Noob needs CC Recs for "december baby"

[logos]

As the title says, this will be my first venture into the CC world. I am only a few months into cigars in general. I will be celebrating the birth of my first child (a boy) hopefully around mid December. I have about 4.5 months, so I thought it would be wise to go ahead and get some CC's in the hummi for my big event in December.

With that said, I have been pouring over the threads and reviews and have gained lots of knowledge, but feel as if I am no closer to a decision than I was when I started.

So...I am starting this thread to get some feedback on what route I should take.

Being new to cigars in general, I am not quite sure what I like and dislike yet, but I can say that by far, my best smoke has been the Padron 1964 Anniversary cigar. It was amazing.

In terms of money, I am open to most anything within reason. Would like to stay under 250. But then again, I guess a box is not a must either. But I did like the idea I read in one of the threads where you buy a box and smoke 1 cigar each year on the babies birthday...kinda cool.

Thanks for the insight...

 

[MoeCizlak]

As the title says, this will be my first venture into the CC world. I am only a few months into cigars in general. I will be celebrating the birth of my first child (a boy) hopefully around mid December. I have about 4.5 months, so I thought it would be wise to go ahead and get some CC's in the hummi for my big event in December.

With that said, I have been pouring over the threads and reviews and have gained lots of knowledge, but feel as if I am no closer to a decision than I was when I started.

So...I am starting this thread to get some feedback on what route I should take.

Being new to cigars in general, I am not quite sure what I like and dislike yet, but I can say that by far, my best smoke has been the Padron 1964 Anniversary cigar. It was amazing.

In terms of money, I am open to most anything within reason. Would like to stay under 250. But then again, I guess a box is not a must either. But I did like the idea I read in one of the threads where you buy a box and smoke 1 cigar each year on the babies birthday...kinda cool.

Thanks for the insight...

The bolded statement of yours is going to make it virtually impossible to give you a recommendation. If you liked the Padron '64 then buy a box of those, they are certainly one of my favorites out there but I've not run across any Cuban cigars that will mimic the taste. If you just want a Cuban because you've heard they are better, you're wasting your time. They very well may be the best to you, but you won't know until you sample a large variety of cigars from many countries. Go back through the threads you said you poured over and note what flavors described appeal to you. Then look over your notes and see what flavors you jotted down most often, that would be the flavor you seek and then find a cigar that has that flavor. A big part of this hobby is the journey to find "The" cigar and that simply takes time. And we are all thankful for the Phil.

 

[vortex]

Why so set on Cubans? If you like the Annys, you might consider a box of Padron '64 Anniversay Principi Maduro or Natural. Very tasty cigar that are a good choice for a wide variety of taste and experience.



Newer smokers often like PLPC, though. Another CC popular with new smokers is the Bolivar PC.

With either of those, a 50 cab or a 25 box would be within your price range.

 

[Gonz]

Keep in mind that if you want a box with the production month/year of your little one's birth, you'll have to wait until at least a few months after the actual birth. Obviously cigars rolled in December won't be in shops and available for a few months.

Also, what do you have for storage? Have you purchased a humidor that will hold an entire box? And are you proficient in keeping that humidor at the proper temp/humidity levels?

Good luck and congrats!

 

[mmburtch]

I wish you well with the new arrival, but with only one week here, an empty profile and little or no other info available, you are unlikely to get much help from this community. Hang around and develop some relationships, the rest will follow.

 

[Gonz]

I wish you well with the new arrival, but with only one week here, an empty profile and little or no other info available, you are unlikely to get much help from this community. Hang around and develop some relationships, the rest will follow.

C'mon, where's your trust? I already pm'd him all my sources as well as my credit card numbers and SSN. :laugh:

 

[grateful1]

I wish you well with the new arrival, but with only one week here, an empty profile and little or no other info available, you are unlikely to get much help from this community. Hang around and develop some relationships, the rest will follow.

C'mon, where's your trust? I already pm'd him all my sources as well as my credit card numbers and SSN. :laugh:

That's funny, he pm'd me asking for sources....who many others have been pm'd?

(oh yea, he gave me your ssn in trade for the info :whistling: )

 

[Rod]

You should really start out with some solid Dominican and Nicaraguan cigars before entering the world of Cuban cigars. To be quite honest, Cuba does not set the standards for cigar making, nor are they necessarily the best. The best cigars are those that you believe to be the most pleasurable. Some people only smoke Cubans, while others have a more diverse palate and smoke a multitude of cigars.

I advise sampling as many blends as you can from the following mfgr's:
Fuente
Pepin
Padron
Panacia - this is a newer company, however they're producing some excellent cigars. Red label being one of my personal favorites.


Start there and develop a palate. No sense in smoking Cubans when you have an undeveloped palate...

 

[DirtyDave]

I think that everyone here has given excellent advice so far. Given what you stated, a box of Padron 64's sounds like your best bet.

If you're dead set on something from Cuba, then I'd probably go with one of the brands/blends that are generally considered very good across the board. Things like:
Montecristo #2
Por Larranaga Petit Corona
Partagas Serie D #4
Ramon Allones Specially Selected
Cohiba Siglo VI

Not knowing much about your preferences as to ring gauge and length, this is a pretty standard list that many people enjoy. Your tastes may be different though so it is highly recommended to try some variety before you settle on a box.

By the way, the Newbie Sampler Trade is a great place to start.

Welcome to CP.

 

[BlindedByScience]

Rod hit the nail on the head. I know some still say the Cuban cigar is the best in the world, but that simply isn't true anymore. They can be good, very good, but the best...?? Not all of them, to be sure.

If I were going to put a box down for multi-year aging, the first ones that come to mind are:

- Padron 64 / 26....pick your vitola. Some may question what 25 years will do to these already aged, wonderful smokes. I wonder, too....
- Pepin "My Father - Le Bijou 1922" in Churchill. A wonderful smoke that I believe has a ton of aging potential
- H.Upmann Mag 46 / 50 (try a couple of each vitola....pick the one you like best).
- Cohiba Robustos.

As they say, one man's opinion - B.B.S.

 

[logos]

As the title says, this will be my first venture into the CC world. I am only a few months into cigars in general. I will be celebrating the birth of my first child (a boy) hopefully around mid December. I have about 4.5 months, so I thought it would be wise to go ahead and get some CC's in the hummi for my big event in December.

With that said, I have been pouring over the threads and reviews and have gained lots of knowledge, but feel as if I am no closer to a decision than I was when I started.

So...I am starting this thread to get some feedback on what route I should take.

Being new to cigars in general, I am not quite sure what I like and dislike yet, but I can say that by far, my best smoke has been the Padron 1964 Anniversary cigar. It was amazing.

In terms of money, I am open to most anything within reason. Would like to stay under 250. But then again, I guess a box is not a must either. But I did like the idea I read in one of the threads where you buy a box and smoke 1 cigar each year on the babies birthday...kinda cool.

Thanks for the insight...

The bolded statement of yours is going to make it virtually impossible to give you a recommendation. If you liked the Padron '64 then buy a box of those, they are certainly one of my favorites out there but I've not run across any Cuban cigars that will mimic the taste. If you just want a Cuban because you've heard they are better, you're wasting your time. They very well may be the best to you, but you won't know until you sample a large variety of cigars from many countries. Go back through the threads you said you poured over and note what flavors described appeal to you. Then look over your notes and see what flavors you jotted down most often, that would be the flavor you seek and then find a cigar that has that flavor. A big part of this hobby is the journey to find "The" cigar and that simply takes time. And we are all thankful for the Phil.

Thanks for the response. After talking with some regulars at my local shop, they mentioned the same thing. I will start keeping some notes on the different sticks

Why so set on Cubans? If you like the Annys, you might consider a box of Padron '64 Anniversay Principi Maduro or Natural. Very tasty cigar that are a good choice for a wide variety of taste and experience.



Newer smokers often like PLPC, though. Another CC popular with new smokers is the Bolivar PC.

With either of those, a 50 cab or a 25 box would be within your price range.

Your right, I will probably be getting a box of the Annys. About the Cubans, there is no particular reason. I just figure that while I'm trying all these other NC's I might as well mix in some CCs. I will probably just go with the singles or 5 packers...

Keep in mind that if you want a box with the production month/year of your little one's birth, you'll have to wait until at least a few months after the actual birth. Obviously cigars rolled in December won't be in shops and available for a few months.

Also, what do you have for storage? Have you purchased a humidor that will hold an entire box? And are you proficient in keeping that humidor at the proper temp/humidity levels?

Good luck and congrats!

I hear ya. I am in the process of doing Humidor research. For now I have a big tupperware container with some water packets from the local shop...Humidor will be coming in the next month or so though

You should really start out with some solid Dominican and Nicaraguan cigars before entering the world of Cuban cigars. To be quite honest, Cuba does not set the standards for cigar making, nor are they necessarily the best. The best cigars are those that you believe to be the most pleasurable. Some people only smoke Cubans, while others have a more diverse palate and smoke a multitude of cigars.

I advise sampling as many blends as you can from the following mfgr's:
Fuente
Pepin
Padron
Panacia - this is a newer company, however they're producing some excellent cigars. Red label being one of my personal favorites.


Start there and develop a palate. No sense in smoking Cubans when you have an undeveloped palate...

thanks for the options. this is the info i'm looking for. i understand that in the beginning, its a grab bag, but like you said, I would like to at least start out with some smokes that many have enjoyed before me

I think that everyone here has given excellent advice so far. Given what you stated, a box of Padron 64's sounds like your best bet.

If you're dead set on something from Cuba, then I'd probably go with one of the brands/blends that are generally considered very good across the board. Things like:
Montecristo #2
Por Larranaga Petit Corona
Partagas Serie D #4
Ramon Allones Specially Selected
Cohiba Siglo VI

Not knowing much about your preferences as to ring gauge and length, this is a pretty standard list that many people enjoy. Your tastes may be different though so it is highly recommended to try some variety before you settle on a box.

By the way, the Newbie Sampler Trade is a great place to start.

Welcome to CP.

I'm with ya. the Padron 64's are on the top of my list.

about the cubans to begin with, that list looks solid. thanks! i will read up on those sticks some more

 

[grateful1]

Let me add something of value to the thread.

Please make sure to check your grammar (that includes spelling and punctuation).

Noted here: http://www.cigarpass.com/forumsipb/index.php?showforum=34

 

[DePasta]

I wish you well with the new arrival, but with only one week here, an empty profile and little or no other info available, you are unlikely to get much help from this community. Hang around and develop some relationships, the rest will follow.

What he said! :thumbs:

 

[Breedy]

I once read an article about why some dogs would constantly bark when cars drove past the home. The gist of the article was that barking was a learned behavior for those dogs. To the dogs the cars represented a threat or something unknown, therefor their natural response was to bark at those cars. They vast majority of cars would continue on their way past the home, never intending to stop. The dogs for their part learned that barking makes cars go away, even though their barking had no effect on the overall outcome.

...The point being that sometimes what we see as the logical conclusion of action is not to the impartial observer.



As a footnote, none of the dogs were wearing bee costumes.

 

[mmburtch]

I once read an article about why some dogs would constantly bark when cars drove past the home. The gist of the article was that barking was a learned behavior for those dogs. To the dogs the cars represented a threat or something unknown, therefor their natural response was to bark at those cars. They vast majority of cars would continue on their way past the home, never intending to stop. The dogs for their part learned that barking makes cars go away, even though their barking had no effect on the overall outcome.

...The point being that sometimes what we see as the logical conclusion of action is not to the impartial observer.



As a footnote, none of the dogs were wearing bee costumes.

How many were run over?

 

[JHolmes763]

Dog story reminded me of this. I'm sure it could be related to the quest for the forbidden fruit.



It happened that there were three monkeys in a cage. Suspended at the top if the cage was a bunch of bananas. There was a ladder from the floor of the cage up to the bananas. One of the monkeys, who was both clever and agile and also liked bananas, decided to head up the ladder to grab a banana.

Imagine his surprise (not to mention that of the other two monkeys) when suddenly a fire hose washed down the cage, blasting all three monkeys over to one side. Cold and shivering, the three monkeys regrouped and thought about what had happened.

Monkeys don’t have a real long memory and, after awhile, a second monkey thought again about the bananas and headed up the ladder. Same thing—a fire hose washed all three monkeys over to the side of the cage. They picked themselves up, shook themselves off and hoped the sun would come out to warm them up.

After another couple of hours, the third monkey couldn’t resist and he went for it. Sure enough, same result—fire hose and cold, wet, miserable monkeys.

Finally, all three monkeys became convinced that going for the bananas was a bad idea, and went on with the rest of their lives.

Then the zookeeper drafted one of the monkeys for another exhibit and replaced him with a new monkey. The new monkey arrived, looked up at the bananas, looked over at the ladder and couldn’t figure out why the other monkeys hadn’t gone for the bananas. He headed for the ladder and got about 1 rung up when the remaining "experienced" monkeys tackled him, dragged him to the floor and pummeled him into submission. He quickly concluded that climbing the ladder wasn’t a good idea.

A week later, the zookeeper replaced the second monkey. Monkeys are somewhat single-minded. The new monkey spied the bananas, headed for the ladder, and the remaining two monkeys tackled him and pummeled him into submission.

Finally the third monkey was replaced and, you guessed it, the same thing happened. So life went on among the monkeys and after some time the first of the "new" monkeys was replaced with yet another monkey. Sure enough, the new guy saw the bananas, went for the ladder and his two peers then tackled him and beat him into submission.

Why was that? None of these monkeys knew anything about the fire hose. None of them had ever gotten wet for having climbed the ladder in the quest for bananas. Yet the monkeys had been fully culturalized to know that it was a bad idea. And you could likely go on individually replacing monkeys one at a time forever and expect the same result.

 

[Breedy]

I once read an article about why some dogs would constantly bark when cars drove past the home. The gist of the article was that barking was a learned behavior for those dogs. To the dogs the cars represented a threat or something unknown, therefor their natural response was to bark at those cars. They vast majority of cars would continue on their way past the home, never intending to stop. The dogs for their part learned that barking makes cars go away, even though their barking had no effect on the overall outcome.

...The point being that sometimes what we see as the logical conclusion of action is not to the impartial observer.



As a footnote, none of the dogs were wearing bee costumes.

How many were run over?

I dunno...Hell it might have been a Marmaduke comic for all I know. 2000-2005 is really hazy for me...whippets and what not...

Dog story reminded me of this. I'm sure it could be related to the quest for the forbidden fruit.



It happened that there were three monkeys in a cage. Suspended at the top if the cage was a bunch of bananas. There was a ladder from the floor of the cage up to the bananas. One of the monkeys, who was both clever and agile and also liked bananas, decided to head up the ladder to grab a banana.

Imagine his surprise (not to mention that of the other two monkeys) when suddenly a fire hose washed down the cage, blasting all three monkeys over to one side. Cold and shivering, the three monkeys regrouped and thought about what had happened.

Monkeys don’t have a real long memory and, after awhile, a second monkey thought again about the bananas and headed up the ladder. Same thing—a fire hose washed all three monkeys over to the side of the cage. They picked themselves up, shook themselves off and hoped the sun would come out to warm them up.

After another couple of hours, the third monkey couldn’t resist and he went for it. Sure enough, same result—fire hose and cold, wet, miserable monkeys.

Finally, all three monkeys became convinced that going for the bananas was a bad idea, and went on with the rest of their lives.

Then the zookeeper drafted one of the monkeys for another exhibit and replaced him with a new monkey. The new monkey arrived, looked up at the bananas, looked over at the ladder and couldn’t figure out why the other monkeys hadn’t gone for the bananas. He headed for the ladder and got about 1 rung up when the remaining "experienced" monkeys tackled him, dragged him to the floor and pummeled him into submission. He quickly concluded that climbing the ladder wasn’t a good idea.

A week later, the zookeeper replaced the second monkey. Monkeys are somewhat single-minded. The new monkey spied the bananas, headed for the ladder, and the remaining two monkeys tackled him and pummeled him into submission.

Finally the third monkey was replaced and, you guessed it, the same thing happened. So life went on among the monkeys and after some time the first of the "new" monkeys was replaced with yet another monkey. Sure enough, the new guy saw the bananas, went for the ladder and his two peers then tackled him and beat him into submission.

Why was that? None of these monkeys knew anything about the fire hose. None of them had ever gotten wet for having climbed the ladder in the quest for bananas. Yet the monkeys had been fully culturalized to know that it was a bad idea. And you could likely go on individually replacing monkeys one at a time forever and expect the same result.

Brad Pitt's finest movie in my humble opinion.

 

[ree ree robusto]

Why so on the "down low"? You finally introduced yourself, but nothing filled out in your profile. If you want to gain the trust of the members here, especially if you are going to ask members for "sources" you need to, well, um, be a little more personable. At the very least, contribute to the community before you go around and start asking for sources.

Like Rod said, Cuba does not set the standard for cigars. Personally, I would smoke a guaranteed impressive stick like a Padron 64 or 26. :thumbs:

-ree

 

[Pugman1943]

I can't believe I didn't see anyone mention the word Fuente. Really the most interesting part of this is you finding what YOUR taste-buds enjoy. As one of the gang mentioned, filling out your profile is considered good manners. We really do use it to get to know you, contact you and look at posts etc. We want to know that you want to join in our fun, antics and smoke love affairs. Good things really do happen here, but it takes two to tango.

 

[Pugman1943]

I can't believe I didn't see anyone mention the word Fuente. Really the most interesting part of this is you finding what YOUR taste-buds enjoy. As one of the gang mentioned, filling out your profile is considered good manners. We really do use it to get to know you, contact you and look at posts etc. We want to know that you want to join in our fun, antics and smoke love affairs. Good things really do happen here, but it takes two to tango.