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Cigar 101?

R

Redonkulous6

New Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2021
Messages
14
Location
Sugar Hill, GA
All, this thread may already exist but I could not find it, perhaps lost to time. Whatever the case I am a complete newb and I feel like I have been posting questions in the wrong places. Especially because they seem to be common knowledge to everyone else.

As a newbie, I am overwhelmed on cigar sizes, key terms, types, cutters, ettiquette, what is an acceptable frequency to smoke, should it take me this long, why can I not discern particular flavors, etc.

Therefore, can someone point me to a thread that addresses new to the hobby questions or start sharing your thoughts and advice here?

It is greatly appreciated!

Kris R.
 
Each of those are separate questions and are answered in separate threads. Don't make a lot of work out of smoking a cigar. Most of the questions you asked above could be answered differently by 12 people and they could all be right for them.

Cigar sizes - Try them all until you find what you fancy
Key terms - See here - https://www.cigarpass.com/community/threads/new-to-cigars-info-for-you.47385/
Cutters - There are many types and I know personally my taste has changed on these quite a bit. (Straight, V cut, punch, Sissor)
What is an acceptable frequency to smoke - All about your lifestyle, I personally smoke 1 a day ish
Should it take me this long - Yep, that's part of the experience.
Why can I not discern particular flavors - This comes with experience, its like asking why you can't sink the first 3 point shot you've ever tried. This comes with YEARS of experience.

Best advise is to just keep reading, and take each question as its own question and read a lot.
 
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Cigar sizes - It can take a couple of hours, maybe more, to smoke some of the larger/longer cigars. Plan accordingly, last thing you want to do is try to rush through a big cigar to finish it before your available time runs out. The other thing to avoid is smoking too fast. It's hard for me to slow down, I tend to smoke too fast if I don't pay attention to what I'm doing. I've seen a puff a minute used as a good rate, shoot for that but don't freak out if you only go 45 seconds between puffs - just try to take it slow and you'll figure it out.

What is an acceptable frequency to smoke - Whatever you have time for. I like to smoke a cigar as soon as I get home from work and then one a little later in the evening. I can't squeeze two 2 hour cigars in and have any time left to do much of anything else, so it's an hour cigar early and an hour cigar later. But on the weekends I'm a lot more flexible and can deal with longer smokes. Or more smokes, I smoked a dozen cigars from last Friday noon to Saturday evening.

Why can I not discern particular flavors - I can't, either. I can tell a cigar I enjoy from one I enjoy less or don't enjoy, but I almost never get any flavor other than what I'd describe as "cigar flavor". I don't dwell on it, I think my taste buds are shot anyway from long before cigars came around. I find poor draw or construction at least as off-putting as the flavor. I've never tossed a cigar over the flavor, but I've had a couple that I couldn't smoke due to construction.

Remember, it's a journey. You'll need to try a few different things, maybe make a mistake or two along the way, feel your way along the path until you figure out what works for your taste - and your taste might even change along the way. What you really liked at first may not be your choice in a year, who knows?
 
Those two nailed it. I'll add that for cigar sizes ("vitola"), many different brands ("marcas") use their own unique sizing names/designations. Where at one time cigars were pretty much standardized, from what I understand the cigar boom of the 80s/early 90s diluted this as brands created "signature" vitolas and tried to stand out from the crowd. So, what one marca bills as their robusto (traditionally a 5 x 50), another marca may be anywhere from 4.5 to 5.5 and I've seen advertised robustos as large as 54 ring gauge. Don't be surprised if you see this in your purchase searches and it makes you scratch your head -- not just limited to robustos; that was just an example.
 
Patience young grasshopper, patience. This "hobby" is meant to be enjoyed and you will do that as we all have over a period of time. You will continue to learn as we all still do. YOUR palate rules, so read what you may here but what we express is our palate talking. Take it with a grain of salt. Never be afraid to try a new stick, they will make their own statement, you are the final judge. It is meant to be fun and relaxing, so go have some fun and share with us.
 
Pugman1943 said:
Patience young grasshopper, patience. This "hobby" is meant to be enjoyed and you will do that as we all have over a period of time. You will continue to learn as we all still do. YOUR palate rules, so read what you may here but what we express is our palate talking. Take it with a grain of salt. Never be afraid to try a new stick, they will make their own statement, you are the final judge. It is meant to be fun and relaxing, so go have some fun and share with us.
Click to expand...
GREAT ADVICE..
here is an article that exemplifies your point exactly, as a hobby.

‘Learn How to Smoke a Cigar As Your New Hobby’​


www.notsoboringlife.com

How to Smoke a Cigar

If you're looking for a way to pass the time, consider learning how to smoke a cigar. It's a cheap hobby you can enjoy solo or with friends!
www.notsoboringlife.com www.notsoboringlife.com
 
yes, patience is a virgin o_O when it comes to the cigar hobby so, take your time young grasshopper.

AFA being a cheap hobby; hobbies are often not typically 'cheap' but if you're like me, you could have one hobby that pays for your cigar consumption.
I buy, play, and sale guitars, and the $$$$ I make from guitar sales pays for my cigar purchases. It's great to have one hobby that pays for one of your other hobbies. I'm not a blue blood so, I gotsta B creative. :D
 
Redonkulous6 said:
All, this thread may already exist but I could not find it, perhaps lost to time. Whatever the case I am a complete newb and I feel like I have been posting questions in the wrong places. Especially because they seem to be common knowledge to everyone else.

As a newbie, I am overwhelmed on cigar sizes, key terms, types, cutters, ettiquette, what is an acceptable frequency to smoke, should it take me this long, why can I not discern particular flavors, etc.

Therefore, can someone point me to a thread that addresses new to the hobby questions or start sharing your thoughts and advice here?

It is greatly appreciated!

Kris R.
Click to expand...
Hi mate! I would actually recommend either any of the Kirby Allison videos with the Sahakians or The Curiosity Project have been doing some amazing stuff with Hunters and Frankau, in particular there is an episode called Cigar 101, worth a check out.
 
Thank you for bumping this 5 month old thread to plug your podcast. Of course, if this is anything like your first post, you're just plugging your podcast and will never actually see this. @OhmsLaw
 
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