The Cigar Lounge!

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BacktoBasics

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Hey Everybody!

Figured there has to be some cigar smokers out there. SO, this is the place to share your favorite smoke, local lounge, or smoking experience. If you have any questions, thoughts, or recommendations, share them here!
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One of my favorite spots to chill and relax. Nothing better, to me, than a Padron 26! Hoping summer sticks around for just a little longer.
All the best,
Tony
 
Nice burn on that stogie. I just smoked a couple of cuban cigars at a golf tournamnet, they had the pointy end ( im so bad at rememebrring names) My favorite are Romeo y Julieta Cubans when i can get them. I used to smoke a lot of cigars but have stopped for no real reason. I was excited to find Fuente Fuente Opus X cigars at a local shop. They would only sell me two though and when I happed to mention they were for the guys in my wedding party they sold me the amount i needed. It was a little harsh for me though, not worth the hype to find them. Im not a fan of Acid or any of the flavored type cigars, I like the tobacco flavor as is. That Padron makes me want one hahaha!!!
 
Hey Jasta!

I live near Mexico so we can get Cubans pretty easily. Tobacco from Nicaragua is my favorite though; prefer it much more than Cuban. You may be talking about a "torpedo" style. I agree with you on the Opus X. I think they are overhyped, and priced. Not a big fan of Dominican tobacco generally, but La Flor Dominicana is worth checking out. Great construction, great flavors, and nicotine levels are very high!

And agreed about the flavored brands as well, love the taste and flavors of natural tobacco. Go treat yourself and grab a Padron! Rarely a bad draw, great construction, and always that classic tobacco flavor.

Enjoy!

I had a beautiful Liga Privada #9 from Drew Estate this weekend. Forgot my phone, so no pic, but highly recommended!

Edit: You should let the ash fall naturally...some can get quite long.1000030636.jpg1000030633.jpg
 
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Hey Everybody,

Got some Cubans for my Birthday!

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A nice change, as they really do have a unique flavor profile...just like all other regional tobaccos. But, Fuentes are about as close as you can get to the Cuban profile...particularly their X blends...when buying in the American market.

All the best,
Tony
 
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Hey Klyde,

Ashton is a brand that is made by the Fuentes'. If you like Fuentes, but want to try something slightly different, you can check them out. Diamond Crown is another made by the Fuentes, but if I had to choose, I would go with Ashton. (y)

VSG is a great Ashton cigar with a little more kick, and is common in most shops. The ESG actually uses a similar wrapper as the Opus X, but they can be pricey, and hard to find. Symmetry is another Ashton, more on the mild side and flavorful, but also uncommon in shops. Whatever you get, enjoy!

All the best,
Tony
 
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BacktoBasics said:
Hey Klyde,

Ashton is a brand that is made by the Fuentes'. If you like Fuentes, but want to try something slightly different, you can check them out. Diamond Crown is another made by the Fuentes, but if I had to choose, I would go with Ashton. (y)

Enjoy!
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I'm always up for something new, I'll give it a try definitely. Thanks!
 
Fan of Ashton with a maduro wrapper here.

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Hey MntnMan,

I have never had straight Ashton Maduro. Some of the best Maduro wrappers I have tried have come from Drew Estate's Conneticut Broadleaf wrapper; Liga Privada and Herrera Estelli have some fantastic maduro cigars. The Liga Undercorwn is also great with it's San Andreas wrapper. For bold Maduro, I would definitely check out some of Drew Estates offers.

All the best,
Tony
 
Hey Densus,

So, typically Conneticut wrappers are milder, and are recommended for those new to cigar smoking. They are the lighter colored cigars. I find Dominican tobacco to be milder as well. So I would go with a Dominican brand, with a conneticut wrapper as a first time smoke. The entire Ashton line is pretty mild, and flavorful. But they do have a Conneticut wrapper at their entry level price point. They are common in most shops too. Anything from them other than the Maduro or VSG would be a good choice.

A not so obvious choice would be La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Maduro. They are relatively common in shops. They are almost black, but interestingly, the maduro wrapper they used for this blend sweetens the filler tobacco so that it is very mild, but still flavorful. However, this is a strong cigar in terms of nicotine. If you like the effect of nicotine, this is a great cigar to try, and probablly wouldn't be a pick for most considering dark wrappers are generally seen as stronger, but it really has a mild mouth feel.

Ashton Conneticut would probablly be recommended by many cigar smokers for a first try, but all theri blends other than the VSG would be mild enough for a beginner. La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Maduro is one most probablly wouldn't recommend to somebody new to smoking cigars, but they are deceptively mild in terms of flavor, as they are very smooth. So I kind of like this pick. But, the nicotine levels are such that it's recommended to not smoke on an empty stomach. However, I pretty much always do as I love the high nicotine gives. The LFD would be my pick for a smooth smoking experience, and powerful nicotine experience.

Any personal preferences could give me a more narrow field of focus for further suggestions. :)

All the best,
Tony
 
For both beginners and connosuirs, try Quorum cigars, made by J.C Newman ( they make Diamond Crown, Cuesta Rey and La Unica). Quorum is inexpensive, around $3/stick but what I enjoy since they're mild but very flavorful-- and no dizzyness!
 
Hey Newoldie,

Thanks for the suggestion. I haven't tried Quorum, but I'm generally looking through the top shelf :p

Seems counter intuitive to get a pricery cigar as a first time smoker, but the expereince here is what counts, and value smokes often are just not very enjoyable. You deffinetely want to enjoy your first time. Not only the tobacco, but the construction of the cigar is very important in the overall expereince. When I started, I would go for the cheaper cigars. Pay say a little over 100 per box. But then when only 25% are constructed to give a pleasurable smoking expereince, the pricing is not as it seems. I've even thrown away a handful of cigars from cheaper boxes simply because they wouldn't draw; they were rolled way to tight. So you pay 100 for 20, but only 5 are well rolled, with another 5 being acceptable. Then you are paying 100 for 5-10. Or you can pay 200 for a box, and have better, tastier tobacco with say 10-15 being well rolled, and a handfull that are merely acceptable.

To this point, Padron has never let me down with construction. Every single cigar is a pleasure. So, to me, this is where the value is. :)

All the best,
Antrhony
 
Hey Everybody,

My Father cigars is a great mid level priced cigar. Construction is borderline flawless. Beautiful cigars.

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They are known for their trademark spice. Most are what they call full flavored, but none are really overbearing.

Enjoy 😊

Tony
 
opentune said:
How long does it take you to get through a cigar that size? Do you smoke it all in one go?
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Hey Opentune,

The above My Father is a box pressed torpedo about 6 inches long, with a ring guage of 52, which measures the circumference of the cigar. This size cigar can take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour or so, depending on how frequently you take your draws. To me, this is kind of a standard size; 5-6 inches in length with a 50-54 ring guage. The box pressing is a nice way to bring a fatter cigar down to size, a 54 box press may smoke more like a traditional 50-52 guage. The torpedo cap is intended to give the smoker a more customized smoking expeience; since it is tapered you can control the size of the opening by cutting close or farther away from the tip. A closer cut will give a smaller opening, leading to a more concentrated smoke. Cutting farther up the cigar opens it up a bit, allowing more air flow and a less concentrated smoking experience.

Smoking is actually a bit of an art form as different techniques of drawing give different experiences. Drawing too hard, fast, frequently, creates a bitter, intense smoking experience, basically do to the cigar heating up too quickly. Smoking too lightly, slowly, and the cigar will go out, necessitating a re-light, which will heat up the tobacco as well, contributing to a harsh, bitter experience. The trick is to get right in between where the cigar stays lit, but doesn't burn hot. To do this, wait about a minute or so between puffs after the cigar is burning well.

So you can see how time can very for finishing a cigar depending on your smoking technique. But for the most pleasurable experience, you want to smoke as slow as possible without the cigar going out.

People often wonder about re-lighting a cigar, that is, not finishing it in one sitting. As suggested above, this will lead to a more bitter smoking expereince. It's best to smoke it in one sitting for the best burn and flavor. But sometimes it's hard to find an hour of downtime, and I occasionally relight.

All the best,

Tony
 
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DrummerJustLikeDad said:
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Hey Drummer,

I was actually on a small cigar run recently, trying to save money. But, I have noticed they all generally burn hotter because of the smaller ring guage, and are therefore a bit more on the intense, bitter side. What's interesting about this is, you can spend a lot more money on a luxury brand with luxury tobacco, but you won't really get the experience of a luxury smoke. So, for me, it doesn't make much sense buying the expensive small cigars. I try to find a happy medium with quality construction and reasonable price. The Punch Diablo is great for this and what I have landed on for a regular smoke; quality construction, decent flavor for a small cigar, and under 2 bucks a cigar.

All the best,

Tony
 
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