Cigar Suggestions

[cburnworth]

killer deal @ CI Cigars International

 

[OneBadV8]

I haven't bought any in a while, but Habana Gold's used to be really good and only $3 or so.

And if you ever run across a pile of money, PADRON 1964 ANIVERSARIO

Those might be the best ones I've had. last time I bought any they were $12 but I've heard rumors they are up to $16 now.

 

[Shadow]

I usally buy from BestCigarPrices.com ,,and have had very good luck.
I usally buy a box of Oliveos every other month.

 

[snowman46919]

It is a fairy new brand but I really like acids either the helix or the blondies. Full of flavor for about 3 dollars

 

[GhostofWinter]

PAGING Melensdad...paging melensdad.....LOL Melensdad owns several cigar shops in NWI. I am sure if you talk to him he can recommend something to you.

 

[Wheeler78]

I'm gonna have to agree that acid's are awesome i personally love the ordinary lary and the nasty. the best bet for you is the acid sampler tin. you can get 14 of them in a really cool little tin and it's only about 3 bucks a stick

 

[melensdad]

I'm gonna have to agree that acid's are awesome i personally love the ordinary lary and the nasty. the best bet for you is the acid sampler tin. you can get 14 of them in a really cool little tin and it's only about 3 bucks a stick

Its actually the Extraordinary Larry and that is an awesome cigar unfortunately its very expensive, roughly $12 to $14 each! On the other hand I can't stand the Nasty. We sell a lot of Acid Blondie cigars and I think those are pretty bad, but others clearly disagree because we have a lot of repeat customers buying them. I've never tried the Kuba Kuba but we sell those too. The problem that I have with the entire Acid line is that I actually like TOBACCO FLAVOR in my cigars and the Acid brand infuses various spices into the tobacco. Its just not to my personal taste.


As for mail order cigars, I have no problem recommending Cigars International. But I do NOT recommend Thompson Cigar or Famous Cigar.

Any cigar mail order company can beat the prices at the local cigar shop because they allow you to evade the Indiana tax on cigars which is 24% (before the 7% sales tax). So the cigars in my shops are at a disadvantage due to the tax rate imposed by Indiana on every cigar shipped into my store. Generally you can buy from Cigars International and pay for shipping and get the cigars cheaper than you can buy them at retail.

The DOWNSIDE of buying from ANY mail order cigar shop is that you don't necessarily know the taste of the cigar you are buying. My general recommendation is to buy cigars from local cigar shops and make sure you really like them before you consider buying a whole box from any mail order outfit.

I also NEVER recommend buying the "mixtures" or "assortments" of cigars from ANY of the mail order outfits. Those are often left overs from their store inventories of brands they can't sell. Often they mix in a good selling or quality brand name cigar or two with several "house" brand or no-name cigars. You may get 1 or 2 great cigars in those bundles but you may get a whole assortment of crap too. JUST MY OPINIONS.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

I don't have a cigar that often, but if I do I am partial to Juan Clemente.

Mild, smooth cigar, good with coffee after dinner.

 

[Principal Skinr]

I like the following, in order of preference:

1. Fuente Hemingway Short Story (I like any of the Hemingway cigars)
2. Black Onyx Reserve
3. Latin Gold (I ran across this in San Antonio at their outlet store. I haven't mailed for any, but the ones I had there were fantastic. I went with a milder version, that was not a maduro.)
4. Anything from Padron.

There's lots of others I like, but I enjoy browsing in a large humidor, and trying something new. You can't do that with mail order. I'll probably have another Latin Gold if I go to an outlet store again and can pick one out.

 

[Lex Concord]

If you already know what you like, JR is a good place to check out, though they lack my favorite CAO lines (Mx2 and Lx2).

As others have said, if you haven't already figured out your tastes, find a local cigar shop (NOT a discount tobacco store) and ask the folks in there for recommendations. If it's the owner, he owns a cigar shop because he's into cigars; he probably knows his stuff. Some of the shops I've been to give their employees a free cigar per shift...those folks have tasted a lot of stogies and are more than happy to share their insights. If you know a few bands you like, they can also steer you help to steer you in the right direction on finding other smokes you might like near a particular price point.

IF you are going to buy a bunch of cigars (online or anywhere else) do NOT do so until you have a good humidor and have it properly seasoned and ready for your stogies. Dry weather like we're having now can ruin your cigars in very short order if they are not properly stored. It doesn't have to be pretty, but it DOES have to have a good seal, and should be made of Spanish cedar.

Also, get a decent hygrometer. I would recommend digital, because there is no fudge factor...it seems most of the analog hygrometers I see any more are plasticrap.

If you're going to buy just a few at a time to get an idea of what you like, build a rapport with your tobacconitst and ask if they have any of the humi-packs that Fuente ships in all of their boxes that you can have. Some will share, some keep them, some tossed them when the box was opened...doesn't hurt to ask. If you're lucky enough to get some, you can keep your stogies in a ziploc with that packet...if it starts to get hard, it's losing its effectiveness.

It's tough to find a decent cigar for less than $4 a stick any more (especially in a shop) though you can. Even so, it can be worth spending a bit more on single sticks to get to know what you like to avoid getting a "deal" on something that you hate and will end up giving away.

Again, I would work to build a relationship with your local tobacconist. Some of them have discounts on box purchases (good once you find what you like). Others might not advertise such a thing, but it never hurts to ask...guaranteed product movement can be a good motivator

Some less expensive bands you might want to try:

Alec Bradley Trilogy Series - I like all three varieties, but I prefer the Authentic Corojo (Native Cameroon and Exotic Maduro being the others )

Cusano - I liked their 1997 Corojo when I tried it years ago. It could have changed ( I know it is more expensive now). It was recommended as being very "Cubanesque"...I agreed, and at $3 a stick (at the time) I was quite pleased.

Saint Luis Rey - Mentioned by others, and I agree...a quality cigar at that price point.

Montesino is another good one at a decent price. It has been a while, but IIRC they are made in the same factories as Macanudo (I'm sure melensdad can set me straight if my memory is failing).

As has been mentioned, Rocky Patel definitely makes some good cigars, though they tend to be a bit more pricey than those listed above. I will say they make the only long-filler panatela ("mini" cigars, often sold in tins with big names but little taste, compared to their full-sized namesakes) that I've ever truly enjoyed.

The big thing is make sure you can properly store the smokes (tons of advice on humidor purchasing, curing and maint. online), then take your time and find what you like.

Happy puffing.