As a newer smoker, another thing I would add is to create a catalog of the cigars you smoke, whether you liked it or not, why, and the date you smoked it. I had friends let me try cigars early on and wish I remembered some of them to try again now that I've gotten a better sense of what profiles/leaves I tend to like. Also, there's been a couple of times when smoking something a year later tastes completely different to what I remembered and have changed my mind on some cigars. Excellent video, thanks for sharing, take the sub :)
100% agree with this. I've taken to taking a picture and adding a few blurbs about my experience with the cigar since I try a new one almost every time I decide to smoke.
That's very good suggestion, I wish I had mentioned it. There's a review I did of the Montecristo Espada where I dug out my old cigar journal that had most of the cigars I smoked in the first year I smoked. It was fun to look back and see how my tastes changed in some ways but in some ways stayed the same.
My advice from smoking cigars since 2003 is 1. Start off with a mild cigar, even flavored. Have some to give away or to teach newbies how to smoke. 2. Buy samplers to figure out what you like 3. Read reviews to find out what cigars have the flavors you like and which to avoid ( example is I hate leather and strong cedar taste, I love Corojo spice wrappers) 4. The bigger the humidor the better because you need space to season some sticks 5. Buy cigars to smoke them, not to collect them. Same with lighters and cutters. I toast and light with hemp wick wrapped around cheap bic lighters. 6 . If traveling get a strong travel humidor as you will crack or crunch a cigar even being super careful. 7. Cubans are overrated but do try one to find out 8. Start off by smoking a cigar until the first ash falls off. Let it go out on it's own and wait about 15 minutes. Relight it and for some reason it will taste better. This is my best tip and I learned it from a co-worker. Post script 1. Boveda bags and double ziplocs work great to store cigars, i've got bendable cigars to prove it. Meaning they don't crack to test freshness. 2. Smoke after a heavy meal when your tongue is excercised sort of saying so you don't end up with scratchy throat the next few days 3. Have a drink to rinse out the and ease irritation of smoking. 4. If you don't like the stoogie your smoking you don't have to finish it. That's why you don't buy boxes unless you are sure you like the cigar. 5. Cigars are an expensive hobby. My median price of each one is $5.00-$7.00 so if you can afford it good for you. If not don't complain or be that jerk who is a beggar in your buddy's humidor. Work an extra Saturday shift to support your vices
My local brick and mortar shop owner was a cigar roller for Feunte, rolled the Opus X cigars. I’m a veteran cigar smoker and I love his own house blends he rolls right in the store. His $5 house blend cigars are top notch.
I'm a new cigar smoker (have been smoking cigarettes for more than 25 years, 2 - 3 cigarettes a day). In the past 5 years I smoked 6 cigars, and I want to explore this world (I'm tired of contaminating my lungs). Thank you for your valuable advice!
Wonderful advice. I’ve avoided these situations in my mere three years of exploring, However I wish there was a way or technique to avoid experiencing those clunkers that you described. I suppose watching videos and reading forums Before purchasing would be a wise approach. I tend to buy cigars in the five dollar to $12 range currently. Thanks Jim another great video
Definitely love the advice on not rushing into the super premium smokes, its good to note you have to develop your palette before going into stuff like davidoff etc. Definitely want a full understanding of how to smoke, retrohale, etc so u can enjoy the more topshelf stuff
When I started smoking cigars I bought 7 different ones.I didn't know which one I would like lol.I did that until I found a couple that I consider "everyday smokes."
So many times I thought a cigar was fantastic and almost bought a box. Then after smoking a couple more of the same cigar my mind definitely changed about buying a whole box. Great advice on not tying up your whole budget on one blend 😊
Solid advice! I didn't fall into these traps- fortunately...but I can see how easy it is!!! Now that I'm hundreds of brands in my journey, I still have only purchased just under a dozen full boxes (mostly Southern Draws or Warped 88's) and feel no compulsion to do so on the regular. My last purchase was an 80+ brand "sampler" pack that really opened a few new doors- only a few duplicates, so I really get to just grab one at random and surprise myself! Averaging about a dozen or more a week, I really enjoy the journey.
You are absolutely correct about not just sticking to one strength. When I first startes out, I had no idea about strength levels. I must have spent well over $700.00 on mild-medium cigars in my first year. Now that I am more educated, I find myself going for more medium+ to even full strength sticks.
Excellent advice for the novice and honestly, I wish I would’ve had that advice when I first started a few years ago. I have a few few boxes of cigars that I no longer find very enjoyable that are a few years old but that’s OK. I’ll eventually smoke them. Anyway, I’ve liked and subscribe your video. Keep up the great work.
I have a buddy who is looking at getting into cigars. I'm thinking about having him run through some of Perdomo's offerings. I figure I would start him on 10th anniversary champagne , followed by the habano conneticut, and then the maduro. That way I know he is getting good quality where he won't be put off from a tough draw or anything and would let him get a fair variety of flavors
That's a great plan. I have a video where I list a bunch of brands for new smokers - and I neglected to mention the 10th Anniversary Champagne, which is one of my very favorite Connecticut Shades.
Habana wrappers are hands down my favorite. Broadleaf Connecticut is too full. Connecticut's are too mild. Oliva O at $5 is fantastic. Drew Estate UF-13 is amazing at $17, once or twice a year. Spot on with the video.
Could also ask yourself some questions like how do you like your coffee light and sweet or black or how do you drink your whiskey mixed or neat? Etc etc
I agree - there are almost a couple lower end sticks in a sampler, but even those can be a pleasant surprise sometimes. It's a good way to get exposed to a variety of cigars.
Definitely dont fall into the Cuban trap. My favorite cigars are Nicaraguan puros or those with Nicaraguan fillers and binders. The consistency is fundamental!!!
I just started about a month ago, but I'm already up to 5 a day, on average. Some days I'm smoking 6 or 7 Churchill's or grande coronas a day. I've probably hit the 200 mark since I started. I love smoking every different cigar under the sun! I don't smoke flavored or infused, just pure tobacco!!! I think I enjoy the Arturo Fuente Gran reserva as a good value, mellow Dominican. I love podermo frescos for a great value!!! Punch originals are a great cheap cigar! Nica rusticas are good cheap cigar's ~$5. I love the liga privada #9s and T52 cigarillos! I saw some monte christos on sale for ~$6 a stick! I love the don pepin original! I'm looking to try the la aroma de Cuba line from my father. They say it's the best value! Also, going to try the padron 0000s.
Dude you are going to eventually burn out your pallet and start to sound like you have a frog in your throat when you speak. Slow down and space it out a bit. Only time makes one a seasoned smoker..do not rush it. Geez lol
That's a lot of cigars! I've typically found that the 2nd-and-later cigar is not as good. But when I do smoke more than one I tend to smoke them one right after another. How much time do you have between cigars?
I had a local B&M guy who refused to sell me anything but Connecticut cigars. I said "I really liked that Leaf by Oscar Connecticut! Thanks for the suggestion. I'll grab the Habano this time." "Ha, no no no. You're nowhere near ready for that. Here's a R&P 1999 Connecticut." Repeat a few times. I went to another shop instead...acted like I knew something....picked a bunch of Maduro, Habano, etc. Wow. Suddenly cigars taste different and have fuller flavor! Even as a noob I could enjoy them. Months went by with a cigar a week that were almost to the point of giving up on cigars because they weren't all that great. I should have told him to ***k off much sooner. Now as I'm much more experienced...I wish I realized my palate leans full body a lot earlier. I tend to want to smoke one of everything I haven't tried and I'd be a lot further down that list!
I really appreciate the compliment! Which one did you miss? I was not very heavy into flavored cigars, but coincidentally was cleaning out a closet this week and found a CAO flavor sampler that was one of my early buys. There were two dried out sticks in left in the box - about a decade old not humidified!
My advice to new cigar smoker.. try them all start with rubusto cigars, start with medium body cigars at first your first two weeks to 2 months depending on frequency of smoking. The color of the cigar don’t always mean it’s a strong cigar. And most importantly enjoy your cigars the way you like it there’s no right way or wrong way also don’t inhale
Thanks for the great advice I’m glad I did exactly what you said we shouldn’t do and I’m a new smoker, I bought a humidor that holds 50 cigars first then I bought 22 different cigars from Jose l. Piedra, Montecristo no.5 Nub Cameroon, Nub Connecticut Romeo and Juliet no 1, partagas corona senior, Olivia series V, AJ last call Escobar natural Robusto, Rocky Patel the edge, leaf by Oscar corojo Robusto and Maduro, and a couple more and I thought I made a big mistake after buying but after this video you made us I’m glad I made that kind of decision, thank you very much for the video I’m your new subscriber
Also I went box crazy when I started my collection but I’ve been a occasional cigar smoker for a while so I kinda knew what I liked already that’s the only time I say it’s okay to do
I disagree your point #1. The shade of the wrapper has minimal impact on the flavour profile of the cigar, it is such a small percentage of the overall make-up of that cigar. IMHO, the shade of the wrapper has no more than a visual impact on your perception of flavour.
that is definitly not true as it depends on the size of the cigar. If you are smoking a lancero or a perfecto for instace, the wrapper has an huge impact on the flavor profile. But of course that decreases with larger ring gages like a robusto or bigger.
You have to try all type of cigars in order to find the type you like most. Samplers are ok but not all cigars in the sampler will be a good example of the brand or type of cigar. There are duds in every box and your sampler may contain a dud. Try several examples of the same cigar before you write it off.
Thanks for the comment. I have a mix of both - my wife likes the look of the traditional humidors. Last winter I really had humidity control issues and my solution was to put my cigars in tupperdors and put the tupperdors into the wood humidors.
Thanks for the comment. I do think some new smokers succumb the buzz about Cuban cigars, and too many experienced smokers are too set in their opinion to give other cigars a chance. Personally, if I had to choose one country from which to smoke exclusively, I'd say Nicaragua, followed by Dominican.
@@cigarscigarscigarsliving in the UK we have no embargo so my opinion is slightly different but I just treat them like any other cigar, some are great some not so much
Your advice is good, but starting with medium-level or, worse, flavored cigars could be a serious obstacle to falling in love with cigars.I think that Cubans are not a "trap" but still the best cigars in the world, it's a shame that communists on one side and Chinese on the other are making them a joke.
