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Suggestions Requested

Juanote

The sound of one hand fapping
Joined
Apr 5, 2013
Messages
817
This noob needs guidance, and I haven't found this topic directly addressed.
 
Can anyone suggest which smokes combine the pinnacle of rich flavor, powerful body and strength? I gather Opus X fits the bill already, but I'm hoping you all can name some readily available smokes. (I plan to acquire some Opus X, but it appears that patience will be required.)
 
Any suggestions? Let's push the envelope of what normal human beings should be able to tolerate, as I am clearly abnormal. Whatever suggestions you have, believe me, this former Marlboro Red chain smoker can handle them as long as the flavor itself isn't foul.
 
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
 
Juanote said:
LFD chisel
 
This, but smoke it for breakfast!  ;)
 
Challenged accepted
 
If I puke or wuss out before the nub is fully expended, I'll post that info here. ;)

A real man would pair it with Lagvulin 16 or maybe something cask strength. You can't beat a chisel and Lagavulin 16 at 6 am.
 
sigar_zealot said:
LFD chisel
 
This, but smoke it for breakfast!  ;)
 
Challenged accepted
 
If I puke or wuss out before the nub is fully expended, I'll post that info here. ;)A real man would pair it with Lagvulin 16 or maybe something cask strength. You can't beat a chisel and Lagavulin 16 at 6 am.
I like where this is headed. :) I feel like Br'er Rabbit: please don't throw me in the briar patch! :D

Tell you what, I'll pull the trigger on the Lagavulin Distiller's Edition and pair it with the chisel for breakfast. There will be pics and honest reporting. And I'm quite interested in discovering if there is a limit to what I can enjoy in terms of power, because so far I see no evidence of it.
 
When asked to describe the "pinnacle of rich flavor, powerful body and strength", as cigar smokers, we all know that is subjective. There are a few factors that must be considered before replying to such a request.
 
1) Are you a new smoker or a seasoned veteran? A new smoker wouldn't enjoy a stronger tobacco taste while someone with a few more years experience would. Stronger cigars are usually better appreciated over time if you slowly ramp up your palate. To go from enjoying a lighter bodied cigar to a stronger cigar too quickly may be a little intimidating to your taste buds.
 
2) Where are you presently in your smoking cycle? Most of us who smoke frequently have a tendency to vary the strength of the cigars we smoke over time. My personal smoking cycle would look like a 'sine wave' if charted over 12 months regarding the strength of cigars I smoke. When I smoke a lot of stronger cigars, I find I loose their taste over time...call it taste bud overload if you will. When I reach that point (the top of the 'sine wave') I usually stop smoking for a while and then slowly reintroduce my palate to a medium body smoke (bottom of the 'sine wave') when I start up again. For this reason I buy many different strength cigars to accommodate this personal pattern.
 
3) Can you you psychologically handle a strong cigar? I know many cigar smokers who have enjoyed cigars for 30 to 40 years and still can't mentally handle a strong cigar. By that I mean I would offer them a cigar outside their normal smoking habit and once lit and smoked for a few minutes, they say it's not for them...too strong on the tongue. I would further explain that the cigar will smooth out over time, maybe outside the first third, and still they would refuse to continue smoking it. Once they experience that initial stronger bite on their palate, their brain says 'NO MORE'.
 
4) If you try a stronger cigar and enjoy it, will your existing inventory of cigars withstand the switch? Let's say you are smoker who consistently enjoys a light to medium bodied smoke and your humidor shows that taste based on what you've already purchased...once you experiment with a fuller bodied cigar and decide you like it, your cache of cigars will prove to be less attractive 'taste wise'. While this experiment did expand your appreciation to a whole new realm of cigars, usually your pocketbook suffers in the pursuit of this different taste profile. The upside of this experiment is that you wind up with a much more diversified inventory of cigars to fuel the 'sine wave' approach to smoking.
 
Even as a former cigarette smoker, you may be surprised how different a strong cigar can be tolerated due to the increased amount of nicotine in the tobacco.
 
As a few members have posted before me, Tatuaje make quite a few fuller bodied cigars. Stopping at your local B&M should satisfy your curiosity with a sampling of a few different blends. I personally don't smoke a lot of Opus X as they just don't hit the sweet spot of my palate...and God knows I've smoked more than I should have in the pursuit of finding one I like. I also think they lose their flavor over time if aged over 6-8 years. To experiment with them to experience fuller bodied smokes, I think it's cost prohibitive when their are many other you could try for less money...the Chisel as was previously mentioned is a nice fuller bodied smoke for less money. You may want to try the Fuente Anejo line of cigars, while not full bodied, they are a nice step up from a lighter cigar and reasonably priced for a 'premium cigar'. Some of the new CroMag cigars are worthy of a try as well...as is the new Viaje Super Shot line...12ga and 10ga.
 
Good luck on your journey, it's trips like this that instill the passion of this hobby within us all.
 
 
 
 
Thanks for an extremely thoughtful and eloquent reply.

Those are all extremely valid and useful considerations, and I regret that I neither understood bro considered them before handing a novice an Ashton VSG Torp. Unfortunately I believe his taste for cigars was permanently damaged by the experience. Not having researched the cigar before falling in love at first smoke I only appreciated its delicious flavor with no idea of the way most people experience its strength, and erroneously considered it medium bodied due to its extreme smoothness. I can tear through them in half an hour if I am not careful, so I have to watch it.

I do not enjoy any of the lighter smokes I have had, though I do enjoy medium bodied smokes provided they are flavorful. Hemingways come to mind there. Any dog rockets I've encountered were that simply due to poor flavor rather than power. I've aggressively smoked many large and powerful cigars back to back without so much as a hint of a nicotine buzz. When I used to roll my own Drum smokes sometimes my lips would go numb, but that is the only symptom associated with tobacco ingestion I've experienced since I first learned to smoke Marlboro Reds when I was 12.

So I am in the debt of anyone that can help me establish, at least at this point, the location of my current limitations. Thank you for your very thoughtful and useful suggestions and please, do not hold back on account of concerns about overwhelming my tolerance for tobacco. If somehow I am bested by a smoke due to its strength, I will try to at least extract the maximum amount of amusement out of the experience for everyone to enjoy.
 
Ironpeddler, you certainly did give me a lot to think about I have to say. And as I turn it over in my mind it occurs to me that you make a number of valid and subtle points. Perhaps I would be better served to take things more slowly instead of charging up the slopes at a gallop.
 
As the bull said to his son, instead of charging down into the valley and mounting the first cow encountered, let us meander down there and carefully select our amusements along the way.
 
Thanks again.
 
Juanote said:
Ironpeddler, you certainly did give me a lot to think about I have to say. And as I turn it over in my mind it occurs to me that you make a number of valid and subtle points. Perhaps I would be better served to take things more slowly instead of charging up the slopes at a gallop.
 
As the bull said to his son, instead of charging down into the valley and mounting the first cow encountered, let us meander down there and carefully select our amusements along the way.
 
Thanks again.
 
Glad to be of service my friend!
 
I'm a fan of stronger, fuller flavored smokes myself, Juanote, although I gave up on chasing that "overkill" factor 5-6 years ago.  Still, I find myself all too often at tasting events trying some maker's wares only to say "Gee . . . that was adorable. Now I think I'll go have a REAL cigar."  :laugh:
 
A few that haven't been mentioned yet:
 
San Cristobal---the original blend, not the del Sol or Elegancia.  Deep, rich, dark, heavy, full-bodied flavor. Not a nicotine powerhouse per se, I don't think, but always a very satisfying and strong cigar.
 
God of Fire Carlito---especially the double robusto tubo, for some reason.  I love the complex flavor profile, and I love the way I feel the "nic hit" in my body with every puff.
 
Camacho Diploma 11/18---the maduro version has a smoother, sweeter flavor profile.  Both have genuine asskickery to spare.  Incidentally, Camacho's annual 'Liberty' releases tend to be incredibly strong cigars.  The '06, iirc, was just phenomenally over the top in that regard.
 
Enjoy!
 
~Boar
 
Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply and also to educate me where needed. Even the guy that said embalming fluid. :D
 
I do have one other related query. If you had to answer the same question only this time with CC, what would you have said?
 
Partagas, Hoyo de Monterrey, Bolivar and some vitolas of Romeo y Juliet are your CC powerhouses, in my opinion.
 
Cohiba, Montecristo, H. Upmann, and Quay D'Orsay are your good strong medium smokes. 
 
Boar might quote this comment and respond with "You think Partagas are strong cigars?!  Hahaha you pathetic little man"
Or Ironpeddler might respond with "Oh my, you smoke Bolivars?  I can't handle those strong cigars. You're a brave man"
 
Everyone's palate is different.  Try them all.  Smoke what you like. 
 
NASTY said:
Partagas, Hoyo de Monterrey, Bolivar and some vitolas of Romeo y Juliet are your CC powerhouses, in my opinion.
 
Cohiba, Montecristo, H. Upmann, and Quay D'Orsay are your good strong medium smokes. 
 
Boar might quote this comment and respond with "You think Partagas are strong cigars?!  Hahaha you pathetic little man"
Or Ironpeddler might respond with "Oh my, you smoke Bolivars?  I can't handle those strong cigars. You're a brave man"
 
Everyone's palate is different.  Try them all.  Smoke what you like. 
 
carLOS, I was smoking Bolivars back when your life was in danger of being deposited into a tissue. ;)
 
In my experience, smoke a CC young and it will have more strength than any aged. Partagas , SD4 or P2, RASCC, bolivar RC, RASS, Cohiba esplendido, Cohiba siglo VI, I've only heard/read that RyJ cazadores pack a punch.

I remember reading a post a while back that mentioned taste bud burnout? How many do you smoke? And all at one sitting? Have you ever tried to not smoke for a bit to rest your palate?

Try smoking some that are mild but flavorful, see if that changes anything. I would suggest a EPC Connecticut.

Happy smoking!

C
 
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