Herfin ain't easy but it sure is fun!
Cigars, what would I do without them?
I first smoked back in 1995 with a fellow K-Stater in Dodge City KS. I was told I didn’t have any vices and thus my life was out of balance. The first smoke I ever had was an unbanded honduran (brought from a coworker who visits relatives in Honduras each year). I liked it even though I made the mistake of inhaling. So much for my shot as a Senator.
What followed was a beautiful ritual of periodic herfs...whether on the road or at home. I smoked a pipe a couple times but it was too much work. You do get more goodies to play with (pipe, pick, cleaner, cool o-ring lighter) though.
But that’s not to say cigars are without their own toys!
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Cutter: these things range from giveaways at shops to 500$ engraved platinum beauties and up. I use a generic ABS dual blade cutter with stainless cutting surfaces. Single blade cutters are available but believe me you are better off spending 4 or 5 bucks more for the basic dual blade cutter. I also have a plug cutter that is good but you could use a nail just the same. I typically fall on the dual blade cutter for most smokes but sometimes use a nail or the plug for 1+hour herfs. |
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AVOID MATCHBOOKS AT ALL COSTS. The paper is coated with chemicals that will adversely affect your smoke! Leave them for the stinky cigarette smokers. Kitchen matches: The good old small boxes of kitchen matches you get at the casinos or the tobacconist are just fine but they are a bit tedious for the proper lighting of a cigar. Cigar matches: I don't know what they're called. These are about as long as 3 kitchen matches and burn a little bit slower than the kitchen matches. These are available at the tobacconist. Typical butane lighter: okay but just make sure that it has high grade butane and don't bury your smoke in it! Jet/Torch style: I have one of these and love it to death. Only problem is you have to bring a can of butane with you. I have properly lit smokes in 10+mph winds without this going out. It doesn’t even flicker! And it’s great for lighting the grill too!!! They can range from 10 to 3000 bucks or more but most of them that you and I will ever see are in the 10 to 50 dollar range.
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Carrying Case:
Humidor and storage:
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If you buy cigars and are not going to smoke them for awhile you should keep them in a ziplok bag and not take them out of the cellophane until herfin time. Otherwise get a humie. When buying a humidor, look for solid construction (frame, hinges), a good, preferably tight, seal and absolutely a 100% cedar interior. Otherwise don’t bother. I bought a good humie for 40 bucks that included a cigar smoking book and a basic dual blade cutter. Regular price for this humie in Holts would be 60 bucks and 80 at a tobacconist. With all these rules you’d think we’re dealing with Gremlins but your sticks can turn into "DOG ROCKETS" and you will be ill tempered like a Gremlin if the humie isn’t enabled to store them properly. Before you start putting sticks in it make sure that you charge it up. I did this by wiping down the interior with distilled water from a clean sponge and then setting the sponge on a tray in the middle of the humie, closing it and letting it sit overnight. Then I put the humelement in distilled water for about an hour, shook it out lightly, and put it in the humie. Voila. Monitor the temperature and humidity, ideally 70F and 70RH. I am told that a 5 degree variance is tolerable but that alone is an issue as your humidor is to be treated like a fragile ecosystem for the maturing of your future herf victims. I bought a combination digital humistat and thermometer from Holts for 20 bucks. It updates every twenty seconds so I always know the state of my precious humie! Temperatures above 75F make the tobacco beetle larvae in your sticks VERY VERY happy. Do not use any furniture polishes/oils on or near the humie. Just use distilled water and you’ll be fine. This goes for cleaning, soaking, I have had great success with the humitubes/sticks. Every month I leave the cigars in an open tupperware container for a couple hours for some fresh air while I wipe down the humie’s inside with distilled water using only a clean chemical free sponge or lint free cloth. I’ll then close the lid on the cigars and the humie and let the sponge sit in the humie overnight on a layer of plastic. And don’t forget to take all of the sticks out of their wrappers, if any, for storage in the humie. This allows them to aerate and age properly.
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Ashtray: your father's ashtray will probably not work. Unless he was a cigar smokes. Get something make out of aluminum or ABS that can preferably hold two sticks at a time because smoking is a pleasure best done in good company.
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Some of the herf victims:
Typical smoke (usually less than $2.00
per stick):
Let me begin by saying that Don Mateo is not enough to keep me happy...anymore.
Micubano 450. Inconsistent but at $25 for 25 sticks in a beautiful cedar bulk crate I won't complain!
Anything alt.smokers.cigars recommends in the majority (how I found Mayorga)
Mayorga robusto: maybe the best stick you’ll ever find for $40 per box
Beloved brands and models:
Ashton: the Churchill is simply the smoothest, most consistent cigar I have ever smoked. The VSG Sorcerer is rare but utterly wonderful. The oily wrapper is luscious and to die for.
Partagas #10: very consistent cigar with more body than the Ashton. Ages VERY well. Partagas was a cuban brand with deep roots until Fidel was mean to them. The latest box is a bit young ie the wrapper has parts with green hue.
Arturo Fuente: I have had very few Fuentes that were inconsistent or poorly made. They also make many other brands: Montesino and Bauza to name a couple. Montesino is very smooth and more available than the Fuente brand. Bauza I have had the pyramid. It was very much worth every bit of its 90+ rating. The Fuente family has not produced a model that I did not enjoy. And they are among the most reasonably priced smokes you will find. They are possibly the most demanded cigars in the US even though the 'fad' has left. I've not had the Opus X but from the ratings it gets in cigar aficianado it looks like people want the box more than the smoke.
Hoyo De Monterrey: The churchill is only 6.25x46 or so but a very pleasant smoke. The excalibur IV is a big cigar but blended well with a double of Makers Mark.
Mayorga: CHEAP and wonderfull! The most pleasure for the buck I have found so far. Their latest products have been rated high in Cigar Aficionado (not that always means they are good) . The robusto maduro is a beautiful box-pressed gem and the churchill was very consistent as well. Excellent flavor and construction and comparable to the Ashton in terms of consistency and quality but at ½ the price or less.
Montecristo: Bought the belicos des arts on recommendation of several posters to Cigar Aficionado website. I was very disappointed. The cigar was the heaviest (weight) I have ever smoked and it was an incredibly tight draw. When I draw and no smoke comes out of my mouth or the burning end of the stick I assume something is not right. Another Cuban brand that has deep roots.
Overrated brands:
Before you invest in cigars do some
research. Like Mike’s Cigars says…if a company has not been in business for
at least 10 years, do not waste your money as a rule of thumb.
Macanudo is highly overpriced and severely overrated. Simply a leftover from the
fad. Mayorga blows it
away. If you want a smooth consistent smoke, grab an Ashton. I smoked an
anniversary Macanudo this summer and my bud smoked an Ashton Churchill. Halfway
through mine the profile changed to doodoo in two puffs. He happily smoked the
Ashton to the band. No I did not bogart.
Very few things are more disappointing than the surreal,
exquisite pleasure of smoking with one's friends then ending up with a dud cigar.
Since I was not home I did not have a backup.
Where do I buy cigars?
Almost all of my business goes to Holts. I don’t pay sales tax...just the suggested retail and they usually have discounts on top of that. I have not seen an item in their catalog that is not at least 10 to 20% less than what I paid in a cigar shop (Tinderbox, Churchills, Bright Leaf, Rudy's, etal). Since I have a humie there is no reason to EVER goto a boutique unless they have OPUSX and what’s the chance of that happening?!? Shipping is $5.00 and second day air is only $7.00.
They have a website you can buy from, friendly ladies at the 800 number and weekly internet specials emailed to me direct.
I am sure there are many listservs and other sites (such as Mike’s cigars) but I smoke maybe once on the weekend and order from Holts three or four times each year.
Resources:
WWW.HOLTS.COM WWW.CIGARAFICIONADO.COMALT.SMOKERS.CIGARS (USENET)
