Ok, newbie question here. I have a russian friend who travels constantly. He gave me a cigar as a gift and allthough I smoke cigs like Chief Wahoo, I have never smoked a cigar. Allways wanted to but the opportunity never came up. I dont hold cigarettes in my hand when I smoke, once I light up it stays in my mouth till its a butt . My wife has allways told me I should try cigars because of thr way I "chew" mg cigarettes. If I post a pic, can somebody tell me what it is and how to smoke it? Also, I see guys re lighting half a cigar, why is this? Do you not smoke the whole thing at once? If thats the case, thats fine with me, Im sure Ill enjoy chewing it between smokings. Also I see people cutting off the end, why? This one has a black band around the lighting end, do I take it off before lighting? Its after 2:00 am here and its in my truck but I'll post pics tom. Thanks.
I had a very mellow 13 year old Davidoff yesterday. Not my usual smoke (and I rarely have a smoke anymore), but it was quite nice.
Ok fellas, did some research and found out I have a 5 cigar set of CAO cigars from Nicaragua. The 5 pack I have is the "world collection" They are 5 different stogies , one from Brazil, one from Cuba, one from Nicaragua and the last 2 I cant see. (They are double shrink wrapped from the factory) I have 2 of these 5 packs. You cigar guys probably know them, the salesman at the cigar store I took them to said they were top shelf, special order only. I dont want to smoke them now that I know what they are. I tried to smell them (I allways see cigar guys sniffing them) but could only smell celophane. Don't know what I was expecting anyway
Remember, the fact that a salesman tells you something about a product - even if that salesman isn't the one getting your money - doesn't mean that the salesman is telling the truth.
Na, probably trade them off. I wont burn them just to burn them, Im not a cigar guy. Someone will appreciate them. Im a big "dont waste it" kinda guy. If I light one and dont like it, I would have ruined it for someone who appreciates such things. No, I didnt just take his word. I looked them up at multiple cigar sites and they all say the same thing. One of the finest. You have to remember, as I said, Im no cigar guy so I looked up several sites and took them to a cigar shop in town. The salesman had to get me the CAO catalog, he doesn't even stock them. I saw the prices in the catalog. But also, I dont smoke them so while interesting, all I decided was that I wasnt going to waste them. The 2 or 3 cigars I have puffed on in my life didnt do much for me. I dont even have one of those cutters to cut off the end. I got it. I'll trade off 1 five pack and P.IF. the other Where do I find somthing to pick a number? Never done a pif before
Just had an Olivia G for the first time yesterday and must say I was impressed. I thought it was a great stick for the price.
CAO is a well-respected cigar company. The only reason I don't care for them is that I don't like big ring gage cigars. But, I'm sure whoever gets them will be pleased. As for the "Cuban" cigar... more likely grown from a seed family started in Cuba. At least if these were sold in the US; actual Cuban products are still illegal to buy/sell/own in the US.
What Rich said. CAO's are excellent cigars. Good enough for "Tony Soprano"! I also like the Olivia G Cameroon's.
I dont know , like I said, an associate of mine from Russia sent me 2 five packs of them. I have no doubt you know more than I do about them. I just started a pif on the freebies thread for 1 of the 5 packs. I will say this, they're a handsome pack of cigs to look at. They are arranged in the pack by size. They are all different . I posted this pic earlier but they look cool so,
I just put up the other 5 pack for trade. Ive decided if nobody wants to trade Im gonna smoke em and find out what the deal is.
Too many favorites to single any particular brand or cigar. However, I've been a long running fan of several of Perdomo cigars, Alec Bradley, Padron, Don Pepin and many others. I think I prefer Nicaraguan cigars just from experimenting, but to each his own. I've been lucky enough to have become friends with many of the gentlemen who own these great companies, and was invited by Nick Perdomo to come down to Nicaragua a few years ago and visit his factory. As with most premium cigars, he starts with Cuban seeds. He father was a production manager in Cuba for Montecristo before the revolution, and took me through the entire process from visiting the fields, aging and curing, drying, building their own boxes from trees they cut down themselves, rolling, testing (my favorite part), boxing, packing etc. It was really amazing to see the time and effort put into making something that if bought individually only sells for around $6 - $10. Premium cigars, just like quality whiskey, bespoke clothing, fine wet shaving equipment, etc. are hand-made pieces of art. So for those not very informed but interested here's some basics. This is by no means the end all information on cigars, just some things I've picked up over the last 10 years. Generally, the lighter colored Connecticut wrappers are going to be milder smokes, not always but a good starting point. Maduro wrappers are going to be more full bodied (mistakenly called stronger), but are often very smooth. Criollo, Habano, I could go on, but I would recommend you look at actual cigars sites to learn more detail. If you're truly interested, find a local cigar shop, preferably one with a lounge or that allows smoking in the shop. Ask questions, more expensive isn't always better. Get a decent lighter (do NOT use a Zippo), and a cutter. Once you've decided to get a box or at least 10 cigars to keep at home, you will need a humidor and the accompanying gear to keep the cigars at the correct humidity level. As for the myth about Cuban cigars, I've had several extremely good Cubans. I've also wasted money on boxes of well known, brand name Cuban cigars that were just disappointing. And no that was not from buying fake Cubans in the Bahamas. They were from a reputable shop in Germany. The soil in Cuba has been over used to the extent that the quality of the plants no longer reach the level they were 30 years ago. So IMHO, save some money and look into some quality Nicaraguans, or other cigars. Especially when paired with a good drink (I recommend whiskey or drier Red wine) it can be a very enjoyable experience.
Every day is cigar day… or at least it will be when I finish the smoking room in my basement. I don't what the stick was I last smoked (it was for a Blind Review website), but in no particular order here are some of my favorite smokes Drew Estates Liga Privada (Unico L40, Unico Dirty Rat, T52) Ashton VSG Oliva Serie V Melanio Joya de Nicaragua CyB My Father Le Bijou 1922 And there are many many more, but that's what just comes to mind at the moment.
I've been smoking cigars for about 5 years now. Not into smoking junk, I figure life is too short to smoke crappy cigars. I've got a very nice Aristocrat humidor stuffed with boxes of Cuban cigars and several from some other countries. Yeah - I've got too many hobbies!!! Wish I had a cigar with me on this trip!
My most recent stick is the CAO Brazilia. I spend most of my time in the Illusione, Tatuaje, and Comacho lines. Since I don't have a very educated, cultured or sensitive palette, I spend most of my time in the with full-bodied smokes.
Had a custom roll by Bonita Smoke Shop on the course today. They call this cigar a Time Warp. Awesome smoke!
