Smoker before cigars?

[JRM]

I am a new guy....obviously, and I have never been a smoker of cigarettes. I have always smoked the cheap gas station cigars with beer/whiskey in hand. I was curious as to how many of you made a transition from cigarettes to cigars, both, or just started with sticks and continued on. I find it hard to "taste" the desriptions which you guys place n your reviews. Quite honestly, find quite a few of the sticks enjoyed by a large portion of the crowd to be rather harsh and bitter with no real flavor that I can find. I have found a few sticks to be enjoyable: Oliva G, CAO Moontrance (I know), and one other I can't think of off hand.
Do you think its an acquired taste or has it been enjoyable for you guys since day one? I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't at least find a few that I would try again,or at the least as I have I found, smoke more often.

 

[Blackhawk05]

I am by no means an expert, but I myself smoked cigarettes before and started smoking cigars regularly. I was at a total lost when i read those post about what people could taste and smell when smoking cigars. Then one day one of the guys here told me not to smoke a cigarette for about 30 min as to allow your senses to be clear for the cigar. Cleanse your palet with a beer or your favorite alcoholic beverage. When you draw on the cigar allow the smoke to linger in you mouth for a moment as if you are trying to taste the smoke. This is exactly what you are trying to do. Your next draw you want to draw from the cigar and swallow it and blow it out through the nose this is where you will pick up the most taste. Being a cigarette smoker you will want to inhale the smoke I suggest not doing this or you may have to be picked up off the floor. Read other people post for they have more experience and know more than I on this subject. I myself is strive daily to acquire a good method of breaking down the different tastes of a good smoke. I hope i gave you more good information than Bad. Good luck

 

[The Black Cloud]

I started with cheap cigars when I was about 19. I've had two cigs in my life, both while drunk off my ass, and hated both of them. As for why you taste what you do, well, I'll put it to you this way: as a coffee drinker, I don't kknow of anyone who's first cup of coffee was a double espresso and they loved it. What I'm saying is cigars are usually an acquired taste. What you like now you may not like a few years from now. That's happened to most, if not all of us. It may have to do with your "young" tastebuds for cigars, or perhaps you're just not prone to picking out he flavors. I know I'm not. I can pick out certain things but not all the vibrant and wacky things others may find.

My suggestion to you is to keep track of each cigar you smoke and jot down what you liked about it and what you didn't like about it. Odds are the more cigars you smoke the more these things will come to you. It's a big bad cigar world out there, get to exploring!

 

[Marine6186]

I personally just love tobacco. I smoke cigarettes, cigars, hookahs and smoked a pipe for a little while. I also dip and chew on occasion.

Don't worry I have rarely ever tasted any of those magical flavors others have the ability to taste. It is usually just a hint of coffee or an earthy taste.

My first cigar was an ACID Kuba Kuba. My SSgt was having a party at his house and he was smoking one and I thought it smelled amazing. I asked him what it was and he pulled anouther one out of his coat pocket and handed it to me along with a cutter and lighter. And from that moment on that was the only cigar I smoked for awhile. I finally decided to broaden my horizon, and I have never looked back. There has only been a couple cigars I did not enjoy.

I wish I could tell you smoke cigars to try but I am also a noob. All I can say is sample as many as you can and keep a record of the cigars you like. When I first started I would save the bands of the cigars I enjoyed so I could remember which ones they were. I have recently upgraded to a spreadsheet.

Good luck!

 

[papabear]

I've never smoked cigarettes. My dad smoked them for 47 years and now has COPD.

I can't identify most flavors that others mention in reviews either, but I know what I like and don't like. I've tried a pretty wide variety of sticks up to this point, and I've pretty much liked most of the ones I've tried, some much more than others. There have only been three that were so bad that I just couldn't finish them. One of those was a Padilla 68 that got a 93 rating. I loved the Padilla Miami and the 1932, but that 68 was a dog. I've got one more that I'm going to try just in case that was just a bad one, but life's too short to smoke it just because someone else thought it was good.

All that to say, as I've seen others post here many times, cigars are to be enjoyed. Don't sweat trying to identify the flavors too much. Smoke what YOU like. If Swisher Sweets and White Owls do it for you, smoke'em.

 

[RoguePuffer]

from my 13 I smoked cigarettes, sometimes a pipe where I was living neer a realy nice tobacco store and the ocasional drunken cigar. I gave up cigarettes for the last time about 8 years ago.

I took up a pipe again last year, but the wife wasnt too keen on my son telling his friends that his dad smoked a pipe (in southren oregon most pipes dont contain tobacco) so I told here that I would just smoke cigars instead of the pipe. My wife still dosent like it but puts up with it.

I personaly love the Acid kuba maduro and the Acid extra ordinary larry, but understand that the acid line of cigars are infused with herbals, botanicals etc. they are a whole different animal (but my wife dosent mind them as much because they smell AWESOME)

I recently tried a Carlos Torano Virtuoso, Not spicy, not harsh, not a nicotine bomb. I absoloutly loved that cigar, I would suggest you try one of those. Another one you might like is the Tabak corona negra especial.

Cigars are entirely subjective to the smoker. I like the Acid cigars as a dessert, but I prefer natural cigars on a more regular basis. If you find a really good cigar shop and tell them your likes and dislikes they should be able to guide you in the right direction.

If you smoke something and realy dont like it, tell us what it is and why you dont like it. this might help us to guide you in another direction. The more educated you get about cigars the easier it will be to find what you like.


Scott

 

[JRM]

Glad I am not the only one. I thought I had numb taste buds for a young guy. I have a pile of cigars I am giong through now: AVO Companero, Barrio Toro, Garcia Black, etc. Sampling a nice variety of cigars graciously put together by a fellow member helping a newguy out, which will make future decisions easier.
I tried cigarettes while enlisted but could never bring myself t do it often. I chewed massive amounts of Red Man and BeechNut and could see differences in qualitiesof tobacco. I am going to try the Acid's as I have seen that a lot of people seem to enjoy them.

 

[RoguePuffer]

Glad I am not the only one. I thought I had numb taste buds for a young guy. I have a pile of cigars I am giong through now: AVO Companero, Barrio Toro, Garcia Black, etc. Sampling a nice variety of cigars graciously put together by a fellow member helping a newguy out, which will make future decisions easier.
I tried cigarettes while enlisted but could never bring myself t do it often. I chewed massive amounts of Red Man and BeechNut and could see differences in qualitiesof tobacco. I am going to try the Acid's as I have seen that a lot of people seem to enjoy them.

If you are going to try the acids, the blondie is a nice little smoke if you are looking for something quicker. I did not like the deep dish at all it got soft quickly and just dident do it for me. the kuba maduro is fantastic and the extra ordinary larry was great too.

There are a lot of purist on the boards that badmouth the acids and give them terrible reviews because they are totaly different than what they are used to. As a newer cigar smoker you might love them, you might not. but it ultimatly dosent matter what everyone else thinks, its about what you like.

Truth be told, Acids have probably brought more new cigar smokers into the world than all the other brands put togeather, most just wont admit it!

 

[Marine6186]

Glad I am not the only one. I thought I had numb taste buds for a young guy. I have a pile of cigars I am giong through now: AVO Companero, Barrio Toro, Garcia Black, etc. Sampling a nice variety of cigars graciously put together by a fellow member helping a newguy out, which will make future decisions easier.
I tried cigarettes while enlisted but could never bring myself t do it often. I chewed massive amounts of Red Man and BeechNut and could see differences in qualitiesof tobacco. I am going to try the Acid's as I have seen that a lot of people seem to enjoy them.

If you are going to try the acids, the blondie is a nice little smoke if you are looking for something quicker. I did not like the deep dish at all it got soft quickly and just dident do it for me. the kuba maduro is fantastic and the extra ordinary larry was great too.

There are a lot of purist on the boards that badmouth the acids and give them terrible reviews because they are totaly different than what they are used to. As a newer cigar smoker you might love them, you might not. but it ultimatly dosent matter what everyone else thinks, its about what you like.

Truth be told, Acids have probably brought more new cigar smokers into the world than all the other brands put togeather, most just wont admit it!

They sure got me hooked!

 

[b.dawgson]

I'm a cigarette smoker and I dip on occasion as well as smoking cigars. I do pick up on some of the flavors many talk about but don't know if not smoking cigarettes would have an effect since I've smoked them for about 7-8 years.

When I first started smoking cigars, many of the brands I heard people raving about I didn't like as well. I would definitely say the some cigars are an acquired taste. Keep trying new cigars and you'll start to find similar tastes you enjoy.

 

[beastinem]

Never smoked cigarettes. I started smoking Black N' Milds while stationed in the desert. Then Heavenly Cigars, then this, then that.

I thought at one point that flavored cigars would be my cup of tea since I like some of the sweet tip Blacks. But boy was I wrong. Some of those Acids are like eating some disgusting piece of candy.

 

[gahdzila]

I'm also a newb, and I know exactly what you mean about not tasting the subtle flavors.

I smoked cigarettes off and on (mostly on) for close to 20 years. I've finally broken that addiction for good, I think...been off of them for about 8 months. I've been smoking cigars for a couple of months now. At first, I could only taste tobacco smoke, and "good" or "bad" LOL. My palate is developing a bit more now, I think, but I still don't taste nearly the nuances of flavors in some reviews I've read.

Still, I find that I prefer more full bodied cigars to milder ones...because of the prior cigarette smoking, I assume.

Be patient, your palate will develop. And remember that taste is very subjective...smoke what tastes good to YOU.

If I may make a couple of suggestions on cigars you might try that you might be able to taste different flavors in:

5 Vegas Gold is a nice mild cigar you might enjoy. It's actually the first cigar (and one of the only cigars so far, actually) I smoked that I noticed I could taste different subtle flavor nuances in. I taste subtle citrus notes...kinda reminds me of orange peel and a hint of lemon. It's VERY subtle, but once I "found" that flavor, I notice it every time I smoke one of these.

I'd also suggest the Sancho Panza Double Maduro. I find these very smooth and "clean" tasting, medium bodied, with notes of chocolate, cocoa, and coffee.

A big plus - both of these cigars are quite inexpensive. Less than $5 a stick from online retailers.

Blackhawk suggested blowing the smoke out of your nose...personally, I don't do this very much. I do pick up more flavor notes when I do, but it's irritating to my nose, so I don't do it very often; and when I do, I blow most of the smoke out of my mouth first, then blow the last fourth (or less) out of my nose.