PTownshend
big-nosed cigar freak!
howdy one and all,
My name is Darren and I'm new to these parts. I hail from a smallish village near Buffalo NY. I've been smoking with minor interest about 1999, but have been plunged into this phenomenal hobby in recent years thanks to a good number of people, closest of which is my good friend Ted.
I can't really say what my first cigar was (don't remember, not that I'm embarrassed). One of the earlier cigars I enjoyed was a Swisher Sweet (note: the term "enjoyed" is used oh so lightly!). From there I picked a beauty - Hoya de Monterey Excaliber (not sure of lenght and ring size) but I remember noting how smooth and tasty this smoke was. Now, I can say that my favorite smokes are anything K Hansotia throws our way, and my all time puro to date is the Partagas 150 - what a smooth flavor, doesn't burn the nostrils, creamy and heavenly! more on that later.
I've been fortunate enough to live near Canada (for obvious reasons!), and also am endowed with wonderful cigar shops here in the Western NY area: the Tinder Box, Virgil Ave Tobacco, and the Big Indian Smoke shop!! I first started out with a smallish (50 count) humi in 2001 (from Dewey Ave Smoke shop in Rochester, NY). From there I purchased a wonderful Romeo y Juliet humi (100 count) which was my mainstay, then to yet another from Cigarbid (I'm loving that place? are there any better sites than that!?!?!) but came upon a quandry.
I was finding that my interest in getting a humidor (while just learning about coolidors from this fine site) which would accomodate more smokes and, most importantly, facilitate the storage of cigar boxes (perhaps some day from the Cuban region
)!!! It was then that I stumbled upon a wonderful Trinidad humidor (put out by Altadis USA, to market and display these cigars), and lordy what a work of art that is! Chest like top on hinges, and 2 doors revealing and additional 6 rows of shelving which could be removed to store boxes of cigars. Best of all there is a unique and handy trap door in the back to perfectly accomodate a Cigar Oasis (having wanted to use active humidification versus passive).
I bit the bullet, bought the humidor, and had to make only minor adjustments to the vertical piece of wood seperating the two sets of shelves. Its rock solid at 69% RH/ 70 degrees and I'm a happy camper! Now I'm looking to sell the other humidors!
Ok, I'm rambling, but permit me one more story. As many of you may know, there was a stupendous case of cigars that was issued a good number of years ago. In it was the Partagas 150s (50 to be exact) and 100 Ramon y Ramons. At the Big Indian smoke shop there were two of them - one was opened immediately (and ravaged by in the know cigar afficianados); so much so that when I got there, the cupboards were practically bare (only able to purchase 2 sticks of Partagas 150 and 2 Ramon y Ramon's). The owner would NOT budge on opening the other case - and there it sat for years!! Finally, my buddy Ted told me that it was opened and ready to be plundered. I went nuts! Partagas 150s !!!!! I went the next morning at 6am!!! and purchased 25+++ cigars, all Partagas 150. Word spread fast and soon there were no more Partagas 150s, all thats left are the Ramon y Ramons (a bit too overpriced in my opinion). I'm in total heaven, and those Partagas 150s adorn my Trinidad humi now, aging and ready to be plucked from their nests at a moments notice!
Ok, thats all for now. No need to wear out my welcome as soon as I get here! hahaha
Ok, be talking to many of you soon....
Darren
My name is Darren and I'm new to these parts. I hail from a smallish village near Buffalo NY. I've been smoking with minor interest about 1999, but have been plunged into this phenomenal hobby in recent years thanks to a good number of people, closest of which is my good friend Ted.
I can't really say what my first cigar was (don't remember, not that I'm embarrassed). One of the earlier cigars I enjoyed was a Swisher Sweet (note: the term "enjoyed" is used oh so lightly!). From there I picked a beauty - Hoya de Monterey Excaliber (not sure of lenght and ring size) but I remember noting how smooth and tasty this smoke was. Now, I can say that my favorite smokes are anything K Hansotia throws our way, and my all time puro to date is the Partagas 150 - what a smooth flavor, doesn't burn the nostrils, creamy and heavenly! more on that later.
I've been fortunate enough to live near Canada (for obvious reasons!), and also am endowed with wonderful cigar shops here in the Western NY area: the Tinder Box, Virgil Ave Tobacco, and the Big Indian Smoke shop!! I first started out with a smallish (50 count) humi in 2001 (from Dewey Ave Smoke shop in Rochester, NY). From there I purchased a wonderful Romeo y Juliet humi (100 count) which was my mainstay, then to yet another from Cigarbid (I'm loving that place? are there any better sites than that!?!?!) but came upon a quandry.
I was finding that my interest in getting a humidor (while just learning about coolidors from this fine site) which would accomodate more smokes and, most importantly, facilitate the storage of cigar boxes (perhaps some day from the Cuban region
)!!! It was then that I stumbled upon a wonderful Trinidad humidor (put out by Altadis USA, to market and display these cigars), and lordy what a work of art that is! Chest like top on hinges, and 2 doors revealing and additional 6 rows of shelving which could be removed to store boxes of cigars. Best of all there is a unique and handy trap door in the back to perfectly accomodate a Cigar Oasis (having wanted to use active humidification versus passive). I bit the bullet, bought the humidor, and had to make only minor adjustments to the vertical piece of wood seperating the two sets of shelves. Its rock solid at 69% RH/ 70 degrees and I'm a happy camper! Now I'm looking to sell the other humidors!
Ok, I'm rambling, but permit me one more story. As many of you may know, there was a stupendous case of cigars that was issued a good number of years ago. In it was the Partagas 150s (50 to be exact) and 100 Ramon y Ramons. At the Big Indian smoke shop there were two of them - one was opened immediately (and ravaged by in the know cigar afficianados); so much so that when I got there, the cupboards were practically bare (only able to purchase 2 sticks of Partagas 150 and 2 Ramon y Ramon's). The owner would NOT budge on opening the other case - and there it sat for years!! Finally, my buddy Ted told me that it was opened and ready to be plundered. I went nuts! Partagas 150s !!!!! I went the next morning at 6am!!! and purchased 25+++ cigars, all Partagas 150. Word spread fast and soon there were no more Partagas 150s, all thats left are the Ramon y Ramons (a bit too overpriced in my opinion). I'm in total heaven, and those Partagas 150s adorn my Trinidad humi now, aging and ready to be plucked from their nests at a moments notice!
Ok, thats all for now. No need to wear out my welcome as soon as I get here! hahaha
Ok, be talking to many of you soon....
Darren
) 
