Any Cigar Afficionados Out There?

[Spitfire]

I've only smoked cigars a few times, but I've always enjoyed them and have wanted to learn more about them so I hope you all don't mind my piping in here ..

How are cigars 'graded' and what makes a good quality cigar?
What should one look for in a humidor?
Which tobaccos go with which spirits?

I prefer tobaccos that are smooth, subtle, and chocolaty or nutty, I'm not too keen on sharp or bitter flavours .. any recommendations?

That's a good start I suppose ..

Cheers Gents .. and Ladies

Great to see a woman smoking cigars:eusa_clap
To avoid the stronger and "bitter" taste, you could start out with Davidoff or his other brand Zino. Avo is also a great brand with Dom. republic tobacco. (milder than Cuban). Also the spanish Macanudo(spelling???) is a great buy.
Enjoy.

 

[Sweet Polly Purebred]

Ah, thanks! I do smoke the Macanudo miniatures quite regularily.

When I was Cheffing our cafe sponsored a micro brew tasting with which cigars were matched, unfortunately at the time I was more interested in the brews than the smoke .. since then my priorities have changed .. a little

 

[Baron Kurtz]

For the milder smoke i've always enjoyed Dominican Nat Shermans. Lovely light wrappers and smooth draw.

bk

 

[RedPop4]

How they're graded, that's hard to say.
The more expensive the cigar doesn't always mean that the cigar will be better. Remember, these are, for the most part, handmade products, comprised of leaves grown in soil. Much like wine, the tastes will be somewhat different from year to year depending upon the particular cultivar or strain of tobacco, the soil and climactic conditions of the field and the area where it's cured.

Taste is subjective, that's why there's no authoritative list of "good cigars" because each of us is different with different tastes. My "go-to" cigar may be your dog-rocket and my dog-rocket may be your best ever cigar. It happens.

But, generally speaking, the more expensive cigars are that way for a reason or for good reasons. These include, the same things I said above, a better cultivar, from a better growing region (to get an indication of this, smoke a Cuban cigar with tobaccos from the Pinar del Rio region, then smoke a Guantanamera with Cuban tobacco NOT from the Vuelta Abajo in Pinar del Rio, you'll see a difference.) Then the better cigars are made of good tobacco that's fermented twice or thrice, and aged longer. The cigars, themselves, are usually aged longer before coming to market as well.

I concur that the cigars I saw listed above :

La Flor Dominicana
Tatuaje
The new Fuente "vieja" line​

among others are really smoking well right now. The Tatuaje is expensive because not only is it a newer brand with a lot of buzz, but also because they're a small boutique brand with no plans to grow and expand. Thus supply and demand....a really good cigar, made in very limited quantities, and there you have it.

 

[TaxMan1]

So who is a cigar smoker exclusively? That is you smoke nothing else?

That'd be me. I USED to work, parttime, in a retail shop.....

 

[RedPop4]

That'd be me. I USED to work, parttime, in a retail shop.....

Sorry Stanny.
I missed that question before? I used to be a cigars-only guy, but now, I also enjoy a pipe.

 

[TaxMan1]

Traitor!

 

[RedPop4]

No, I'm price-conscious.lol

 

[Sweet Polly Purebred]

RedPop, thank you very much.

Where's a good place to start when looking for a humidor?

 

[Spitfire]

RedPop, thank you very much.

Where's a good place to start when looking for a humidor?

I'll tell you, if you tell me the truth about your avatar

 

[Sweet Polly Purebred]

Yes. Yes, that's me.

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[RedPop4]

Thora Zine what do you seek in and from a humidor? Do you want something attractive which you can sit out on a desk, end table or credenza? Or is function more important than form?

If you're looking for both, then seek out a humidor with a "piano hinge" behind the lid, since that's a better seal. Look for a tight fitting lid when it's closed, listen for a small gust of air with an audible "whoosh" when you close the lid. Humidors are typically lined with Spanish cedar, a strain of the mahogany tree. If you happen to find a humidor with American Red Cedar, AVOID AT ALL COSTS. American Red Cedar doesn't have the same properties of holding humidity and water vapor without rot. Plus the smell is overwhelming and will ruin your cigars.

Antique humidors often still have milk-glass or tin linings. Ebay often has old, antique humidors available for sale. I have a copper and brass cannister humidor that must be 80 years old if it's a day. I got it ten years ago off of eBay. I also have a friend over on Cigar Weekly who buys old, antique humis and refinishes them and gets them back into working order. He makes some beautiful boxes; or, I should say, he renovates some beautiful boxes.

If function is your only concern, and the humidor will be kept out of sight, then the easiest thing to do is get a nice size Tupperware or Rubbermaid container and use that. You can make an inexpensive "Credo" type device by simply obtaining a very small container, or traveling soap dish. Into this get some "wet floral foam" from the craft section of a large retailer. Add distilled water to it, occasionally. Even better would be to acquire what are known as "Climmax Beads" these are reputed to work better than the foam.

If that's too small, then what most of us do is to make a "Coolerdor" by taking an ice chest, putting a humidifier into it, and a hygrometer and there you go. These are really good for long-term storage of boxes of cigars. Since most cigar boxes are made of Spanish cedar, you really don't need to sweat the fact that this is an ice chest. If you want, you can break up a couple boxes and put the cedar wood on the bottom of the cooler.

Make certain to clean the cooler thoroughly with bleach and/or alcohol to get rid of the plastic-ky scent before you put your cigars in there. Don't want to ruin the flavor.

And, a short word about hygrometers. The analog hygrometers, that resemble clocks and old weather devices look lovely. But they rarely work well, which could cause you to damage your cigars. Radio Shack sells digital hygrometers and hygrometer/thermometer combination units. These work very well.

Good luck, and long ashes.

 

[Spitfire]

lol lol lol lol lol lol lol
OK - a good place to start could be www.humidordiscount.com
They have in all sizes and economyclasses.
Some of them are really top quality.
The important thing is that they are airtight.
Also remember: Don't use tap water - use humificationliquid or distilled water at least. Ordinary tapwater might spoil the humidor and the cigars if it contains too much chalk or chlorine.
Happy hunting

 

[RedPop4]

Spitfire, tap water will also cause mold.
Distilled water is good enough for a beginner, until they can get the solution or make the solution. You're wanting a 50/50 solution of distilled water and propylene glycol. It retards mold growth and it helps to maintain the humidity in the box.

And a word about humidity, the ne plus ultra standard for humidor climate is always reputed to be 70/70 meaning 70 degrees F and 70% humidity. I will attest thought, that most cigars, especially those not legal on American shores, smoke better at a lower humidity, say 65%. Once you get up to 70% and over, if the temperature is too high in your humidor, the cigars will be "too wet." They'll not burn well or straight and the draw will tighten noticeably.

 

[anon`]

If buying a humidor proper, I don't think any test is better than the lid drop. It should make a puffing sound and close softly if the lid makes a good seal. If it slams down hard, the box won't keep the humidity in (or out) and is just a pretty box. The little overlapping slats that allow this seal should also not be loose. Mitered corners are a good sign, as well.

A word on those beads RedPop mentioed: florist's foam, while cheap & cheerful, requires an additive (such as propylene glycol) to control the rate at which the water evaporates. My understanding is that those beads have this kind of control "built-in," if you will. One less thing to worry about, as the regulating fluid doesn't need to be replaced as often as the water itself does.

 

[RedPop4]

If buying a humidor proper, I don't think any test is better than the lid drop. It should make a puffing sound and close softly if the lid makes a good seal. If it slams down hard, the box won't keep the humidity in (or out) and is just a pretty box. The little overlapping slats that allow this seal should also not be loose. Mitered corners are a good sign, as well.

A word on those beads RedPop mentioed: florist's foam, while cheap & cheerful, requires an additive (such as propylene glycol) to control the rate at which the water evaporates. My understanding is that those beads have this kind of control "built-in," if you will. One less thing to worry about, as the regulating fluid doesn't need to be replaced as often as the water itself does.

That's correct.

 

[warbird]

Spitfire, tap water will also cause mold.
Distilled water is good enough for a beginner, until they can get the solution or make the solution. You're wanting a 50/50 solution of distilled water and propylene glycol. It retards mold growth and it helps to maintain the humidity in the box.

And a word about humidity, the ne plus ultra standard for humidor climate is always reputed to be 70/70 meaning 70 degrees F and 70% humidity. I will attest thought, that most cigars, especially those not legal on American shores, smoke better at a lower humidity, say 65%. Once you get up to 70% and over, if the temperature is too high in your humidor, the cigars will be "too wet." They'll not burn well or straight and the draw will tighten noticeably.

Great job pop. I use the beads or the drymistat tubes, which I have found to work well also. I have a cooler, plus a couple of desktop humis and I also attest that cigars are better at below 70% humidity.

Try bargainhumidors.com or JR cigars has some great humidors in really neat styles. JRCigars.com . They are well made and relatively inexpensive as long as you stay away from the limited editions.

Oh and keep them away from skunks or skunked dogs, the cigars will absorb the smell.

 

[RedPop4]

Warbird, I'd take the JR suggestion before the Bargain Humidors one. BH isn't very responsive, as I've heard it told. I hate to mention this one, but Thompson Cigars often has humidors at a nice price if you purchase a package deal. Now, often the cigars are Thompson house brand dog rockets, but sometimes, they'll have a "brand-name" type sampler with a free humidor. These are fair deal, while most of the Thompson catalog is overpriced cigars that I'd be ashamed to possess, much less smoke.

I'd say, also, try Holt's of Philadelphia, they often have lovely humidors in their catalog and on their site.

 

[warbird]

Warbird, I'd take the JR suggestion before the Bargain Humidors one. BH isn't very responsive, as I've heard it told. I hate to mention this one, but Thompson Cigars often has humidors at a nice price if you purchase a package deal. Now, often the cigars are Thompson house brand dog rockets, but sometimes, they'll have a "brand-name" type sampler with a free humidor. These are fair deal, while most of the Thompson catalog is overpriced cigars that I'd be ashamed to possess, much less smoke.

I'd say, also, try Holt's of Philadelphia, they often have lovely humidors in their catalog and on their site.

You are right, I had forgotten about the customer service problems reputation Bargain seems to have acquired as of late.

 

[Sweet Polly Purebred]

Ahhh .. Really great advice and I'm taking notes for sure. I think I'll start with something homemade, but have been eyeballing humidors on every trip I've taken and I *thought* I had seen some good deals, but now I know better.

Oh and keep them away from skunks or skunked dogs, the cigars will absorb the smell.

This has to be a good story, do tell .. lol