Cigar Recommendation for a Novice

Discussion in 'The Good Life' started by jb2016, Mar 3, 2016.

  1. jb2016

    jb2016 Active Member

    Hey guys,

    Over the last year or so, I've taken up cigar smoking as something I like to do during the holidays, once in a while, etc. I first started off with the Montecristos (both the yellow and white label varieties), and continued to do so until yesterday. For a while now, I've been wanting to pay a visit to a local cigar shop/lounge to get some recommendations. My preferences are a mild-medium cigar, sweet flavored (a la cinnamon) and has a consistent flavor and strength output (mellow I guess).

    Last night, I got a chance to visit a local place and asked for their suggestions. They showed me the Tabak Especial Dulce Connecticut Toro. The owner said that it would be the best one to go with because it would taste just like a caramel macchiato. So I took it home, lit it up, and really started enjoying it - that is until after reaching the halfway point, when the flavor profile started changing dramatically. The cigar went from being a very mellow and sweet one to being a very bitter and harsh one. All of the sweetness was gone by then. I couldn’t finish it at that point, so I finished my session early. So this leads me to ask the question - what's a similar tasting (or even better tasting) cigar out there that has more consistency in its flavor output and strength?

    Thanks!
     
  2. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

  3. jb2016

    jb2016 Active Member

    swarden43 likes this.
  4. Bobcat

    Bobcat Well-Known Member

    +1 for Cigars International. You can do a targeted search for you preferences. Enjoy!
     
    jb2016 and Paul6506 like this.
  5. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    I've noticed that the quicker you smoke a cigar, the more likely you can ruin it. It's not a cigarette, so draw slow, with maybe one draw per minute. If you can resist, go even slower. The faster you go, the more it will taste like an ashtray. Don't go so slow that it goes out. When I smoke a nice cigar, I relax, drink some coffee, read or talk with friends, and enjoy myself, for about an hour or more, without it going out.
     
    PLANofMAN likes this.
  6. richgem

    richgem suffering from chronic clicker hand cramps

    Another +1 for Cigar International, good prices and good recommendations. Fast shipping.

    A minus a billion for Thompson Cigars (which you may see samplers advertised in magazines or on line)... they repeatedly call to harass you to buy more.

    As for a recommendation, much like with blades, YMMV, so sampler packs are the way to go until you find something you like. Don't let darker wrappers scare you off either, tho "maduro" wrappers might be too much for a relative novice.
     
  7. gorgo2

    gorgo2 geezerhood

    For a lower end cigar (I'm guessing) Tatiana Classic Vanilla was very nice, the ones I tried a few years back. Haven't seen them out here in N.C. but I haven't really looked either.
     
  8. DDuckyMark

    DDuckyMark Ducky Duck and the Hiding Bunch

    I'm not much of a cigar smoker but I have smoked a few jammed into my pipe and cut off. Its been too long ago to remember what they were.
     
  9. Double Edge Dougy

    Double Edge Dougy Well-Known Member

    Im a novice so take this with a grain of salt. My friend like you really used to like sweet and flavored cigars. He settled on one called don Guillermo. Theyre pretty good but not alot of places carry them so theyre tough to find sometimes
     
  10. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    No love for Swisher Sweets or Black and Milds?
     
    Redrock likes this.
  11. KLF

    KLF Doctorin

    You should try different producers, from what I tasted until now, each one has a different flavor signature. I found out I love Dominican- based tobacco and hate Nicaraguan cigars. You should try for yourself and see what you like and what you don't, just like with shaving :) YMMV

    Cigars International - what's the point of adding "International" in your name if you don't ship cigars outside US ?!?
     
    Erik Redd likes this.
  12. Redrock

    Redrock Well-Known Member

    :rofl:
     

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