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Good Cigars or Dog Rockets

Some good smokes in there. Keep after your humidity, it's key to enjoying a nice cigar.

If I can offer one word of humidity advice: Beads.
 
jgohlke said:
Some good smokes in there. Keep after your humidity, it's key to enjoying a nice cigar.

If I can offer one word of humidity advice: Beads.
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Beads went in last Sunday. Holding steady at 65%RH. It will be interesting to see if some of the tight draw problems go away at 65%. It was at 70%.
 
Speaking in generalities, I'm not a big fan of most of the "Cuban Named" NCs, but none of those sticks are by any means dog rockets, I'd smoke any of those. That actually looks alot like what I started with. And the LGCs are one of my go-to everyday smokes.

Dog rockets usually means the off brand no-name crap that act as the filler for CI and Famous Smoke Catalogues.
 
I'm pretty new to cigars as well, but have found a number of resources that assist me in making decisions. Personally, I like Rocky Patel's, Ashton's, Avo's. They aren't the cheapest, but they work for me. I suggest going for sampler packs. Famous-smoke.com has a ton of them and God knows I've spent to much money there over the past 2 months (don't ask). Either way, just go and try it. You don't have to buy the Opus X's or Ashton ESG's to have a good smoke experience.
 
Krautle87 said:
Dog rockets usually means the off brand no-name crap that act as the filler for CI and Famous Smoke Catalogues.
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Exactly! For example:

- Don Barret
- Andros
- Flor de Oliva
- DonTomas
- Olor Fuerte

:whistling:
 
I agree that Don Tomas used to suck donkey balls, but the new figurado lines are actually a pleasant smoke. Well made, mild and tasty. Flor de Oliva is not to my taste and I don't think I've tried the others. I'd definitely recommend staying away from Pirate's Gold. Those were some of the worst cigars I've ever had in my life.

Wilkey
 
Some good stuff out there can be had for a low budget, usually from online vendors. When in doubt, split!!

Padron 2k
Joya de Nicaragua
Avo Domaine
La Aroma de Cuba
Gran Habano (I never really found the appeal of this cigar, but it has a large following)
Torano Exodus 1959
Oliva Serie G/V/O/S
El Cobre by Oliva
DPG Cuban Classic

The list goes on.

Then there is the idea of Seconds, such as Private Stock, Consuegra, the list goes on.

Some of the more expensive stuff I smoked wasn't worth the hype, such as the Partagas 160.

Price shouldn't be a major factor in enjoyment, but it usually is a major factor in acquisitions. When you are more accustomed to certain flavors, and find your own niche, then the boxes become a considerable investment. Until then, sample as many cigars as you can. That's the fun of starting out.
 
Nice cross section of cigars to start with. You just have to narrow down what you like in a cigar. Pay attention to the manufacturer of the cigar. Many brand names, many fewer manufacturers. Pay attention to the countries of origin of the tobaccos you seem to prefer, then you can look for them in a cigar.

For instance, over the years, I have learned that I prefer an Ecuadorian sungrown wrapper, so I seek them out. I have also learned that I prefer primarly Nicaraguan tobacco in a cigar (in NCs), and many Nicaraguan puros. My second choice is strong Honduran tobacco.

These things you learn from experimentation,and paying attention to the constituent tobaccos of what you smoke. It all comes with time. Good luck.
 
Again, thanks for the input everyone. You brought up several points I had not considered. Things like type of tobacco used. I had considered country of origin for the cigar, but not the tobacco itself.

I am not able to pick out specific flavors but I have noticed considerable differences between cigars. For example the CAO Gold had what I believe most would describe as a toasty flavor. I would describe it more as a California Brush Fire taste/smell. I will try another in a few months to see if my opinion changes.

The H. Upman IMO did not have much flavor at all, and the La Gloria Cubana was good until it started oozing tar. The HdM Dark Sumatra was listed as a full body cigar which made me a little leery of trying one. It was one of the most enjoyable and flavorful smokes I have tried so far. I found it to be more of a medium body smoke.

In any case, I will keep trying various brands/blends to find what I really like. I see a trip to the B&M after work today to pick up a few Padron X000’s that were suggested.
 
I agree with everyone here, those are some pretty nice smokes and if you enjoy them... smoke them and while you do develop your palate!

But be warned once you try: Tat's, DPG's, Anejo's, PAM's, VSG's .... You will get hooked!
 
Ginseng said:
I'd definitely recommend staying away from Pirate's Gold. Those were some of the worst cigars I've ever had in my life.
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Wilkey, everytime I see your posts about your likes/dislikes in cigars, it's almost identical to my impressions of the smoke. It's scary.

And yes, someone gifted a Pirate's Gold, so I lit it up when working on the brakes to my car. I honestly think gathering up the brake dust off my rotors and snorting it would have been more pleasant. It lasted less than a couple inches.
 
Boomer52 said:
The HdM Dark Sumatra was listed as a full body cigar which made me a little leery of trying one. It was one of the most enjoyable and flavorful smokes I have tried so far. I found it to be more of a medium body smoke.
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Same here. It is medium to full in body (meaning the weight of the smoke and its texture in the mouth) but is barely medium in terms of nicotine strength. You'll find that the industry uses terms like body, strength, and power inconsistently from maker to maker and vendor to vendor.

Wilkey
 
JetDr said:
Has anyone ever read something he wrote and disagreed? I don't see any hands.
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Oooh, Oooh, OOOH!

Wilkey's full of crap. The sun's shining at night too, we just can't see it. Unless, you know, it's reflected off of the moon. :p

LGC and JR Ult are fine, not very expensive cigars IMO.
 
Ginseng said:
Boomer52 said:
The HdM Dark Sumatra was listed as a full body cigar which made me a little leery of trying one. It was one of the most enjoyable and flavorful smokes I have tried so far. I found it to be more of a medium body smoke.
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Same here. It is medium to full in body (meaning the weight of the smoke and its texture in the mouth) but is barely medium in terms of nicotine strength. You'll find that the industry uses terms like body, strength, and power inconsistently from maker to maker and vendor to vendor.

Wilkey
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I agree and found that out when a local lounge owner gave me a Camacho Corojo to try. He said it was a full bodied cigar. Now that was a powerful cigar in comparison to the HdM Dark Sumatra. I enjoyed the experience, but it was a little too full bodied/strong for my current tastes.

I have also noticed that different vendors will rate the same cigar differently as far as body/strength goes. I understand this is subjective, but sometimes they are not even close.

As far as nicotine strength, in my mind that is a separate issue. I have had some mild cigars that have had more nicotine than some of the more full bodied smokes.
 
BlindedByScience said:
...I see one name missing; Padron. You can get the Padron x000 series (2000, 3000, 4000, etc.) for very reasonable prices.
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I found these just last week and I have to agree. And after Festivus I will put a box or two away.

Your list looks good, I'd also recommend the [topic="0"]NST[/topic] as a low cost way to find more smokes. I found Connies this way.
 
The Hoyo Dark Sumatra is one of my favorite cigars no matter the price. I don't buy boxes of them because I can usually find fivers for less than the box price.

The RyJ Vintage II is one of my favorite coronas. It always tastes the same and it's always good.

The La Gloria Cubana Wavell Maduro is really good.

Padron 2K maduros are in my humidor, by the box full, at all times.

There really aren't any rules about what you should smoke to start out with. Smoke whatever you can and your taste buds and nose will tell you what's a "dog rocket" and what's a good smoke. I think a lot of people would be surprised by the subtleties in some of the "starter" cigars if they revisited them after their palate has developed.

Just because a cigar is inexpensive doesn't mean it's crap. Some of the more expensive cigars are just as bad as some inexpensive cigars. If you don't believe me, try to get your hands on a Zino Platinum Chubby. By far the least flavorful cigar I have ever smoked and it was about $25.

It all comes down to smoking what you like, everyone else be damned.

Enjoy your journey. :)
 
Macanudo Hyde Park Maduro
RyJ Vintage #2
H. Upman Connoisseur Cabinet 96-20
Montecristo Cabinet #30
La Gloria Cubana – La Gloria Maduro
Hoyo de Monterey - Dark Sumatra Ebano
JR Ultimate Toro
CAO Gold Robusto
Gurkah Expedition Toro
5 Vegas Gold Toro and Churchill
Gispert (sampler with various sizes)
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The ones I have noted above are not bad smokes and I find myself smoking some of them from time to time. Especially stuff from La Gloria and Gurkha.

Smoke what you like and when you tastes and/or finances change try something new. Do not let other people and the magazines tell you what you should like and not like.

- Jason
 
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