Any Cigar Smokers?

[Professor S]

I've recently gotten into having a cigar once or twice a week as a sort of meditative experience... if meditation can include scotch. Does anyone else smoke cigars here? Any tips on where to get the best buys?

So far, here are my favorite resources:

www.cigar.com - Good prices, but they have a great selection of samplers of every variety, and a decent house brand cigar.

www.cigarmonster.com - GREAT prices, but they are only available for very short periods of time.

www.cigarobsession.com - Great cigar video reviews. I'm addicted to them. Brian really gives you an idea of what the experience is like with every cigar. I use them to help me make purchasing decisions.

[KillerGremlin]

Thanks for the links, I'll check them out.

I've been meaning to get "officially" into cigars. I had a friend in college who was a cigar guy, and I would get cigars with him. There are a lot of cigar shops in Chicago...I know of one on Taylor and I think off of Halsted around Van Buren. There was also a really nice one we checked out in Old Town off the Brown Line.

I also recall make swisher sweet blunts back in the day. Ah...good times.

[Dyne]

I know the local shops around here. I'm always wary of buying online because I don't know how well cigars would do out humidity in transit. I wouldn't mind trying online though; it's an expensive hobby.

Best Smokes: Nicaraguans, Cohibas, Macanudos, Monte Cristos
Worst Smokes: Romeo E Julieta. Way too goddamn spicy and thick tasting. A cigar for chain smokers, and not for me. Also, cigarillos are nasty. I've never tasted a good one.
Best cubans for the daily smoke: Jose L. Piedras. Machine made and delicious.

Also if you don't have a humidor, get one immediately and start stocking up. Aged cigars, even just for a couple months are much more awesome.

[Professor S]

Well, I just won my first cigar auction for $16. That's $2 a cigar for handmade! They're also robusto, my favorite size. Anything longer than that I save for the golf course.

The Cuban Heritage Gems Sampler includes:
2 - Cuba Libre Robusto (5" x 50)
2 - Cu-Avana Intenso Robusto (5" x 50)
2 - La Estrella Cubana Oscuro Robusto (5" x 50)
2 - La Herencia Cubana Oscuro Fuerte Robusto (5" x 50)

I'm also winning a bid for an 6 cigar Oliva sampler for $22. That is insanely cheap for cigars that normally go for ~$10 a stick in shops. If I win that auction I'll be set for over a year (I smoke about 1.5 cigars a week on average).

I have a cannister humidor set up right now with propylene glycol humidifier and a digital hygrometer. Only cost me about $20 total. I'm waiting on Christmas for the real humi.

I was nervous about ordering online at first, but most cigar reviewers I've read or seen on youtube order their cigars online. Besides, if the industry hasn't figured out how to ship, the cigars would never leave the Caribbean! I believe they are vacuum sealed, but we'll see when my order comes in. I'll report back with the results.

As for cubans vs. other regions, most reviewers I've seen place Dominican and Nicaraguan above Cuba now. Tracking the history, there was a cigar brain drain after the revolution. Padron left and took their seeds with them, along with other famous makers. Indian-style cigar makers such as Rocky Patel (American, but Indian in style) and Gurkha are blazing some serious flavor trails. Some of my favorites. In the end, I think it has more to do with the skill of the blend and construction than the region.

As you can see, I've become mildly obsessed...