From limited editions and limited releases, to stuff you can't get in Australia, to things that should be standard production but just aren't available (cough*Cuba*cough), what's on your list of 'must buy' cigars you're holding out for?
Who remembers their first time?
Do you remember what stick it was?
Was it all you hoped for, or did it fall flat?
Was it that first time that got you hooked, or did it take a while?
We've done alcoholic pairings, but sometimes it's too early - or too late - or you're just not in the mood.
For those times, what are your best non-alcoholic pairings?
Whisky, rum, tequila, vodka, absinthe if you're brave... what's your best or go-to alcoholic pairing?
In recognition of today (Father’s Day), and some of us being fathers and cigar enthusiasts, or sons of cigar enthusiasts, what’s the best cigar-related gift you’ve ever given or received? Doesn’t have to be a Father’s Day gift specifically.
We all know it’s hard finding a venue that tolerates, let alone encourages, enjoying a cigar.
Some of us come from civilised states where it may still be possible to find a lounge, others have to hope to find welcoming DOSAs - and even then, many DOSAs aren’t really geared for cigars, even if you can technically be there.
The question comes up often enough, it’s time to invest in building a more definitive list - where are the best places in Oz a cigar aficionado can enjoy a cigar outside their backyard?
Whether it's a cigar you had once and will never have again, or one you'll never have a chance to experience at all, there's many of us with cigars that have escaped us... what are your holy grail cigars?
We all make mistakes first starting out... whether preferences for particular sticks, your rituals, or your favourite stores, what do you wish you knew back when you started?
Had more opportunities to indulge over the past week-ish so I took advantage to get through some of my sampling backlog.
Cohiba Wide Short: harsher than I was expecting. Spice more than mellow. Not unpleasant but I’d prefer a RyJ Purito more I think. Maybe worth experimenting on age even though it’s a machine made cigarillo? About 30min.
Quintero Favoritos: creamy, woody, nutty. Liked it a lot more than I thought for a “cheap” Cuban short filler. Draw was ok but I gave it a poke with the Perfec Draw to improve. About 1hr15. Probably the only one I’d come back to.
Romeo y Julieta Coronitas en Cedro: just tobacco. I got nothing out of this whatsoever. Around 1hr, probably, it was forgettable.
Paradiso (San Cristobal in the USA) Elegancia: tobacco, toffee caramel, white pepper, cream. Found it kind of boring to be honest. About 1hr30.
LFDC Elegidos: light and grassy. Didn’t mind this at all. Some burn issues towards the end. About 1hr30.
Paradiso Revelation: earthy, overcooked brownie, evolving into leather. Probably wouldn’t rush to it again but didn’t regret it either. 1hr40, had to give up with maybe 2 inches left as the nicotine caught up with me so I was slowing down, I think it would have been a nubber within 1hr30 otherwise.
H. Upmann Coronas Major: light, floral, toasty, white pepper as it progressed. Less sweet than I was expecting. About 1hr.
Cubans have a reputation for being amazing. Also as being overrated, poorly made, shipped too early, and (as of recent years) far too expensive (although in Australia that's very subjective).
Are Cubans just the thing? Or are you happy to let them pass you by?
Most of the discussion here tends towards buying online. Which makes sense. It's convenient, often cheaper, and if you're prepared to play the ABF game, you open your options up to everything global.
But there's something to be said for a walk-in experience where everything's nicely laid out - or that hole-in-the-wall that you could easily walk past but has some of the best surprises hidden away.
What are your best B&M sources or experiences?
Some of us are lucky to sit on big collections and hundreds of sticks.
Others of us might keep a handful of sticks for immediate consumption and only buy singles or packs.
Many may sit in the middle, with a lot of packs and singles and maybe a couple of boxes of favourites.
What are your tips for making sure, whatever your stash looks like, it's a good one?
Everyone hears about the retrohale, how it opens up all the flavours of the cigar.
What's your experience? Can you do it? Does it add anything to your experience?
Reading the many many reviews online, getting excited about a new stick, rushing to your favourite vendor... to find no one in Australia stocks it. Or only one or two. And not always reliably. One of the (several) curses about this hobby on our island.
What cigars did you wish were available (or more available) locally?
The usual recommendation when getting started is to go for mild sticks before reaching for sticks with fuller flavours or the classic 'pepper bombs'.
But as we refine our palates, we often find ourselves reaching for things that we once would have found too overwhelming, or, alternatively, sticks that we started out with no longer hold our interest.
How have you found your preferences to evolve? What surprising sticks have you picked up, or left behind, as you've gotten older and (?) wiser?
Some people like smoking down to the nub.
Some people's rule of thumb is to toss the stick when it reaches the band.
Zino Davidoff famously said to stop at halfway through and let it burn out on its own.
Where do you call stop time on your smoke?
We all have our own little rituals. The way we select, how we sit, the drink we pair with, the music or audiobook in the background, the cut we use, the lighter we grab... the "ritual" of having a cigar is part of the enjoyment.
What are your little rituals for when you indulge?
Trying to break the habit so many of us have of leaving the good stick for a special occasion that never comes. Sometimes the special occasion should be just making it through the week.
Show off your collections! Whether big or small, whether common or rare, or just the things you're most fond or proud of: there's no judgment here.*
* Excluding Oliva fans, obviously. We're judging you.