Newb (and Poor to Boot)

[theshaw67]

I've always enjoyed the scent of cigars and have naturally become interested in smoking them. Fortunately for me, there is a store (by all accounts a nice one) within walking distance of my residence. Unfortunately, I am an unemployed college student with an incredibly tight leisure budget.

At this point I plan to try some singles and get a feel for my taste. Because of my budget restrictions, I do not plan on buying large quantities of cigars in the near future, and obviously if I can hardly afford a cigar, a humidor is out of the question the moment.

My question then, is whether or not I can buy cigars and smoke them immediately, thus eliminating the necessity of storage. If I understand correctly from what I've read thus far, it is a must to allow at least some cigars to sit for a few weeks before smoking, and beneficial (but not necessary) to age all of them for months or even years. Is it true that all cigars must be aged a few weeks under the proper conditions, or are are there ones I can buy and smoke (and if there are, how do I know which ones?)

Thanks for your help.

[Dgar]

There are a lot of great cigars out there that wont break the bank, Benchmades an Ashton cigar by Don Pepin is one I enjoy, also Flor de Oliva are a good cigar that you find under 3 bucks. Price is not always an indicator as to how it will taste. Most Non Cuban cigars can be smoked right away, so need to worry about long term aging.

Low on funds, tupperware with a small humidification device can be set up for under fifteen dollars, buy a humi gel pack or tube of some sort and you should be able to store your cigars for months. Dont get discouraged, you can smoke and store quite a few good cigars on the cheap...

The journey is half the fun miost of us probably started with a very small humidor and ten or fifteen cigars........just be carefull it can be easy to over do it.

Enjoy your smokes

[Tarks]

Absolutely you can smoke them right away. Most people, including myself won't recommend it but every single one of us has smoked sticks ROTT.

Have you looked into purchasing online. There are some great sites that have great deals for 5 packs that include shipping. cigarmonster.com, Joe cigar daily deals, cigar.com are a few you can look at.

Good luck.

[madurolover]

Most stores will have a hygrometer or two in their walk in. Check the humidity level and if it is not above 70% the cigars should be smokable immediately. While they may not taste or burn quite as well as they would at 65% they should still be enjoyable.

[5point0]

As a fellow noob (and a proud noob I am I would look into online samplers too. Thats what I have been doing and Im researching some of the lower priced stuff like the Oliva De flour (sp) I am really wanting to try one of those....also check out the house blends from cigar.com
I have had a few of those and I have enjoyed.

Welcome to the ocean from a little puffer fish

[Rookee]

I agree with madurolover.

[ghe]

You won't have any trouble smoking cigars when you buy them. Benchmade is an excellent budget suggestion. I've also heard good things about Quorom, though I've never smoked them myself. I would highly recommend talking to the shopowner about his stock. Tell him you are a new smoker and don't have a lot of money to spend. If you are looking to keep your spending to a minimum, I'm afraid I have to disagree on the idea of ordering samplers from on-line shops. I think the shipping costs will quickly push your per-stick price up too high if you place small orders. Also take a look at the Cigar Reviews section. You can get information and opinions on scores of cigars.

[teedles915]

I rarely get the the chance (or have the patience) to let my sticks rest for very long. As long as they are somewhere between 60 and 70 percent they should be fine to smoke.

As far as budget smokes go there are quiet a few out there. The La Vieja Habana line, along with the Flor De Oliva lines come to mind. Just look around and don't be afraid to try new things.

[Tarks]

Originally Posted by ghe

I'm afraid I have to disagree on the idea of ordering samplers from on-line shops. I think the shipping costs will quickly push your per-stick price up too high if you place small orders.

Keep in mind that most online retailers offer free shipping like the ones I listed above.

[theshaw67]

Thanks everybody, I'm really relieved to hear that it doesn't have to be terribly complicated (at least for now).

[Sigarz]

yep tupperware and cbid and youll be all set!

[casManG]

Originally Posted by theshaw67

I've always enjoyed the scent of cigars and have naturally become interested in smoking them. Fortunately for me, there is a store (by all accounts a nice one) within walking distance of my residence. Unfortunately, I am an unemployed college student with an incredibly tight leisure budget.

At this point I plan to try some singles and get a feel for my taste. Because of my budget restrictions, I do not plan on buying large quantities of cigars in the near future, and obviously if I can hardly afford a cigar, a humidor is out of the question the moment.

My question then, is whether or not I can buy cigars and smoke them immediately, thus eliminating the necessity of storage. If I understand correctly from what I've read thus far, it is a must to allow at least some cigars to sit for a few weeks before smoking, and beneficial (but not necessary) to age all of them for months or even years. Is it true that all cigars must be aged a few weeks under the proper conditions, or are are there ones I can buy and smoke (and if there are, how do I know which ones?)

Thanks for your help.

Some shops have very good storage facilities so you can smoke them right away. For example, I have Titan Cigar across the road from me, and they have a walk in humidor that is always 70/70, so every cigar in there is pretty much ready to go. If you decide to get into it, there are some GREAT deals that give you cigars and a desktop humidor for a great price. For Example, Cigars International has a combo for only $15 + $5 shipping, you get 8 cigars plus a humi for the price you would spend on just a few cigars at a shop. Not to say you shouldn't go to the shop near you, it is a good way to learn and smoke. Check out the Humidor section on my site for the deals:

Humidors | Amazing Cigar Bargains

[e-man]

You can find some fantastic samplers for $2-3 per stick on-line, compared to $6-10 at the B&M for the same item. Of course that's not an option if you can't gather $40 together.

B&M's are hit and miss. Some have well kept humidors that you can smoke from immediately, and others over humidify them "because so many people open the door." If it feels like you're sucking a thick milk shake through a straw, then their cigars are not smokable right away.

Most stores will put the cigars in a ziplock bag when you buy them. Drop in a $5 Boveda pack and you have a humidor that will work for several months.

[Ray]

I agree with the rest about Tupperware being a great option. Also, look at Joes Daily Deals from Cigars International. Their daily always has free shipping on your entire order. I also use Cigars .com and Cigarmonster for their daily deals. You'll find some good prices on 5 packs on those sites.