Intro

[chain_gang]

Seems like a pretty cool place you guys have here, and I wanted to get in. Lurked around a couple days awhile back, and decided it's time. Hoping to learn more about cigars while here, and this seems like the place to do it.

About me - I'm a pretty open guy, so if I don't cover it here, ask away.

Years smoking cigars: ~2

Favorite brands: Tatuaje, Aging Room, Padron, Drew Estate, & Camacho

Favorite size: robusto

Cigar that really got me into the hobby: Padron 64 maduro

Lived in VA since 2006, but born and raised in IL.

Navy Vet 06-12, OND/OEF

Enjoy sci fi and horror books, horror movies, grillin on my new Weber, podcasts (favorites: Tin Foil Hat & Church of What's Happening Now), and spending time with my family.

Currently smoking an Asylum 13 Fifty. First cigar I had by these guys (Medulla Oblongata), I got last year at the Coastal Cigar Fest. Thought it was gonna be b.s. due to the skull logo and the name "Asylum". But, I was wrong, and do enjoy this brand. I'd say profile is medium-full, a little spicy, nice strength, good tasting, and very much worth the $1-2 Cigarbid price.

[Tombstone]

Welcome to the Bum. How did that Asylum treat you? I too enjoy the Church. His tales of growing up are classic and his response to the nanny state about a week ago priceless.

[penna stogey]

Welcome to the Cigar Bums household....Great bunch of bums....Salute!

[Old Smokey]

Welcome to Cigar Bum and thank you for your service. I hope you will post often so we can get to know you and you know us. Watch out for WNYTONY and AlanS, they love cigars, long walks on the beach and blowing bubbles in the bathtub. :)

[jhedrick83]

Welcome to Cigar Bum! Thank you for your service! We are a pretty open group as well, so ask us anything.

[chain_gang]

Welcome to the Bum. How did that Asylum treat you? I too enjoy the Church. His tales of growing up are classic and his response to the nanny state about a week ago priceless.

The Asylum 13 Fifty was great. I'm into stronger cigars, and this was well within what I'd consider med/full. Nice flavor, not super bold or complex, but one of the best I've had from Cigarbid. I'd definitely buy more, especially if Cigarbid pricing drops back down to my liking. I was able to score multiple Asylum types for $1 up till about a year ago.

I had the Medulla Oblongata (robustish, cant remember exact size), and it was probably the best cigar I got from the Coastal Cigar Fest, which I was given 15 cigars from multiple manufacturers as part of the ticket price. I wanted to buy more, but the local B&Ms only carries the huge 7×70 or bigger, and I'm not a big sized cigar guy.

If you haven't had anything by Asylum, please give them some attention, because last night's cigar has reaffirmed my interest in the brand, and has put them back on my radar and higher on my must buy list. Don't let the wrapper and name fool you, like it almost did me. My mantra since is: Don't judge the book by the cover, unless you're willing to smoke it and affirm your judgement by trial by smoke.

CHURCH!

[restomod]

Thanks for your service! Any chance you can share your quadrant of USA you may be residing even if not specific?

[chain_gang]

penna,
Thanks! What's a cigar you'd recommend for a med/full fan and why?

Old Smokey,
Thanks! Does the name lend itself beyond cigars? Just bought my first Weber and have been enjoying smoky meats. Who doesn't enjoy making their own bubbles in a bath, or am I missing something?

jhedrick83,
Thanks! Any podcasts you'd recommend? Ever listen to any of the podcasts I mentioned?

restomod,
Thanks! I live in Virginia Beach, VA. Yourself?

[josh lucky 13]

Welcome to the site. Plenty to learn and share and for some over share.

[chain_gang]

Tombstone,

The Asylum 13 Fifty was tremendous. It fits in the med+ to full area, not complex or too bold. Didn't realize it was dark habano wrapper, thought it was maduro - still get mixed up with the maduro definition and appearance with some cigars. Solid flavor throughout, a little spicy.

It's the second I've had by Asylum, so they're batting 2/2 in my scorebook. I've scored others through Cigarbid for $1 on great days, $2 on bad days, and it's by far the best cigar for that pricepoint out of about 10-15 other $1-2 cigars scored. I've scored a couple Mini Coronas and a Corojo, but the minis were taken by friends, and I may still have the Corojo. All were scored at the same price.

I had the Asylum Medulla Oblongata last summer shortly after attending the Coastal Cigar Fest in Norfolk, VA. It was probably my favorite cigar amongst the 15 that came with the ticket price, and all were from various premium manufacturers. Can't remember much, but I wanted to buy more, but the local B&Ms only carry the 7×70 or bigger. Not a big sized cigar guy, so I've passed. I thought it was going to be a dud and a tough guy's cigar due to the skull and name, but boy was I mistaken.

If you haven't given the brand any attention, do yourself a favor and do so. If you like scoring cheap bids, you cannot go wrong with the 13 Fifty - haven't been on the site much since prices skyrocketed, but keep the above pricepoint in mind.

CHURCH!

[Old Smokey]

Old Smokey,
Thanks! Does the name lend itself beyond cigars? Just bought my first Weber and have been enjoying smoky meats.

CG, no meaning other than I am old and I smoke. I am a Weber Kettle guy! They are more versatile than I thought. Checkout (YouTube) a Vortex. Are you familiar with the snake method for doing longer (4-6 hour) smokes?

[chain_gang]

Smokey,

Never heard of the snake method, but will look into it and the videos. I haven't fully smoked anything yet, only grilled while add chips to the coals to impart some smoky flavor.

[chain_gang]

Tombstone,

This is my third attempt to respond to you - I'm probably noob'n something. Anyways, if the other two pop up and I'm over-posting like a noob, please bring the heat.

The Asylum 13 Fifty was tremendous. Med+ I'd say, not too bold and a little spicy. Flavor was solid and enjoyable throughout. 1-2 bucks off Cbid, and it was money well spent.

Asylum is 2/2 in my book. Lookin to check out more from them in the near future. If you haven't given them any attention, you may want to rethink it. Try the 13 Fifty and the Medulla Oblongata. You'll thank me later.

CHURCH!

[restomod]

penna,
Thanks! What's a cigar you'd recommend for a med/full fan and why?

Old Smokey,
Thanks! Does the name lend itself beyond cigars? Just bought my first Weber and have been enjoying smoky meats. Who doesn't enjoy making their own bubbles in a bath, or am I missing something?

jhedrick83,
Thanks! Any podcasts you'd recommend? Ever listen to any of the podcasts I mentioned?

restomod,
Thanks! I live in Virginia Beach, VA. Yourself?

Upstate NY for me, and on the cheaper side I will interject for trying the Diesel line if you come across them.

Also just throw an @ symbol in front of someone's name when making the post. Like just write jhedrick83 or AlanS like 80 times and blow up their notifications its fun.

[SoCal gunner]

Welcome!

I too started off in Illinois, but am currently residing in Southern California.

Right there with ya on the '64 Maduro - love 'em!

[WNYTONY]

Welcome to Cigar Bum chain_gang and thank you for your service. That's a great group of brands on your list - I'm a bit of a Tatuaje fan myself.
Kick back, make yourself comfortable and feel free to join in the ruckus - we're a pretty playful crowd.
I get down to your neck of the woods every once in a while, I have a sister that lives in Smithfield. It's a nice area, but that traffic is a killer !

[jhedrick83]

CG-

Cigar Related? I like anything with Cigar Coop, I think the one he does now is called Prime Time? I haven't listened to it in a long time as I drive way less than I used to! As for Podcasts in general, I like Revolutions with Mike Duncan (tours of famous revolutions in history, he also did a History of Rome Podcast that was excellent) and How I Built This with Guy Raz. I've never heard of the podcast you mentioned but I'll have to check it out.

[chain_gang]

SoCal gunner
Thanks! Never ventured down to Socal myself, but do travel to the Camarillo area (1.5 hr N of LA) for work once or twice a year for work. It's a cool area to explore if you-'ve never been. Cool parks, Malibu, PCH, winding roads along moutains cliffs with no rails, top notch scenery and beaches, desertish and also lush - quite a different landscape from IL and VA.

WNYTONY
Thanks! Tats are my current favorite brand, with the Black being my go to. Any tips on how to score the limited releases? I scoured the net for the MBS, but don't want to drop $40 for one that's included in a kit. Smithfield is a pretty cool place. We go there at least once a year to do the Windsor Castle Park and check out the cool downtown area. If you come to Virginia Beach, check out Emerson's for a great selection and nice lounge.

[chain_gang]

jhedrick83

I've got How I Built This favorited, but haven't listened to it in awhile. I only remember listening to the Shake Shack episode. My wife and I were huge Shake Shack fans and it origin was interesting.

Haven't heard of the cigar podcast you mentioned but will look into it. I've got a buddy who shares an office with who listens to a youtube cigar show (cigars daily maybe). I used to listen to Cigar Dave, and still have his show favorited, but haven't listened to him in a while.

I enjoy checking out new and interesting podcasts. Let me know if you'd like more recommendations.

Please check out the Church Of What's Happening Now - it was my daily ritual to listen, and I'm trying to go back to Church daily. Be aware though, it's pretty vulgar, but raw with real conversations, and a good insight into mostly the host's life, the comedy industry and lives of comedians.

[SoCal gunner]

chain_gang - what part of Illinois (don't pronounce the S) are you from?

[chain_gang]

SoCal gunner
Decatur. Yourself?

[Nature]

Welcome, Chain_Gang.
Glad to have you here!

I have approved all of your posts awaiting moderation. Our apologies for any delay. That should go away. Just a little measure to protect the forum from nefarious spammers.

[WNYTONY]

WNYTONY
Thanks! Tats are my current favorite brand, with the Black being my go to. Any tips on how to score the limited releases? I scoured the net for the MBS, but don't want to drop $40 for one that's included in a kit. Smithfield is a pretty cool place. We go there at least once a year to do the Windsor Castle Park and check out the cool downtown area. If you come to Virginia Beach, check out Emerson's for a great selection and nice lounge.

No good tips here as I don't typically chase the limited stuff, other than the TAA releases which are widely available. I just don't see the point of chasing something I'll only be able to smoke once and never get again. So I'm not much help with that. SoCal gunner is your man for that sort of thing - he's a baller that buys every limited thing that comes along. He's a big Ezra Zion guy at the moment but I'm trying to get him on some decent smokes :poke:

I've bought from Emerson's online but never made it to the actual store. From the website it looks like they do have a top notch humidor selection. One of these trips I'll get a chance to break away for a visit.

[jhedrick83]

jhedrick83

I've got How I Built This favorited, but haven't listened to it in awhile. I only remember listening to the Shake Shack episode. My wife and I were huge Shake Shack fans and it origin was interesting.

Haven't heard of the cigar podcast you mentioned but will look into it. I've got a buddy who shares an office with who listens to a youtube cigar show (cigars daily maybe). I used to listen to Cigar Dave, and still have his show favorited, but haven't listened to him in a while.

I enjoy checking out new and interesting podcasts. Let me know if you'd like more recommendations.

Please check out the Church Of What's Happening Now - it was my daily ritual to listen, and I'm trying to go back to Church daily. Be aware though, it's pretty vulgar, but raw with real conversations, and a good insight into mostly the host's life, the comedy industry and lives of comedians.

The HIBT episodes with Daymond John and Herb Keller are awesome.

[Brimy]

Welcome to our corner/alley/train yard/foot under the bridge (wherever it is that you can find a Bum and even where you would least expect it)!
Reading this intro after some of your reviews.
Hope you like it here. I sure do!!
A bunch of good people.
Look forward to seeing you around.
Oh yeah! Is there a name besides Chain Gang?

[Ciro]

Welcome to the site chain_gang and Thank You for your service!
Now Sit Back, Grab a Cigar, and Enjoy the Show!!

[chain_gang]

Brimy - first name's Matthew. I'll update the profile. Thanks for the welcome and I'm glad you're enjoying the reviews as much as I enjoy having a cool place to provide them! Plenty more to come as I smoke through em'!

Ciro - Thanks! You're advice will taken soon...well, maybe later tonight after the house has calmed down a bit!

- - - Updated - - -
Brimy - first name's Matthew. I'll update the profile. Thanks for the welcome and I'm glad you're enjoying the reviews as much as I enjoy having a cool place to provide them! Plenty more to come as I smoke through em'!

Ciro - Thanks! You're advice will be taken soon...well, maybe later tonight after the house has calmed down a bit!

[Brimy]

Brimy - first name's Matthew. I'll update the profile. Thanks for the welcome and I'm glad you're enjoying the reviews as much as I enjoy having a cool place to provide them! Plenty more to come as I smoke through em'!

Ciro - Thanks! You're advice will taken soon...well, maybe later tonight after the house has calmed down a bit!

- - - Updated - - -
Brimy - first name's Matthew. I'll update the profile. Thanks for the welcome and I'm glad you're enjoying the reviews as much as I enjoy having a cool place to provide them! Plenty more to come as I smoke through em'!

Ciro - Thanks! You're advice will be taken soon...well, maybe later tonight after the house has calmed down a bit!

Welcome Matthew!

[chain_gang]

Welcome to the site. Plenty to learn and share and for some over share.

josh lucky 13 - Tried to hit the ground running here, and looks like I missed you. Thanks for your welcome!
Hopefully you've enjoyed what I have shared and I'm looking forward to sharing more reviews.