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

[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.