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I know double posting is in poor taste, but I wanted to separate the cigar I'm smoking from that: Alec Bradley Magic Toast Toro. It's fine. Toasty, sweet, mellow. Mild/medium and not very complex. It smells a lot better than it smokes, imo. I'm not a huge fan of Alec Bradleys, and the whole time I was smoking it, I wished it had been a Nica Rustica instead - hits the same notes but better in most ways. Surrogates Cracker Crumbs also hit the toasty/sweet profile for me, but with a bit more punch and pepper. If you like those toasty & sweet profiles but want to give your palate a break or just plain old want something a little easier, it's a good buy. Just not really for me. E: a shameful, shameful snipe.
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# ? Jul 12, 2020 17:49 |
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# ? May 21, 2024 17:13 |
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NewFatMike posted:Hell yeah for spicy smokes! I'm a big big fan. Quoting you because of the snipe / this is good info.
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# ? Jul 13, 2020 13:36 |
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I want to constantly post in here because cigars are a new hobby for me so I’m still super into it but have very little to contribute. With that in mind, enjoy a long rambling post about my experiences so far! Most recently I smoked an Alec Bradley Mundial which I thought was decent to good, Don Pepin Garcia Black which was interesting and had moments where I loved it, and a Partagas Robusto which was sort of meh the whole way through. I’ve gotten less attentive to recording what cigars I’ve smoked and I know I’m missing some which is now a weird brain itch I need to resolve. I mostly buy samplers, and sometimes I’ll buy a repeat if I really liked all the cigars or if it seems like a steal, so I’ve temporarily organized my cigars into “I’ve smoked this before” or “I haven’t smoked this” to make it easier to find a new cigar to try. I also have a smaller Tupperware I jammed all my Oliva and Perdomo into. How do you guys typically categorize/organize your cigars? On the sampler/lower end cigar side of things Perdomo followed by Oliva are my current favorite brands. I have been looking for cigars I can get for ~$3 because I’m new and want to try a lot of cigars before I start going into the higher end stuff. I’ve ended up with quite a bit of both which is why they got their own box. Rocky Patel has been a disappointment in this regard, to me. The Vintage 1990 and 1999 are good and I did enjoy the 2006 but the rest of the Vintage series and Decade, 15th anniversary, Royale, Rosado, etc. have been underwhelming. I have a The Edge sampler coming so this will be Rocky’s last ride (at least on the budget end). Brands that have been hit or miss for me are Espinosa/601, Gran Habano, La Aurora, Camacho, and Alec Bradley. My least favorite brands are CAO, anything by J Fuego, and honestly most of the RyJ I’ve tried (their low end and exclusives for Famous Smoke).
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# ? Jul 13, 2020 15:32 |
I definitely know the feeling about posting. The best excuse to post is to talk about whatever cigar you've just smoked, lol. Also, in terms of keeping track of what you like, I have a spreadsheet. I record the brand, the specific cigar, the shape, the band, the length, the origin, the wrapper, binder, and filler. Then I give a 1-10 rating, and add notes on the experience. It seems a little ridiculous, but it has seriously helped me keep track of the things I've really enjoyed. I have a second sheet on the spreadsheet where I keep track of what's in my humidor, tracking ins and outs so that I know what I've got and whether or not I want to think about re-ordering anything. That said, I don't have much in the way of organization inside my humidor atm. Especially after the cigar swap my buddies and I did it's a loving mess in there. I think my next move will be to find some modular shelves/stackable trays to put in there to keep things better organized. One thing I've found over the course of tracking all this is that man, I've never been truly impressed by a Gurkha. I liked their Aged Cabinet Connecticuts, but only when I got them $65 for a 20 pack, rather than at full price. Everything else has been pretty so-so. They mostly taste good when they're smoking right, but it can be such a struggle to get them to smoke right. It's such a contrast to something like My Father, where everything I've tried has been consistently excellent and beautifully constructed. NewFatMike posted:Cuban info This is excellent info, and will be going into the OP. Also now I'm thinking I should get a PerfecDraw. So many accessories! Kenning fucked around with this message at 18:11 on Jul 13, 2020 |
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# ? Jul 13, 2020 18:08 |
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Glad to help friendos! Also, if that method of review sounds nice I put together the quickest possible Google Sheets thing for y'all to make your own copies of to build up a review database. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Bon66x57NTFFD6BGgZHToruVdddg0czMTM-EBw3jBco/edit?usp=sharing I broke it down so that when you sort through the responses in a spreadsheet or whatever you can add filters and things like that (e.g. I want things that are 4+ in strength or whatever). Just make sure that when you make a copy, you go to "Responses" and designate a spreadsheet destination.
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# ? Jul 13, 2020 18:45 |
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I’ve bought so many samplers I have a stupid stupid amount of cigars so I’ve been trying to lock up the box of duplicates/cigars I’ve smoked so I don’t have to keep opening it and rifling through a bunch of cigars I know I’m not going to smoke. For tracking purposes I use an app called Cigar Scanner, I’ve just gotten lazy about it. It’s more clicks than something like Excel but it has a journal, favorites, wish list, humidor tracking, and a social feed. A lot of the information about the specific cigars can be wrong (e.g. something listed as a maduro when it’s a natural) and the app can be a little slow sometimes but overall it has all the features I want. You can also access it through a browser on a PC. I sell enterprise software so I’m used to the extra clicks and slow response time hah. Smoking a La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor right now. It’s really good the draw is just a little tight. I don’t know if it was the coffee I was drinking interacting with it but the first half almost had a berry flavor or something going on. It wasn’t bad though. The second half that has gone away (I also finished the coffee) and it’s really great. Lyon fucked around with this message at 18:50 on Jul 13, 2020 |
# ? Jul 13, 2020 18:48 |
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This thread needs more images of smoking goons. I’m atm enjoying an Oliva V.
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# ? Jul 14, 2020 17:27 |
C/p from the other thread that I posted in without noticing cause it got bumped: I smoked a Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Champagne toro tonight. It was definitely a very relaxing smoke compared to the spice-bombs I had this weekend. Burned nice, well constructed. Creamy taste, with a bit of an almond/marzipan thing going on. I think I might try a smaller size, especially if I can get it for a discount, as a nice cigar to share with people who aren't big smokers, since it was quite pleasant and very mellow. It lasted over an hour, and I think I might have preferred it as like a 30-45 minute smoke, since there wasn't much development.
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# ? Jul 14, 2020 18:01 |
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Kenning posted:I smoked a Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Champagne toro tonight. It was definitely a very relaxing smoke compared to the spice-bombs I had this weekend. Burned nice, well constructed. Creamy taste, with a bit of an almond/marzipan thing going on. I think I might try a smaller size, especially if I can get it for a discount, as a nice cigar to share with people who aren't big smokers, since it was quite pleasant and very mellow. It lasted over an hour, and I think I might have preferred it as like a 30-45 minute smoke, since there wasn't much development. I feel exactly the same way and if I have friends over who aren’t into cigars I will give them one as a good “starter” cigar. I bought a little tin of the cigarillo (purito I think Perdomo calls it) size if I want a short mild smoke. I smoked a Man O’ War Virtue which is an Ecuadorian Connecticut, it was good but I am starting to feel that most Connecticut wrappers are a bit too mild. The Ecuadorian Connecticut wrappers seem to have a bit more spice to them but even that starts to get a little bit boring towards the end of the cigar. My favorite one in recent memory was the Leaf by Oscar Connecticut. It’s possible I’ve just slagged my taste buds so badly from smoking too many cigars though. My butane finally showed up after being lost in transit for a while so I am now smoking a a second afternoon cigar because I got to test out my table lighter. This time I went with My Father The Judge and I was expecting it to be more intense than it is. Edit: This review, https://cigardojo.com/2018/03/my-father-the-judge-toro/, sums up exactly how I feel about The Judge after smoking it. Probably my least favorite My Father cigar to date. Lyon fucked around with this message at 23:47 on Jul 14, 2020 |
# ? Jul 14, 2020 19:34 |
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Trip report: cigar page dot com order Overall: OK I guess. I ordered a box of Roma craft cromagnon and a few five packs. The five packs were in their own zip locks with no added humification. The box was previously opened so they could add a boveda pack that was bone dry by the time it got to me. I'm also pretty sure that this was not the original box that these cigars came in. A 2011 box date doesn't match up with crystal clear cellophane. Wouldn't surprise me if they switched the boxes to avoid manufacturers marking boxes to catch distributors selling to them in violation of pricing contracts (which is a thing they do I guess?) I hope they don't suck when I go to try them in about 3 months.
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# ? Jul 15, 2020 03:31 |
Ah, too bad about the packaging. When I got 3 boxes of My Father cigars from them a month or so ago they came in very good condition. I smoked one that night that was fabulous. Hope yours do okay. Tonight I smoked a Hoyo la Amistad Gold from my AJ Fernandez box press perfecto sampler and hot drat that was an incredible cigar. This one had a fairly loose pull, so I was smoking too hard to start it off. Once I realized that and slowed down a bit it developed this incredible toffee-and-chocolate flavor, with a rich cedar aroma to the smoke. When I pulled there was this amazingly sweet taste to the smoke right on the tip of my tongue, and in the back third there was a sort of toasted coconut/walnut character that came out. It was so good I smoked it down to about a half inch, and only gave up because the ash was getting precarious. I will absolutely be getting more of this cigar. It was ultra-mellow, without any noticeable pepper once I figured out to slow down the smoke a bit, and it stayed lit nicely. Might qualify as another cigar to share with new smokers in the Rothschild size.
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# ? Jul 15, 2020 06:15 |
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Dramatika posted:Add Fox Cigars to that list in the OP - I just got my first order from them and I'm super impressed. So I checked out Fox Cigars after seeing this post, and noticed they had Oliva Connecticut Reserve boxes for 35% less than any other site, and free shipping. Ordered on Saturday, they show up Monday with an Oliva Series O and two Series G thrown in as well. gently caress my wallet.
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# ? Jul 15, 2020 13:19 |
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Is it normal to spit while smoking cigars? My cigar smoking friends in college made it sound like it was the normal thing to do, but how the hell does that work when you're smoking inside? They claimed the spit contained tar and it was harmful to swallow it.
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# ? Jul 15, 2020 13:53 |
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I spit when I smoke cigars too, one of the old tinderbox forum threads said it had to do with an allergen within the tobacco. I normally smoke outside only.
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# ? Jul 15, 2020 13:56 |
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Bioshuffle posted:Is it normal to spit while smoking cigars? My cigar smoking friends in college made it sound like it was the normal thing to do, but how the hell does that work when you're smoking inside? They claimed the spit contained tar and it was harmful to swallow it. Syrian Lannister posted:I spit when I smoke cigars too, one of the old tinderbox forum threads said it had to do with an allergen within the tobacco. quoting myself from a page back: S.W.O.R.D. Agent posted:Eat some sugar to help take the edge off your nic-sickness. Nicotine lowers your blood sugar, so having something sugary helps to counteract that. If it's real bad I'll put a spoonful of granulated sugar under my tongue. If just sort of bad / queasy I keep those lovely popsicles that come in plastic tubes that cut your mouth on hand, haha. Having something sugary with the cigar will curb the salvating / need to spit. Root beer and vanilla cream soda pair excellently with cigars if you are a soda drinker.
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# ? Jul 15, 2020 14:09 |
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Having a Partagas Mille Fleur. What a crackerjack little smoke. The burn wanders a little, but it's not really anything that needs correcting. Firmly medium body; coffee, cream, wood, earth, nutmeg, and some allspice. Under $5/stick. Super fantastic! Burns on the quicker side, so under an hour of smoking in it for sure. Payday was today, gotta figure out what to restock the humidor with
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# ? Jul 15, 2020 18:21 |
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NewFatMike posted:I know double posting is in poor taste, but I wanted to separate the cigar I'm smoking from that: Alec Bradley Magic Toast Toro. I just smoked a Magic Toast Chunk (4 1/2” x 60) and I completely agree. It smelled better than it tasted and was fine but it didn’t do too much for me. Additionally it has entrenched my dislike of large ring gauge cigars even further. Took forever to get it burning well and the draw was too tight. I probably would have enjoyed this a lot more in a smaller ring gauge.
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# ? Jul 15, 2020 22:05 |
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Yeah, it takes a special touch to make the girthy smokes very good to me - the Garcias sure make the list. Having a Hamlet 25th Anniversary in a corona extra or something. My regular home stop, Up Down Cigar, gets loads of exclusive vitolas and blends. I have similar tastes to one of the owners, so it takes a lot of guesswork out. They just had a Hamlet event, and ran some special. It was a discounted bundle of these, like a half box of freebies and a free ashtray. I thought the ashtray was going to be crappy and plastic but https://i.imgur.com/cjmA7fp.jpg Hamlet is an exquisite craftsman, and a competent blender. After all the super heavy spice bombs and a craving for more Cuban flavors, this is really hitting the spot.
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# ? Jul 16, 2020 03:55 |
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I have some of Hamlets custom rolls from his time working in Cuba. I should dig into a few of them but they are all huge smokes including his “flying pig” which is supposedly a 3.5 hour smoke.
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# ? Jul 16, 2020 04:07 |
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Holy moly! That's gotta be great. One of the freebies I got from this promo was a culebra - never had one before, so it'll be fun! Tatuaje Havana VI No. 5s and San Cristobal Revelation Prophets were on the pickup today as well. Not all for me, thankfully! Hopefully you'll post a trip report on that flying pig if/when you smoke it
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# ? Jul 16, 2020 04:32 |
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I’ve had it for 8 years and I still haven’t smoked it. 3 hours is also kind of hard to come by these days
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# ? Jul 16, 2020 04:38 |
Had a Nub Connecticut today. I need to be a bit more aggressive in sparking up my Nubs, cause I've had a couple get a bit of the cone shape in the cherry from not getting fully lit in the middle. Still a great smoke though, overwhelming vanilla custard flavor. They're really doing something right down there. Followed up with the Rocky Patel 1990 maduro perfecto, which remains and excellent, reliable short smoke. The only downside with that one is that the pinched tip makes you sort of work to get it started up, which makes me hesitate to share it with people who aren't regulars. Great flavor though, with loads of smoke. In terms of long smokes I spent 2.5 hours on a My Father Opulencia. 3.5 hours sounds unbelievable.
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# ? Jul 16, 2020 05:45 |
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These sticks are dry as hell. I keep my tupperdoor at 65% and it's dropped 3% since I put them in.
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# ? Jul 16, 2020 15:21 |
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Yeah, seems like some of the Antillas and Centurions I got need to bed down for a week or two. Cigar maintenance is a funny thing. I think Cigar Page and similar vendors rely so much on fast turnaround and cheaping out on packaging that the smokes aren't all that happy when they arrive. I'm gonna be ordering those same sticks from Fox Cigar in a month or so to test the hypothesis. Maybe an extra $1/stick is worth the better shipping conditions and samples. @Kenning, the conical ember was from smoking too fast or too hard, hopefully this will help: https://tobacconistuniversity.org/faq_smoking_too_hot.php
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# ? Jul 16, 2020 17:55 |
So, I'm aware of the smoking too hot thing, and I've been pretty good at slowing down and letting the cherry catch up on some other cigars. Sometimes though I feel like I'm smoking too hot and I let it cool off a bit and then it feels like I lose all the heat and have to really puff to get it going again, so we get back to smoking too hot. Is this a lighting issue (i.e. I'm not getting an even light to begin with), or should I let it go all the way out and clear off the ash and char and start fresh?
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# ? Jul 16, 2020 20:10 |
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Dry your sticks out a little before you smoke them. I usually throw whatever in smoking/planning on smoking for the day in a dry cigar box in the AM and smoke it in the evening. Seems to help a little bit but I also keep my sticks a little drier anyway.
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# ? Jul 16, 2020 20:39 |
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In addition to dry boxing, while smoking I'll frequently take a long, slow exhale out through the cigar then let it rest a minute or two before smoking again. This can help even out the burn without passing fresh oxygen and fuel to the hottest end parts. I will also say that Nub hasn't necessarily been my marca of choice for a bad spate of cigars from them, but uhhh there are so many variables that it's hard to pin down hard truths.
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# ? Jul 16, 2020 22:27 |
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I’m smoking an AJ Fernandez Indomina and I have to say this is the most pleasant cigar I’ve smoked in a few days. It started off a bit earthy, a little sweet, light note of spices, and caramel. Second half is milk chocolate and coffee with a tiny hint of spice. I’m still smoking it but was so excited I had to come post about. This is the first Famous Smoke exclusive that seems to be well worth it. You can get them for under $3 a cigar and I might buy a five pack so I can revisit this. If you shop on Famous Smoke or Cigar Auctioneer I would highly recommend checking this out for the price. I’ve been trying to churn through the lower end sampler cigars I bought because I have a bunch of nicer things coming and I need to free up some space, this was a very pleasant surprise.
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# ? Jul 16, 2020 23:13 |
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I had to pitch an 01 r&j churchill. It was good for about 15 minutes then turned bland as hell. Replaced it with a Diplomatico Espana RE which is better.
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# ? Jul 17, 2020 00:35 |
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Having a Tatuaje Havana VI Verocru. The 4" x 40rg come in 50 cabs and are permanent members of the humidor. The standard Havana VI blend didn't do much for me, but these guys are great. Devil's Food Cake, red wine, dark chocolate, cereal grains, and salt. I really ought to pick up a few of the larger vitolas to see how they scale up.
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# ? Jul 17, 2020 04:14 |
Mrenda posted:Not necessarily for nicotine sickness, although it would work for it, but just as a general accompaniment to cigars, but especially a lot of pipe tobacco I find sugary tea with a bit of milk goes well. Irish/English breakfast tea, one or two teaspoons of sugar to taste, and a drop of milk. Quoting to say that this is an excellent choice. My go-to had been an Old Fashioned with cigars, but I've been having heartburn/not sleeping very well lately so I've not been drinking on weeknights to see if that helps. A simple English breakfast with milk and sugar was an excellent accompaniment with the Rocky 1990 perfecto tonight. Highly recommended for when you're keeping it low key. Ophidian posted:Dry your sticks out a little before you smoke them. I usually throw whatever in smoking/planning on smoking for the day in a dry cigar box in the AM and smoke it in the evening. Seems to help a little bit but I also keep my sticks a little drier anyway. This is a great idea, and I will be putting it into practice tomorrow.
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# ? Jul 17, 2020 09:37 |
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Just smoked a La Aurora 1495 Connecticut which was excellent. Perfect early cigar, mild to medium, the flavor profile didn’t change a ton but one of the more enjoyable Connecticuts I’ve smoked in recent history. The 1495 Brazil was also really good and one of my higher rated cigars in my journal. The original 1495 was a Sumatra and there is also a corojo and a Cameroon version as well but I haven’t tried any of them. I’d recommend the Brazil and Connecticut for sure. Nothing mind blowing but definitely quality smokes. Edit: Smoked a Padron 5000 Natural during my work virtual happy hour. Was pretty good, felt like a traditional cigar’s cigar. I’m gonna need you guys to increase the posting so I don’t start having conversations with myself haha. Lyon fucked around with this message at 23:15 on Jul 17, 2020 |
# ? Jul 17, 2020 17:44 |
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Having an Illusione Rothschild, and I'm very, very happy. I'm also kinda grumbly because my humidor doesn't love getting a bunch of cigars put in it all at once. Quarantine smoking rate (and concomitant restocking) is really throwing the ecosystem out of whack. Now everything kinda needs to bed down. Guess our house will just buy stuff once a week and put some aside before restocking to give us a few days' grace. Might want to do the same if you're doing a big restocking trip!
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# ? Jul 17, 2020 23:56 |
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NewFatMike posted:Having an Illusione Rothschild, and I'm very, very happy. I have a few single cigar bids out on CigarBid including the Illusione Rothschild and the Tatuaje Havana VI Verocru. I keep on the lookout for the cigars from that list you posted in the previous thread. Speaking of putting a bunch of cigars in all at once I got drunk (really drunk) for the first time in a while and made some terrible CigarAuctioneer decisions. On the positive side most of the cigars were decent but on the negative side I ordered a stupid amount of cigars that I just barely managed to cram into my Tupperware. I got a 10 pack of Flor de las Antillas, 5 pack of Padron 5000, Ashton 5 cigar sampler, Kristoff 8 cigar sampler, a Perdomo sampler with mostly cigars I haven’t tried, Nub 4 cigar sampler, Villiger 5 cigar sampler, and one bad Famous Smoke sampler that’s my only true regret other than the unnecessary amount of cigars.
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# ? Jul 18, 2020 04:30 |
Kenning posted:This is a great idea, and I will be putting it into practice tomorrow. Lol, I did this and when I checked the humidity in my humidor was 67 and out of my humidor it was 77. Whoops. Flor de las Antillas maduro torpedo tonight. The box press on that cigar makes it intensely elegant and comfortable to hold. Smokes like hell too, rich and spicy.
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# ? Jul 18, 2020 05:24 |
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Smoked a Nub Connecticut (3 3/4” x 58) and it was really good with my coffee. The Nub sampler came with a larger punch meant for wider ring gauges. I prefer a punch to cutters so maybe this will help with my dislike of large ring gauge cigars.
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# ? Jul 18, 2020 20:19 |
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It is probably just me but the two master blends 3 robustos I've smoked (the second an hour ago) have kicked my rear end. Even after a full meal I start to really feel it halfway through. Nap time is nice though.
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# ? Jul 18, 2020 22:53 |
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Kenning posted:Quoting to say that this is an excellent choice. My go-to had been an Old Fashioned with cigars, but I've been having heartburn/not sleeping very well lately so I've not been drinking on weeknights to see if that helps. A simple English breakfast with milk and sugar was an excellent accompaniment with the Rocky 1990 perfecto tonight. Highly recommended for when you're keeping it low key. I'm really glad you tried the breakfast tea with a cigar and it worked well. I've never seen the combination discussed anywhere, but it really worked for me, so it was entirely a suggestion based on my own trials. Someone else saying the combo worked for them means it might actually be "a thing."
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# ? Jul 18, 2020 22:59 |
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Nondescript Van posted:It is probably just me but the two master blends 3 robustos I've smoked (the second an hour ago) have kicked my rear end. Even after a full meal I start to really feel it halfway through. Try drinking more water and a slightly sugary drink.
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# ? Jul 18, 2020 23:00 |
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# ? May 21, 2024 17:13 |
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I had some friends over yesterday and I smoked a Man O’ War box pressed and a Perdomo Habano Maduro. Both were enjoyable enough but I don’t think I’d seek out either one again. I have one more of each that I can try sometime in the future.
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# ? Jul 19, 2020 19:48 |