Age & Experience

[Hitagain]

Less than a year.

Favorite NC:

CAO Brizilla
Rocky Patel Connecticut
Rocky Patel Edge,
Pardon 3000
CAO CX2, MX2

Favorite CC:

I wish.............

[688sonarmen]

I started smoking 4 years ago when I would stand lookout on my first submarine. I figured if the officers can smoke them so can I. It turned out to be a good idea, some of my most memorable cigars were up in the bridge at night a blanket of stars above us with the ood and it made me see that those guys down at heart were just sailors too. Probally the best was when we surfaced thru the ice near the north pole the cigars tasted like ass because of the dry cold but it really did not matter. I soon found cs and cbid and bombs and banannas and well some of you know. I then found myself with 2 full coolidors traveling with me as my orders changed from Norfolk to Groton to Newport news and back to Groton. I
have met many freinds thru cigars and has made my dad and I much closed since he smoked for as longs as I can remeber.

1. Padron x000
2. Famous nic 3000
3. Jfr
4. Mx2
5. Robusto pearla habana

[14holestogie]

20+ years for me.

I've gravitated more towards CC's in the last few months, so they'd top my list:

Partagas Mille Fleurs
Punch RS #12
Monte #4

and still exploring others...haven't had a bad one yet.


NC's still on my radar:

Perdomo Champagne (if and when I can find them)
RP Vintage & Fusion
Taboo Twists (and others)

Funny how my more expensive tastes began at about the same time you got back into cigars a bit more heavily. Coinkidink? I think not.

[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by JJG

I would say most of the popular brands today are fairly new. (within the last 10-15 years) I know some of them have been around longer but probably as boutique brands, not widely distributed to the average late 90's B&M.

I think the reason for the shift away from some of the older brands has to do with the fact that the average smoker has a wealth of information available to them online and tend to be better informed than they might have been 15 years ago. In my opinion it has also led to an industry-wide increase in the quality of what's being produced because frankly, smokers have higher expectations.

That being said, I think the internet has done wonders for storefront retailers too. I notice them carrying more of the exciting cigars generally discussed on this board instead of the usual blah brands like Macanudo, red-dot Cohibas, etc...

Don't break your arm patting yourself on the back for being one of the nouveau cigar smokers that is so much more educated and has a much more refined palate than the old smokers. (sorry, I just couln't resist the attempt at a bit of tongue-in-cheek sarcasm)

You suggest that the most popular brands are the new ones. Hmmm. Got the figures to back that up? I'd say Fuentes, Upmann, Punch, Hoyo de Monterrey, Partagas, LGC, dare I say it Macanudos, and other long-time brands, outsell the newcomers by a very large margin.

I would agree that some of the newer brands/makers like Tatuajae, Pepin, and such are more "popular," if by that you mean they are discussed more. You hear them talked about more than the long-time brands, but I'd love to see what people have more of in their humidors.

Yes, there is more information available today, but that isn't always a good thing. I remembered the plethora of information out there about cigars during the boom - pooled ignorance I liked to call it. Guys talking on different internet groups about the latest, greatest new cigar to come down the pipe. And the more expensive it was, the more they liked it. It was like a badge of honor to proclaim how many boxes of it they had puchased. I remember a guy talking about the Nicole Miller Robustos he had purchased, paid $10.25 a stick for a box. JR Cigar had them a year later, and I got two boxes for $29.95.

Do smokers have a higher expectation today than they did? I don't know, but I am inclined to lean the other way. I think the "cigar boomers" had great education, the internet was available to them and cigar clubs were all over the place. I think that they had unrefined palates and didn't want to listen to old smokers, "what do you know, you've been smokin' "Brands X,Y,Z,P,D,&Q for 10 years, what would you know about the new blends?" They were shoving their high end sticks in people's facing, trying to impress everyone with their refined tastes. However, there are the smokers that have come through that age which were not, and are not wow-ed by slick packaging, a new name, a high price tag, and the tastebuds of others.

There are some cigars that are bandied about these boards as the beat all and end all of cigar smoking. We won't get into whether they are or are not. Some of them are great. (Like what you smoke, and smoke what you like.) But, again and again, and again I see those old standards being passed around, boxes purchased, and reviews made.

Oh, and red dot Cohibas are not a old time blend, didn't debute until 1997 (if memory serves me correctly). And, as far as I was and am concerned, it is one of the worst cigars on the planet.

This past weekend, my cigars were a very mixed bag: Cabaiguan Robusto Extra, Taboo HSG Toro Grande, Punch Rotschild, Oliva V Lancero, and a AF Chateau maddie.

I do like the fact that this question I have posed has raised such discussion and conjecture.

Love it!

Keep the ideas flowing.

[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by RevSmoke

What is interesting with my list is that 2 of the 5 I discovered after the boom, 2 during the boom, and 1 I have smoked for 28 years. What is interesting is that I used to smoke almost exclusively; AF Chateaus ($15 a box) and AF ($18 a box) & Punch Rothschilds ($40 a box). When I had some extra $$, I’d pop for a box of AF Hemi Short Stories ($60 a box). Notice what cigars are not on my list anymore?

I remember those prices from Iwan Ries during my college years.

I just grabbed a 1995 JR catalog. Here are the cigars I had highlighted as possible to order:

AF Chateaus - $29.00
Rothschilds - $33.00
ERdM Robustos - $40.00
JdN Conuls - $31.00
Punch Rothschilds - $54.00
Punch Super Rothschilds - $38.00
H. Upmann Pequeno 100s - $36.00

Got and idea of what size/shap I liked in those days?

[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by 14holestogie

Funny how my more expensive tastes began at about the same time you got back into cigars a bit more heavily. Coinkidink? I think not.

Is that directed at me? Are you trying to blame me for your weak constitution and your lack of will-power? Me???

[ucla695]

I've started smoking in the early to mid 90's. Over that time I've gradually starting smoking more CCs and less NCs.

CC Faves:

Montecristo
Bolivar
Cohiba
Partagas
Ramone Allones

If I were to reach for an NC these days, I'd want a Davidoff, Tatuaje, Padron or Fuente (Opus/DC/Hemi, etc..).

[md4958]

Are we taking CC or NCs here? Started smoking after highschool during the boom, and then lost interest... been smoking "seriously" for about a year.

for CCs, in no particular order:
Cohiba
Monte
Hoyo
Punch
RA

For NCs I really enjoy
Tats
La Riquezas
Esencia
Oliva

Other than that, I still find new cigars that I really enjoy. The other day I grabbed a LFD Factory Press out of the humi and I thought it was fantastic.

[taltos]

I started smoking cigars in college in 1969. Have pretty much stayed with them and a pipe since then. Favorites are all NC and most are centered on the Oliva and Rocky lines with Gran Habano and CAO Brazilias thrown in the mix.

[BORIStheBLADE]

I've been smoking for three years. I didn't hit it hard till about late last year.

My Fav CC so far..

Montecristo
Bolivar
Cohiba
Hoyo de Monterrey
Ramón Allones


My fav NC

Don Pepin
Olivia
Cruzado
Ashton

[Cenookie]

I started smoking about 3 yrs. ago. My favorites:
NC
Tat
Monte White
5 Vega "A"
AVO XO
In no particular order
CC
Punch RS 11
Hoyo Petite Robusto
Dip #4
Hoyo Du Prince
Monte #4

[14holestogie]

Originally Posted by RevSmoke

Is that directed at me? Are you trying to blame me for your weak constitution and your lack of will-power? Me???

Blame is not the word I would use. Cid, on the other hand....

[cle_smoker]

I smoked my first cigar in 93 or 94 and had one every now and then until around 2003 or so when I got my first humidor.

My favorites change all the time, but I dig the Oliva V line, Sancho Panza EF for a value smoke, Taboo, and LFD. In addition, the dark side has been speaking to me lately, but no favorites from them yet.

[IBQTEE1]

I have been smoking almost two years now. Where does the time go??

I am still trying different cigars and trying to find what I like. Some of my favs are H.Upmanns, Ramon Allones and Por Larranaga.

[GhostRyder]

Since the summer before I went away to college. That makes it 3 years, almost 4.

I've only had 1 or 2 CCs unfortunately. However, my palate is starting to develop a little bit, I can now distinguish between "good" and "bad." See... only three years to make it that far?

Some of my favorite sticks:
Rocky Patels (Edge, Vintage '92, Olde World Reserve)
Tatuaje
Oliva
Padron X000
AF Hemingway/Short Story

Looking forward to continuing my delicious, albeit expensive odyssey into the cigar world.

I have only been smoking for 2 years this summer. My grandpa used to smoke in the summer, but smoked those nasty Dutchmasters. He passed away a long time ago but started, kind of, due to his influence.

favorites are

Rocky Patel Sungrown
Padilla Obsidian
Olivia G
Don Pepin Black Label
Punch Champion

Cliff

Smoking since early 90s. Buffalo Traders in G.R. Mich. was my tobacconist, sold Punch and Hoyo and Don Thomas Roths for under a buck each. Then the boom years and the prices..."OY!"...Kids, you think S-CHIP is bad...You young people are spoiled and weak with your epods and Kanye West!!!! Anywho...

My favs are always changing but lately it's (all NC, which I assume to mean Non Cuban):

La Gloria Cubana Wavell M
La Aroma De Cuba
El Rey Rectangulare EMS
5 Vegas Miami Knuckle
Saint Louis Rey Series G

I know what you guys are saying about the Fuente's. I was a fiend for 'em way back but lately when I have one..."meh". Except for the Opus X robusto I had Friday! Wow! One of the few stogies that is worth the hype, I'd say.

very short time, less than 4 mos.


NC,
Camacho
CAO Brizilla
Padron


but the only thing I keep at home is gerbils (cc)
right now i would say
Bolivar pc
H. Upmann MAGNUM 50

some of us old bastids might remember the original El Rico Habanos.

Holy schitt that thing would melt your socks.

some other old favorites...

CAO Trois Diamante (if your humi was too high, you couldn't get them out of their box!)

CAO eXtreme

Mayorga Hi Octane (^%$%&^% pyramid box...)

Belinda Blue Bands....(gawd I'm getting old)

El Paradiso (best friends House Blend from their old store)

Oliva Cloth Bands (the toilet seat box!!)

La Vieja Habana - The Early Years Silencio (back when they were boxes of 40)

Okay, now that I feel ANCIENT in here......

[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by tobii3

some of us old bastids might remember the original El Rico Habanos.

Holy schitt that thing would melt your socks.

They still make them, but couldn't tell you if they are as full-bodied or flavorful as they used to be.

I remember ordering El Credito cigars directly from Miami. I remember getting the El Credito line, which were seconds of the LGCs. When you got some, you wanted to see if they were rolled in Miami or DR.