So what is everyone smoking?

[bourboncc]

Liga Privada T52 to start the day, UZI Baitfish to end it.

[MissinER101]

Well it is ~50* here on the western slope of Colorado and in about an hour I'm going out on the back patio with a WLW and one of my remaining Cuban Cohiba maduros and watch the setting sun play on the Rocky Mountains.

[cigarnv]

Just a beautiful afternoon in the Old Dominion.... had to get out for a cigar before the snow arrives tomorrow... what a funky winter!!

Had to go for a classic... 1998 HdM Churchill... beautiful construction, dark wrapper.... candy from Havana!!!

[tsangster]

Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro

[smokinjoe]

B&B's post on pipe smoking got me to hunt down my pipe and give it a go. The not then Mrssmokinjoe gave me this small bowl, bent stem Dr Grabow Lark, along with a pouch of Captain Black, some 27 years ago while we were in college. It's been pretty much exclusively CB since, as it is on this rainy night in Georgia out here in the garage with the Sheltie napping in the corner and the Taylor Tornado in my glass.

[Ejmharris]

Nice Rocky Patel by the fire!!!!

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[Young Blacksmith]

a bowl of McClelland Black Parrot in a falcon. Nice counterpoint to some ER 101.

[JayMonster]

Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro

Hmmm... Haven't gone with a Perdomo in quite some time... may have to dig one out now.

[Beer&Bourbon]

Pulled out a Cohiba Corona yesterday. Enjoyed it on a trip to the dog park.

[cigarnv]

Last evening I enjoyed a Bolivar RE release from Greece which was very approachable for a young Boli. Very tame compared to the Boli's of the early 2000's.

[Clavius]

I don't know if anybody here smokes Acids but I just bought a tin of the Krush Conneticut. They're pretty good. I love the Acid Kuba Kuba's but rarely have the patience for a normal size cigar. So the Krush little cigars are great for me.

[JayMonster]

Acids... I would say they are to cigars as Jack Daniels Honey is to bourbon. They have their market segment, but few enthusiasts hold them in high regard.

[Clavius]

Acids... I would say they are to cigars as Jack Daniels Honey is to bourbon. They have their market segment, but few enthusiasts hold them in high regard.

Noted. Don't get me wrong, I love a good "regular" cigar. I just don't know enough about them and find all of the brands to be overwhelming. However, I have smoked a few Padron's and have enjoyed them.

[JayMonster]

Noted. Don't get me wrong, I love a good "regular" cigar. I just don't know enough about them and find all of the brands to be overwhelming. However, I have smoked a few Padron's and have enjoyed them.

Please also don't get me wrong. I am a firm believer in smoke (or drink) what you enjoy.

You are right, the number of brands (and combinations of tobacco) can be very overwhelming. But like bourbon, there are certain traits you can look for to help narrow things down, depending on what you like.

For example (And these are slightly oversimplified)

Wrappers:

CT. Shade (or "shade grown) - these blond color wrappers generally will indicate a more mild flavored cigar. They will impart a more silky smooth taste, that is the best known and best selling in the US. Macanudo and (Domincan not Cuban branded) Cohiba are probably the best known examples of this type. I would equate this with Maker's Mark to a bourbon drinker. Simple, inoffensive, but not much else.

Sun Grown - typically darker than the Shade Grown, these vary a lot in taste. Best known for this is the Ashton Virgin Sun Grown, because they are almost always excellent (and generally cost considerably more), this can be a very hit or miss area (other than the Ashtons). If you want to get into Sun Growns, I always suggest buying sampler packs if available to you to try out several different brands. This is like going through Stagg, WTRB, Handy and other powerful Bourbons. When good, they are great, when not, well, you can wind up with nothing more than a lot of burn in the back of your palate. As I said, the Ashton VSG is probably the best (and best known) of this type, but there are plenty of other (and less expensive) options.

Maduro - Usually a rich dark, chocolate color, the flavor is usually richer than a sun grown, but also smoother and less "spicy" (Whether less spicy is good or bad of course depends on taste). I could go on for hours on selecting different types of Maduros (but won't... your welcome), but suffice it to say the darker and more oily looking the wrapper appears to be, the richer the taste. This is along the lines of an ORVW, or Knob Creek, but also Jim Beam Black and Evan Williams. Generally good tasting, but the richness varies and age definitely improves them. Too many to give a "typical" taste to a single or just a few cigars. La Gloria Cubana, Arturo Fuente, Padron are certainly some brands that are always trustworthy though.

Cameroon - Color varies on these rarer wrappers, thought they are almost alway lighter than a maduro. They impart a sweet taste to the cigar, less rich, but definitely smooth. They are also quite fragile (to roll as well as care for in your humidor). They generally cost more, and except for some off brands that use thickly veined wrappers ("seconds" for lack of a better term), are generally excellent cigars. This is like the wheaters bourbon category of cigars. There are a few less aged cigars that would be like a Weller Special Reserve, but it also moves up the scale to Pappy like status (and price) for some of the very good. Best known in this category would probably be CAO Cameroon and the Arturo Fuente Hemigway line.

Finally there is Ecuador Sumatra - this actually fits into several categories depending on how it is aged and grown, you can find the standard broadleaf which is closer to a Sun Grown (and sometimes is) all the way to a Dark Maduro, They are spicy and tasty wrappers. These are my personal favorite. It is not as expensive as a Cameroon and not as boring as a CT Shadegrown. Paring this up with a rich flavored, heavier bourbon (For me that is Knob Creek Single Barrel, though I can see WT Rare Breed or Saz working well here).

There is of course more options, and the binder as well as the filler is what makes them different, but this should give you a decent base to go into a tobacco shop and feel less overwhelmed with the options.

[Clavius]

Hey thanks for the write-up, Jay! I'm familiar with Connecticut Shade and Maduro wrappers. Thinking back through the few cigars I've smoked I probably prefer the Maduro. I'll have to look for Cameroon and Sumatra next time I go to the store. And I'll check out a few of those brands (particularly Arturo Fuente).

[Beer&Bourbon]

I also don't have a great deal of knowledge in terms of what I smoke. I usually read a bit and pick up a few cigars that I keep in the humidor until I pull them out (usually on a whim). I usually equate the light wrappers with mild, non-offensive smokes (and for that reason rarely buy them myself, but sometimes get them as gifts). The Cohiba I had the other day was rich and spicy and full of flavor; I even said to my wife that it was the most impressive light cigar I'd had to date.

I've had 2 Ashton VSGs in my brief cigar smoking life (1.5 years or so). Neither of them tickled my fancy. They were both decent enough smokes but not enough to get me to pick up another one. I generally stick to dark wrappers and look for coffee/espresso/chocolate flavors, but I also like the leather/nut/oak character I've had in a few lighter cigars. Are there any combinations that bring together some light character (say leather and oak) with some dark coffee/espresso? I'd also be interested in some dark character with spicy notes in it if anyone has recommendations.

[Clavius]

Any recommendations from you guys on a decent, small/medium humidor?

[JayMonster]

I've had 2 Ashton VSGs in my brief cigar smoking life (1.5 years or so). Neither of them tickled my fancy. They were both decent enough smokes but not enough to get me to pick up another one. I generally stick to dark wrappers and look for coffee/espresso/chocolate flavors, but I also like the leather/nut/oak character I've had in a few lighter cigars. Are there any combinations that bring together some light character (say leather and oak) with some dark coffee/espresso? I'd also be interested in some dark character with spicy notes in it if anyone has recommendations.

[JayMonster]

Any recommendations from you guys on a decent, small/medium humidor?

Avoid a glass top (unless you are more interested in showing off your cigars than smoking them). That is not a hard and fast rule... just mine personally. To me, the more cedar, the better, both for taste and humidity.

Make sure it has a good fitting lid so you don't have to constantly mess with adding more water.

Whatever you get, if it comes with a cheap small circle humidfying device, plan to buy something a bit better to add to it. (Gel or beads is best).

Here is a decent one from JR Cigars, as an example. But any solid cedar lined cabinet will work for small/medium size units.

http://www.jrcigars.com/jr/index.cfm/hurl/evt=itemDetail/itemcode=3RMHX/CIGAR-LOGO-HUMIDOR:-EL-REY-DEL-MUNDO.html

[JayMonster]

Got 2 smokes picked out, one if the NJ Devils win tonight (Punch Rare Corojo), and one if they lose (Consuerga Maduro). But both depend on the rain letting up by the time I get back from the Prudential Center.

[JayMonster]

Well... Devil's lost, so the Rare Corojo will live to see another day, but since the rain stopped, I am starting in on a Consuerga #16 (Punch Pita Seconds).

[JayMonster]

It is a fairly nice, chilly evening here in NJ. Certainly not warm enough to stay out long enough with a big ring cigar, so I pullled out a Flor de A. Allones Especiale No. 5. I have had these little tootsie rolls in my humidor since about 2002. They were a little rough around the edges back then, but have smoothed out nicely with all those years in cedar.

I paired this up with my last pour from a bottle of Maker's Mark. MM would have been overwhelmed by this cigar 10 years ago, but with the aging and smoothness, they are now a pleasant match (though I wish I could get some MM that has been in its own wood for 10 years, I would love to find out what that would taste like).

The wrapper on the Allones is rich and dark. It is listed as an EMS, but looks more like a Maduro. The Ecuadorian Sumatra Wrapper and Nicaraguan filler make this a solid full flavor smoke, the CT Shade Binder and additional Honduran Tobacco in the filler help balance things out to make this a well rounded taste, though not overly complex.

Because of their size, I have a tendency to overlook them a good amount of the time, but then I smoke one, and I wonder why I waited so long to go back to them.

Though the timing was exactly what I had planned, it felt like my glass was empty a little too quickly and my cigar (because of its 38 ring gauge) ended too soon. Making me look forward to warmer weather when I can go with the bigger gauge and a longer pour.

[Happyhour24x7]

Enjoyed a couple of nice smokes this weekend: a Padron 1964 Anniversario (my all time favorite) on Saturday afternoon following a Cognac tasting, and a nice Hemingway Sunday sitting on the deck on a chilly but nice February day.

[Steve99]

Just lit up a Bauza Torpedo that has been sitting in my humidor over a year. I had grown tired of them as too mild after they had been my favorite cigar. I am finding this one quite tasty. Any suggestion for a bourbon to accompany it?

[JayMonster]

Just lit up a Bauza Torpedo that has been sitting in my humidor over a year. I had grown tired of them as too mild after they had been my favorite cigar. I am finding this one quite tasty. Any suggestion for a bourbon to accompany it?