The PH Cigar Thread
Discussion
We are away for three weeks, so the travel humidor had to be well stocked before we left.
It has been very pleasant sitting on the terrace every evening enjoying a relaxing smoke. Obviously I brought plenty of the go to cigar of the moment, R&J Wide Churchill and some Montecristo #4. I delved into the back of the humidor and dug out some Montecristo #2 which have befitted from a few months sitting in the box and some Montecristo Petit #2 which have been a revelation.
To balance the new world side of things, several of the Cgars Ltd Inka Secret blend. Which are well worth a try in my opinion, particularly the Bombaso Maduro.
I have also managed to find a reasonably well stocked cigar humidor over here (Mojacar, Spain), was hoping to try some of the Ramon Spanish regional from 2014, alas they are not to be found. However they do have a great range including several boxes of Montecristo A.
It has been very pleasant sitting on the terrace every evening enjoying a relaxing smoke. Obviously I brought plenty of the go to cigar of the moment, R&J Wide Churchill and some Montecristo #4. I delved into the back of the humidor and dug out some Montecristo #2 which have befitted from a few months sitting in the box and some Montecristo Petit #2 which have been a revelation.
To balance the new world side of things, several of the Cgars Ltd Inka Secret blend. Which are well worth a try in my opinion, particularly the Bombaso Maduro.
I have also managed to find a reasonably well stocked cigar humidor over here (Mojacar, Spain), was hoping to try some of the Ramon Spanish regional from 2014, alas they are not to be found. However they do have a great range including several boxes of Montecristo A.
Mastodon2 said:
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.
I really can't fault the Nicaraguan sticks. In fact for my latest order I decided to pick one of each from Nicaraguan section on Cgars. Hopefully I'll discover some new favourites. 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.
Was there anything he picked that surprised you?
RichUK said:
We are away for three weeks, so the travel humidor had to be well stocked before we left.
It has been very pleasant sitting on the terrace every evening enjoying a relaxing smoke. Obviously I brought plenty of the go to cigar of the moment, R&J Wide Churchill and some Montecristo #4. I delved into the back of the humidor and dug out some Montecristo #2 which have befitted from a few months sitting in the box and some Montecristo Petit #2 which have been a revelation.
To balance the new world side of things, several of the Cgars Ltd Inka Secret blend. Which are well worth a try in my opinion, particularly the Bombaso Maduro.
I have also managed to find a reasonably well stocked cigar humidor over here (Mojacar, Spain), was hoping to try some of the Ramon Spanish regional from 2014, alas they are not to be found. However they do have a great range including several boxes of Montecristo A.
Sounds like a blessed holiday. I'm trying to see if the missus will let me go away for a week somewhere. I can't see her sitting around with me as I wear linen and smoke cigars in the sun. Lol.It has been very pleasant sitting on the terrace every evening enjoying a relaxing smoke. Obviously I brought plenty of the go to cigar of the moment, R&J Wide Churchill and some Montecristo #4. I delved into the back of the humidor and dug out some Montecristo #2 which have befitted from a few months sitting in the box and some Montecristo Petit #2 which have been a revelation.
To balance the new world side of things, several of the Cgars Ltd Inka Secret blend. Which are well worth a try in my opinion, particularly the Bombaso Maduro.
I have also managed to find a reasonably well stocked cigar humidor over here (Mojacar, Spain), was hoping to try some of the Ramon Spanish regional from 2014, alas they are not to be found. However they do have a great range including several boxes of Montecristo A.
Miguel Alvarez said:
I really can't fault the Nicaraguan sticks. In fact for my latest order I decided to pick one of each from Nicaraguan section on Cgars. Hopefully I'll discover some new favourites.
Was there anything he picked that surprised you?
I didn't get any sticks at his recommendation, I just smoked the Joya Red and the Rosalonnes he brought along, but he was in the humidor for a while taking some of the guys through his favourites - not all of them Nicaraguan, but he did seem to favour New World over Cuban, which I generally find to be my style also. He knew all the ratings of the various cigars in the big cigar publications, and as someone who lives the cigar life, I can believe him when he says that he has smoked just about everything we had in our humidor! He did mention a cigar, one I believe Joya makes or has made that was pretty much just a bundle of the strongest ligero they could grow, he described it as a 6/5 in strength and said you practically cannot smoke it on an empty stomach, it's incredibly strong but apparently popular in the US market. I think I'd give that one a wide berth, I had an Alec Bradley Nica Puro that floored me, very full bodied and very strong. Was there anything he picked that surprised you?
I wish I'd got a photo with him to commemorate the night, I'd have liked to spend some more one on one time with him and really get into the detail, but everyone wanted a piece so he wasn't really sitting still long. Not only is the VP of Joya De Nicaragua, he's the president of the Nicaraguan tobacco association, he knows every aspect of their business intimately and his passion was obvious. Some blokes just smoke cigars, some really love them - he was definitely one of the latter, as I would say, is anyone who has gone to the effort to look into this thread on a regular basis.
As said in a previous post ive no real idea about cigars and none of my mates smoke them but i enjoy them. Started as a holiday thing but now once in a while back home.
Was at Malaga duty free yesterday and the difference in price was huge.
What should I be paying for something half decent?
Any recommendations on a middle of the road decent stick and what should they cost?
Was at Malaga duty free yesterday and the difference in price was huge.
What should I be paying for something half decent?
Any recommendations on a middle of the road decent stick and what should they cost?
jonamv8 said:
As said in a previous post ive no real idea about cigars and none of my mates smoke them but i enjoy them. Started as a holiday thing but now once in a while back home.
Was at Malaga duty free yesterday and the difference in price was huge.
What should I be paying for something half decent?
Any recommendations on a middle of the road decent stick and what should they cost?
My tobacconist has Aurora 1495s in at the moment, about £8 a stick and a bloody good smoke for the price. Generally though, I find £10 and up to be the point where you want to start getting good stuff. At this price, the CAO Brazilia is my shout, it's quite rich and medium-full body, but it is a brilliant smoke, one of my favourite cigars and imo good enough to considered on par for flavour, construction, draw etc with sticks costing two or three times as much.Was at Malaga duty free yesterday and the difference in price was huge.
What should I be paying for something half decent?
Any recommendations on a middle of the road decent stick and what should they cost?
With regard to pricing, our tobacco duty is a killer. If you look at American cigar reviews, they agonise over a cigar, questioning whether or not it's worth $7 dollars, when the same stick in the UK is £16. Lucky gits!
Mastodon2 said:
jonamv8 said:
As said in a previous post ive no real idea about cigars and none of my mates smoke them but i enjoy them. Started as a holiday thing but now once in a while back home.
Was at Malaga duty free yesterday and the difference in price was huge.
What should I be paying for something half decent?
Any recommendations on a middle of the road decent stick and what should they cost?
My tobacconist has Aurora 1495s in at the moment, about £8 a stick and a bloody good smoke for the price. Generally though, I find £10 and up to be the point where you want to start getting good stuff. At this price, the CAO Brazilia is my shout, it's quite rich and medium-full body, but it is a brilliant smoke, one of my favourite cigars and imo good enough to considered on par for flavour, construction, draw etc with sticks costing two or three times as much.Was at Malaga duty free yesterday and the difference in price was huge.
What should I be paying for something half decent?
Any recommendations on a middle of the road decent stick and what should they cost?
With regard to pricing, our tobacco duty is a killer. If you look at American cigar reviews, they agonise over a cigar, questioning whether or not it's worth $7 dollars, when the same stick in the UK is £16. Lucky gits!
My Cgars order arrived yesterday and I had the La Invicta Nicaraguan last night. A nice stick. Constructed well, smoked well but it wasn't anywhere near as good as the Honduran maduro I had a few weeks back. At the £5 mark for a robusto I can't really fault it and it would make a good garden/chores/doing stuff stick.
This weekend will be a Nicaraguan weekend trying out new sticks trying to find some new favourites.
Edited by Miguel Alvarez on Friday 3rd July 16:36
I would like some advice on some cigars to try. I don't smoke them very often, maybe once a month at most, and most times its a phillis sweet. I quite like the sugery flavour of them. That said last January I picked up a CAO Gold Sampler pack from the duty free. It had two CAO Golds and and two Gold Maduro's.
I found the later a bit too rough for me, but the former provided a nice smooth smoke.
Is there anything else similar to the Gold thats worth a try?
I found the later a bit too rough for me, but the former provided a nice smooth smoke.
Is there anything else similar to the Gold thats worth a try?
I don't really know what to suggest in this situation, I've not had a CAO Gold, only their Brazilia, which is a fantastic cigar but probably a bit full-flavoured for you. While I'm tempted to say that if you'll smoke Phillies makes me think you'd probably enjoy any old rubbish as long as it didn't have too much body or flavour, but I really only have experience in premium products.
My go-to recommendation for a light-medium cigar is the Gurkha Royal Challenge, the flavours are good enough that I know seasoned cigar lovers who choose them when they want an easy-going smoke. The Por Larrañaga Petit Coronas is a good choice too, or you could maybe try a Trinidad Reyes, they're considered a medium but I find them pretty easy to smoke, great flavours. If you're finding a cigar harsh, especially something as light as a CAO Gold maduro, you might be smoking too fast. Slow down and relax. I might have a Trinidad this weekend actually.
Speaking of the smokes, what I've really been enjoying lately has been a bit of pipe tobacco. My shop has some Samuel Gawith belds in, one of the top names in pipe tobacco, rare but very, very good. One I've been enjoying is just an un-sweetened blend, with natural sweetness from some black cavendish in the mix. It's slow, easy smoking and very rich and flavoursome, I bloody love it. Loads of smoke output, mouth-watering flavours and none of the tongue bite (a chemical burn from alkaline smoke) that I suffer from cased, artificially sweetened pipe tobaccos.
Sod this, I'm going out to the garden for a Punch Coronation.
My go-to recommendation for a light-medium cigar is the Gurkha Royal Challenge, the flavours are good enough that I know seasoned cigar lovers who choose them when they want an easy-going smoke. The Por Larrañaga Petit Coronas is a good choice too, or you could maybe try a Trinidad Reyes, they're considered a medium but I find them pretty easy to smoke, great flavours. If you're finding a cigar harsh, especially something as light as a CAO Gold maduro, you might be smoking too fast. Slow down and relax. I might have a Trinidad this weekend actually.
Speaking of the smokes, what I've really been enjoying lately has been a bit of pipe tobacco. My shop has some Samuel Gawith belds in, one of the top names in pipe tobacco, rare but very, very good. One I've been enjoying is just an un-sweetened blend, with natural sweetness from some black cavendish in the mix. It's slow, easy smoking and very rich and flavoursome, I bloody love it. Loads of smoke output, mouth-watering flavours and none of the tongue bite (a chemical burn from alkaline smoke) that I suffer from cased, artificially sweetened pipe tobaccos.
Sod this, I'm going out to the garden for a Punch Coronation.
From memory Phillies were ok for what they are. Its a machine made stick so it'll never compare to a nicely rolled stick. There are worse things out there in the MM variety. I started out on the Phillies as to be honest as a hip hop fan it was the only cigar I had heard of and it looked the part.
From memmory the only mild sticks I've had that I can think of are Davidoff and Por Larrañaga as Mastodon said but I've not had either in ages. The only other one I would add that I've had recently is Don Ramos. That was nice and creamy and mild.
If you want something hand rolled with long leaf and flavoured you could try a Heavenly cigar. Again not had one in years but they were around the £7 mark for a Robusto. I vaguely remember the chocolate flavour being awful but the coffee one being quite nice.
From memmory the only mild sticks I've had that I can think of are Davidoff and Por Larrañaga as Mastodon said but I've not had either in ages. The only other one I would add that I've had recently is Don Ramos. That was nice and creamy and mild.
If you want something hand rolled with long leaf and flavoured you could try a Heavenly cigar. Again not had one in years but they were around the £7 mark for a Robusto. I vaguely remember the chocolate flavour being awful but the coffee one being quite nice.
I'd be particularly interested to hear what you think of the Cohibra Siglo II - assuming that is what you've got there, I've got a few of them tucked away but have not tried one yet. The Punch Coronation is a solid stick, I think you'll enjoy it.
I think tonight I'll be the Arturo Fuente Epicures, with a bit of Samuel Gawith pipe tobacco thrown in for good measure.
I think tonight I'll be the Arturo Fuente Epicures, with a bit of Samuel Gawith pipe tobacco thrown in for good measure.
I was thinking that when posting on here, I am usually talking about Cuban cigars, which have been the mainstay of my cigar smoking for almost 20 years. So last night I felt it was time to try something new world. When we were in Las Vegas last year we visited the Casa Fuente in The Forum at Caesers Palace. It is a great cigar bar, with a very well stocked humidor.
So I delved into the back of the humidor and dug around a little bit -
At the back were the two boxes I had bought when we were there -
And so last night I tried an Arturo Fuente Casa Cuba Flor Fina and was pleasantly surprised. It was wonderfully creamy, had a hint of pepper and really got going after the first inch. A very enjoyable 40 minutes or so.
So I delved into the back of the humidor and dug around a little bit -
At the back were the two boxes I had bought when we were there -
And so last night I tried an Arturo Fuente Casa Cuba Flor Fina and was pleasantly surprised. It was wonderfully creamy, had a hint of pepper and really got going after the first inch. A very enjoyable 40 minutes or so.
Edited by RichUK on Sunday 12th July 08:16
Edited by RichUK on Sunday 12th July 08:17
Last of the petite coronas on Saturday; A Romeo y Julieta. Very yummy!
So that's all my Cubans smoked. Only have two Davidoff's left (in tubes). Got at them at the factory when I picked up the car. Going to hang on to them so that I'll smoke one on the day I move on the car and hand the other one over to its new owner to enjoy. After 5 and half years, it still smells divine! The cigars, not the car! Actually, the car does not smell bad either!
The Humidor is now sitting at a stable 65%. Is that good enough to start restocking? Not sure what more I can do to get it higher. I have two "large" 70% humidity blocks, like this
If so, now what to get? Just in case the humidor is not up to scratch I will refrain from fully stocking it and just get a few cigars in at a time.
This time around I think I will give the new world a go. The last ~10 years have been "purely" Cubans.
So, what to get?
TIA
Cuch
So that's all my Cubans smoked. Only have two Davidoff's left (in tubes). Got at them at the factory when I picked up the car. Going to hang on to them so that I'll smoke one on the day I move on the car and hand the other one over to its new owner to enjoy. After 5 and half years, it still smells divine! The cigars, not the car! Actually, the car does not smell bad either!
The Humidor is now sitting at a stable 65%. Is that good enough to start restocking? Not sure what more I can do to get it higher. I have two "large" 70% humidity blocks, like this
If so, now what to get? Just in case the humidor is not up to scratch I will refrain from fully stocking it and just get a few cigars in at a time.
This time around I think I will give the new world a go. The last ~10 years have been "purely" Cubans.
So, what to get?
TIA
Cuch
I use one of the Adorini Cigar Heaven systems - http://www.humidordiscount.co.uk/Humidifiers--Hygr...2nd_generationcalibratable
Works very well, highly recommended.
Works very well, highly recommended.
Cuchillo said:
This time around I think I will give the new world a go. The last ~10 years have been "purely" Cubans.
So, what to get?
TIA
Cuch
Depends what your palate is like tbh, I tend to rank cigars by body. Do you like mild, medium or full? So, what to get?
TIA
Cuch
In other news, I tried another Oliva Serie V Melanio the other day, I wasn't that impressed by the first one I had but I enjoyed it a lot more second time around. A very rich, oily smoke that coats the mouth and tongue and delivers robust dark coffee flavours, with spice on the lips and pepper notes, there is a lot of ligero in the blend and it's the star of the show. Complex, involving and rewarding to smoke.
Mastodon2 said:
Depends what your palate is like tbh, I tend to rank cigars by body. Do you like mild, medium or full?
Full bodied for me. My first ever cigar was a Bolivar and so were the next few. Got a taste for it so have always looked towards the fuller bodied side of the smoke. 
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