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Emperor1956 -> RE: Cigar Recomendations (8/3/2006 12:00:10 AM)
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Fangs: "what is a good cigar" is a question so subject to taste, you might as well ask "how should a submissive best serve his/her Master." (I had to tie it back to D/s somehow). You'll get a lot of replies and none are right or wrong. Some basics, then, to get you started.
1. Pick a cigar that fits your time to smoke it, and your tastes. Usually, not always, the bigger the ring (the circumference of the cigar) the more flavorful the smoke. (By the way, don't be mystified by "ring size"..its just a fraction of 64, where 64=1 inch. So a 64 ring is an inch in diameter. A 32 ring would be 1/2 inch. etc.) And usually, not always, the longer the cigar, the longer it will take to smoke. Good cigars do NOT have to be thrown away because you smoked them more than 1/2 way, by the way, and great cigars make you hold on to em so long you burn your fingers. It takes me about 40 minutes to smoke a "rubusto" or Rothschild size -- 5" long and about a 50 ring.
2. About 80% of the taste of the cigar comes from the wrapper and the binder (the leaf just under the wrapper that holds the cigar together). Surprisingly, the "book" or body of the cigar adds relatively little in flavor (but the quality of the roll can make a huge difference). Most cigars today come in a "natural" wrapper. The second most common is "maduro" which is a dark, often almost black, tobacco created by a sugar/sun cure process. Some very fine and rare cigars are "colorado" or reddish in color. And by the way, the "jade" wrapper, a light green with a sour taste, is virtually unknown today but oddly enough prior to about 1967 was the most popular wrapper world wide.
COLOR matters -- usually a maduro wrapper is sweeter, moister but less complex in taste. If you want to compare the same basic cigar with a maduro vs. a natural wrapper, pick up two Arturo Fuente Chateau cigars (an excellent, mild to medium smoke at a very reasonable price) -- one in maduro, one in natural, and smoke them and compare.
3. Find a good tobacconist and ask questions, taste different things, and chat with people about their smokes.
4. Country of origin (of the tobacco) matters hugely. GENERALLY (there are exceptions, of course) Nicaraguan and Jamaican cigars are harshest. Ecuadorian, Dominican and Canary Islands tobacco is milder and sweeter. Mexican cigars (the notorious Te Amo) can be really harsh, but I know people who swear by them. Connecticut "shade grown" wrappers are smooth and sweet and expensive. Cuban tobaccos are totally in a different league, although in the past 10 years there are cigars made outside Cuba that rival the greats and the quality of Cubanos has gone down. Taste different ones.
5. Some of my favorites: Mild to medium - Davidoff (incredibly expensive, beautifully rolled and very elegant. Avos (similar to Davidoff) Ashtons (another high end, lighter cigar) Fonseca (a great buy, high quality like Ashton or Davidoff but much lower price, not as complex a blend.
Medium to strong: Almost every thing Fuente rolls is good. They make so many different lines, its hard to remember what's what. The chateau and double chateau are delicious -- I like them in Maduro. The new "sun grown" with the black ribbon are very fine too. Partagas is very good, and their premium labels (what Merc of Mercnbeth smokes, apparently) are very very good. They use the same blends in their various lines, so you can compare how a tobacco blend you like in a corona tastes in a Rothschild, etc. I also love La Gloria Cubana, a wonderful "American" cigar (started in Miami, now rolled in the Dominican Republic). And finally, I'll plug one of the great values in cigars: The cigars of Villazon & Sons (which now is owned by the mega conglomerate General Cigar Co. The Punch and Hoyo de Monterrey brands are great buys, and some of the tastiest strong cigars I've had. The Punch double maduro Rothschild is my standby cigar.
Light up and have fun. Let me know what you taste.
E.
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