Newbie cigar smoker a big overwhelmed :)

Hello Folks!

I just bought a humidor and I am waiting for it to arrive. I figure this will give me some time to figure out what I really want but wow, the selection of cigars is a bit overwhelming. Since I am not sure what I "like" yet it makes this whole selection process a bit more difficult. Do you guys have any times on sampler packs or how to diversify your collection starting out?

I do appreciate any words of wisdom!

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biodarwin

times = tips

Goldy

Welcome! When I started out I did exactly the same as you, bought a humi and started asking around. What I ended up with was a medium bodied sampler from ccom and it was great to help me see what brands I liked, loved or hated.

My humidor is currently at capacity and need to be kulled a bit so if you are interested I'd be willing to send you a little sampler to get you started. Shoot me a PM with your address and I will put something together for ya.

How big is your humidor?

bigharpoon

First of all, welcome to Ccom! Just starting out you've stumbled upon an enormous cigar information resource, you'll know more than your local cigar shop owner in no time!

I'll offer some simple advice to start:

First, don't use your humidification foam puck for long, they breed mold and will eventually ruin your cigars. It's okay at first but you'll want to switch to beads sooner rather than later.

Second, don't feel like you have to fill your humi up right away. It'll be full soon enough, trust me. Look at some of the posts of what people are digging and watch the daily deals. Sampler packs of different cigars on sale is the best way to start. Mild and medium strength to start would probably be wise.

lastly, enjoy the journey. You only get to learn from scratch once.

Lee.mcglynn

biodarwin:
Hello Folks! I just bought a humidor and I am waiting for it to arrive. I figure this will give me some time to figure out what I really want but wow, the selection of cigars is a bit overwhelming. Since I am not sure what I "like" yet it makes this whole selection process a bit more difficult. Do you guys have any times on sampler packs or how to diversify your collection starting out? I do appreciate any words of wisdom!

This is always the hardest question to answer!! Since taste is all opinion. If they still have it the big brand sampler is pretty good when it comes to variety. My advice is buy samplers with more then one of each kind of cigar. This way if you don't like the one you can wait a bit to smoke the other and see if it changes your mind to cross it off your do not buy list. But welcome to the forums and please feel free to stick around!!

Goldy

Another thing I forgot to mention is that keeping a log of your smokes is a great way to record what you liked and disliked about them and helps you zero in on that perfect cigar.

Heavy

Welcome and a BIG +1 to what Goldy and Bigharpoon said above.

You might want to consider a Cigar.com house blend sampler. These are decent sticks at a budget price. You can use them to learn about different types of cigars - wrappers in particular - and some of the taste characterisitcs associated with the different types. That may be a good jumping off point to help you determine which cigars you want to explore from there.

reggie713

dont forget to jump on the sprint sale! if that dont fill your humi, nothin will! LOL

kuzi16

early in the game the best road to take is try everything and take lots of notes.
dont be skerd.

ddubridge

reggie713:
dont forget to jump on the sprint sale! if that dont fill your humi, nothin will! LOL

Sprintsale.com and cc daily deal are great ideas. If you start like I did, you start cheap. Really cheap. You learn what brands/bodies you like when you start cheap. Cigar.com House blend is a great idea because you get a little bit of evertything (country/flavor/body). dont get to caught up in what you like right off the bat. It will change with time. Enjoy every cigar and think about the likes and dislike of each one. You'll get it!

0patience

As was stated, the sprintsale and daily deals is a great place to get samplers.

Just my opinion here, which doesn't amount to anything. LOL!
But you might get a few samplers, take notes on the cigars you like and see what they are.
So if you like 4 of the cigars and they are all cameroon, then you know that cameroon wrappers are what you may be leaning towards. Or nica wrappers or what ever they are.

Keeping notes on what cigars you like and finding out what wrapper they are and what filler, it will help you to determine what cigars you like or tend to like. Then you can see which ones peak your interest.

I can tell you that even though I tend to like cameroon or nica wrapper cigars the most, I will often find myself liking most blends, depending on the cigar maker.

Imagine cigars like food, wine or whiskey. Each one is different and even though the blends may be the same, the tastes may be different and are affected by many different things. Size, age and vitola can often change the taste of a cigar.

So since I made that clear as mud, the bottom line is, as was stated, to try a wide variety and pay attention to what you like.

marineatbn03

Variety is the key, and don't get too focused on brands. Your profile is likey to change from what you like now to what you will like 6 months from now. CCOM has plenty of samplers that offer a variety of brands, blends, strengths, etc. And like those before have said, keep a log of what you thought about that particular stick you just smoked. It will help you identify not only what you like, but the ageneral pattern you tend to lean towards. After a couple of months you may realize that you prefer meduim body Nicaraguans over Dominicans. Variety, because everyone is different. There are sticks out there that a lot of people love, that may not be for you, or that you really enjoy that others do not. Try them all, because the trying part is a huge part of the enjoyment in this hobby.

biodarwin

I made an Excel spreadsheet so I could keep track of them all. I am a programmer by trade so I think I will work on something web based to keep track of it all. I am suprised nothing like this exists (if I missed it, please let me know

biodarwin

Goldy:

My humidor is currently at capacity and need to be kulled a bit so if you are interested I'd be willing to send you a little sampler to get you started. Shoot me a PM with your address and I will put something together for ya.

How big is your humidor?

Thank you very much! PM will arrive shortly.

pross

Welcome to the forums. Take a look at the cigar of the month club too. It's a great way to get a feel for what you like.

biodarwin

If the daily daily deal on this site is normally this good, I don't think I will have any issues getting stocked up on a wide variety. I went ahead and picked up the Top shelf feast samler. The value seems to be amazing

If it is always this good I might have to buy a bigger humidor

SleevePlz

biodarwin:
If the daily daily deal on this site is normally this good, I don't think I will have any issues getting stocked up on a wide variety. I went ahead and picked up the Top shelf feast samler. The value seems to be amazing If it is always this good I might have to buy a bigger humidor

Yes, you will be surprised at how many really good cigars can be had here for under $4 a stick that normally retail for $6-$10. Also check out the sprint sale (link on the bottom of the home page). You can very quickly fill up a humidor and start trying out various cigars to discover what you like.

Ken Light

My advice is to grab a house blends sampler, probably in a robusto size. It'll give you a wide variety of decent quality for a low price. I recommend the supersampler, so you get 3 of each. Not a good idea to make a decision about a cigar after just one try, and that's 24 cigars for 50 bucks. E-mail Time Blythe at tblythe@cigar.com, that's a guy you want to start a relationship with, he'll help you out with anything you need.

Ken Light

Ken Light:
My advice is to grab a house blends sampler, probably in a robusto size. It'll give you a wide variety of decent quality for a low price. I recommend the supersampler, so you get 3 of each. Not a good idea to make a decision about a cigar after just one try, and that's 24 cigars for 50 bucks. E-mail Time Blythe at tblythe@cigar.com, that's a guy you want to start a relationship with, he'll help you out with anything you need.

Also the cigar of the month club is a GREAT way to expand your horizons monthly and comes with a great guide for what to look for when smoking the cigar. You can also get double the cigars (2 each of the monthly 5) for $50/mo. 'cause again you don't necessarily want to judge just one stick.

More than anything, though, don't be afraid to buy something and then find out you hate it, or even dislike it. There's someone here who likes just about anything (maybe not victor sinclair? anyone?) so you can always get a trade going so you can trade a dud for something you might prefer!

Finally: Relax, smoke a cigar, enjoy it. Then come back for more.

Ken Light

Ken Light:
Ken Light:
My advice is to grab a house blends sampler, probably in a robusto size. It'll give you a wide variety of decent quality for a low price. I recommend the supersampler, so you get 3 of each. Not a good idea to make a decision about a cigar after just one try, and that's 24 cigars for 50 bucks. E-mail Time Blythe at tblythe@cigar.com, that's a guy you want to start a relationship with, he'll help you out with anything you need.
Also the cigar of the month club is a GREAT way to expand your horizons monthly and comes with a great guide for what to look for when smoking the cigar. You can also get double the cigars (2 each of the monthly 5) for $50/mo. 'cause again you don't necessarily want to judge just one stick.

More than anything, though, don't be afraid to buy something and then find out you hate it, or even dislike it. There's someone here who likes just about anything (maybe not victor sinclair? anyone?) so you can always get a trade going so you can trade a dud for something you might prefer!

Finally: Relax, smoke a cigar, enjoy it. Then come back for more.

And careful who you give your address to. It's safe with me if you want to PM it though. Honest. And buy a bigger humidor. Always. Twice as big as you think you need.

raisindot

This is going to sound very 'lemming-like,' but I'd recommend you use the Cigar.com Custom Sampler to build yourself a 10-cigar sampler pack. There are some excellent cigars on there (as well as some junk). You might want to focus your picks on those that have 90+ ratings. I know these are subjective (I've tried a few that I've hated), but at least they've been 'sort of' vetted. You might want to get a mixture of different kinds--Dominican based, Nicaraguan based, boxed pressed, and different sizes to give you a full spectrum that will help you figure out your own personal 'sweet spot.' The great thing about the custom sampler is that you can 10 cigars, some of which sell for $10 or more as s single, for around $4 each. Personally, I wouldn't start doing single-brand sprint sales until you've tried out a number of different brands and have a better idea of your personal preferences.

HarleyHetz

Fellow Newbie here, I joind Cigar of the Month, and have been very pleased so far. I have bought several from a local cigar shop, and several from the chain shops in the mall. First month in Cigar of the Month I found TWO of my favorites that I had never tried!!!

C.Hern5972

When i started smoking cigars i started with a very mild, great smell, good taste. Drew Estates Natural and Acid Line. So then i bought a sampler of gherkka line and wow what a taste difference. I have since been on the gherkka line and they all have different tastes. Now i can actually taste the flavors everyone talks about. Now my go to smokes are pinar del rio ascuro torpedos and gherkka. Both have hints of coco and smooth. I went thru sampler packs, also read reviews on tastes and hit up the local shop and buy a couple.. Sit back and slow burn and taste the smoke.