cigar afficionados

Discussion in 'Anything Goes' started by reg71, Apr 7, 2008.

  1. Lgn001

    Lgn001 Member

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    What do you normally like?
     
  2. WetSpot

    WetSpot New Member

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    Armagnac, if you can get it, is the ultimate accompaniment to a good quality stogie... Although I don't drink anymore per se, when we go camping I still have a glass of armagnac with a stogie next to the fire on one of the evenings...
     
  3. reg71

    reg71 Poser Staff Member

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    I had an Acid Wafe (blue ring) yesterday. Sweet wrapper, smooth smoke. Flat and smaller than full cigar. Nice and half the cost of full cigar. Prob 20 minute smoke. Also bought 5 of the really small Acid cigars in a package. Not quite as good, but good for a quick smoke.
     
  4. Nungboy

    Nungboy New Member

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    More and more I like the Rocky Patels. But, I recently had a Fuente and a Padron...those standards still are wonderful.
     
  5. vfrcapn

    vfrcapn Member

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    Answering LGN also..I've been sticking with the Rocky Patels for price and consistency.
     
  6. Lgn001

    Lgn001 Member

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    This is a "just FWIW"; The last 2 boxes of Nica Libre that I have purchased have sucked. They used to be somewhat densely packed, with regard to the tobacco filler, and smoked well. The last have been lightly packed, burned quick and were harsh. And when I say lightly packed, I mean they actually felt waaay too light for their size. Anyway, I no longer suggest them as something to try.

    This seems to happen often with cigars. They start off inexpensive and tasty, then the prices go up and the quality goes down.

    vfrcapn, I recently bought a Rocky Patel Edge maduro torpedo, and I know why you stick with the RP's. It was as good as I remembered, although it did give me the twirly-whirlys; I forgot how strong they were. If you haven't tried one, the Diesel Shorties are pretty good, albeit a bit pricey.
     
  7. soundmaster31

    soundmaster31 New Member

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    I'll vouch for Diesel. I've enjoyed the original since it came out in the torpedo size (unholy cocktail or some dumb thing they call it) -anyways it's 5x56 if I remember correctly and I prefer that to the larger 60 ring gauge of the shorty.

    I did pick up a sample pack with the other Diesel offerings the first week in August but have yet to smoke any of them. They should be ready by now to sample. And I'll think I'll do just that tonight.
     
  8. tyarosevich

    tyarosevich New Member

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    Oh boy, someone started a cigar thread.

    So, a note on some of my expertise: I love cigars, and know a lot about them but am far from an expert. In regard to spirits, however, after being a borderline drunk who made too much money as a fine-dining waiter for 9 years, whose favorite bar happened to be Zig Zag in Seattle - one of the best whisky bars in the United States - I am a low-end expert on spirits, particularly whisky. And I like to drink them with cigars.

    The poster above hit the bullseye: Germain-Robin is, for your dollar, the best brandy in the world. Normally I won't resort to such superlatives, and you'll never catch me saying anything like this about whisky, but in the case of brandy it's true. It is a bloated business, like blended scotch, in which big name producers skate by on their laurels while they crank out inferior products (read Courvoisier, Louis, etc) that haven't been made in the traditional method for decades. Germain-Robin came into being precisely because Germain, like...a 5th or 7th gen cognac maker, got sick of the crap being made in France. He came to the US, got backing (Robin) and started making craft brandy with an antique cognac still. The rest is history. He has obliterated the French competition in numerous blind competitions (with French judges) with his reserve brandy (less than $200 a bottle) against the trash made by companies like those I mentioned (several thousand a bottle for their high end releases). Now, Germain-Robin's standard brandy, and his XO, are pretty reasonably priced and are fantastic.

    I also strongly recommend trying whisk(e)y with your cigar. Some good, sub $50 bottles that go well with cigars are: Bulleit, Black Maple (bourbon - their Rye is great, but pricey), Michter's Rye, Templeton Rye (a great Rye from Iowa!), or if you prefer a single malt scotch, Talisker (a bit peaty, one of my favorites) or (less peaty, but a bit hard to find) Springbank. I love Springbank. Their 12 year barrel proof (pricey) is one of the best scotches available for under $100. Now, if you want to spend more than $50, let me know and we can get into a discussion about the reallllly good shit :cool:

    Cigars themselves, I know pretty well but am by no means a highly-versed expert. I tend to like very full bodied cigars, typically maduro wrapper for the sharper, stronger flavor. I have sampled widely, like some other posters here, and over the years have settled on some favorites:

    My favorite, go to, consistent, excellent, medium-to-full favorite that I buy by the box:
    Padron Anniversario 1964 Exclusivo. This also comes in many other sizes and ring gauges, and wrappers, and they are all excellent. They'll run you $8-12 depending. Double this if you live in NY. But then, if you live in NY like me, your life already sucks anyway.

    A big, full-flavored, powerful but rich smoke:
    The Camacho Triple Maduro.
    It's a big smoke that uses maduro-style curing for the filler, binder, and wrapper. This thing is a beast, a meditative cigar. You wanna sit down with this bad boy after a biiiggg ribeye and a few glasses of wine, then relax over it with a nice glass of whisky or brandy and some good company.

    A mild, fairly quick smoke with nice nuanced flavor:
    Any of the Davidoff Zino lineup.
    They're a bit pricey, but classic, mild dominican tobacco. My good friend and cigar buddy who likes milder smokes swore by them for years.

    Some Go-to brands that have been mentioned:
    Perdomo and Oliva. I really like Nicaragua tobacco, so I'm biased, but I've found lots of great cigars from this lineup, like the Oliva V, of which I got a box of churchills for my birthday once.

    A few more stand-bys that routinely score high, and that I like:
    Partagas. If you can score one of the cuban ones, they are among the most highly rated cigars made, and not insanely expensive.
    Cuban Cohibas. The cuban-made Cohibas are just spectacular, medium body cigars with complex, aromatic flavors. They're a bit pricey, but you can order them from, say, Ireland and have them shipped here usually.
    Casa Magna. Another routinely high-rated, sub $10 cigar. Very full-bodied, good smokes.

    Hope all this helps. Cigars are the concerted practice of relaxation, and they will improve your quality of life if you smoke them in moderation which, I might add, does not in any way contribute to an increase in fatality according to the Medical authorities.
     
  9. Badbilly

    Badbilly Official VFRWorld Troll Of The Year!

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  10. Joey_Dude

    Joey_Dude Member

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    I've recently gotten into cigars and while I am not a big fan of the "real" manly cigars (too strong for me) I'm really digging the cigarillos.

    As for what cigarillos rule in order:

    1. Acid Krush Classic - these offer a real unique flavor that doesn't really taste like anything else. If I had to describe it, it would be like a tea on a cigar, they have a real sweet and yet spicey and mild flavor that isn't overwhelming. They may be expensive for cigarillos but if you don't want to compromise on quality get those.
    2. Tatiana - my 2nd favorite, they offer different flavors such as rum, honey, and chocolate. This is really subjective but my favorite is the vanilla. The flavor doesn't quite have the punch like the Acid Krush Classics but still, I buy them to change things up, it gets old smoking the same cigar over and over.
    3. CAO Flavored - my 3rd favorite, they offer some really interesting flavors, my favorite is the cherry vanilla bomb. The only reason why it's #3 compared to #2 is that they do have some kind of annoying aftertaste.
    4. Black cat - cheapest and yet they are surprisingly tasty (only 88 cents for 2) The only con is they fall apart real easy and I have to be careful to avoid wettening the cigarillo otherwise by the time I'm halfway done I have a pile of tobacco leaves on my hands that go straight to the trash.

    Now as for what cigarillos suck, I have to say the Backwoods cigars aren't that great. True they're pretty cheap at 5ish bucks for 5 of them but I just don't care for the taste and the aftertaste lingers with me for a little too long. I once smoked a backwoods cigar and after a hour I STILL tasted the cheap tobacco. If I had only 5 bucks to my name I'd rather get a few Black Cat cigarillos.
     
  11. Lgn001

    Lgn001 Member

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    Joey_Dude! Your still amongst us! I figured you were in jail somewhere for trying to outrun the local constabulary... :smile:

    Anyway, these cigars are not too bad, and the vanilla flavored at the end of the list might be something you would like. They taste more like tobacco than vanilla, if that makes sense, but are pretty easy to smoke. Like the text says, they are kind of ratty looking but they do smoke well;

    Maker's Choice - Cigars International
     
  12. Joey_Dude

    Joey_Dude Member

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    ha ha ha yes I'm still alive! Thanks for the link on the maker's cigars, I'll have to give that a shot. I did think about ordering some cigars from that site to save money but when you factor in shipping cost it's a wash.
     
  13. Badbilly

    Badbilly Official VFRWorld Troll Of The Year!

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    Smoke smoke smoke that cigarette
    Puff puff puff until you smoke yourself to death
    Ol St. Peter at the gate
    Is just gonna have to wait
    Cause I gotta have another cigarette


    Darned if there ain't some really nifty pix on oral cancer from tobacco. Maybe if one of y'all get a taste of this, at least a tinted faceshield will cover it up.
    The pix are almost as much fun to see as dudes crashing on bikes.

    pics of oral cancer from tobacco - Google Search
     
  14. tyarosevich

    tyarosevich New Member

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    I have an important update to this thread concerning my list of whiskeys. One of the best whiskey distillers in the U.S., Willett, has released some 4 and 5 year Rye that I've seen crop up for under $40. This is way cheap for Willett, and makes this (for my taste), about the best bottle of American whiskey to be had for less than $50. Willett is an interesting company, and I've been lucky enough to have tried several dozen of their releases over the years, but that's a story unto itself. Suffice it to say their whiskey will typically set you back $80-$150.

    Anyway, I got a bottle, it's great. Has the power and concentrated fruit (read orange peel) overtones I've come to love in their whiskey. And on account of its powerful flavor and high proof (110), it goes great with cigars.
     
  15. vfrcapn

    vfrcapn Member

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    I guess this is why I like the RP Edge's, they're consistently very good, price consistent, burn nicely and good taste. I've had a couple Padron's lately that were also nice along with the RP decades.

    Going to try the RP Edge maduro this weekend with a favorite beer, Deschutes Black Butte XXIV - 99 at RateBeer
     
  16. tyarosevich

    tyarosevich New Member

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    Perhaps you've heard of University of Washington Medical School? You know - the number one Family Practice Medical School in the World? No offense, but I'm gonna go ahead and trust their instructors, and the plethora of public health research that's been done, which clearly state (this is straight from the mouth of an instructing physician at UW Med School) that cigars don't seem to present any clear health risk when used in moderation.

     
  17. Badbilly

    Badbilly Official VFRWorld Troll Of The Year!

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    Well as long as they don't seem to, I guess it's OK. I defer to your plethora of medical knowledge. I'll have the blueplate special. Is the mac and cheese made with Velveeta again?
     
  18. reg71

    reg71 Poser Staff Member

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    Hmm...wondering where I might find. BevMo perhaps?
     
  19. Badbilly

    Badbilly Official VFRWorld Troll Of The Year!

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    BevMo so far as I recollect doesn't handle the hard stuff. The liquor biz is controlled by the State of Washington (Oregon too) . This jacks the price up on every bottle and is passed on in spade by the restaurants who have to pay cash for thier booze. Most of the liquor stored in Seattle are by comparison to Cal are punk.

    One of the best jobs a guy could have in WA or OR is a salesperson for a liquor distributor, walk in, take the order and walk out with the commish..

    Evidence; Get the price on a jug of generic 80 proof vodka from one of the state stores and compare that with the price of the same amount of Smirinoff 100 proof Silver from Safeway or Vons liquor department in Cal..

    Or just for shits and giggles one of those fifty buck a jug Boubons that you can probably get at a store a few blocks from your pad for thirty-five..
     
  20. vfrcapn

    vfrcapn Member

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    I have no allusions that cigar smoking isn't bad for me, along with riding a motorcycle or any of the other activities we do. Moderation is an individual definition, some can smoke daily for 50 years and not have any ill effects, for someone else a few times a month may trigger a fatal cancer. We take our chances and live life. On the bike or at the end of a stogie. Risk and reward, it's an individual decision and outcome.

    I do limit myself now to twice a week on the cigars, I know that anything more at this point is tempting fate.
     
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