Max's Cigar Journey

[Haaltert]

Hi Max, Lovely photo of the parcel I sent, hope you get to enjoy them all. If you try to smoke the Cohiba & the H.Upmann on your birthday, I'd suggest having the H.U. after a good lunch & the Cohiba after a good dinner. The only problem with that might be the weather, with smoking in the garden so have brunch at 11:00 & dinner or a heavy snack at least 16:00, hopefully then, you'll be able to finish it before the temp drops too much to enjoy the flav's of the cigar. Looking fwd to seeing the pics of the day. If weather not great, I'd just smoke one of the pair & have a smaller first cigar, like the ERDM DT oe El Principle..

Haha Nice Simon! I was just about to send Max the same info! Lol


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[Max A]

Thanks guys! I did start thinking about this myself! Solid advice for sure Simon 🙂👍🏻

Fingers are firmly crossed for the weather...

[Max A]

Yesterday morning I had the pleasant surprise of receiving a parcel from Deano who gifted me a number of Partagas smokes!



P2
898
Short
Cigarillo

Thanks a lot Deano, I haven't tried any of these and receiving them made my day! Can't wait for some good weather to give them a smoke!

Not all heroes wear capes, some wear glasses and can be found in the garden enjoying a P2, weather permitting

[gojira]

Yesterday morning I had the pleasant surprise of receiving a parcel from Deano who gifted me a number of Partagas smokes!



P2
898
Short
Cigarillo

Thanks a lot Deano, I haven't tried any of these and receiving them made my day! Can't wait for some good weather to give them a smoke!

Not all heroes wear capes, some wear glasses and can be found in the garden enjoying a P2, weather permitting

Very nice! The 8-9-8 is an amazing smoke. Is the small one a Chicos? If yes they are full of flavour for a machine made cigar.

[Max A]

Very nice! The 8-9-8 is an amazing smoke. Is the small one a Chicos? If yes they are full of flavour for a machine made cigar.

I've only ever read great things about the 8-9-8, so I'm excited to smoke it some time soon. As for the smaller one it is a Chicos 👍🏻

[gojira]

I've only ever read great things about the 8-9-8, so I'm excited to smoke it some time soon. As for the smaller one it is a Chicos 👍🏻

To me it's one of the best cigars on the market today. Sadly it's not always available (as the Sir Winston) so if you spot a box better buy it.

[Haaltert]

To me it's one of the best cigars on the market today. Sadly it's not always available (as the Sir Winston) so if you spot a box better buy it.

You can’t continue to say that these 898’s are hard to find, after showing off numerous boxes. Lol. Tongue


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[gojira]

You can’t continue to say that these 898’s are hard to find, after showing off numerous boxes. Lol. Tongue


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You can’t continue to say that these 898’s are hard to find, after showing off numerous boxes. Lol. Tongue


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Hahaha! Well, I didn't find all these boxes so they are hard to find. At least for me!

[Dorsetman]

Max,

Looking at your journey to becoming a Jedi, is there anything you would have carried out/ or tried differently or mistakes made?

Secondly, based on your experience gained thus far, are you a CC or NC man?

[Max A]

haha...I regret using the word "Jedi"...I don't think I'll ever reach those levels

Okay, let's start with accessories.

Cutters
There are a number of different style cutters out there, I started with a single blade cigar cutter (this one) which has been great so far as a cheap starter option. Other people recommended a punch style, which is a small ring shaped blade that allows you to punch a hole into the cap (this is the one I purchased). Since getting the punch style I use it 99% of the time, but the single blade has been useful for the cigars with a small ring gauge or one that is a tight draw and requires a larger opening. I'll also mention the PerfecDraw tool, this is used to unplug an overfilled cigar so it's smokable. I don't actually have one yet, but some people on here have them and it's saved them on a few occasions. No need to buy one yet if you're unsure, but here it is

Lighters
Again, there are lots of expensive and fancy options but I was recommended the cheap rubber Maxi Jet and I've found it to be great. I know a number of other people on here like them too. They are fairly cheap so you can always buy a few and have a backup or two handy. Find it here

Storage
You should be storing your cigars at around 60-65% humidity and you can buy a ton of gadgets and humidors, but to get started I'd recommend a simple lock'n'lock tupperware and one of the 65% boveda packs. Here's my current 5L container Link and here's the Link for the Boveda pack. This setup should keep you covered at least in the short-term and during that time you'll learn more about storage options and perhaps buy a fancy humidor to store boxes of cigars once you know what you like.

Smoking
Not too much to note here other than it's always better to smoke after a meal if you're new as the nicotine can creep up on you otherwise. I would also recommend having a drink (coffee, coke, rum, etc) with your smoke as it can be a little dry without. Experiment with different snacks and drinks to have with your smoke as they can enhance or compliment the flavours and also enhance the overall enjoyment. Final word on smoking, take your time and don't rush it, after a few cigars you'll find your optimal pace


So far I prefer Cuban Cigars, but I have had some fantastic NCs and haven't really explored the world of NCs properly yet. I would say they are both great options depending on what you choose.


Now....the truth is I'm probably the least knowledgeable guy on here So I expect you'll also find a lot of great advice from the others on here!

I'm looking forward to your thoughts on the H Upmann HC Steve!

[Dorsetman]

Thanks for the in-depth information, I had purchased a cheap cutter, which when it arrived included a list of cigars for sale - you cannot knock entrepreneurism!

[Max A]

I've not got around to posting this till now, procrastination at its finest.

Thursday 1st April a package was delivered to me, and to my pleasant surprise contained three great looking Casdagli cigars. I was initially suspicious of a surprise package showing up on April Fools

Vitola surprised me with the following sampler after we discussed the Casdagli cigars that always get rave reviews on here.

• Cremello Lancero - Daughters of the Wind
• Super Belicoso - Traditional Line
• Gran Mareva Spalato

Thanks for the surprise Al, it really made my day! I'll have the Gran Mareva at the next Virtual Herf!

[Max A]

Thanks to Shaun for getting this lovely tin across so quickly. Greatly appreciated

[mcdee]

Nice, lovely little tins those, very handy for a day out.

[jerryr]

Lovely tins of Upmann Half Corona. I had mine for years, original contents long gone. But I always refill it. Great travel container.


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