Things I thought I knew about cigars and how I was wrong

[AuTechCoM]

Over the past 16 or so months I have learned a ton of cool stuff. I was just sitting here thinking about how far my enjoyment of this hobby has come and all the stuff I have learned since I found this hobby

A small portion of the Things I thought and how they are wrong:

Always buy the biggest cigar or you are not a man = FALSE! I now enjoy the smaller RG sticks to get the most flavor from the wrapper.

It has to be the strongest cigar ever = FALSE! While I do enjoy a good strong full bodied smoke. The lighter side is just as enjoyable

It has to be expensive to be good = FALSE! There are plenty of sticks out there that don’t break the bank and smoke just as good as a more expensive stick.

Active humidification is the only way to go = FALSE! Man am I glad I dodged that bullet and am now enjoying the maintenance free life using Boveda packs while I wait for my wine cooler to setup my beads

I only need a 20ct desktop humi = FALSE FALSE FALSE!!! Well 3 big desktops and a 46QT Tuperdor later, I am finally building my wineador

It is weird to have this as a hobby = FALSE! Well I guess we all are a little weird but at least we have a place to be weird with other weirdo's.

I have had a bunch of Cubans while on the beaches in the Bahamas and Mexico = FALSE!!! Well we all know this one. Right?

Have you guys experienced changes in your thought or how you enjoy this hobby after joining a community such as this? I know that I am glad to be here and Thanks to all of you guys for helping a noob out.

*****Reclaimed Thread*****
but i enjoyed the conversation so i brought it back

[Ilroy]

I for one thought that more humidity was better...if 70% is the norm, then a little higher must be better - WRONG!!...Glad I found this group of folks at the old site before I started holding any cigars for any length of time. I'da had beetles and/or mold all over the place.

[Old Smokey]

While I thought I had learned a lot, I know very little.

[CamoSutra]

While I thought I had learned a lot, I know very little.
The more I learn, the more I discover I don't know about cigars and the people who love them.

[Demuths1770]

70/70 is not the best range to store cigars
cheap wooden humidor is not always the best opition. this was the biggest for me. tupperdor is the way to go on the cheap!!!

[jp1979]

My opinion 5 years ago was that all cigars were created equal and the wrapper color was the only difference..... Boy was I wrong.

[projectsunfire]

Great post. I think all of us had those same thought at one point. Don't believe the hype!

[Emperor Zurg]

Since I rarely smoke a cigar, a $1 stick will taste the same to me as a $10 stick

!!! FALSE !!!

Even though I'm blind and deaf to many of the subtle nuances of a super premium, a dog rocket is still a dog rocket.
I don't know what I REALLY like yet but Ive burned enough cardboard in the burn barrel to recognize the taste.

[cheaphumidors]

Only men smoke cigars, I am going to be all alone :(---- FALSE, thank you to the Tampa Cigar Ladies!

[flyfisher2]

I wont need more than 20 cigars on hand as i rarely smoke.

Ha i was not aware of the draw to collect cigars! Ive quickly filled up my humi.

[cheaphumidors]

I wont need more than 20 cigars on hand as i rarely smoke.

Ha i was not aware of the draw to collect cigars! Ive quickly filled up my humi.

As did we all :) Hence why I have 9 humidors in my house right now!

[Chris0673]

Ive burned enough cardboard in the burn barrel to recognize the taste.

Been there done that! Many an hour did I spent by the burn barrel when I was deployed. That is until some dumb@ss dumped a bunch of live ammo in the burn bin! I quit volunteering to burn the paper after that!


Cigars are only for rich, stuck up, snobbish people who light them by burning $100 bills. (Not even kidding!)
FALSE!!! Cigar smokers are some of the coolest, laid back, generous, normal people I have ever had the pleasure to meet!

[Browns7213]

Cigars should be really moist and squishy for best results.

[Monkey]

You have to use a jet lighter to light a cigar as a regular lighter will give it a butane taste.

FALSE!! A regular flame lighter works just fine, if maybe taking a bit longer to light. I just found this one out in the last couple months :)

[Lynn]

For the last 2 yrs I have read, snooped, questioned, bought, smoked,and new humi'ed it...and as for right now, I defiantly, positively, know & understand, I have no clue as to what Im looking for in a cigar......

[AuTechCoM]

Man these are great responses. This is one reason I love cigars, we can all look back and think of at least one stupid misconception or stupid thing we have done all while continuing to learn new things almost everyday.


While I thought I had learned a lot, I know very little.

I think Old Smokey wins with this statement. I think this is one of the truest thing in cigars.

[Kookla]

Only men smoke cigars, I am going to be all alone :(---- FALSE, thank you to the Tampa Cigar Ladies!

How many LIKEs can i give this one???

I was ones told, while picking out a cigar in my local B&M, the only reason a woman smokes cigars is to pick up men. Made me so mad!!! I was, however, pleasantly surprised when the owner asked the guy to leave the premises until he is able to show respect.

[flyfisher2]

Yea im in college so I have my sturdy armored humidor(highly recommended) that I felt would be sufficient in relation to how little I smoke.

[theHammer56]

And I've learned that 65 is the new 70 when it comes to humidity. I used to target for 70 and just figured up to 74 or so was in the ballpark. Then I couldn't understand all the burn problems I had. Now I target for 65 (and with Boveda packs now in my humidor, I'm so much closer to "set it and forget it") and feel comfortable being slightly above on occasion.

[Bruck]

Only men smoke cigars, I am going to be all alone :(---- FALSE, thank you to the Tampa Cigar Ladies!

It's mostly dudes, but whenever I visit one of the local smog lounges, there's always at least one SOTL. Glad to see it's catching on :)

[Bruck]

Y'all have covered most of my misconceptions. Here's another one:

Maduro = strong, Connecticut = mild. Not always the case!

[HIM]

That full bodied = full strength. This is just wrong. Cigars can have great body and full flavor while having little strength.

[RogueBallBoy]

that CCs are way stronger and kick your ass with nicotine. Not so much.

[thechasm442]

I used to think cigar wrapper always equated strength, therefore every maduro was an ass kicker and oscuros were unsmokeable.

[Branzig]

I used to think cigar wrapper always equated strength, therefore every maduro was an ass kicker and oscuros were unsmokeable.


Not the case at all.

All Muduro wrapper means is it has the best flavor ever.....

:p

[thechasm442]

Not the case at all.

All Muduro wrapper means is it has the best flavor ever.....

:p

Yep, I realized that quick enough!

[B daddy]

I had no clue about resting or aging cigars. Didn't know it was even possible or desirable. Had no idea how Maduros were made. Didn't even really understand that cigar tobaccos were fermented. Figured they were just cut and dried and rolled. Yeah, I was pretty much a dope.

But now I'm pretty sure I know everything.

[Old Smokey]

I thought aging improved all cigars. False- I have smoked some 4 year old cigar that had lost all flavor.

[Horsefeathers]

That the same cigar in a different sizes taste the same / are the exact same blend.

[cheaphumidors]

How many LIKEs can i give this one???

I was ones told, while picking out a cigar in my local B&M, the only reason a woman smokes cigars is to pick up men. Made me so mad!!! I was, however, pleasantly surprised when the owner asked the guy to leave the premises until he is able to show respect.

Gotta love the ignorance of some people. I had a guy in Honduras tell me not to bother buying a CC because I wouldn't be able to taste the difference between a "real cigar" and a black and mild. But at least the owner had your back!

[Yarddog]

Well, for me, it was moving to a burg where there was a (at the time) well stocked cigar store/newsstand. I figgered, great, now I won't need to maintain a humidor cuz if I wanna ceegar, I'll just bebop down the street and grab a couple.

Not so much. I found some great stick on-line that I really enjoyed, and for maybe a quarter to a third of the price at that B&M! Now, I like to support my local B&M's, but that's just too much difference to ignore! I like to buy good sticks on special, and that keeps my 70 count humidor fairly well stocked up.

Plus, as time has gone on, for some reason, when I go into that local shop's walk-in humidor, a large number of boxes on the shelf are empty! Plus, they aren't regularly stocking the magazine shelves...methinks they may be having some difficulties...in any case, the employees aren't paying attention to the humidor...and that is bad.

[Tombstone]

Y'all have covered most of my misconceptions. Here's another one:

Maduro = strong, Connecticut = mild. Not always the case!


Agreed. My one friend still will not believe that.

[Tombstone]

I also learned that like any thing in life there are going to be people around that you can't stand, but the cigar community is not a snobbish community (by majority). They in fact may be one of the most accepting and generous ones. One local shop I frequent there is a regular who lives in a multimillion dollar home and there is the guy who lives in a small apartment, but when sitting around enjoying a cigar it does not seem like those facts of life matter.

[herman]

I can also agree with the character. I was anticipating either a bunch of snobs or hot shot ego types like the know-it-all superhero complexes I tend to meet at gun shops. Most everyone I talk with in person, and posts I read on the forums are down to earth and just normal people enjoying life.

For me the newcomer misconceptions were the faster you smoke a cigar the faster you enjoy it.
I also thought humidors were to just keep them optimal over months time and were not necessary, I then realized you definitely need humidification but that doesn't mean you need a humidor either. A simple tupperdor can get the job done.

After smoking for a while, I was surprised that some wrappers for full bodies come from Connecticut broadleaf which isn't the same as "Connecticut shade grown". Also, the wrapper color thing, I never believed, but in actuality I have come close to overlooking some good smokes that were wrapped in light colored habanos or corojos that offered plenty of punch.

[Tobias Lutz]

I haven't had the chance to read through the whole thread yet, but I'll throw one of my revelations out there. I used to think that if a wrapper was a dark maduro, I was in for a very potent cigar. I've since discovered that many maduros are well balanced and medium in profile. In fact, it's my favorite wrapper leaf (and I'll take a triple maddy when I can get it)

[Lynn]

I want to see DANCING GIRLS on the bands..like the old ink pens..

[Habana Mike]

For me, still learning after ~20 years of smoking cigars, nothing is quite as it seems.

The industry and the cigars coming on market are constantly changing and, while you don't need to and certainly can't keep up, forums with knowledgeable people can help show you the way.

Don't believe every review you come across. Find a few people/blogs that have similar tastes and trust those as a guide.

[Upstatemax]

I used to think that places like CI would never, ever tell you a cigar was top notch, loaded with the best tobacco that usually retails for a bazillion$$$$. But you can get them for only $40, and it had to be true!

I now call it getting Gurkha'd...

[MrMotoyoshi]

I'm still very new to cigars but I enjoy them from time to time. Great information in this thread for a greenhorn like myself.

[Browns7213]

The bigger the cigar the better. I always bought the biggest cigars I could find associating better value with larger smokes, only to leave half the cigar unfinished.

[BKDW]

70/70 is not the best range to store cigars
cheap wooden humidor is not always the best opition. this was the biggest for me. tupperdor is the way to go on the cheap!!!

Yup...fortunately I figured these two out early rather than later.

I will store some of my "long term" cigars at 55-57%...and guess what? They are FINE.


Also, plastic rocks!! (especially with kitty litter....)