Premium cigars. Wasted on new smokers?

[T.G]

Originally Posted by E-Tx Surveyor

(I'd post a thumbs up smiley here, its a no-go on my Blackberry)

Yeah you could, just type in " : t u " without the spaces and sans quotes.

[pnoon]

Originally Posted by E-Tx Surveyor

(I'd post a thumbs up smiley here, its a no-go on my Blackberry)

try typing ":tu" - without the double quotes.

Originally Posted by E-Tx Surveyor

I do believe the feeling I have right could be jealousy, maybe even green with envy. Here's to ya, partner.
(I'd post a thumbs up smiley here, its a no-go on my Blackberry)

Not much to be jealous of just yet. My collection currently only consists of around 90 sticks.

I haven't even bought the freezer yet, working on that now. After I get that it will probably be a month or so to retro-fit it for cigar storage.

[Chemyst]

Good advice to try many different cigars when you start out.

I tended to try cheaper sticks when I started out, but found that
many of them had no/bad taste, or had tar buildup leading to
a bitter taste, as I smoked them down. There were also more
construction problems.

After several months I tried slightly more expensive smokes, and
some of the problems were alleviated.

Then I tried some real premium smokes, and found that I had no
problems with them. At the same time, I realized that I only had
time to smoke on my days off, so I smoked rather fewer cigars than
I originally expected. This led me to my current state of...

Smoking fewer cigars, but better cigars.

YMMV

Chemyst

[kelmac07]

Smoke anything you can get your hands on...except them Grape Swishers.

[Apoco]

I've been smoking cigars for just over 3 years and I still can't pick out individual flavors. Being able to describe it doesn't matter much to me - I'd rather enjoy the company.

If you are wanting to learn to pick out flavors, you could read a review of the exact cigar you are smoking. That way you kind of know what to look for as you're smoking.

[Chemyst]

On a side note:

Just because a cigar is "cheap" does NOT mean it is bad.

The "Holy Grail" for every cigar smoker is to find those 'cheap'
cigars that taste good to him. Occasionally I still find a very
affordable cigar that I like. Most recently(past year or so) I've
found the Diesel Unholy Cocktail and Pepin Serie JJ maduro to
be good, affordable smokes. You should also try the Consuegra
No. 9 maduro, with a year of age on them. There are others.

But, you can NOT try every cigar in the world. Over time you will
find what you like.

My favs are Ashton San Cristobal, AF Hemingway maduro and the
RP Olde World Reserve. Padrons are also excellent. But I still like
a variety of smokes, so I don't get bored.

As a matter of fact, I find myself getting away from the powerful
smokes, recently, and favoring more flavorful medium smokes.
Also, a good mild cigar, like the Casa Torano maduro is good for
a change of pace, from the heavy hitter smokes I've been smoking
these past couple of years. I'm still finding my way, after 4 yrs.

Enjoy the journey!

Chemyst

[Wharf Rat]

I wouldn't argue with anything that's been posted. Let me point out that, most of the cigars you mentioned are pretty strong cigars. Now, some newbies start with strong cigars and stick to it. But, its probably more common for start with less powerful stuff. And then, some folks gravitate to stronger cigars- others don't. So, you might consider trying some milder models.

However you find what you like is exactly the right way!

[jjirons69]

- (It works!)

Shawn, try the newbie trade:

Clicky

Also, try various 5 packs from Cigar Bid or the like. The more you order or win, the better the shipping. You'll start getting a feel for what you like. Only get boxes when you're really sure. No harm in buying 5'ers for a while

[madwilliamflint]

I've only been smoking since about August of last year and one of the resources that helped me tighten my grouping has been the "Famous Flight Club" samplers at famous-smoke.com.

They have a bunch of samplers organized in a grid by strength and price point. I might quibble with how they categorize a couple things, but all in all they really helped me learn how to recognize key elements and understand what I liked about which cigars.

Originally Posted by E-Tx Surveyor

I was thinking of picking up a Patargas black series and possibly a Fuente Hemmingway, but I'm afraid such a fine smoke may be wasted on a new guy.

PM me your address and I will send you a Partagas Black to try.