the ultimate cigars. They're good, but the new world offerings are as good, often cheaper and in my experience, have a wider variety of flavours. Go in with an open mind and rate anything you smoke on merit. Price is not everything either, there are some expensive sticks I don't rate, and some cheap ones that are very good. Forget the country of origin or price as being as indicator of quality, though accept that there is generally a minimum price for proper premium cigars, those that are hand-rolled with long filler tobacco. Use a butane lighter, smoke slowly and enjoy the flavour. If the smoke is getting hot or bitter and you're not near the end of the end of the cigar, you're taking too many draws per minute, two or 3 a minute is about right.
I explained I was new to cigars and sought advice, he recommended a few lighter cigars to start with, I ended up just getting one of these to see how I get on.
So tonight's plan is a nice meal and then retire to the garden furniture with a nice coffee and this.
I'll let you know how I get on, oh and my wife and teenage daughter think it's very funny that I'm having a cigar off the back of a Pistonheads thread.
pete a said:
Thank you for taking the time to give advice, as it happens after my post I took the dog for a walk into Rochester and found myself in The Old City Cigar shop.
Great choice for a "starter" smoke.HDM do have a nice, subtle flavour, perfect for an afternoon (or a beginner).
Enjoy.
pete a said:
Yes as I'm going to have it tonight he cut it for me and put it in a ziplock plastic bag.
Save me messing around with a knife or scissors as I'm new and don't own a cutter.
Best way to go about it if you're new and don't have a decent cutter, a cheap cutter or a badly performed cut with a good cutter can ruin a cigar before you've even started it.Save me messing around with a knife or scissors as I'm new and don't own a cutter.
This was my smoke for the evening, a Ramon Allones Specially Selected 1, a good cigar, typically Cuban with a rich cured tobacco flavour, though not half as strong in flavour as the Partagas P2 I smoked last night. An hour sat in the garden with a smoke, an ice cold can of coke and an old motorcycle magazine was excellent.
It's worth noting, particularly for new cigar smokers like pete a, that smoking in even a gentle breeze will burn your cigar good down as much as 20% quicker. This stick took me about 50 minutes, I think I'd have gotten maybe 70 minutes from it in a lounge. If you're outdoors, it pays to keep the ash out of the breeze, or at least facing away from it if you have no shelter, as the air flowing over it will burn it down quickly. Anything more than a gentle breeze and I wouldn't bother with garden smoking unless you have some sort of shelter like a smoking cabana which can shelter your stick. Not to mention on the exhale, you'll have smoke whooshing all over the place.
pete a said:
Thank you for taking the time to give advice, as it happens after my post I took the dog for a walk into Rochester and found myself in The Old City Cigar shop.
I explained I was new to cigars and sought advice, he recommended a few lighter cigars to start with, I ended up just getting one of these to see how I get on.
So tonight's plan is a nice meal and then retire to the garden furniture with a nice coffee and this.
I'll let you know how I get on, oh and my wife and teenage daughter think it's very funny that I'm having a cigar off the back of a Pistonheads thread.
Great stick. Very creamy. I had one on Monday. The limited editions are delicious as well. I explained I was new to cigars and sought advice, he recommended a few lighter cigars to start with, I ended up just getting one of these to see how I get on.
So tonight's plan is a nice meal and then retire to the garden furniture with a nice coffee and this.
I'll let you know how I get on, oh and my wife and teenage daughter think it's very funny that I'm having a cigar off the back of a Pistonheads thread.
This morning I woke up early and had an Upman half corona with a caramel coffee from whittakers for breakfast before the girls woke up. Something about being outside in the cool breeze with no one but the birds chirping is a thing of bliss.
Lunch was some stew beef, rice and peas and fried plantain followed by a rum and coke and a charatan robusto whilst the girls have their afternoon nap.
And tonight will be the cohiba behike and a film once they've gone to bed.
Lunch was some stew beef, rice and peas and fried plantain followed by a rum and coke and a charatan robusto whilst the girls have their afternoon nap.
And tonight will be the cohiba behike and a film once they've gone to bed.
One of the other cigars reccomended by the tobacconist was a H Upmann as it happens. Anyway it rained hard last night so I didn't get around to the cigar so I just had it sitting outside with a large cappuccino and read my latest Total 911 magazine.
The 1st 1/2 inch was a little underwhelming but then it came alive with some really nice creamy flavours and even some cooling almost menthol like tastes??? Anyway it went well with the coffee and it was a relaxing way to spend 1/2 an hour on Father's Day , even if my daughters did look at me with contempt. I also feel as calm as a Hindu cow right now so the nicotine must have done something.
Not something I would have everyday but certainly something I would do again, I'm off on a driving tour in the Alps soon and I think I will buy a few to take with me to sit on a balcony in the evenings and chat with the guys and take in the views.
The 1st 1/2 inch was a little underwhelming but then it came alive with some really nice creamy flavours and even some cooling almost menthol like tastes??? Anyway it went well with the coffee and it was a relaxing way to spend 1/2 an hour on Father's Day , even if my daughters did look at me with contempt. I also feel as calm as a Hindu cow right now so the nicotine must have done something.
Not something I would have everyday but certainly something I would do again, I'm off on a driving tour in the Alps soon and I think I will buy a few to take with me to sit on a balcony in the evenings and chat with the guys and take in the views.
The Upmans are good cigars. The larger ones have some very wide taste profiles going from sweet to very bitter and back again. Not that strong either.
So I'm on the BHK. Nice cigar but for some reason I find the Cohiba's really overrated. Not worth the extra cash compared to others out there. That or my taste buds aren't as refined as I'd like to think they are lol.
ETA photo
So I'm on the BHK. Nice cigar but for some reason I find the Cohiba's really overrated. Not worth the extra cash compared to others out there. That or my taste buds aren't as refined as I'd like to think they are lol.
ETA photo
Edited by Miguel Alvarez on Monday 22 June 08:57
I've never had a Cohiba yet, though I've got a few Siglo IIs ready to go. I'll probably have a Behike for my birthday but that's a few months off yet.
First day back at the gym tomorrow, healthy diet is implemented so cigars are really my only unhealthy vice now, well that and the occasional bit of pipe tobacco. If the weather is nice I think I'll have a Punch Coronation after work tomorrow. I've got 24 to burn through before the weather gets too miserable to enjoy them, so I won't be too precious about when I'm having them. The forecast is rotten though, I'm already looking forward to another Friday in the lounge. I think I'll have a Gurkha Royal Challenge or an Arturo Fuente Epicure, followed by a CAO Brazilia. Choices subject to change.
First day back at the gym tomorrow, healthy diet is implemented so cigars are really my only unhealthy vice now, well that and the occasional bit of pipe tobacco. If the weather is nice I think I'll have a Punch Coronation after work tomorrow. I've got 24 to burn through before the weather gets too miserable to enjoy them, so I won't be too precious about when I'm having them. The forecast is rotten though, I'm already looking forward to another Friday in the lounge. I think I'll have a Gurkha Royal Challenge or an Arturo Fuente Epicure, followed by a CAO Brazilia. Choices subject to change.
Mastodon2 said:
I've never had a Cohiba yet, though I've got a few Siglo IIs ready to go. I'll probably have a Behike for my birthday but that's a few months off yet.
First day back at the gym tomorrow, healthy diet is implemented so cigars are really my only unhealthy vice now, well that and the occasional bit of pipe tobacco. If the weather is nice I think I'll have a Punch Coronation after work tomorrow. I've got 24 to burn through before the weather gets too miserable to enjoy them, so I won't be too precious about when I'm having them. The forecast is rotten though, I'm already looking forward to another Friday in the lounge. I think I'll have a Gurkha Royal Challenge or an Arturo Fuente Epicure, followed by a CAO Brazilia. Choices subject to change.
To be fair to the BHK after my last post/pic it started to pick up taste wise in the last 3rd but I can't see me buying another anytime soon. There are better options down the price ladder IMHO. First day back at the gym tomorrow, healthy diet is implemented so cigars are really my only unhealthy vice now, well that and the occasional bit of pipe tobacco. If the weather is nice I think I'll have a Punch Coronation after work tomorrow. I've got 24 to burn through before the weather gets too miserable to enjoy them, so I won't be too precious about when I'm having them. The forecast is rotten though, I'm already looking forward to another Friday in the lounge. I think I'll have a Gurkha Royal Challenge or an Arturo Fuente Epicure, followed by a CAO Brazilia. Choices subject to change.
What's everyone else think of them?
No plans for this week(end). I've got a couple Trini's still and a Bolivar (forget the line its a torpedo) along with e usual Charatans. I just saw that JJ Fox have the Gurkha so I'll probably order one of those and give it a go see what all the fuss is about.
red_slr said:
Nice and sunny tonight so decided to head to the garden! Regius Petit Robusto smoked - first Nicaraguan cigar for me. Very nice for six quid! Would not have been disappointed at twice the price TBH.
One thing I like about Cgars is their New World section being split by country. Like you I've noticed alot of my favourite cigars are from Nicaragua. I'll have to add Regius to my list. Last night I had a Trinidad Ingenios Edicion Limitada, a great smoke but not a cheap one, but you've got to treat yourself some times. It was quite a mellow stick, long and thin, quite sweet and creamy for the most part, with some good cured tobacco and leather notes in the final third. After that I had a Padron Maduro 2000, another great stick and a regular "go-to" favourite of mine.
The first smoke I had last night, the Rocky Patel '8 Years Aged Vintage Cameroon Special Edition Box Press Toro' (phew!). Lovely construction, a fine stick to look at. Fantastic draw, loads of billowing smoke. Held a fantastic ash too.I thought I'd give the Patels a second chance after the last one was plugged. Although this one had an incredibly good draw, the flavours were naff. Just like sucking a tube of warm air for the most part, with dull tobacco flavours mixed in. Although the presentation on the RP products is great, the flavours are pretty bland, it seems.
I went for a CAO Brailiza afterwards, which was also a great smoke. Having had one before, I knew what to expect and it delivered great flavours and a great smoke for a decent price. Still punching well above it's weight. The stick did get a little soft and fudge-like in the middle as it heated through, but overall it was a great cigar.
I went for a CAO Brailiza afterwards, which was also a great smoke. Having had one before, I knew what to expect and it delivered great flavours and a great smoke for a decent price. Still punching well above it's weight. The stick did get a little soft and fudge-like in the middle as it heated through, but overall it was a great cigar.
Baryonyx said:
The first smoke I had last night, the Rocky Patel '8 Years Aged Vintage Cameroon Special Edition Box Press Toro' (phew!). Lovely construction, a fine stick to look at. Fantastic draw, loads of billowing smoke. Held a fantastic ash too.I thought I'd give the Patels a second chance after the last one was plugged. Although this one had an incredibly good draw, the flavours were naff. Just like sucking a tube of warm air for the most part, with dull tobacco flavours mixed in. Although the presentation on the RP products is great, the flavours are pretty bland, it seems.
I went for a CAO Brailiza afterwards, which was also a great smoke. Having had one before, I knew what to expect and it delivered great flavours and a great smoke for a decent price. Still punching well above it's weight. The stick did get a little soft and fudge-like in the middle as it heated through, but overall it was a great cigar.
I've found most rocky patels to be like that. The Cameroon is ok from memory and I want to say the platinum as well. But it's been ages since I've had one. I went for a CAO Brailiza afterwards, which was also a great smoke. Having had one before, I knew what to expect and it delivered great flavours and a great smoke for a decent price. Still punching well above it's weight. The stick did get a little soft and fudge-like in the middle as it heated through, but overall it was a great cigar.
Tonight I've got a new to me Romeo y julietta anejados. So far quite a strong tasting stick. Nice and spongy with an easy pull.
A great smoke this evening, with Juan Martinez, vice president of Joya De Nicaragua cigars in attendance, and a few of his smokes going round. We tried the Joya Red and the Rosalones, the Red was a fairly middle of the road stick, intended as a cigar that could tempt new smokers, as it's going to be fairly cheap, mild-medium and nothing more than a cured tobacco flavour. The website says hints of nuts, but I didn't get that. Not a bad stick, but not the kind of body I look for in a smoke. The Rosalones was more up my street, and the feedback in the room tended to agree - but with a packed lounge of cigar hounds, big, robust flavours were always going to be more of a hit. The Rosalones was deeper and richer, with a bitter dark chocolate note on the exhale.
It was a top night, Juan was a really nice guy and obviously really loves his products and cigars as a whole. While Joya are looking to re-launch in the UK (having twice had presence here in their 47 year history that has disappeared as a result of their importers dying), once we had smoked both of their sticks on offer, Juan was more than happy to take people into the humidor and give them his personal recommendations. Suffice to say, he favours Nicaraguan tobacco, and I have to say that my assessment was in line with what he said he believes the traditional Nicaraguan tobacco profile to be - rich, full and peppery. A real class act, had plenty of time for all of us and for me, it was a great opportunity to meet someone who not only loves cigars, but is so intimately involved with getting tobacco from seed to stick to smoke.
It was a top night, Juan was a really nice guy and obviously really loves his products and cigars as a whole. While Joya are looking to re-launch in the UK (having twice had presence here in their 47 year history that has disappeared as a result of their importers dying), once we had smoked both of their sticks on offer, Juan was more than happy to take people into the humidor and give them his personal recommendations. Suffice to say, he favours Nicaraguan tobacco, and I have to say that my assessment was in line with what he said he believes the traditional Nicaraguan tobacco profile to be - rich, full and peppery. A real class act, had plenty of time for all of us and for me, it was a great opportunity to meet someone who not only loves cigars, but is so intimately involved with getting tobacco from seed to stick to smoke.
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