The Cigar Thread. Smoke em' if you got em'.

[ilikegunspdx]

FYI I noticed this interesting short video about storing cigars. He says long term storage should be colder and lower humidity.

I've been storing Dominicans at 69-70% and like to have thicker tobaccos like Nicaraguans a little drier like 67%. Both are in basement at constant 68F temp. It seems like the thinner tobaccos like Dominicans have more flavor at the higher humidity end but I've noticed Nicaraguans don't burn as well when they are at say 70% and have more of a tendency to go out. Not sure about any flavor differences for Nicaraguan. It might be an intersting experiment to set up a small bin/humidor at 65% and one at 70% just to see if I notice any difference after say 6 months.

Watching that video has me thinking of maybe going a bit drier than I have been doing. Just passing the info along. Cheers!

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Saw this online today.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Hc white for me this morning. Similar to a number of cigars that have conn shade wrapper with Nicaraguan filler. Medium body, smooth. Excellent value as these can be found very inexpensively sometimes. 8.8/10 for me.

A tad bit worse than these similar cigars that use conn shade wrapper and Nicaraguan fillers (among others in some cases) for me which are all about 9.1ish/10.
montechristo platinum
Macanudo inspirado white
Cohiba conneticut

same as:
Camacho scorpion connecricit

way better than:
Man o war virtue
Ghurka Beauty

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Punch icon for me today. One of my favorites. I do see some variability in them as far as flavors (not body, quality etc). Some have tasted just like chocolate brownies. Some more peppery than others. All are full bodied, flavorful and not harsh or too peppery. I changed my humidor setup so these have been at 66% for quite a while now vs normally 69%. Can't say that I've noticed any difference though cuz like I said flavors vary somewhat anyway. This one has flavors of must, oak, perhaps white pepper, cocoa or maybe dry chocolate, a bit of orange peel. This one stronger on spice and lower and chocolate more in the background than others I have had. Great strong rainy day cigar. Pretty strong mouth presence. I would rank 9.2/10 for my preferences but ppl who like really strong cigars may rank it higher.

This would pair nicely with a 45-70 or other big hunting caliber. Somehow I think 7.5mm Swiss would pair nicely with his one too. (J/k about that stuff , I honestly have no clue about how poepl can say it would pair good with X food or drink, unless they r talking about coffee or whiskey, I can totally see coffee or whiskey, but then I am no "foody" at all).

 

[PORSCHE928S4]

View attachment 1056717Punch icon for me today. One of my favorites. I do see some variability in them as far as flavors (not body, quality etc). Some have tasted just like chocolate brownies. Some more peppery than others. All are full bodied, flavorful and not harsh or too peppery. I changed my humidor setup so these have been at 66% for quite a while now vs normally 69%. Can't say that I've noticed any difference though cuz like I said flavors vary somewhat anyway. This one has flavors of must, oak, perhaps white pepper, cocoa or maybe dry chocolate, a bit of orange peel. This one stronger on spice and lower and chocolate more in the background than others I have had. Great strong rainy day cigar. Pretty strong mouth presence. I would rank 9.2/10 for my preferences but ppl who like really strong cigars may rank it higher.

This would pair nicely with a 45-70 or other big hunting caliber. Somehow I think 7.5mm Swiss would pair nicely with his one too. (J/k about that stuff , I honestly have no clue about how poepl can say it would pair good with X food or drink, unless they r talking about coffee or whiskey, I can totally see coffee or whiskey, but then I am no "foody" at all).

Cigar and caliber pairing ! I like it what would you recommend to go with 338 WM or 243 ?

 

[CountryGent]

Just a heads up to my fellow cigar aficionados; there is a proposed 1000% tax hike on cigars. No, that's not a typo. I saw it whilst checking out on JR Cigars.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Just a heads up to my fellow cigar aficionados; there is a proposed 1000% tax hike on cigars. No, that's not a typo. I saw it whilst checking out on JR Cigars.

Yea, their going after pipe tobacco too, those bastards!

 

[fredball]

The Biden Crime Family Stealing all things we love
Just a heads up to my fellow cigar aficionados; there is a proposed 1000% tax hike on cigars. No, that's not a typo

 

[sobo]

I don't smoke many cigars (just when my rich friends have me over for dinner), and I quit smoking a pipe back in the '80s, but how is a tax increase of this magnitude even remotely conceivable? I mean, this is pure evil and madness...

 

[PORSCHE928S4]

Just a heads up to my fellow cigar aficionados; there is a proposed 1000% tax hike on cigars. No, that's not a typo. I saw it whilst checking out on JR Cigars.

Well my humidor is at capacity I just pick up a few gems when I see them it is like the 90's cigar boom again lol

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Cigar and caliber pairing ! I like it what would you recommend to go with 338 WM or 243 ?

Hmmm very good question! I'm not familiar with 338WM (feel free to educate me or point me to links) but for 243, how about something classic but damn good that has been around a long time but a bit under the radar for the folks that only know the "new kid on the block" .223/556? Also the cigar should pack enough punch but less than a .308 or 30-06 cigar.

Hmmm, have to think about it. The cigar would need to have heritage. Maybe a brand from one of the Cuban families who escaped communism and re-started the family brand in Florida? Also a cigar present before the 90's cigar rage. It should be an American company and not a Cuban commie 7.62x39 cigar.

If H. Upmann had not sold and completely changed their entire lineup to more modern blends I would have said non-Cuban H. Upmann circa 1990's. Man I miss those cigars!

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Macanudo inspirado green for me today. I think these are the best of inspirado lineup (for my preferences). Smooth, medium bodied, but spicy. Very consistent from cigar to cigar. Well made and can be found for as little as $2.10-2.40ish online if u find a good sale. Recommend trying one of u have never had one. Quite different than most Macanudos.

Below is a blurb from one of the cigar companies that I think is pretty accurate (despite the flowery marketing language). Most of all I would say it's an incredibly well balanced cigar. One of the most well balanced cigars I've had for those that have some spice to them. Also it's lively and aromatic, but not too lively. The Brazilian wrapper is most excellent. I noticed it leaves those little white nodules in the ash and has a "toothy" wrapper.

Fyi for those interested I found this article describing Brazilian tobaccos. About 1/3 of the way down the article where the bullet points are is where they describe the various Brazilian tobaccos.

5 Things You Need to Know About...Brazilian Tobacco

Brazilian tobacco is oily, spicy-sweet and super delicious – but what else do you know about it? It's more than maduro; we’ll tell you, with these 5 Things.

www.google.com

 

[PORSCHE928S4]

Hmmm very good question! I'm not familiar with 338WM (feel free to educate me or point me to links) but for 243, how about something classic but damn good that has been around a long time but a bit under the radar for the folks that only know the "new kid on the block" .223/556? Also the cigar should pack enough punch but less than a .308 or 30-06 cigar.

Hmmm, have to think about it. The cigar would need to have heritage. Maybe a brand from one of the Cuban families who escaped communism and re-started the family brand in Florida? Also a cigar present before the 90's cigar rage. It should be an American company and not a Cuban commie 7.62x39 cigar.

If H. Upmann had not sold and completely changed their entire lineup to more modern blends I would have said non-Cuban H. Upmann circa 1990's. Man I miss those cigars!

I have had some great H Upmann's as for the 338 WM hits hard with about 35lbs of felt recoil so maybe something strong that hits as hard mmmm a Cohiba . The 243 does a nice job soft recoil and is a joy to shoot so would probably pair well with the A Fuente Hemmingway short story .

 

[PORSCHE928S4]

The Rocky Patel's with the aged wrappers https://www.rockypatel.com/cigar/vintage-1990/

 

[PORSCHE928S4]

I have had some great H Upmann's as for the 338 WM hits hard with about 35lbs of felt recoil so maybe something strong that hits as hard mmmm a Cohiba . The 243 does a nice job soft recoil and is a joy to shoot so would probably pair well with the A Fuente Hemmingway short story .

Correction the 338 WM in a rifle using 225gr and a rifle that weighs 9 lbs recoil would be 30 lbs . I have a 6lb rifle in 338 wm so recoil is like 1 million lbs lol !

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Correction the 338 WM in a rifle using 225gr and a rifle that weighs 9 lbs recoil would be 30 lbs . I have a 6lb rifle in 338 wm so recoil is like 1 million lbs lol !

Ahh, in terms of nicotine strength then maybe a CAIN would be good match for 338 wm. Man those things pack a wallup! They make me dizzy.

In terms of strength in body? I dunno I heard Opus X is crazy strong but have never tried one. ?

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Tried a punch estate collection today. 2 months in humidor @ 66%. Had an apple beforehand to clean my palate so maybe influenced by that but this thing is strong. I had expected only slightly different than punch Classico but it's totally different than that, peppery and spicy. Musty, earthy flavor. Strong mouth presence. Not harsh. Tastes a lot like rocky Patel decade but stronger in terms of spice. It's a small cigar similar in size to punch Nicaraguan gran puro. I will update this when I smoke it down more.

Edit: now half way through. Fast burner but maybe due to small size. Had to consult the flavor wheel to try to put a handle on flavors.

Dominant: 1. leather, 2. must. Dry not sweet. Earthy. Overal somewhat similar to rocky Patel decade.
Medium: 1.metal of some sort (not iron, steel, or aluminum, almost like chrome? (Comes from polishing many late 50's-1960s cars when I was a kid ha ha), 2.tannins, 3."spice" my palate not developed enough to distinguish spices even in food really. Started peppery but that dropped off by 60%or more now. Still spice though, just not as peppery.
Minor/not sure: raisin

I would give it a 9.1/10 for my preferences. I would say overall not terribly complex but earthy, spicy cigar similar to Rocky Patel decade. Looking at website says sumatra wrapper and Honduran filler which is same as decade. Other websites have conflicting info though so who knows. $2-$3 on sale online for the small size.

Here is the link to John Pulo's flavor wheel FYI:

https://www.famous-smoke.com/images/main/CigarAdvisorTastingWheel.pdf

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Rocky Patel Decade for me today. Very aromatic and pretty flavorful cigar with medium body. Strong and Wonderful chocolate aroma alone makes this cigar worth it for me. Medium body, very slightly spicy, earthy , flavors of earth, mocha, mushroom, steak, leather, black cherry. 2nd half of this cigar is brilliant as flavors pick up tremendously.

In the past this has been a very inconsistent burner for me. But this one has been perfect. I don't know if that is just luck of the draw or maybe humidity (I don't think it's humidity). 9.4/10 for my preference (fwiw).



Ps has anybody heard is that crazy tax measure is still alive? I've been picking up some of the cheaper everyday cigars I like just in case and cuz my pre-covid stockpile is thinning out, but curious if it's moving forward or not.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Torano exodus 50 years for me today while starting to train young pup. Short, med-full, slow burning, nice aroma. Good cigar and fairly inexpensive online on sale. Pretty strong in body and a bit peppery on tongue but not harsh. 8.8/10 for my preferences. Couple f15s flying over for training now.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Kristoff maduro for me today. Med full to full bodied but not super peppery. dry not sweet. Nicotine strength pretty high imo. Very similar to many Cubans but stronger. Musty with various flavors coming and going such as salt, minor med dark chocolate, and I can taste many of the flavors mentioned in reviews such as licorice etc. but non of the flavors are very strong (again similar to Cubans). Closest cigar I can think of would be my father cigars and Cuban partagas #6 with this one less earthy than Cuban Partagas and a lot stronger and more mouth presence.

Basically like a stronger Cuban. Brazilian wrapper with Cuban seed Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. I would give it a 9.1/10 for my preferences, almost too strong for my tastes. I like the kristania maduro, shade grown, and ligero maduro better. Like all kristoffs extremely well made and very consistent. If u like Cubans u will probably like it but not as flavorful as some cigars. I like Brazilian wrappers but this one is not as spicy and sweet as many Brazilian wrapper cigars imo.