Hello NEW Cigar here, Is this a good start ?

[mrjones]

I received the samplers but the pardon sampler may not be in great condition.  The look to be in good shape to me but I am no expert, there is a little bit of chipping and peeling on the caps.  Take a look at this picture, do you think I should send them back or let them settle and they are good to go?
 
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[Danforz]

I agree with the above post. Besides, nothing wrong with a little filler. I can't afford to eat filet mignon and lobster every night but a good burger will always hit the spot.

 
Well said! 

Yes, you're off to a great start! May I advise purchasing an "active" humidity tool rather than the foam that comes with your humidor. 

Daniel 

 

[golfgar]

I would only advise one thing on the "filler" sugars, when you smoke them smoke them slow and don't let them get too hot it will warp the flavor and not in a good way.

 

[mrjones]

Thought you guys might be interested in an update.  First, My humidor reached 82% after one week with the bovidea 84% packs in it so I believe it is seasoned. I will wait a few more days then change the packs to 65% then add the cigars.  So far I have smoked 2 cigars, the first one was the Vegas gold classic which I didn't like very much all I could taste was tobacco although this may be due to the fact I over lit with my lighter, as golfrgar suggested.  The second one was the AF short story and I really enjoyed that one a lot I could taste other flavors and I like the fact they shipped the box with a 2 way humidity pack inside which made it pretty much good to go when it arrived. I also added a box of bolivar PCs based on a recommendation and look forward to trying those.  And finally sorry about the spelling errors in the other posts there is really no excuse for that in the modern age heh but in my defense I was using a new phone and it was making some interesting auto corrections.

 

[WindingDown]

While I'm a few months late I feel like I should throw in my 2 cents. You'll find cigars you like in all price ranges and the only way to know if you like it is to try it. For me, just talking to someone at your local B&M and explaining what kind of flavors you generally like to taste can go a long way. You can also look at the reviews of cigars in online retail sites. I haven't quite hit that point in my life where I'm making enough that I can justify dropping $20 per stick but that hasn't stopped me from finding cigars I enjoy.

You'll see "smoke what you like" all over this forum so do just that, and starting out the way you did is certainly one way to figure out what you like. Just smoke a lot of different ones and figure out what flavors you like and go from there. To each there own but for me just buying samplers or 5-packs have worked for finding new cigars I enjoy.

Hope you're enjoying this hobby/lifestyle!