Cigars and Wine - Who'd a Thunk!?

[PortlandZinMan]

Good day, all...

OK... Been here a week - read the newbie material, posted the intro, spent hours with the search tool and found lots of great info and even made a few lame comments in a few threads to make sure I knew how to work this thing... (Did I miss anything?)

First thing I learned here - buy a separate humidor for my Kahlua's (I know, I know!!) - Done
Second thing I learned - Heartfelt beads (purchased, received and replace the foam jobbies today) - Done
Third - I don't know diddely about how to select brands/types for my next batch of cigars - drowning in reviews!!

Let me start out with the fact that I drink wine - whereas we have a great group of cigar-snobs (term of respect), I am a wine-snob. I had the pleasure of enjoying a nice cigar a few months back at a local wine tasting...I found the Macanudo Gold I was given complimented the Cab I was drinking rather nicely and the quest began.

As an ex-cigarette smoker, I was a bit reluctant at first, but with a maximum limit of one stick (see ... getting the hang of the lingo!) a day, I hope to not go into remission.

Since then, I have tried a wide variety of cigars ... from mild to some Opus thing that damn near killed me. I have found so far, that milder cigars are needed in order to not kill my palate when sharing the experience with a glass of fine wine.

My question to you experts is...if you had a hundred bucks and wanted to try some additional "mild cigars", what would you (1) Recommend I look at and (2) where is a decent internet place to order/buy singles (my local shop is too expensive).

I looked into the newbie pass - but don't want to place a "mild cigar only" restriction on that outstanding group of folks supporting that fine cause (yet)!

Thanks in advance,

 

[ChiTown_Huck]

I would not necessarily say you need mild cigars; although, your palette is your own so you will ultimately be the judge. But, sometimes pairing wine and cigars is similar to food and wine. I bolder cigar like an Opus can go very well with a big, spicy Zin. Port is a fabulous pairing with cigars and stands up very well.

As far as what you asked, I also enjoy a Don Carlos or Hemingways with wine; although I am not sure they are mild. I am not a big fan because I like bigger cigars, but you can not go wrong with Davidoff. As far as ordering on line, I usually purchase at my B&M, so I can not help you there.

 

[ilcchef2]

I like the Mac Golds as a mild cigar too, I also recommend the Don Diego Playboy, I think they are available from www.jrcigar.com .

 

[nathan9999]

I personally don't usually smoke anything real mild, as I prefer a nice hearty cigar. And though this doesn't help you at all, I did want to add that if you're ordering online, stay away from Thompson, as we have had to return several orders because of damage to the product. We have always had pretty good luck with CigarsInternational.com, and to that extent, if you check out their samplers, they have some they craft based on cigar strength, so you can order a mild or medium sampler of several different smokes and find exactly where your taste lies. Link below to CI sampler.

http://www.cigarsinternational.com/prodDis...TP02&cat=16

 

[smellysell]

Give Al (puffstuff) or Mark (NorCalMark) a call. They all own/run shops and will hook you up with a nice sampler. Always good to support members and they are all great guys.

edit: There are a bunch of other great vendors on CP, but these are the two that I buy from.

 

[moki]

Davidoff will have a number of cigars that will interest you

 

[Devil Doc]

In my experience, wine, especially dry reds, do not pair well at all. This of course does not include fortified wines like port.

Doc.

 

[CigarStone]

If you can find Temple Hall Estates it is the best mild I ever smoked and I smoked them all for a number of years (till I joined here).

I used to buy them from JR cigars, don't know if they still have them..

 

[NullSmurf]

Find yourself a tobacconist there in Portland. If that's not practical, give a call to any (or all) of several tobacconists who contribute here. Al - Puffstuff, Isy at Uptown Cigars, Mark at Tower, gmiranda, just to name a few. Talk it out with them.

 

[PortlandZinMan]

Just wanted to thank everyone who chimed in - great stuff that will put me on to the right direction. Much appreciated!

 

[MoeCizlak]

I tried port for the first time this weekend. Paired with a Party Short, it was a great combination. I've never tried regular wine with a cigar but this port was great.

 

[Baird]

In my experience, wine, especially dry reds, do not pair well at all. This of course does not include fortified wines like port.

Doc.

+1.

I just joined Cigarpass today but I am also a wine geek (I have almost 1000 bottles in my collection). I have experimented with dry red wines and cigars over the years and they just don't work together IMO. Even a huge bodied Cab or Shiraz seems to get washed out by the cigar aftertaste. Vintage ports, Aussie stickys and sherries are different stories and can be amazing.

Also, you mention cigarettes and cigars... I smoked cigarettes for 20+ years and quit all tobacco smoking almost 3 years ago. I started up smoking cigars in March of this year with a vigor and the thought of smoking a cigarette is the furthest thing from my mind. I sucessfully smoke cigars with no thoughts of having a cigarette... so it can be done!

Lastly, If you are interested in milder cigars, look at Macanudo and some of the Fuente cigars (Hemmingways are favorites of mine).