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New to Cigars and Need help!

I have just recently begun enjoying cigars and so far I am very pleased. It seems that when I go to my local B&M I am overwhelmed with the vast selection and never know what would be a good starter. I have been smoking Punch and Cohibas and love them but would like to expand my choices. I have a few questions:
1) What are some good full bodied cigars for someone new?
2) Whats the best moderately priced humidor? What brand if any would be best?
3) Travel humidors, are they worth buying or should I just get a normal one and carry it with me? (I drive a truck and want to take them with me)
I have alot more questions but these should get me going. Thanks!

Comments

  • Unfortunately I have no insight to the first 2 questions as I am fairly new to cigars myself, so I'll let the more experienced chime in on those. As for question 3, if you drive tractor/trailer I would suggest a small normal humidor especially if you have a sleeper unit. If you get a hotel take your box in with you, to do the best you can at keeping the temp from fluctuating.
  • HaysHays Posts: 2,337 ✭✭✭
    Alrighty buddies... welcome to the forums, to the both of ya! Starting with your questions:

    1) "Full-bodied" and "new" are not words that typically go together, as there's plenty of full sticks that can whoop your butt and make you never want to smoke again (even once you have a developed palate)d. If you insist, however, sticks like the Man O War Virtue I found to be pretty full, but flavorful, and it's exceedingly popular around here. As far as sticks in your b&m go, Rocky Patel Edge is a VERY popular fuller stick in my b&m, and there's a couple wrapper varieties available to mix that up.

    2) There's not really a "best" humidor...it's more like, what visually appeals to your style, fits your budget, and holds the sticks you wanna hold. www.cheaphumidors.com is a GREAT site to pick up a good humi, and you can find some awesome deals in their "Imperfect" section (my "imperfect" has two virtually invisible scuffs on the backside that really would've happened with normal use anyway, and it saved me like $50).

    3) If you're a trucker, and you're looking to have something with you on a regular basis, I would recommend a Herf-A-Dor (can be found at CheapHumidors.com) - these things are damn near indestructible, and in a 15ct version can hold plenty of sticks for ya in a safe environment. A normal, desktop humidor is not designed to hold up to the same level of abuse as these Herf-A-Dors, which you're likely to get keeping it in your truck.

    Any more questions, post em up!
    ¨The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea¨ - Isak Dinesen

    ¨Only two people walk around in this world beardless - boys and women - and I am neither one.¨
  • xmacroxmacro Posts: 3,402
    truckintim:
    I have just recently begun enjoying cigars and so far I am very pleased. It seems that when I go to my local B&M I am overwhelmed with the vast selection and never know what would be a good starter. I have been smoking Punch and Cohibas and love them but would like to expand my choices. I have a few questions: 1) What are some good full bodied cigars for someone new? 2) Whats the best moderately priced humidor? What brand if any would be best? 3) Travel humidors, are they worth buying or should I just get a normal one and carry it with me? (I drive a truck and want to take them with me) I have alot more questions but these should get me going. Thanks!
    1) I gotta agree with Hays - I really don't recommend a full-bodied stick for a newbie - the nicotine rush can kick your ass, make you light headed, nauseous, and have you puking your guts out if you're not used to it. If you want a darker stick to look good while smoking, 5 Vegas Gold Maduro is a mild-medium stick with a maduro wrapper; otherwise, stick to mild sticks until you build up a tolerance to the nicotine. Though I've always thought of the MOW Virtue as maybe a mild-medium stick; not enough ligero to make it full

    2) Like Hays said, cheaphumidors.com is a great site for buying a humi. Just be aware that most cigars should be kept around 65-70F (though a lot of BOTL's on here keep their cigars around 75-80F without any problems), and the RH (relative humidity) should be kept around 65-70% (it's generally unanimous that this is a non-negotiable point about cigars - so pick up some Heartfelt or Conservagel beads)

    3) Travel humidors are small - they only hold about 5-15 cigars at once - if you've got a truck with a cab on it, or someplace you can stash a humidor, I'd recommend a larger humidor (though your size constraints will dictate whether you can get a 20 count or a 300 count humi). If you think the humidor will get banged around a lot, you're better off buying a herf-a-dor like Hays said (they hold about 5-15 sticks) - they're waterproof and you can drop kick the things without any damage to the sticks

    You said you're smoking Punch and Cohiba's - just know that those are some very premium sticks; while they're certainly very smooth, you can probably find similar sticks for cheaper. I'd recommend you browse Cigar.com for a bit and check out a few of their brands; 5 Vegas makes some dirt-cheap sticks that are very smooth, Oliva is another good brand; same with the Man O' War line of cigars. All of these are considered "premium" cigars, while Cohiba is generally considered "Super Premium" (Ultra-premiums can go anywhere from $30-$120 per stick).

    What's the difference? Purely personal taste, as well as quality (though it's the type of quality that requires a honed palate to figure). If you become the type of aficionado that can differentiate a coffee taste from espresso taste in your cigars, you'll notice the difference between a $20 cigar and a $30 cigar; otherwise there's not gonna be a whole lot of difference that you can taste (don't get me wrong - Cohiba/Punch are amazing cigars, but you can get some great sticks at cheaper prices). Just know that a lot of the premium sticks (anywhere from around $3 or $5 per stick to $15 per stick) are excellent cigars that will give you an amazing amount of enjoyment at a much lower cost, so you don't need to go buying a box of Cohiba's to enjoy a good cigar (thought Cohiba's are some of the best available)
  • KriegKrieg Posts: 5,188 ✭✭✭
    truckintim:
    I have just recently begun enjoying cigars and so far I am very pleased. It seems that when I go to my local B&M I am overwhelmed with the vast selection and never know what would be a good starter. I have been smoking Punch and Cohibas and love them but would like to expand my choices. I have a few questions: 1) What are some good full bodied cigars for someone new? 2) Whats the best moderately priced humidor? What brand if any would be best? 3) Travel humidors, are they worth buying or should I just get a normal one and carry it with me? (I drive a truck and want to take them with me) I have alot more questions but these should get me going. Thanks!
    Hi Tim, welcome aboard. I have a few suggestions regarding your 1st question. I agree with the others about starting out smoking a full bodied cigar while just breaking into cigars...you might regret it. That being said, let me give some recommendations on mild, medium and full bodied.

    Mild-
    RP Vintage 1999
    5 Vegas Gold
    Macanudo Maduro
    RP Connecticut
    Gurkgha Park Ave
    Nica Libre



    Medium- Rocky Patel Vintage 1990
    Rocky Patel Vintage 1992
    Padron (2000,3000,etc)
    Oliva Serie O
    Man O War Virtue (avail on ccom)
    Any of the Cigar.com House blends, I suggest getting the Sampler, very good smokes for the
    money.
    Padron 1964 Anniversary
    Alec Bradley Select Cabinet Reserve



    Full Bodied
    Oliva Serie V Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve Maduro
    Cain
    Diesel
    NUB Maduro
    Patel Brothers
    Rocket Patel Sun Grown
    Rocky Patel Decade
    Camacho Triple Maduro
    Padilla Miami
    Alec Bradley Tempus (one of my fav)



    hope this helps.

    "Long ashes my friends."

  • VidarienVidarien Posts: 246
    i had to laugh. krieg basically put my favorite mild/med/full at the top of each list. but as for the full blends, im suprised the MOW didnt find its way on that list. Its a shame they dont run deals on the vintage 99, that stick seems smoother than an ashton classic and its hidden away on this site (and the sister) at retail price.
  • KriegKrieg Posts: 5,188 ✭✭✭
    Vidarien:
    i had to laugh. krieg basically put my favorite mild/med/full at the top of each list. but as for the full blends, im suprised the MOW didnt find its way on that list. Its a shame they dont run deals on the vintage 99, that stick seems smoother than an ashton classic and its hidden away on this site (and the sister) at retail price.
    They do have deals on the Vintage 99....just have to talk to Tim (Or Alex...he's the one that hooked me up)

    "Long ashes my friends."

  • LasabarLasabar Posts: 4,472 ✭✭✭
    Just a shot at the Full-bodied and New... One of the cigars that got me to the table of cigars and are described as strong are the Rocky Patel EDGE... SPICEY SPICEY
  • KriegKrieg Posts: 5,188 ✭✭✭
    The only cigar that almost made me hurl was the RP Olde World Reserve Maduro. I was still new to cigars and I made the mistake of smoking it on an empty stomach. My wife said I turned green! lol

    "Long ashes my friends."

  • Wow! Thanks for all the help! I never thought I would get this much great advice. HA! I have read all suggestions and have begun my search for some of the cigars listed. Thanks again and happy smokin!
  • KriegKrieg Posts: 5,188 ✭✭✭
    let us know what you finally decide on getting

    "Long ashes my friends."

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