hello from SanFran Bay area - and many newbie questions

[AndyPanda]

Hello all,
I'm totally new to cigars and have learned a lot online and have come up with some things through trial and error - hope some of you can answer a few questions for me.

First of all - I started out (probably foolishly) with some premium, full bodied sticks. (Padilla 68, Graycliff 1666, Gran Habano Siglos 3, 5 vegas cask strength II). And of those four I found the 5 vegas to be the most enjoyable (seemed the mildest, although it's billed as being strongest). The Gran Habano absolutely turns me green with some really acrid flavors - and the Padilla and Graycliff are both just OK but not really what I'd call "tasty". So I'm going to try some "training cigars" hehe - and save these full bodied smokes until I've developed a taste for them (or discovered that I'm not a cigar smoker). I have some milder cigars to try after work this evening

Some things I've discovered - and I wonder if this is correct, or just some whacko method I've come up with. I find that if I clip less, so I get less of a draw - and then slooowwwly toast the foot until the wrapper is starting all the way around but not torching the core of the filler - then I get that great cigar aroma that made me want to take up cigars in the first place. And I find that if I puff lightly rather than getting it really hot, then I get much more of that enjoyable cigar taste. Where if I just light up and puff furiously, the taste is harsh and pretty awful.

I also find that an entire cigar is just too much for me - and I'm ready to stop less than halfway into the thing. How ridiculously tacky is it to cut a cigar in half first? The half without the cap is a little tricky to keep from unravelling but it's just the right burn time for me (at least while I'm getting used to the whole thing). Or is that just blasphemy? haha Does the tobacco blend change through the length of the stick?

Anyway ... thanks in advance for answers to my questions!

[thebayratt]

Welcome to Puff!!

I don't think the blend as far as different tabacco changes but usually the flavors do. Due to numerous reasons. What length are you smoking now? I started out in the Corona/Robusto lengths and still enjoy them to this day. Maybe try to "purge" the stick about half way or when it becomes uneventful for you. Just make a quick puff into the cigar. This can clean out any "impurities" and keeps the taste clean in my words. Try a smaller "nub" style smoke like a Vegas Miami Knuckle and see how that works out for you.

[zeavran1]

I cut churchills in half when I started smoking. I now stick to robustos although now I want to try smaller ring gauges. Alot of threads give info stating the smaller ones have more taste before the wrapper ratio is much more than larger smokes. Just a thought.

[havanajohn]

Hello Andy, and welcome to puff.com.

[Cigary]

Welcome to the place. I grew up in the East Bay of San Francisco and have lots of good memories there. Hope you enjoy the place.

[DSturg369]

Welcome Aboard Andy!

[Randy_LL]

welcome andy!!!!

[Sigarz]

welcome to Puff Andy!

[Koolpsych]

Welcome to puff! Enjoy your stay

[MrJerry]

Welcome to Puff Andy!

[mrreindeer]

Welcome to the Aquarium from your neighbor to the south!

Originally Posted by zeavran1

I cut churchills in half when I started smoking.

First tip Andy....never ever ever do this. Sorry bud.

Originally Posted by AndyPanda

Some things I've discovered - and I wonder if this is correct, or just some whacko method I've come up with. I find that if I clip less, so I get less of a draw - and then slooowwwly toast the foot until the wrapper is starting all the way around but not torching the core of the filler - then I get that great cigar aroma that made me want to take up cigars in the first place. And I find that if I puff lightly rather than getting it really hot, then I get much more of that enjoyable cigar taste. Where if I just light up and puff furiously, the taste is harsh and pretty awful.

You're off to the right start....I do the exact same thing.

Originally Posted by AndyPanda

I also find that an entire cigar is just too much for me - and I'm ready to stop less than halfway into the thing. How ridiculously tacky is it to cut a cigar in half first? The half without the cap is a little tricky to keep from unravelling but it's just the right burn time for me (at least while I'm getting used to the whole thing). Or is that just blasphemy? haha Does the tobacco blend change through the length of the stick?

See above about the cutting in half method. The cigar will fall apart. The others in the thread mentioned choosing smaller (i.e. shorter) sticks that are more to your time preference. Yeah, big sticks can take up to 2 hours to smoke...sometimes more if you're a slow bastard like me. It's absolutely okay not to have this time. Hell, I just had a kid 2 weeks ago and haven't had ANY time in the last month to light up. I'm hoping to sneak out to the deck today if there's any possible way.

Cigars are rolled to be smoked at one sitting. You'll find as you travel on through the experience of any particular premium cigar that's got presumably 3 different types of tobacco going on inside (wrapper, binder, filler). You might find the cigar changes in taste through your journey on one sitting because of the different tobaccos and how they're rolled together so yes, the tobacco does change within an individual stick.

So don't cut 'em and don't smoke 1/2, store 1/2. If you do have to let one die and then return to it later that evening...that's okay...just make sure to light it and then blow all that stale air through it like a straw to expell the nasty stale stuff that's been sitting in there.

Don't put a 1/2 smoked stick in the same container with unsmoked either. Big mistake there. Easy to make, though.

Great questions, ask away, that's what we're here for!

Now check out those shorter sticks...robustos, panetelas...even lanceros smoke somewhat nice & short.

Have fun on the slope!

[AndyPanda]

Many thanks for the welcome and the tips.

In my first post, I was thinking that I should try milder smokes since I was finding myself overwhelmed (or even turning green) after about half of a full bodied cigar. Since then I've bought a few milder cigars and also some smaller cigars (petit corona and the like). I was surprised to find that I don't really care for the milder cigars I've tried - I do like the flavor of the bolder cigars but I feel so wasteful leaving half of a fine cigar unsmoked.

I think it's just the hectic pace of life and learning to take the time to sit back, relax and spend some time slowly enjoying a cigar and a single malt scotch. That shift of attitude makes all the difference - no hurry, smoke slowly and I'm in a much more relaxed world.

Here is my new question:
I managed to outgrow my first small humidor. I bought a larger humidor - got a discounted one (a second) from cheaphumidors.com and it looks great. But it has a VERY strong cedar smell - much stronger than my first humidor - and more like granny's cedar chest. I was under the impression that Spanish Cedar isn't the same wood as the very aromatic Cedar used in Cedar Chests. And the store assures me that this is Spanish Cedar. So ... I'm bringing it up to humidity (it's very dry now) for a few days before I put any cigars in there --- but I'm a little afraid that it might overpower my cigars with the strong cedar smell. Hope some of you can set me straight on this.

And that leads me to another question:
Does anyone put coffee beans in their humidor to marry a little coffee in with their cigars? I know you can buy coffee infused cigars - but I couldn't find anything with web searches that mentioned anyone putting anything besides cedar in their humidors (and lots of warnings not to put anything else in there that might affect the cigars). I guess the idea is that if you want a coffee flavored cigar you should buy one that was made that way by experts?