canndo
Well-Known Member
I could give you recomendations on brands and sizes but that wouldn't be fair. What I can do is give you a general list of tastes.
Toasty
meaty
floral
leather
loam
peppery
cinamon
clove
salty
bitter
chocolate
citrus
coffee
Cherry
Start with those - there are a multitude of others, some more imaginary than others, and those are the flavors that are generaly attractive, others not so attractive are metalic, grassy, sour, stale and the like.
Go to a GOOD tobacconist, he will be the one who sells only tobacco and tobacco implements, few if any glass pipes and powder bullets and the like. Many simply have walk in humidors and don't know what they are doing. If you see a SINGLE flavored cigar or flavored tobacco in the same humidor with the regular cigars - go somewhere else.
Tell him you are new, you want to try a variety of mild to medium smokes of short duration and let him suggest a few. Get no more than two or three and keep them in a double ziplock bag. Even then, you are going to have to smoke them in the next few days.
1. Never EVER inhale a cigar
2. Ensure a well trimmed "head", you don't bite the tip off, you clip it or use a hole punch or a v punch
3. Toast the cigar, that is, flame the foot (the open end) all around, gently so as to begin the charring process uniformly on the foot
4. Put it to your mouth and fire it up - as lightly as possible but be SURE that all of the foot is ignited. You will see smokers rotate their cigar for a moment in the flame, then look at it as they blow, to see that is is completely lit. Then they take a draw or two and wait a moment for things to settle.
5. Puff slowly, don't keep the smoke in your mouth and don't overheat the cigar by "stoking" it, or puffing and puffing in order to get it hot
6. Smoke it until you don't enjoy the flavor any more
7. When you are finished, don't EVER butt it out like a cigarette - it will go out on its own quickly enough. If you butt it, your wife or girlfriend and you yourself will object to the stink. If you let it go out on it's own you will not get such a smell.
Try your best not to have to re-light your cigar. a relit cigar will never taste quite as good, a good cigar will keep lit for several minutes. The tobacco will become stale very quickly after it has been lit. I know people who will smoke the same cigar for several days - YUCK. I have given exquisit cigars to people who will re-light them over and over again, becoming involved in anything but the cigar - I will not give them good sticks after that.
finally, pay attention, tend to the feeling it gives you of peace and tranquility, pay attention to the texture of the smoke and note how the smoke tastes, both on the puff, on the exhale and finally on the finish - you will be surprised at the number of subtle and often surprising flavors. If you get an entertaining cigar, those flavors will change througout the course of your smoking experience - these are usually expensive cigars. If you get a single note cigar, you will find that the core flavors will persist throughout - this is often perferable when one is combining a cigar with a good drink or when one is enjoying the cigar while.. say... posting on a web site.
I have convinced many people of the pleasures of a good cigar, I hope I have convinced you as well.
