Can anyone offer a "starter cigar package"?

[rusirius]

Maybe this is a better post for the B/S/T, but I figured I'd try here as it seemed to make more sense. I've always been intrigued by Cigar's and the aromatic smell of them. I've always wanted to try a few out, but never had the opportunity. I couldn't even tell you where a local cigar store is, and even if I did I'd have no idea what I was looking for...

So... With that said... I figured I'd turn to the experts... I figure a lot of gents in here have far more experience than probably any of the folks at my local shops anyway!

Is there anyone here that would be willing to put a small "starter" package together for me? I'd prefer to keep costs reasonable of course, especially if I find it's just not for me... In the same respect, I don't want to try one and base my decision on that alone! ;)

If someone would be willing to do this, just shoot me a PM and we'll work out the details.

Thanks much!

[Milton]

Unfortunately, for the B/S/T :

"9. No selling of tobacco or alcohol products, or any items of questionable taste or dubious legality."

It because its almost impossible to determine age over the internet. But I'm sure many here would gladly give you advice on some quality cigars to try out.

[Austin]

I've bought some nice samplers from several internet shops.

http://www.tinderbox.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.2887/.f
http://www.cubancrafters.com/index.php

And several others.

[Not A Nice Person]

Email this guy:

http://www.TBS-Cigars.com/index.html

His name's Eric. Tell him "Not A Nice Person" sent you, and what you want to spend.

I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

NANP™

[thirdeye]

The Big Show is a new member here who has been my cigar guy for some time know.
He owns the local stick shop and knows his stuff. Drop him a PM and let him know I sent you his way, him take good care of you. Did I mention he's a newbie just getting his feet wet, ok ok his beard wet..

[turkish]

There are several places to get your cigars online. Famous Smoke Shop, Mike's Cigars and JR Cigar to name a few. I would probably start off with some sampler packs so you can try different brands, wrappers, strengths etc until you kind of get a feel for what you like. Baccarat was the first cigar I ever tried. Very mild almost sweet and creamy. I would recommend it to anyone just starting out. They're also very reasonably priced.

[TimmyBoston]

I've found Macanudo's to be a nice starter cigar.

[rusirius]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys! I'm gonna follow some of these leads and see what I can come up with.

[GarageBoy]

Read my post in the cigar thread below. Lots of names for you to try out. (or feel free to ask me)

[Lynchmeister]

I'm a little over a year into the hobby myself and to my surprise, found out quickly that I preferred a fuller bodied, maduro wrapped cigar over a milder, natural wrapped cigar. (Please note that maduro does not mean full bodied. My preference just happened to encompass both characteristics.) Now, believe it or not, I'm starting to realize that...I like all types of cigars!

My suggestion would be to try a large of a variety as you can, starting with a mild cigar and progressing from there into the other wrappers and strengths.

If I may suggest the following, inexpensive, progression:

• Cu*Avana Robusto - Connecticut shade wrapper, mild and creamy filler/binder, shorter in length with a moderate ring guage of 50.
• Perdomo Fresco Robusto - Again, CT shade with a mild filler. In many respects, very similar to the Cu*Avana. The only real determining factor in my opinion would be availability. If possible, try both.
• Cu*Avana Robusto Maduro - Again, a CT shade wrapper, however it has been given extra fermentation time, which yields a darker, fuller bodied flavor. Coffee and cocoa if you use your imagination. In addition, this cigar is slightly stronger than its Natural counterpart.
• Perdomo Fresco Robusto Maduro - See Cu*Avana Maduro above.
• Flor de Oliva Robusto - A natural wrapped cigar like the others mentioned above, however this one uses a Sumatran leaf, which I find to be medium in strength vs. the CT Shade's mild strength. It's also a bit peppery whereas the CT shade is creamy and toasty.

All of the cigars listed fall in the $1.50 - $3.00 price range depending on where you buy them, as local and state taxes can play a large part in pricing. I would suggest buying them in 5-packs online to try them out.

Good luck!

[TheBigShow]

Glad you contacted me, and I was able to assist and setting up a sample pack of cigars for you.

For anyone else interested, we were able to put together an 8 cigar pack with varying wrappers and sizes, which i cut 5 of them using various cutters and cutting styles. This allows for alot of experimentation in not only wrapper tastes, but cigar strengths and draws (either diameter of cigar and/or cut style) for under $ 50 conus.

[rusirius]

Just wanted to let everyone know I've been working with Paul (TheBigShow) at the suggestion of ThirdEye...

Paul has done an outstanding job of bearing with my "noobness" and has come up with a great selection that fit my budget and is currently on it's way to my door. He took the time to explain some definitions and various terms, as well as describing each item he selected, what it would go well with, etc... Heck, he even discouraged me from "expanding" the package and possibly spending money on something I wouldn't like before first trying these and figuring out what I like best... How upstanding is that?

Anyway, at Paul's suggestion, once these arrive I'll begin to update the thread with my thoughts on them. Thanks again for all the suggestions!

Ohhh, and FWIW... Here's the selection that's making it's way to my door...

Los Blancos - 4 pack robustos
Ct. Shade (Natural)
Criollo
Sumatra
Maduro

Rocky Patel Edge Lite

Rocky Patel Edge

Romeo y Julietta Reserva Real

CAO America - Landmark

[TheBigShow]

I'm a little over a year into the hobby myself and to my surprise, found out quickly that I preferred a fuller bodied, maduro wrapped cigar over a milder, natural wrapped cigar. (Please note that maduro does not mean full bodied. My preference just happened to encompass both characteristics.) Now, believe it or not, I'm starting to realize that...I like all types of cigars!

My suggestion would be to try a large of a variety as you can, starting with a mild cigar and progressing from there into the other wrappers and strengths.

If I may suggest the following, inexpensive, progression:

• Cu*Avana Robusto - Connecticut shade wrapper, mild and creamy filler/binder, shorter in length with a moderate ring guage of 50.
• Perdomo Fresco Robusto - Again, CT shade with a mild filler. In many respects, very similar to the Cu*Avana. The only real determining factor in my opinion would be availability. If possible, try both.
• Cu*Avana Robusto Maduro - Again, a CT shade wrapper, however it has been given extra fermentation time, which yields a darker, fuller bodied flavor. Coffee and cocoa if you use your imagination. In addition, this cigar is slightly stronger than its Natural counterpart.
• Perdomo Fresco Robusto Maduro - See Cu*Avana Maduro above.
• Flor de Oliva Robusto - A natural wrapped cigar like the others mentioned above, however this one uses a Sumatran leaf, which I find to be medium in strength vs. the CT Shade's mild strength. It's also a bit peppery whereas the CT shade is creamy and toasty.

All of the cigars listed fall in the $1.50 - $3.00 price range depending on where you buy them, as local and state taxes can play a large part in pricing. I would suggest buying them in 5-packs online to try them out.

Good luck!

Cory, I'm not a 100% positive, but I believe the Cu*Avanna uses a Dominican grown CT Shade seed for their natural, and a CT Broadleaf for their maduro. As CT Shade is not typically fermented into a Maduro. just an FYI

But very good info, and I highly agree, experimenting with different wrappers at the beginning too, to see which ones may hit your taste profile. Don't be afraid to make a small initial investment to try some mid-priced cigars too, as the cheaper ones alot of times don't use long filler, and you can end up with bad burns and small bits of tobacco in your mouth, that can be a turn off to a new/unfamiliar smoker. Those cheaper cigars are great for the everyday smoke though.

[thirdeye]

Heck, he even discouraged me from "expanding" the package and possibly spending money on something I wouldn't like before first trying these and figuring out what I like best... How upstanding is that?

Lucky you...He took me right to the top shelf and now I can't climb down........

[TheBigShow]

Ohhh, and FWIW... Here's the selection that's making it's way to my door...

Los Blancos - 4 pack robustos
Ct. Shade (Natural)
Criollo
Sumatra
Maduro

Rocky Patel Edge Lite

Rocky Patel Edge

Romeo y Julietta Reserva Real

CAO America - Landmark

Just a quick addition to this, so everyone can get a full understanding of the selections.

The Los Blancos were chosen for their reasonable price, all in Robusto size (good start for a beginner) which I cut using 3 different cutters for 3 different draws on 3 similar cigars. They also utulize 4 different wrappers.

The 2 Rocky Patels are Torpedos (a pointed tipped cigar, that requires a more experienced roller) which i again cut 2 different ways to allow different draws.

And the other 2 were selected for their quality, and sizes as the RyJ is Corono (smaller diameter) and the Landmark is a monsterous 6 x 60 (one of the hottest sizes in the market). The landmark is also a double wrapper, it has both a CT Shade and CT Broadleaf (maduro) wrapper, that makes it look like a "baber-pole".

[TheBigShow]

Lucky you...He took me right to the top shelf and now I can't climb down........

I warned you...lol

The key is try and find that everyday/inexpensive smoke that you can still enjoy although maybe it's not the most enjoyable. Then have your night-time, relaxing with a nice drink, right after a fresh shave cigar!

Still working with "thirdeye" to find that everyday one, his palet appears to be a lil too refined!

[Lynchmeister]

Cory, I'm not a 100% positive, but I believe the Cu*Avanna uses a Dominican grown CT Shade seed for their natural, and a CT Broadleaf for their maduro. As CT Shade is not typically fermented into a Maduro. just an FYI

But very good info, and I highly agree, experimenting with different wrappers at the beginning too, to see which ones may hit your taste profile. Don't be afraid to make a small initial investment to try some mid-priced cigars too, as the cheaper ones alot of times don't use long filler, and you can end up with bad burns and small bits of tobacco in your mouth, that can be a turn off to a new/unfamiliar smoker. Those cheaper cigars are great for the everyday smoke though.

Thanks for the correction! Now that I've learned something new for the day, I can mentally check out and it's not even 9:00 AM yet!

I warned you...lol

The key is try and find that everyday/inexpensive smoke that you can still enjoy although maybe it's not the most enjoyable. Then have your night-time, relaxing with a nice drink, right after a fresh shave cigar!

Still working with "thirdeye" to find that everyday one, his palet appears to be a lil too refined!

If it's not a Padron 64 Anniversario, it's crap.

[Ltltony]

If it's not a Padron 64 Anniversario, it's crap.

Why smoke a 64 when the 26 is out there.

[Lynchmeister]

Why smoke a 64 when the 26 is out there.

Good question...we'll have to ask our resident 64 hoarder.

Ray!?!

[GarageBoy]

Why smoke a 64 when the 26 is out there.

Exactly (64s aren't what they used to be, all that good tobacco is now in the 26: 26 and 64 used to be super hard to get- a store needed to order x amount of regular Padron to get a certain number of anniversarys)


Actually- Padron's regular line is pretty damn tasty med-full cigar