Just gerring started

Joined Feb 2006
2K Posts | 3+
Kelvin's House
I am getting started to get the hoby of cigars. I just bought asmall humidor (50 cigars give or take) I have read about seasoning, what is that how do I do it. I am also learning what I like, one thing that I really like are Macanudos. can anybody suggest other things to try? also any other info would be great.
 
Welcome to the addiction. You are traveling down a road no one looks back on. If you listen to the guys on this board, they will never steer you wrong. Everyone here is knowledgeable and are always willing to help a person just starting out. There is no flaming of newbies on this board, so don't be afraid to ask the simple or dumb questions, just expect some friendly ribbing from time to time.

As for the humidor, the best way I have found to season it it to get a small bowl of distilled water and let it sit in your humidor for about a week or two and let your humidor come up to the right humidity level. The standard is 70% humidity but a lot of people also think that 65% is good as well. Make sure you buy a digital hygrometer, the analog ones just don't cut it. Innacurate reading can lead to you spoiling some good smokes. Then add cigars little by little so that you do not have huge swings in humidity. In the mean time if you have a bunch of cigars, keep them in an airtight tuperware container with a water pillow or boveda pack until your humidor is ready. That should keep them humid enough.

As for cigars, if you like macanudo's, don't buy a buch at once until you have tried a lot of different cigars. I find that a lot of people start out with them but after trying different cigars with more flavor they don't really go back to them. Before I started smoking "real" cigars, the Macanudo Portofino was my favorite. :oops: Now I will not even buy them. If you want to try something new that is not too much, I suggest the Cusano 18 line of cigars. They are for the most part pretty mild, but have a lot of flavor. You can start to work up to the more full bodoed ciagrs and then see what you like. The more you try, the more you will be able to figure out what you like. Good luck on your journey my friend, its a fun one.
 
Barcochris, welcome to the this thing of ours!

A 50 count humidor is a great start, but if you stick around this forum, I can almost guarantee you buy a bigger humidor by the end of March! If you are interested, jump in the box pass or the PIF thread so you can sample different cigars. Stick around the forum and I can guarantee that you will not go back to those macanudos, just like Phisherman stated. I started out with the CAO golds, I do recommend them. Also the La Gloria Cubanas are a great cigar along with the Cusano line. The Cusano 18 is a favorite of most on the forum.

Once again, welcome to the forum!
 
I second the cusano 18 and cao gold. Both gread recommendations for someone starting to find their palate. La Aurora is another good mild cigar that is probably most like the macanudo you are smoking now.

For the best value, consider the Sol Cubano Connecticut or the CuAvana. Both are very smooth and strait forward. Not to mention cheap.
 
Cigar.com Blue Label as well?

Buy singles and samplers (from Cigar.com of course! :) ) and you will soon develop your likes and dislikes.

Flor de Olivas as well. Not quite as mild as some, but inexpensive and quality made.

<--- Flor de Oliva forum whore.
 
The PIF is the Pay it Forward thread. In that thread someone asks, "Who wants to be my amback mooch? the nest person who replies "I'll be you amback mooch" will received 3 cigars from the asking party. Then It is up to the mooch to ask the question again and when someone replies, it is up to the mooch to send that person cigars. He is a link to the thread.

http://cigar.ambackforum.com/viewtopic. ... 71500b8824
 
Check out the first page of those threads. PIF "Pay It Forward" is a nice way to send folks nice cigars and receive smokes that you probably haven't tried. I've loved everything that I've received from other folks. These guys know their stuff.

Don't be afraid to try new cigars (of all types.) When I first started I got a couple of cigar books and looked up a bunch of info on-line (this is how I found AmBack.) I also like to keep a cigar journal (take notes on taste and price.) I like to buy singles I haven't tried from the cigar shop (cigar.com has a bunch of stuff I can't find in town.) Then, I'll buy a box when I find a favorite. I bought a box of Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Storys not too long ago.
 
Try the Cigar.com Cameroon label... If you like Cameroon wrappers, you will love this smoke. Inexpensive, but certainly not cheap!!!
 
welcome to the forum! In addition to what all the others have said, I would like to recommend the 5 Vegas Gold...nice inexpensive smoke. I also would recommend trying to get two maybe three of each smoke you try, that way you can really get a feel for it before deciding if you like it or not. Also by doing this you can come back to it and compair it to others you have tried. (if you start with what the people here recommend, you will not go wrong. And if YOU don't like it, no big deal, try another) I second Brenda's thoughts on trying all kinds of cigars.... I made the mistake of strictly smoking mild cigars for too long. There are a lot of full flavored cigars out there that are not very strong. Some of my favorites are the 5 Vegas A, Cigar.com Cuban Label, and Cusano 18 Maduro and connecticut, and if you want a nice short smoke, try the A. Fuente Exquisitos Maduro....mmm mmm good!) Good luck and happy Smokin'
~S
 
I bought my first humidor should be here the end of the week. It came with the dial hygrometer so I also got the digital one. How does the humidification take place. It is just a round black disk. I think that there is some kind of felt disk in there. They also said to use the water glycol mix do I need that or is just distiled water alright.
 
Welcome! You will be very happy here, I am. Lots of great people and many years of experience. These fellas know what's what. I just love the Ashton Maduro. A wonderful smoke, kinda like a road trip to your favorite place. Have fun. :cheers:
 
Welcome, there is an incredable amount of info here, and everone is really great about sharing it. If you want to do some reading, try a site like http://www.jrcigar.com and go to jr university on the site. It will give you all the basic cigar info you might need. it really helped me when I first started. And try the sample packs. Cigar.com has a bunch. enjoy
 
Welcome to the Zoo ! Enjoy, Vince
 
i just bought a small humidor that holds 20 cigars bad mistake .i had to order bigger one because i had 15 sticks already and ordered another 35 if you can spend the extra money go bigger on humidor
 
20 cigars?? thats not even big enough for a travel humidor!
 
soonerleon said:
i just bought a small humidor that holds 20 cigars bad mistake .i had to order bigger one because i had 15 sticks already and ordered another 35 if you can spend the extra money go bigger on humidor

Here's an idea though: use that 20 count as your "good stash". You know those $20-$20 a piece cigars? That way you can let them age and have a "humidor full" of them without having to mortgage the house to buy a bigger humi full of them.



But yes, if starting out, a bigger one is definitely called for.