Cigars?

[Swampfox]

I have been thinking about trying a cigar, but I am not sure where to start. There are so many choices and varieties, it is really overwhelming. I am a pipe smoker, but have wanted to give a cigar a try as well. Any suggestions?

[Ride4TheBrand]

Anything made by Gurkha is a great smoke.

[Savor the Stick]

Anything made by Gurkha is a great smoke.

:9898: My opinion of the taste of most Gurkha cigars---either that or the taste of dirt.---YMMV

Oliva V are great, as well as Padron which are some of my favorites. A cheap budget smoke very tasty are the Sancho Panza double Maduro/fuerte.

[OriginalCrash]

I hesitate to recommend this as a first cigar due to the price... But if you're willing to shell out the extra bucks for it (around $15 per stick, I believe), I have yet to find a smoother, more pleasant cigar than a Padron 1964...

[TheShaun]

Stay well away from Gurkha until you know what you like. There are some good ones, but most are pretty bad. Almost all are over priced..... but they put fancy labels on them.

I would say most anything from 5 Vegas is a great place to start and a terrific price. I haven't had one from their line I didn't like. I would say go for a 5 Vegas Classic or 5 Vegas Gold to start.

[James1971]

When I am in the states I like the rum flavoured colts.

[HopHead]

As a newbie smoker, you would probably do best with a medium bodied cigar. Something that lets you know you're smoking but not something so strong that it knocks you on your butt.

I'd recommend something like an Padron thousand series or an Olivia Serie O or G. These are all moderately priced ($7-$12 per stick) and decent enough smokes with pretty solid flavor.

Although I enjoy them greatly, I'd recommend staying away from Olivia Serie V or La Flor Dominicana's as these are a bit stronger and might overpower your palate.

[sanpedromark]

I would tend to stay away from the maduro wrappers at first. They can be alittle strong for the beginner smoker. Try something with a lighter Connecticut wrapper (blonde in color). It might start out a litte peppery but mellows quickly. You can always start with some of the smaller sizes like a Fuente Hemingway Shortstory. One of my favorites. Good luck

[mouscacha]

The first cigar won't always be a good one. Get a variety and see which one pleases your pallete. Your taste will always change as you continue to smoke anyway.

Since you are a current pipe smoker, I doubt you'd get much flavor from a mild body cigar. Here are some recommendations based on flavor. I'll try to pick from a moderate price range.

Sweet - Arturo Fuente 858 Natural

Creamy - Savinelli ELR

Earthy - Avo Domaine

Licorice - Rocky Patel Maduro (Watch out for the painted stuff)

These are just some of the better cigars in the mid $6-8.00 price range at your local tobacconist.

You might also want to watch out for some aged cigars. The age lets the cigar smooth out a bit, and brings out some interesting flavors.

[Swampfox]

A lot of suggestions here...thanks, gentlemen. Any more and advice is greatly appreciated.

[Snipersnest]

If you're just starting out, I'd stay away from the heavy hitters. A good starting point would be either Gispert or Macanudo, and work your way up from there as you develop your palate. Padrons are my personal favorite, but they may be a bit too bold for starting out.

[RazoRock]

I hesitate to recommend this as a first cigar due to the price... But if you're willing to shell out the extra bucks for it (around $15 per stick, I believe), I have yet to find a smoother, more pleasant cigar than a Padron 1964...

One of the small sizes of the Padron 1964 would be an excellent place to start, and an excellent place to end because pound for pound I think they are the best cigars on the planet!

[Helicase]

Avo's are pretty good. Nice and mild.

[TheVez2]

I've always enjoyed Macanudo. Been a long time since I've had one though. I always bought the "Crystal" which came sealed in a glass tube. No humidor needed.

[kg0mz]

Punch cigars are respectable, readily available at any cigar shop, and affordable. I like the Pico Bonito. All Honduran. Tasty.

[Snipersnest]

One of the small sizes of the Padron 1964 would be an excellent place to start, and an excellent place to end because pound for pound I think they are the best cigars on the planet!

I'm a big Padron fan too and can agree to them being some of the best NC smokes around.

[Bullwinkle]

Macanudo's are a good place to start..

[invizable]

Oliva cigars have already been mentioned. The O and G series are incredibly well constructed for the price range (lower/moderate price range).

If you like flavored tobacco try some of the Drew Estate cigars; good construction and a great intro to cigars.

BTW, both of these cigars should be easily found at any tobacconist.

[mdevine]

I used to smoke cigars much more often. My wife isn't enamored of them an doesn't like cigar smoke in the house so they are a rare treat for me these days. I was planning on just skimming through the replies when I noticed two recommendations of Padron 1964s. I was thinking, as I read the OP, that my favorite cigar, bar none, were the Padron Anniversarios. The Padrons even topped the Fuente Opus X and the Cuban Hoyos, my other go to cigars. I would really recommend searching these out.

[Ru4scuba?]

I would tend to stay away from the maduro wrappers at first. They can be alittle strong for the beginner smoker. Try something with a lighter Connecticut wrapper (blonde in color). It might start out a litte peppery but mellows quickly. You can always start with some of the smaller sizes like a Fuente Hemingway Shortstory. One of my favorites. Good luck

This is really good advice. My first was a maduro while in a hottub...bad idea. The buzz off of it was worse than alcohol. My brother_in_law proceeded to buy me only maduros as a joke...he sent them to me in Iraq and they were still too strong.

The Connecticut wrapper (or something similar) would be my suggestion.