The PH Cigar Thread

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It's about time this place had a proper cigar thread. With all the director types about, there must be plenty of cigar smokers here.

I'm a pretty new smoker, never had an interest in cigarettes and never smoked one, but I'd always wanted to try a cigar. I now visit my local cigar lounge - not many of those left in the UK, and smoke my way through their humidor. I've tried all sorts, from Cubans, Cameroons, Nicaraguans etc, in all sorts of vitolas from the miniscule Trinidad Reyes, to the comcially large 7x70 Alec Bradley Texas Lancero.

I like medium to full body cigars, and I prefer 56-60 ring gauges, purely for the way they feel in the mouth and hand (oo-er). I like cigars that give plentiful, velvety smoke with creamy flavour notes. My favourite smoke at the moment is the C.A.O Brazilia in gordo, or as they call it, "Amazon" at 6x60. A lovely dark, Brazilian wrapper with a lovely slow burn, creamy textured smoke and rich coffee and dark chocolate flavours, and very well priced!

I had a Trinidad Reyes last weekend which was pretty spectacular, in particular the volume and creaminess of the smoke from such a small cigar, the quality and construction were just absolutely perfect.

What are you guys smoking? What do you recommend? Talk about cigars, they're good for the soul.

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red_slr said:

There is (was?!) a PH cigar meet in the big smoke IIRC.
And a long running thread which I am sure someone will post a link to.

Yes, I did find that one when I googled it, but it was old and long-dead, and was more a meeting thread for a few posters and fairly light on actual cigar content.

Here is a picture of some cigars to get this one moving in the right direction:

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TVR Sagaris said:

The Trinidad Reyes is my favourite cigar. Also (unusually) they are consistently good; I haven't, yet, had a bad one. Can't say that about many brands.

If you liked that, try the Hoyo de Monterrey Le Hoyo du Dauphin if you can still find a shop that has them, and the Diplomaticos No. 5.

It's also worth giving Padron a try: they are (in my view and others') the only non-Cuban brand that can compete with Cubans. They're also amazingly consistent.

Padron are definitely on my list, they have had some very good reviews. I haven't had a Hoyo yet, but they are on my list. I had a R&J No2 Tubos on my last day at my old job as a leaving gift, and it was absolutely sublime with an almost mint/clove finish at times, but it didn't have that ultra thick smoke of the Trinidad.

SirSquidalot said:

I really wanna get into cigars, smoked my first last year and smoked a little too much too quickly and ended up rough.

Looking for a nice dark coffee/chocolate flavour, suggestions where to get the CAO from in the uk?

Edited by SirSquidalot on Monday 13th April 20:10

I'm not sure about getting them off the net, this place sells them as singles but I cannot vouch for this company so who knows how they've been looked after.

https://mysmokingshop.co.uk/index2.php?mod=mancats...

Best thing you can do really is to get along to your local tobacconist, most big cities will have at least one, though actual smoking lounges are rare these days (thanks, legislators!). If you can find a lounge, you'll probably enjoy the experience a lot more, with their low-lighting, leather chairs and classy decor. If I ordered some cigars off the net, I'd have to smoke them in the garden and with a decent stick burning for an hour minimum, that's only really viable on the warmest of UK summer nights.

If you got sick last time, I'd probably not go for a CAO Brazilia off the bat, they're not loaded with nicotine but they are pretty flavourful. I'd go for a small ring gauge, fairly mild cigar, and just have the one and be done with it. My first cigar was a Por Larrañaga petit corona, a pretty small cigar, it took me an hour to smoke and I'd had my fill by the end. Go in gently and get used to smoking so you don't feel any ill effects, then go for stronger flavours and larger sizes.

Edited by Mastodon2 on Monday 13th April 20:44

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I smoked one of these last weekend, an Alec Bradley Nica Puro Diamond, with that curious diamond cross section. It is fairly mildly pressed at the foot, but the head is quite heavily pressed, making it a good ergonomic fit for the mouth. They're definitely flavour heavyweights though, it made the CAO Brazilia that preceded it seem positively mild.

I had a minor burn issue in the final third, when a small fissure appeared on one of the pressed edges and began to leak a little smoke, but as I burned down the stick the problem went away - literally up in smoke, and no more problems were had, which I was quite impressed with. In particular, the draw very nice, not too tight or too loose, which was impressive given the heavily-pressed head. Overall a good cigar, a little too heavy duty for my tastes, but it would be a good smoke for a single stick session, if I just wanted an hour to an an hour and a half with a single cigar. Definitely not for people who don't like rich cigars though.

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J4CKO said:

Are Cigar smokers usually Fag smokers as well ?


Remember a mate in a club (when you could smoke) getting one from the box that had all the cigars in, he chose a huge one which was eye wateringly expensive, he was also trying to attain the look but it caught fire, properly blazing so he dropped it and stood on it, is that because it was dry or did he do it wrong ?

In my experience, cigar smokers generally aren't cigarette smokers. It's like comparing wine tasting to drinking cheap piss in a bus shelter. Cigars are quality, premium products, handmade from materials that have literally taken years of care and attention to get a finished product. Cigarettes are a nicotine fix, made with the cheapest, mankiest tobacco growing, bred to have the most nicotine possible with the least offensive flavour they can manage - and then they soak the lot in chemicals anyway. Minging. I've never smoked a cigarette, never will. I have absolutely no interest in them.

If your mates cigar properly lit up and set ablaze it may have been too dry, in which case it would be smoking like st anyway, but it would have had to be really, really dry to really get going. The moisture and oil in the cigar keeps it burning slowly. However, if you really go in heavy handed with the butane lighter (never use a cheap cigarette lighter!) or the cigar matches and it will probably catch fire, it should go out though.

With regard to having "the look", or fearing making an arse out of yourself, it's not hard to smoke a cigar. There is a little to learn with regard to cutting and lighting, so that you don't damage the cigar, and when it comes to smoking just do it slowly, a puff every 30-60 seconds will do, or you can go even slower. Don't go faster or it will burn hot and start to taste bitter. Just treat it like you're sucking through a straw to fill your mouth up with pop, don't swallow, don't inhale - you only do it once, and you'll never do it again. If you are smoking correctly, IE, not inhaling or swallowing and you do start feeling sick, just slow right down - you might be smoking too fast, but if you slow right down and you're just feeling worse, just stop. The nicotine can make you feel rough if you're sensitive to it, or if you simply have too much, drink something sugary and you'll feel better soon enough.

Most cigars will not give you a real nicotine buzz, although some are blended to be real nicotine powerhouses, I've not seen any on the shelf at my local lounge. Most cigars are pretty light on nicotine, because they're not using tobacco that has been bred specifically for a high nicotine content.

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SirSquidalot said:

Well, after doing abit more reading ive plumped to try and smoke a 2nd. Ordered a Rafael Gonzalez Petit Coronas, will take my time with this one!

Did you ordered a tubed cigar? A cigar in a tube should survive transit, something in cellophane and ideally it really should be rested in a humidor for a few weeks before smoking. In the US, mail order cigars get shipped in ziplock bags with little moisture pillows to help them stay moist. Moisture loss in transit is probably less of an issue in the UK, where the climate is nowhere near as varied as in the US. Still, there is a chance it could arrive in less than optimum condition. If you got a tubed cigar then you'll be fine. Make sure you've got a proper butane lighter or some cigar matches. Alternatively, if you have no other option pull the cedar liner out of the tube, light that with whatever you've got, let it burn a little then use it to light the cigar. Using a petrol lighter or regular matches will put chemicals onto the foot of the cigar and make it taste bad.

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Miguel Alvarez said:

I had a plugged Romeo Y Julietta last night. A few pokes with a kebab skewer made it bearable but it wasn't the greatest of smokes.

Tomorrow I'll head into Reading and see what Shave and Coster have in their humidor.

What a wounder. I had an Oliva Serie O a while back that had a pretty tight draw, I couldn't feel a knot but it was pretty stiff. I doubt using a draw poker would have helped much, it was just tight over all, it was a really heavy cigar so I think it was just over-packed. So dissatisfying.

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Miguel Alvarez said:

As the weather has been nioe I've had a few this weekend. A spot of gardening has been a great excuse. In between my usual Charatan Robusto I got to try one of the Trinidad Vigia. It was a great smoke. No complaints. Paired with a nice coffee it was a nice sweet midday cigar.

I'd love to try a Trinidad in a larger gauge, the two Reyes I've smoked were excellent, but they are very small and short. My local tobacconist / lounge stocks Trinidads in a few vitolas, but they're all pretty thin. I know purists tend to say that smaller gauges give a more favourable wrapper:binder:filler ratio and have better flavour, but I prefer the draw and feel of 56s and 60s. I actually find the Reyes to be quite a dry, woody flavour, medium in body but an easy smoke. My last one just plum went out on me - I wasn't smoking slowly, probably about 2 draws a minute which is as fast as I'd ever really smoke, and it just completely died halfway down. Luckily a blast from the lighter and a purge got it going again, then I just gave it a few minutes for the cherry too cool down again and it was good as it was before it went out.

I'm heading down the lounge on Friday evening for the late night lock-in smoke after closing, going with a friend who isn't a cigar smoker but wants to have a try, I'm not sure what I'll end up having. I imagine we'll be in there for a decent while, so a couple of big, cool-smoking medium body cigars will do me. A CAO Brazilia seems inevitable, even though they're more medium-full, they're a cigar I can swear by.

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RDMcG said:

Its not bad . Sadly, here in Canada there is no public space in which to smoke..even private smoking clubs are banned. In the Southern US there are lot of places to smoke but Cuban cigars are banned!..it enough to drive you bonkers.

I'm not sure of the UK laws exactly, some of the fancier hotels around here have smoking shacks, which are a bit like beach huts with no fixed doors that you can smoke in. My local tobacconist has a lounge which is an incredible place to have a smoke, I believe there is an exemption to have a sampling lounge on a business premises if the business makes more than 50% of it's income from tobacco products, or something like that. What a god send. I wouldn't be a cigar smoker other than one or two a year around the BBQ if it were not for my local lounge. On top of that, it is filled with regulars who are all top blokes. I'm back again this Friday, I can't bloody wait.

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This is my smoke tomorrow night.



The Oliva Serie V Melanio, supposed to be a very good smoke. I wasn't massively impressed by the Serie O I tried, but I think it was overpacked and hopefully a dud, I'm not giving up on Oliva yet as they tend to get good reviews.

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I have to say, I wasn't blown away by the Oliva V Melanio Figurado, although frankly I think it may have been down to the fact it was a figurado and not just a regular shape. The flavours were nice, though not amazing, but my main complaint was that in the second half it became quite hard to smoke and just kept going out if not smoked fairly briskly. A total pain, as it meant that I had to keep hitting it with the lighter and to keep the cherry hot enough to stop it choking out meant it needed to be smoked hot and the flavours were spoiled. This was coupled with a draw that got progressively worse as it went on, possibly a tar or moisture buildup in the narrowing part of the tip. The first half, when it was smoking well, I'd say was a 7.5/10 for me, but as the second half was hard work, I'd give it a 5/10. Maybe Olivas just don't work with me!

My smoking buddy had a Por Larranaga Robusto, I wish I'd had the same, I had a few puffs on it when I was lighting it (it was his first cigar, he was worried he'd choke down a lung full trying to get it lit) and it was lovely, and had none of the burn and draw problems I had.

I maintain my position that it's good to not be a snob when it comes to cigars, Oliva aren't cheap are a lauded brand but they don't resonate with me. A CAO Brazilia on the other hand, a relatively cheap stick from a fairly new company, is my favourite smoke. I've had a few and they've been very consistent, expertly constructed and blended to perfection.

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Miguel Alvarez said:

To this day I still don't know if they are the same company or not but the nicest Oliva I've had is the Flor De Oliva in both the Corona and Robusto. A great cheap smoke. Very sweet tasting.

This weekend I had an EP Carrilo Inch. It was a nice tasting smoke but hard work. At a 64 ring gauge it is huge. It required lots of relights and constant attention to keep it lit. After about 3 hours I called it a night.

I'm a slow smoker.

They've got the EP Carillo Inch Maduro in at my local lounge in 70 ring gauge, 7" length. It's supposed to have 6g more tobacco than an Alec Bradley Texas Lancero in the same size, which is not an insignificant amount - but I do wonder if that might just make it a tighter draw. I enjoyed my Texas Lancero, but the Inch is supposed to be a heartier smoke, particularly in Maduro. I might have one on my next smoke out, I might have another Texas Lancero.

The disappointment of the Oliva Serie V has stayed with me. I think Cigar Aficionado gave it a 92/100. Maybe I built it up too much in my head. Never believe the hype! That said, my main annoyance was the draw and burn issues, the draw could have been down to it's figurado shape. I may have another, but not for a while.

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Miguel Alvarez said:

Funnily enough a work colleague has decided he's having a BBQ this weekend and he wants some advice on cigars. Asked me to pick some up for him. My remit is 6 cigars that "look like cigars" under a tenner. Not too strong.

I was going to suggest Davidoff for a first time smoke but they're over his price limit.

Any suggestions?

What do cigars that "look like cigars" look like? I suppose he means something pretty thick, thinking he will look like Arnie when he smokes, and I'm guessing that he isn't a regular cigar smoker. In that case, you need to choose carefully, limiting yourself to £10 a stick means you could get some amazing smokes, or you could get some absolute rubbish.

I'd go for something fat, short and not too strong, anything more and you'll be smoking all night and your host and other non-smoker guests dabbling in cigars will lose interest, or just not enjoy it if it's too heavy or too long in duration. I'd recommend some NUB Cameroons. These are made by Oliva, who are a reputable brand, they're thick and will meet the necessary thickness limit your friend is probably after. They're not hard to smoke, they're not that strong or rich in flavour, and they don't last that long. That said, even a short cigar will last an hour if you smoke it properly and don't draw every couple of seconds.

Are you a cigar smoker? Are any of the people who go to the BBQ smokers? Because you're going to need a cigar cutter and a butane lighter / cigar matches.

To make sure you get them fresh, and you're ordering from Cgars, maybe phone them before you order and see how they post them, more than likely they'll come in a ziplock bag with a little humidity element in it to keep them moist. In this case, they should last fairly well for a little while as long as you don't open or damage the bag.

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Miguel Alvarez said:

He's got a few more people coming now so the price has dropped. I've ordered a box of 20 Chinchalero Novillo. Told him I'll have whatever is leftover. Got myself some Diplomaticos as well for the long weekend.

This was my concern, that the event would end up being a load of tanked up BBQ attendees having a go at smoking, trying some right dog rockets. From what I gather, the Novillos are extremely light, so hopefully no one will be put off smoking in the long term. A common experience among my friends who tried cigars and didn't like them was smoking bad cigars, in the wrong setting and not knowing how to do it properly. Wonky cuts causing wrapper unraveling, cigars burnt rather than lit, smoked too hot etc, a cigar can be awful when not smoked right. Hopefully the Chinchaleros will be ok, and you'll get a few decent smokes out of it yourself.

With regard to the NUBs, I've had the Cameroon. It was mild-medium, medium at the most, with some nice flavours, and had a notably excellent construction and burn. However, don't believe the hype, they're not the "sweet spot of a cigar distilled", nor do they last as long as a longer cigar. Despite what the advertising may claim, you can't beat the laws of physics. My main complaint is that being so short, they get hot quite quickly, whereas I prefer longer cigars that stay cooler for a greater portion of the smoke. That said, if you've only got 45-60 minutes and want to fit a cigar in, a NUB wouldn't be a bad choice.

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PlayersNo6 said:

For the 'look' and an easy, mild taste why not just go for Phillies Titan or King Edward Invincible.

Why not? Perhaps because they will taste absolutely vile and will kill any chance of any of them wanting to smoke a proper cigar in the future?

My ring gauge is 52-60. Best balance of draw, smoke production, flavour and hand / mouth feel for me.

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Willy Nilly said:

Cigars are made from rolled up tobacco leafs and don't look very processed to me. Tobacco is a plant grown outside, so there must be variations in the quality of the crop, so are there good year/vintages and bad ones? I'm guessing that the tobacco used in fags is blended and fairly processed.

Cigar tobacco, in decent cigars at least, is grown under very carefully controlled conditions, fermented and aged for years before it's even made into a cigar. Some cigars are aged after manufacture, you can buy some that have been stored for 20 years or whatever, but aged tobacco changes flavour and takes on it's own identity. A lot of people find that aging cigars themselves in a humidor, even over a few years, mellows the flavours. Sometimes when you see something with a date on the band / tube, that is the year the blend was discovered. Do some googling, there is so much more to it than I can explain here. You'll find out about wrapper, binder and long filler, how good cigars are all hand made etc. Cigars are smoked to enjoy the flavour. I find appreciating the work that goes into a cigar helps me enjoy it more.

Tobacco for cigarettes is blended for nicotine strength, speedy growing and leaf size. It's not a quality product, it's simply made as cheap and powerful as they can get it, as that is what cigarette smokers want. Cigarettes are absolutely loaded with chemicals to cure the tobacco quickly, make it burn more easily, mask the utterly rancid taste etc. On the other hand, a cigar shouldn't have any chemicals in it, it's just tobacco, nothing else. Cigarettes exist only to give their users a nicotine hit.

Cigars certainly aren't good for you, there is no argument to be had there, but I think the risk / reward to cigars enjoyed in moderation is worth it. I wouldn't touch a cigarette if you paid me.

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A scary situation of government intervention occurring in the US, the FDA are sticking their oar in to the cigar industry and there is a possibility that they will mandate that all cigars be presented to them for approval and licencing for sale. That means that each cigar that is to be marketed on US soil must be presented with a data package detailing the composition of the cigar, down to chemicals present, how much of each is present etc. Now of course, there are fundamental flaws with this in that cigars are hand made items, and variations in crops from year to year will cause the cigars to differ from their licence sheet which theoretically could result in the FDA rejecting the product for sale if it doesn't match it's specification batch after batch. However, which this likely means is that bigger cigar companies will be able to afford the approval process, but smaller companies won't, many of which use the US as their main market. So the market will lose an enormous amount of diversity pretty much over night.

If they tried the same thing with cigarettes it would be a lot easier for the big tobacco companies to get their product certified, as cigarettes are so processed they really can be made incredibly consistent, yet disgusting.

I've worked in pharmaceuticals and medical devices, I've seen how the FDA work and I've seen products going through the approval process. It's slow, complicated and immensely expensive. It might not seem like an issue for us in the UK if smaller blenders go out of business - we likely can't even get their cigars unless we buy direct from them, but we should want a healthy and robust cigar industry worldwide. We can only hope that the FDA will recognise the potential drop to their tax revenues if they implement this hare-brained scheme, and won't go through with it. I'm already concerned about the availability and quality Cuban cigars in the UK in coming years as the US relaxes it's embargo on Cuba, inevitably allowing Cuban cigars to be stocked in American brick and mortars, and brought in en masse through websites. Some Cubans are hard to get in the UK as it is now anyway.

I'll be down at my lounge on Friday night for their late night smoke, undecided on what I'll have. Either an Alex Bradley Texas Lancero, or two smaller sticks. I've not had anything since my disappointing Oliva Serie V Maduro Figurado a fortnight ago, I'm looking forward to a good smoke.

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Miguel Alvarez said:

Interesting I guess it will be a case of watch this space. Reading some of the American forums I get the impression most aren't that bothered about Cuban's.

Well, I imagine it's true for some of them, for some of the others I suspect it's a case of pretending they aren't bothered. I think there will definitely a surge of demand in the US, if only for as long as it takes for people to realise that Cubans are no better than the new world offerings they have been used to over in the states. I still find that Cuban cigars have a mystical quality, or least a "cool factor" that makes new or more casual smokers want to smoke them. The man on the street doesn't give a damn about a Nicaraguan puro, but tell Joe Public you're smoking a Cuban cigar and they think you're a movie star.

The looming cloud of the FDA is a bigger issue for the cigar industry in general, though quite how much the UK will be hit remains to be seen, as a lot of smaller brands just don't get imported to the UK, at least not for general sale through tobacconists.

It's nearly Friday, can't wait to get my smoke on.

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Miguel Alvarez said:

That's where I imagine they will do well with the one off purchases over the seasoned smokers.

What have you got your eyes on this weekend? I'm feeling for either a Diplomaticos or a Partagas. One of them means a trip into Windsor though so not sure.

I'm not sure yet, I may have something fairly rich to start, maybe a Rocky Patel Oscuro or perhaps a Nub Maduro, but given the mixed reviews RP's get, I'm not sure about those. I may then move onto something milder. I'll take some photos and post up some reviews tomorrow night when I get back from the lounge.

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Miguel Alvarez said:

That's where I imagine they will do well with the one off purchases over the seasoned smokers.

What have you got your eyes on this weekend? I'm feeling for either a Diplomaticos or a Partagas. One of them means a trip into Windsor though so not sure.

I'm not sure yet, I may have something fairly rich to start, maybe a Rocky Patel Oscuro or a Nub Maduro, followed up by something milder. I don't know about the Rocky Patel though, for a start, to get that black oscuro colour, it has presumably been painted.

I may have an EP Carrillo Inch Maduro in 7x70. Whatever I smoke, I'll post up some pics and a review.