Newbie Decisions

[El-palmaro]

hello gentlemen, I have been reading the forum for a while, and am quite new to smoking cigars. the only cigars I have smoked are Henri wintermans (after the old man unloaded a box on me!).
i have been wondering what to do first, buy a humi or order a few samplers? any advice would be much appreciated.

[Anthonyget]

Welcome. In my humble opinion, hold back on the humidor until you are sure you like this wonderful pastime. Order a couple of samplers from someone reputable such as Cgarsltd.co.uk. Don't go for the belters to start with, but get a nice, affordable sampler. I would personally aim towards Cubans, but there are also very nice non cubans. Order one of their small humipouches to keep your samples fresh. You will quickly get a sense or what you like. When you are sure you want to start getting a nice selection together, then go for a humidor. When you do, the best advice I was given was: "Size for the future. Get a bigger one than you think you will need.
Whatever you do, enjoy and go for what you like.

[Eddie]

if you can got to london, visit a sampling lounge, that way the staff in the shop can show you how to cut and light the stick correctly. They will also help you choose something to try.

[El-palmaro]

well, I wasnt expecting a reply that fast! thanks for the help guys, I'll keep you updated I was having a peruse on cgarsltd, and think I will grab a Perla sampler with some ERDM Demi Tass?. good choice?

[L_DOG]

Very good choice on the ERdM DT, what a fine, short smoke! Sorry, where are my manners? Welcome!

[SmokeyDave]

I would try a few samplers first but make sure you at least get a humi pouch to keep them in otherwise storing them out a humidor will just degrade them fast.

If you buy tubos and are not storing them in a humi/pouch then resist opening the tube to peep inside as this will release the balanced humidified air they were sealed with.

Also make sure you store them in a constant temperature environment that is ideally around 18 degrees.

ERdM DT is a good starter

If you do enjoy then all I can say is, it is a slippery slope ......

[tippexx]

Hi and welcome. A slippery slope it is, but you seem to be approaching it in the right way. The ERdM is more than just a good starter, it's a good smoke for anyone at any level. The Cuban Perlas sampler is a good choice, they are ALL damn fine smokes, just a shame that Habanos don't agree and have deleted half of them .... but, smoke and find what you like .... and then like some of us, have fun trying to find them again as they become rarer.

[Andy W]

Hello and welcome, the Perlas sampler is a great starter and I am sure you will make a good start with them.

Andy

[El-palmaro]

thank you to all of you! the Demi Tass? and Perla appears to be the best choice, and will be ordered soon (with the humi pouch of course!).
I saw that Habanos is deleting many popular cigars from their range, any idea why?

[JOAO LA PEZ]

Hi and welcome, once you know you are sticking with this delightful pass time/hobby, then get a Humidor ASAP, from my own learning curve I would avoid the cheaper 50ct types and go straight for something like the Adorini Chianti 3 drawer or if funds allow the bigger one, the 3 drawer can be found for about ?140 delivered if you search Ebay. Almost anything smaller than a No1 tubo from RyJ is a good starting place.

[El-palmaro]

ironically, I was wondering whether to get a cheap 50ct or something more expensive lol. this is all later on.

is the mareva selection any good in comparison to the Perla? as the Perla isn't present on cgarsltd anymore

[El-palmaro]

and one more question: should I worry about which cutter and lighter/matches I buy?

[SmokeyDave]

I'd recommend a double bladed cutter, a lot of fans here for the Palio and Xikar Xi1 - Xi3 cutters.

Lighters need to be the jet type (butane) as that gas does not affect the flavour, do not use a petrol lighter.

Matches are ok but ideally they need to be ones for cigars (extra long) as normal ones don't last long enough to get a decent light, also make sure you don't start drawing until the sulphur has burn't off, this can affect the flavour too. You can also use cedar splints made from the packaging found inside cigar boxes, they are great for lighting up.

[7kingsguy]

thank you to all of you! the Demi Tass? and Perla appears to be the best choice, and will be ordered soon (with the humi pouch of course!).
I saw that Habanos is deleting many popular cigars from their range, any idea why?

This is because 'popular' is a relative term. The stuff that is popular to the cigar fanatic is not necessarily popular with your layperson.

[monkey66]

Hi and welcome.