I smoke twice a day, lunch and evening before bed. On weekend this can vary either way depending on if I am working outside or not.
I think I have a very unique personality as a cigar smoker, either that or a unique palate. I say that because I do not really have favorite cigars, favorite marcas, favorite vitolas... I try to take each cigar on it's own and enjoy it, whatever it brings. I've smoked enough cigars, and boxes of cigars, over the years to come to the firm opinion that you never know what you're going to get, two examples:
Best NC I've ever smoked was an original release Tatuaje Unicos, off the chart flavor bomb. Not a comparable experience with the remaining sticks in the box.
Best CC I've ever smoked was a Hoyo 2004 Epicure Espcial Edicion Limitada, this cigar was freakish in the intensity of flavor, me and a friend both laughed out loud hysterically when having our first pull off it. In general I do not reach for the Hoyo marca when deciding what to smoke as I normally don't like them much.
The best I tend to expect from a cigar does not have to do with flavor notes for the most part but rather pleasant or unpleasant. Very few marcas do I expect a certain flavor profile but almost all marcas I have formed a feeling for pleasant or unpelasant (and yes, in some, expectations of flavors to a degree).
My favorite cigars I've ever smoked tend to be one offs (outstanding amongst regular or poor cousins from the same box) so I can't really base favorites off of that can I? No, I guess favorites would be cigars I trust over a box or cab to be pleasing throughout.
Favorites:
Partagas Shorts, 898, Serie P 2; Por Larranaga PC, montecarlo, panatela and Asian EL Robusto; Juan Lopez Seleccion 1 and 2; Bolivar PC, Gold Medal and Royal Coronas; LGC MDO all numbers
; Upmann Mag 46; Punch PC del Punch; La Flor Dominicana Chisel Natural; Padron natural #000 and annis, Arturo Fuente Sung Grown, AVO LEs, La Riqueza 4; Oliva Gs and Vs; Graycliff Crystal Presidente;
I have no reservations buying boxes/cabs of the aforementioned cigars. Anything I'm not experienced with I'll buy 1-5 at a time before getting a box. If the box goes good it'll go on that list an become a regular (so much as the budget allows of course, I cannot afford to keep everything I would deem worthy of box purchase).
Current favs on hand:
P Shorts, BGM, La Riqueza, Monte 4s, PunchPCdP, Boli PC, PLPC, Cabaiguan CE, Punch Platino, PL Asian EL robusto
Current givin-a-trys:
Cohiba robusto, sig 6, sig 5; RASS, RA celestial finos; SLR RE;
Believing as I do through my experience that a box of Tatuaje Unicos (for example) is not going to be one by one awesome smokes, my preferences lean hard to the relatively modest requirement of "pleasantness"
In my experience truly exceptional cigars tend to pop up when they pop up, you can't really predict the truly special ones (at price points I can afford anyhow). Cometh the hour, cometh The Cigar. Enjoy them all.
I find most of the flavor and enjoyment in a cigar in a weird place between the back of the tongue and sinus cavity and I smoke pretty much everything through the nose. Exhale goes out through mouth and nose simultaneously and I modulate the quantity through the nose, for different take on the same cigar, and for mitigating the effects of burn in the nose.