No (Smoking) Jacket Required: Iggy's Cigar Thread

[Nathan]

I have a friend who rolls his own with a machine. For his papers, tobacco, and rolling machine, he ends up only paying $7-8 a carton when he makes his own.

Think I might go that route, considering how much I smoke.

I know a gent who does the same. Really is the best way.

[IggytheBorg]

Cigarfest 2010!

So I went to Cigarfest this past Saturday. A good time was had by all. In some ways it was better than last year, but in some ways it wasn't as good. Overwhelmingly a positive experience, no doubt, and if at ALL possible, will become an annual tradition.

Pro: We got a 20 count commemorative humidor, loaded with an assortment of 20 name brand cigars, a sweet 3 finger ashtray and a REALLY sweet cutter (I was actually considering buying one of these, since I've been using the same double bladed plastic one for YEARS, so that worked out nicely), and 30+ more freebies w/ the rdemption of the coupons in the coupon book they hand out to all attendes. Oh, and a shoulder bag - much nicer than last year's, mind - to carry it all in. We were unable to get the mid tier, $125.00 tickets this year, like we did ast year, so we had to settle for the lowest $100.00 tickets. A pro bcause we were able, despite our misgivings to the contrary about getting in later, to gather all our cigars with time to spare. THere was eye candy galore in the form of scantily clad models hawking cigars or raffle tickets seemingly everywhere. Certainly more than last year. The trio by the Man o War booth in get ups reminiscent of Princess Leia's outfit in Jabba's barge were a sight to behold. I'm positive some of them were in that free clendar they gave us, too. THAT is now hanging by my work bench.

Cons: There were 3 microbreweries represented at this event, giving out no limit free samples. Last year there were 4 or 5. And by the time we got in, Magic Hat had already run dry. There were NO hard liquor booths; no tequila, rum, Jack Daniels, gin, mead or *gasp!* scotch to be had, unless you went to the cash bar. This was definitely not an improvement over last year. The after party was also pretty poorly executed. Last year, the food, beer and a free cigar were all on the sponsor, Drew Estate. his year, Nub had a cash bar, you had to pay for the FOOD, they started out giving out free cigars, t-shirts, and hats, and by the end of the lne you were lucky if you got a cigar. Other than the smoke & the band (which admittedly Drew didn't have last year) what the fuck did they sponsor? Also, despite the event being touted as "sponsored by Nub", they gave out Cain cigars; both are manufactured by companis owned by Oliva, but the Cain they gave you at the after party was the same one they had already given you at the Cain booth inside. There were no NUbs (and no Padillas, for that matter) in any of the freebies. And on personal note, while I stil love his products, I have determined that Kaizad Hansotia, owner of Gurkha, is kind of a dick.

But, there were some things included that I am very psyched about, such as an Avo original (burnt at the after party), a Pirate's Gold (I've anted to try one for years, and ALMOST bought one at a store a month ago), diesel Unholy Cocktails, Man o War Ruinations, CAO Blacks, A Kuba Kuba maduro, etc. And who knows, som of the stuff I don't recognize could be awesome (I found quite a few unknown gms in last year's haul), so I'm looking forard to it. My humi runneth over!

[IggytheBorg]

I smoked a Torano Fortress while walking around CIgarfest on Saturday. I had never heard of this particular series before, and was unsure of what to expect (there have been Torano products I've HATED). But this was very, very good. A big, 6" x 54 toro, it burned very slowly; must have taken damn near an hour & a half or more to smoke. It had a solid woody core, with some notes of leather. Ithad a pleasant sweet spiciness throughout the burn, most noticeable for the 2d inch or so. I'd definitely consider buying more of these.

[IggytheBorg]

Also, will take recommendations of good cigar/scotch combos. I'd like to fake being classy for my birthday.

Speaking of Macallan, w/ its nutty notes, consider a Gurkha Sherpa, or Graycliff Professionale.

[IggytheBorg]

So In the last couple days I smoked a couple Cigarfest freebies:

A Man O War Ruination. LOVED this. It kind of reminded me a bit of a 5 Vegas Cask Strength, but was a bit mellower & sweeter, particularly toward the beginning when the sweet spice was most prevalent. It had a solid oaky core that was also most pleasant. Given a choice between the standard Man O Wars & one of these, I'd take the standard, but damn if this wasn't good.

Also, a Pirate's Gold by Rolando Reyes. This was slightly above average. Fairly full in flavor & body, it was not overpowering (although it did build in strength toward the end), and had some sweet notes to it at the opening, which faded over time. A mellow earthy core filled it out nicely at the beginning, but got a little harsh at the end. Don't think I'd buy this again.

[IggytheBorg]

BTW, Vin, I think CI sells the Pirate's Gold in pretty cheap bundles, and a fuller flavored fan might like them more than I did. Might be worth checking out. Also, I've never tried the "CI Knockoffs" as they call them, but one of the 2 versions supposedly compares favorably to Partagas, another famous full flavored brand. I'm not particularly fond of Partagas, which is why I haven't tried them, but may be worth a look.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a Gurkha Empire Series II (there are 6 different series). I didn't much care for this. It was a bit fuller & more robust than I generally care for. The CI catalog blurb says there's sweet tobacco nuances to be found here, which I like. But I didn't detect any. had they been there, they'd have raised my opinion of this cigar considerably. As it was, it was more of a woody core than anything else, with very little subtlety or nuance. Still, for all that, it IS a Gurkha, and was smooth & never overpowering. It kind of reminded me of a 5 Vegas Relic, of which I am a less than ardent fan, but was a lot smoother, and therefore, IMO anyway, better.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a 5 Vegas Limitada 2010 the other night. I have enjoyed the Limitadas a great deal since the 07, and was greatly anticipating this. Sadly, this one was a disappointment. Mostly earthy/woody in character, it had a bot of sweetness on the opening. had this hung around, it would have increased its rating substantially, both because it's a flavor nuance I happen to like and because it would have added depth to an otherwise fairly straightforward, relatively uninteresting smoke. The wrapper on this specimen also unraveled severely by the end (I gave up on it w/ more than 1" of otherwise usable smoke length to go). I'm not sure if I did something to the smoke to cause this, or if it's a defect endemic to the brand, but wrappers have a huge incluence over the flavor of a smoke, and the fact this one wasn't contributing to it for much of its length severely hampered it, in all likelihood. The 07 - 09 Limitadas were - by far - much better IMO.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a Diesel Unholy Cocktail tonight. I had been anticipating this one, as well, and was also a bit disappointed. It had nice woody core, & was just north of medium in strength. Some notes of sweetness came & went throughout the burn, but weremost noticeable on the opening. It wasn't nearly as complex as the CI blurb promised it would be. Decent, but nothing to write home about. Doubt I'd buy another.

[patronsaintofcheeseburgers]

I'm no where as well versed as Iggy when it comes to cigars, but if I can recommend the Sancho Panza's to Vin. They're about $2-3 a stick but they've always been rated in the low 90's. I have yet to smoke one I haven't enjoyed. They are some of my favorites.

Currently personal faves are the Olivas Master Blends II and III...wish I could find some more of these, I'm down to like one of two of each. The CAO Sopranos were surprisingly good, I bought a few and have one saved for a special occasion. Anything Arturo Fuente does is gold.

Haven't smoked in about a year, but after skimming through this thread, I'll probably open the old humidor and bust something out. I typically only smoke during the summer as it's the most chill time to sit out on my patio with a glass of wine or a beer and take in the day. I'll post some of the stuff I smoke over the next few months.

[Shit Dickface]

I'm probably going to hit the cigar store in Santa Monica now thanks to this thread. Especially since I'm a fucking dickhead who bought cigarettes last night instead of saving money for a nice cigar.

[V]

If I ever drag my lazy ass out of the house today, I'll look for those stogies. I'm of the mind that having to spend an hour or so smoking a cigar will keep me from buying Camels...

If so, it'll be money well spent.

[Shit Dickface]

I keep not buying cigars and buying fucking American Spirit Lights, and now I saw that news story about the 2 year-old who smokes two packs a day and want to kill whoever did that to him. Gonna throw/give away that half-pack when I get home and then hit a nice cigar joint sometime this weekend.

[IggytheBorg]

The only way to go, really.

[IggytheBorg]

Over the weekend I smoked an Augusto reyes Nativo. Nice smoke. Kind of toasty & bready, with a nice sweetness on the finish. Also produced copious amounts of smoke, and burned fairly evenly. A cigarfest freebie, but I don't think I liked it enough to add it to the regular rotation.

I also smoked a Zino Platinum. Nice toasty core. Smooth, but I didn't detect any special nuances. Started a little stronger, mellowed after the 1st 1" or so, and picked back up in strength for the last 2" (it was a 6" torpedo). It had a stem in it that burned a little more slowly than the surrounding tobacco, and tended to stick out beyond the ash at the foot as it burned. Surprising, since Zino/Davidoff is known for rigorous quality control. Still, did not detract seriously from the overall quality of the smoke. A Cigarfest freebie, but another I doubt I'd make a regular event.