Beginner Kit

alienmisprint

Hey all, looking for some advice here. I am getting with the USO here about starting up a weekly cigar night. This may be a bit premature, but if we get a decent amount of newer smokers together, I was thinking about emailing Tim about putting together a "new smoker" kit. One of the $20 Ccom humidors, a decent (but cheap) lighter, a simple cutter, and a few sticks. I'm pretty sure he can work up a good deal for us. I'm going to propose about a $100 price point to whoever is interested. I'm pretty sure we can get the humi/lighter/cutter and somewhere between 14-18 sticks for that. br>
For the cigar sampler, I wanted to showcase a few different wrapper leaves/brands/blenders. I know alot of newer smokers seem to gravitate towards either connies or maduros, so I figured like two of each of those, then a Sumatra, Cameroon, and Habano each. This is what I have so far:

Connecticut 1: either Gurkha Symphony or Oliva Connecticut Reserve
Connecticut 2: EP Carillo New Wave
Maduro 1: CAO MX2
Maduro 2: Liga Privada Undercrown
Habano: San Lotano Habano
Sumatra: ?
Cameroon: either AF Don Carlos or AF Hemmingway
Other: Natural Irish Hops

I think the above captures a good essence of their respective wrappers and brands.
-The Gurkha Symphony and Oliva Conn Reserve are my two favorite Connies, I think they really embody what a mild, smooth Connecticut is supposed to be.
-I haven't tried the EP Carillo New Wave, but a few of my buddies have, and they all assure me it is great. It sounds like one of the new style Connies, not as mild, a bit more complex.
-The CAO MX2 is one of my favorite maduros, and I know they won't dissapoint.
-The LP Undercrown is another great maduro, and I think it does a good job of capturing that DE feel.
-The San Lotano Habano definitely feels like a Habano, and although its no T52 or Illusione, it feels like they would be a little easier to put in this sampler and keep the price where I'm trying to stay.
-The AF Don Carlos and Hemmingway are both great examples of Cameroon wrappers IMO. If the CAO CX2 was still widely available, I'd probably go with it, but there's only one place that sells them now.
-I really have no idea what to look at for the Sumatra. I love the RP Renaissance, but it has a pretty unique flavor profile, not sure if that's what I'm looking for here. Maybe the 5 Vegas Classic or La Gloria Cubana?
-I put in the Natural Irish Hops in just so they have something out of the norm, some people are in love with the Acid/Java type stuff. I always enjoyed the Irish Hops when I was in the mood for something different. I'm thinking that its a cigar that they won't be terribly offended by if they don't like, and it could lead them on to try the Java/Tabak/Acid stuff if they do like.

Does anyone have any suggestions on changes/additions to the list above? Recommendations on a Sumatra? I was hoping to be able to get two of each different cigar in, so if they try one and don't like it, they have the option to let the other one rest and re-try or trade it off to one of the other guys for one they enjoy more.

roland_7707

I think this is a great idea.

jthanatos

I like the idea. I would vote 5 Vegas Classic for a sumatra. Also, the Mi Amor is a pretty awesome maduro... without the construction issues that sometimes show up in the Undercrown.

alienmisprint

Yeah, I was looking the 5 Vegas. And I totally agree, the Mi Amor is fantastic. I didn't even think of it honestly, I don't know why.

jthanatos

alienmisprint:

Yeah, I was looking the 5 Vegas. And I totally agree, the Mi Amor is fantastic. I didn't even think of it honestly, I don't know why.

The 5 Vegas also has the upside of not making it look like every decent stick starts at $8.

alienmisprint

jthanatos:

alienmisprint:

Yeah, I was looking the 5 Vegas. And I totally agree, the Mi Amor is fantastic. I didn't even think of it honestly, I don't know why.

The 5 Vegas also has the upside of not making it look like every decent stick starts at $8.

Yeah, that's definitely a factor also. I tried to keep to reasonably priced sticks, most of the stuff I listed can be had for around $5 a pop or less if you catch them on deals or whatnot. The AF stuff is about the only ones that you rarely see deals on, but I can't think of a better Cameroon cigar for the money.

rwheelwright

Ep carilo had a short run vintage that is Sumatra I think. It was great. Also instead of dc or Hemingway how about an 858

perkinke

another connie that i love is the Camacho, has a bit more going on than the connie's you have listed and you can find the robusto for around 6 bucks. I like the choice in habanos, that's my favorite San Lotano Oval so far, but another that doesn't get much play (I think I'm the only one around that ever mentions them) is the Macanudo Cru Royale. Smooth but with a different flavor profile and relatively inexpensive.

alienmisprint

@Perk: You know, I tried the Camacho Conny not too long after they came out and really wasn't impressed by them. I think both the Oliva and Symphony have a ton more flavor. I haven't tried the Macanudo Cru Royale, I'll have to give one a shot.

@Rich: The EP Short Run stuff is normally a little more pricey, isn't it? ANd I dunno, I was never really impressed with the 8-5-8. But, I'm not terribly into Cameroons, the only ones that pop to mind I ever really liked were the Gurkha Royal Brigade, CAO CX2, Hemmingway, and Don Carlos. If you think the 8-5-8 is a good representation of a Cammy, I'll definitely look at doing that instead.

jthanatos

Short stories all day, every day. Viva la Short Story.

Bob_Luken

Love the idea. Came across this special. How about tweaking this special by adding another sampler and accesories. You could end up getting a lot lower price than $100.

If the lighters could come from a separate supplier, may I suggest the Ronson Jetlite? I've been very impressed with the cost to performance ratio of the Jetlite.

SP-CIGPRO14 - General Humidor Combo

alienmisprint

Bob Luken:

Love the idea. Came across this special. How about tweaking this special by adding another sampler and accesories. You could end up getting a lot lower price than $100.

If the lighters could come from a separate supplier, may I suggest the Ronson Jetlite? I've been very impressed with the cost to performance ratio of the Jetlite.

SP-CIGPRO14 - General Humidor Combo

This is awesome! Yeah, we could definitely work with this as a starting point. Thanks for the find!

alienmisprint

Looked through the site, and I can't find this. I've searched for the item number, the name of the combo, and just "humidor combo" and "humidor sampler" and I get nothing. Where did you run across this?

Bob_Luken

alienmisprint:

Looked through the site, and I can't find this. I've searched for the item number, the name of the combo, and just "humidor combo" and "humidor sampler" and I get nothing. Where did you run across this?

Saw it on a popup ad while I was on photobucket. It may only be available to first time customers.

Found it again on photobucket. Clicked on it again. but this time instead of a detailed discription I get the ccom website but with the standard ccom error message:

Page Not Found We're sorry, but the web page you were looking for: http://www.cigar.com:80/CGPAR2 could not be found. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Bob_Luken

Try this:

http://www.cigar.com/cigars/viewCigar.asp?prod=SP-CIGPRO14

Price is $113.00 but nobody would buy it at that price.

Call them up if you're able to or send customer service an email and let them know what you're trying to do and I'm sure they would drop that back down to 29.99 to help you build your beginner kit.

rwheelwright

I personally think that the Fuente is standard medium cigar plus I was thinking about keeping the price down. The EP Short Run Vintage isn't that badly priced but I do think the DC and Hemingway are better was just trying to throw other options out while looking at price.

Roberto99

I think it is a great idea and I like all the cigars you chose. As noted above, sometimes they fire sale samplers for first time customers. I'm guessing all the cigars come from General and that is how they do it. I think the price point is a big factor for beginners.

Aficionado_de_Perfectos

alienmisprint:

Connecticut 1: either Gurkha Symphony or Oliva Connecticut Reserve

Connecticut 2: EP Carillo New Wave

Maduro 1: CAO MX2

Maduro 2: Liga Privada Undercrown

Habano: San Lotano Habano

Sumatra: ?

Cameroon: either AF Don Carlos or AF Hemmingway

Other: Natural Irish Hops

jthanatos:

The 5 Vegas also has the upside of not making it look like every decent stick starts at $8.

I'm chiming in on this thread a little late, but hope that this can contribute to your get-togethers.

The point made by jthanatos is so key and depending on how many people are expected to attend, you should think about maybe even getting 2 inexpensive sticks in each wrapper and 1 moderately priced stick like most of the ones you already have listed. It would probably even end up costing the same as your original plan and the 2-3 people smoking in the genre could be kind of tutored beforehand and told what kind of properties like fullness, flavor, texture, ash strength, etc. to look for and compare notes.

When I first started getting into cigars around 2005, I started with the moderate price point and learned quickly on my own that good smokes could be had at a low pricepoint. After I learned what to look for, I delved into the lower pricepoint as well as the somewhat higher pricepoint to compare and found that price doesn't isn't always a good indicator. Sometimes, a high price tag can be partially attributed to elaborate boxing and banding (no names mentioned).

The following inexpensive cigars can be found for $4 or less in 2013 and are good quality smokes with good appearance, construction, and flavor.

Don Tomas - Most notable to me is the Cameroon collection. You'll find good earthy flavor from those.

Nick's Sticks - " Connecticut. To me when I was starting, the connies that stuck out were the ones with cream texture.

Good luck getting your club started. I'm over at FOB Gamberi and we just started gathering up 3 weeks ago.

alienmisprint

Aficionado_de_Perfectos:

alienmisprint:

Connecticut 1: either Gurkha Symphony or Oliva Connecticut Reserve
Connecticut 2: EP Carillo New Wave
Maduro 1: CAO MX2
Maduro 2: Liga Privada Undercrown
Habano: San Lotano Habano
Sumatra: ?
Cameroon: either AF Don Carlos or AF Hemmingway
Other: Natural Irish Hops

jthanatos:

The 5 Vegas also has the upside of not making it look like every decent stick starts at $8.

I'm chiming in on this thread a little late, but hope that this can contribute to your get-togethers. The point made by jthanatos is so key and depending on how many people are expected to attend, you should think about maybe even getting 2 inexpensive sticks in each wrapper and 1 moderately priced stick like most of the ones you already have listed. It would probably even end up costing the same as your original plan and the 2-3 people smoking in the genre could be kind of tutored beforehand and told what kind of properties like fullness, flavor, texture, ash strength, etc. to look for and compare notes. When I first started getting into cigars around 2005, I started with the moderate price point and learned quickly on my own that good smokes could be had at a low pricepoint. After I learned what to look for, I delved into the lower pricepoint as well as the somewhat higher pricepoint to compare and found that price doesn't isn't always a good indicator. Sometimes, a high price tag can be partially attributed to elaborate boxing and banding (no names mentioned). The following inexpensive cigars can be found for $4 or less in 2013 and are good quality smokes with good appearance, construction, and flavor. Don Tomas - Most notable to me is the Cameroon collection. You'll find good earthy flavor from those. Nick's Sticks - " Connecticut. To me when I was starting, the connies that stuck out were the ones with cream texture. Good luck getting your club started. I'm over at FOB Gamberi and we just started gathering up 3 weeks ago.

Right on, thanks for the advice. You in 10th Mountain? We are here in support of 4-10, out of 1st CAV. If you get down to JAF, hit me up and we'll see if we can set aside some time to burn one.

Aficionado_de_Perfectos

alienmisprint:

Right on, thanks for the advice. You in 10th Mountain? We are here in support of 4-10, out of 1st CAV. If you get down to JAF, hit me up and we'll see if we can set aside some time to burn one.

Yeah, I'm with 4-10. Don't know if I'll ever make it over to JAF, but I'll hit you up if I do. We just started getting together a group of cigar smokers 3 weeks ago. How is your club coming along? Our club gets together and the ones who I think will be regulars have actually been smoking cigars for a while, have travel humidors here, and are pretty set with what we light up. I'll occasionally stray, but lately I've been on Perdomo Habanos, Undercrowns, and varying CAOs. There are other guys who come along since there's not many social events to go to, and they grab a stick from the Cigars for Warriors pile.

alienmisprint

Tonight will be out first night, actually. I figure it will be kind of what you are describing, a few regulars who already have their set-ups and a few newbies. I had the idea of working out this beginner kit for any newbies that decide they dig it and want to really get into the hobby. I've actually been on a new sticks kick myself for the past couple of weeks, but I still fit in some UC's, OMBIII's, Tempus's, etc in. I just got our first box from Cigars for Warriors a little less than a week ago, some of the dudes from the forums here sent out a big package, and I had my wife shoot out a bunch of cigars from my stock back home so I have plenty to hand out to the new guys.

Aficionado_de_Perfectos

Cool. Let me know how the herf goes. Good luck. I wish I knew someone who wanted to guide me along this journey as enthusiastically as you want to do for these guys when I was first getting started with this hobby.