Rafa

iTrader: (22)

Scott; cel phones are good. Their company is called "Flor de los Reyes". My friend just told me they have different brands.

y8s

iTrader: (8)

your lungs should still be relatively virginal after a cigar since you dont inhale beyond your mouth!

thirdgen

iTrader: (26)

Holy crap, there are some Cigar conisseurs on this site. Instead of typing a whole book about what is the best cigar to smoke, I'll give you 1. Only 1, because if you smoke this 1, it'll be the smoothest, best tasting cigar you'll ever smoke. The maker is Drew Estate. They make a cigar line called "Acid." Go to a cigar shop, and find the "Acid" line with a blue label. It should say "Blondie" on it. They come in a bunch of different sizes and prices and they're pretty reasonable. Get 1 and you will not be dissapointed.
Drew Estate Cigars: The Rebirth of Cigars - the home of Acid, Natural, Chateau Real, La Vieja Habana, and Liga Privada Cigars

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

Acid's entire line of cigars are dipped in different perfumes. You will be the laughing stock of the party.

And you will smell like incense...

thirdgen

iTrader: (26)

Perfumes, tard...they are dipped in Cognac. I think they taste and smell great. They are smooth smoking, and they don't smell like you took off your sock and lit it on fire. I guess a cigar with a nice aroma is something to laugh at. Basically you're saying if someone took notebook paper and rolled up leaves from their yard and lit them, they would be taken seriously.

fmowry

iTrader: (8)

Acid has different infused cigars. If it's what you like, it's what you like.

ACID - Cigars International

Frank

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

From Acid: "The tobaccos are cured in areas called cuarto aromaticos (aroma rooms) for months prior to rolling - these rooms are lined with over 150 different essential herbs, oils and botanicals imbued into the cigars over time. Handmade in Nicaragua with all natural ingredients, each ACID size offers a distinct flavor and aroma."

Perfume, dumbass. It didn't say cognac dipped, did it?
Check with Drew Estate (the makers of the Acid line of cigars) if you would care to...
Drew Estate Cigars: The Rebirth of Cigars - the home of Acid, Natural, Chateau Real, La Vieja Habana, and Liga Privada Cigars

I think you must have the name confused with another, so I forgive your impetuosity. Cognac dipped cigars can be pleasant on occasion if you are bored with your normal selections, but Acid doesn't make any.

OP: Just go to your tobacconist and smell some Acids. That's all you will need to do to understand. You'd go over better at the party with a Phillies Blunt Grape or Banana flavored cigar than an Acid. At least you wouldn't smell like a hippie burning incense covered in petrouli oil. Ha.

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

You should also listen to some audio archives from the Cigar Conoisseur Radio Network, namely The Cigar Dave Show. ...If you get bored.
Cigar Dave Show - Cigar Connoisseur Radio Network - Humidor 1 A
Archives are in "Theater 1A" section.

kotomile

iTrader: (24)

Just found out there are a couple pretty big shops just outside post - w00t! Now, if I pick up more than one, how long can it be stored before a humidor is a good idea?

ScottFW

iTrader: (4)

Ideal storage is 70% humidity. This time of year if you've got the heat on, the air in your house is probably pretty dry, so cigars will dry out quickly if you leave them sitting out, probably within 24-48 hours. If it's got a cellophane wrapper that will prolong that time period a little bit.

Humidors are not that expensive. You don't need a big fancy walnut burl finish $2K Elie Bleu model; a $40 one will do if you're just starting out. If you don't want to bother with that even, ask at the store if you can have one of the numerous empty wooden cigar boxes that will undoubtedly be laying around. Then just cut up a small piece of (new, unused) sponge and wet it with distilled water, lightly wring it out so it's not dripping wet, and leave it in the box with your unsmoked cigars. It's not elegant but it will work well enough for a ghetto humidor to keep them from drying out. How good of an air-tight seal the box has will determine how often you have to re-wet that sponge, so check it frequently at first until you get a feel for the interval. You will quickly tire of this and desire a proper humidor though.

rmcelwee

iTrader: (1)

Get a large tupperware container, a small tupperware container, some salt, and a cigar.

Put the salt in the small container and get it damp (note that I didn't say to have a water level sitting on top of the salt) and put it in the large tupperware container along with your cigar. Your container will stay at exactly 73% humidity and your cigar will be happy. Put your new DIY humidor in a dark cool place.

This is basically what I did with my DIY huge *** humidor but I use Ethylene Glycol instead of salt. Salt gets a little messy (tends to grow crystals and tries to escape). Hmmm, I think I have some pics of me building my humidor somewhere. I should make a web page for it.

kotomile

iTrader: (24)

Great ideas, thanks! I did buy some Cigars from the second shop I tried to find (first had apparently gone out of business) and all they sold was their own brand. I picked up a corona-size sampler and tried two of them yesterday. They were alright, but not great. The guy hosting the game had a bunch of Churchills (sp?) and those were much smoother.

l_bader

Another option in lieu of a humidor is getting "tubed" cigars. Just don't grab them from the top of the box as many a noob will break the seal to smell the cigars...

- L

y8s

iTrader: (8)

this thread has made me crave a cigar.

and maybe a little highland single malt

kotomile

iTrader: (24)

Arise, old thread, arise.

Going on R&R soon, I have a travel humidor ("herf-a-dor") and a CAO sampler on the way from cigars international. Going to have one once in a while over here in the 'Ghan, and while on R&R in Hawaii. I'll probably try out some flavoreds in HI since that'll not offend the wife as much, I'm sure. A lot of the reviews of CAO flavors and Acids say that the secondhand smoke is more aromatic, thus my reasoning.

I'm looking at trying out some Rocky Patels and Permados. Some in the thread mentioned fake Cohibas, is there something about Cohibas that makes them popular to counterfiet? Are they the Rolex of the cigar world?

I'll try some of the other ones recommended here too, along the way. Mostly in samplers though, until I find something I like well enough to buy an entire bundle/box.

Rmcelwee - You roll your own.. from start to finish? Did it take long to learn?

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

Acids are a bad idea. They aren't aromatic and pleasant like pipe tobacco. Thy are dipped in harsh (read unpleasant to taste) perfumes. Did you ever tongue kiss a part of your wife's body right after she applied a strong dose of perfume to the very same spot? That bitterness you can't get off of your tongue and lips... That is what it is like to me.

Cohiba
-The best cigars came from Cuba for the first half of the last century. Cohiba was one of the brand names that survived the revolution. The Cuban cigar industry rapidly went downhill after the revolution as the people who were the most knowledgeable fled, were imprisoned, or were murdered by Che Guevara and Fidel and Raul Castro. The worker bees that remained continued to make cigars for the now government-owned factories. As with any communist/socialist enterprise, quality dropped, innovation died, and pride in workmanship dissipated. That is the current state of the Cuban cigar industry. Many of the best and brightest that fled took their expertise and started over in other places finding excellent soils and growing conditions in Nicaragua, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic. Most quality cigars made today come from these areas and many have their productions overseen or owned by Cuban expats. They are all still striving to create the best cigars on the market.

Cohibas are a novelty simply because they are illegal. They aren't close to being the best.

NA6C-Guy

iTrader: (1)

Dear god, if it isn't the wine and cheesers on MT, it's the damn cigar and cognac crowd...

rmcelwee

iTrader: (1)

Nope, I buy these (or something similar) at around $.60 each:
http://www.jrcigars.com/index.cfm?pa...US-PLAZAS.html

http://www.jrcigars.com/index.cfm?pa...DELICADOS.html

Then I age them for around a year and flavor them for about 6 months. You can see some of them sitting here in containers:





I posted the pics so it was easier to understand. I put them in a air tight container with a shotglass full of flavoring (the cigars do not touch the liquid). After 6 months the batch is done and I smoke them. There are two sitting here. One in vanilla extract and one in Seagrams 7 Dark Honey. I normally have at least two batches going at once. One will always be vanilla and one will be some sort of liquor. I've been meaning to try some orange slices (or maybe some sort of extract) but hadn't gotten around to it. I'm glad this thread was revived because it might get me started again. I've been consumed by the guitar thing and haven't done much of anything else lately.

FWIW, I "tested" one of the Seagrams cigars the other day after it had been soaking for about 4 months. The cigar was infused quite well with the Seagrams but it was pretty wet and hard to keep lit. I'll probably have to pull them out and let them dry a few hours before smoking the next time.

I can see by the label that my vanilla extract ones (the ones in the glass jar) have been sitting since April. About 1/3 a shot glass full of liquid is gone so these guys are infused pretty well. Looks like I need to start burning some!

kotomile

iTrader: (24)

Sixshooter - thanks again, if it's anything like how you describe, I'm not going to like it. Only one way to find out though, it's only a few bucks. Then I'll know - and knowing is half the battle. Thanks for the clarification on Cohibas too.

Rmcelwee - Looks like a sweet setup you have there, nice humidor. What's its capacity, 50? What sort of ageing process do you do, do you leave them sealed all year while ageing, do you crack the lid once a week? I've seen conflicting recommendations. Seems like while you're infusing them it's best to leave the seal intact. EDIT - About your orange slices idea, what about an orange-flavored spirit? Orange extract and rum? You mentioned the newest batch was a bit soggy, would leaving them in the humidor for a day equalize them? Sorry, I know this reads like an inquisition, but you seem very knowledgeabe.

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

Grand Marnier? That's orange flavored.

I've got a bottle I'll never be able to finish (it was a gift). I could send Robert some of it in a small container if he's interested. I also have an Italian liqueur called Nocello that tastes like walnuts and hazelnuts that might be good.