New Cigar Smoker Experience!

Joined May 2018
1 Posts | 0+
Montana
Hey y'all, so I just wanted to share what I've been smoking / enjoyed in my first year of cigars. So I started last summer, and since then I've been trying to figure out what sticks I most enjoy! My local tobacconist started me out with milds of course, and I did enjoy them, but I've developed a preference for more medium / full bodied cigars for sure.

My favorites so far have been: Cattle Baron, the Illusione 4/2g, and Rocky Patel (the one I enjoyed was labelled as "Vintage 2006 San Andreas").

With Cattle Baron, for me it really evoked a rustic, old west mood. Very peppery and leathery for sure, and actually put me in the mood to listen to some good ole Mearle Haggard. (I don't normally listen to country, expanding my horizons I guess!)

The Illusione 4/2g quickly became my new favorite after that. It's a good peppery smoke, but has the complexity of cocoa and fruit tones, which I absolutely loved. I finally figured out about retrohaling while smoking this one, and it certainly enhanced my experience. It would pair really well with a good bar of chocolate honestly.

And then the Rocky Patel that I had...It was also quite good. First cigar that I could truly say was "spicy", almost in a red pepper way. I loved it for sure, really solid stick and well worth the price.

I also enjoyed Guardian of the Farm for a nice peppery smoke (moreso black pepper) with some earthy tones.

Some other notes, I have also enjoyed ashtons; the ones I had were about half the size of some of my usual cigars. The only "problem" with these were that they made me crave having another since it was such a short lived smoke! I tried the Connecticut style ashton of the same variety, and I definitely didn't like it as much, probably because it was way more mild.

I tried a "my fathers" cigar or two, and they definitely weren't my preference. It was ok, for sure, and I wouldn't turn it down, but I didn't really get anything special out of them. They were a bit bitter imo.

I will say, I've developed a bit more appreciation of certain milds when I was out smoking with my dad. I was smoking my Illusione, and him a Chillin Moose, which he only got about halfway (so I finished it lol). Anyway, long story short, what I came to realize is that a mild cigar like the Chillin Moose is far more appropriate for smoking and having a beer. I didn't really touch my beer while I was smoking the illusione, but enjoyed it paired with the moose for sure.

Any thoughts, opinions, or recommendations are welcome!