Anyone Tried These?

[Zeede]

Give the Flor De Oliva line a try. $2/stick and pretty darn good.

[rodwha]

I have Oliva Flor de Oliva's on my list ($37/20).

Also have the 3 small cigars and Cuban Delights on the list, as well as a single of 5 Vegas Gold, 5 Vegas Classic, Alec Bradley American Classic, Estd 1844, Nica Libre, and Nub by Oliva, but I need to drop one...

I'll also need another Avo/CAO sampler along with another sampler to work with on a trade (don't want the cat out of the bag).

My list is far from solidified...

[rodwha]

steelman: Are these good?

[jhedrick83]

How about Arturo Fuente Cubanitos or Exquisitos?

Never had the Cubanitos the Exquisitos can be hit or miss, the Maduro ones can be good if given some time to chill and smoked slowly. If you are looking for a good budget smoke, CI has Gran Habano Vintage 2002 (robusto or Churchill) that you can get off CBID for ~$33 on freefall for a bundle of 20.

[StogieNinja]

CAO Gold Karats, Cohiba Red Dot Pequenos, or Macanudo Cafe & Maduro Ascot or Ascot Moduro, or Macanudo Gold Label Ascot?

No, no, no, no, no, and no.

All of us were newer at one point, flipped through various catalogs and web pages looking at the ad copy for all the CI offerings that made our mouths water. Here's the thing: the photos and copy make ALL cigars sound good. Most of them suck.

Here's my suggestion: don't go shopping.

Seriously. I'd recommend smoking what you have, letting us know what you like, and asking for suggestions within parameters (IE, price, size, flavor profile), and let the collective wisdom of the group help create your shopping list.

[rodwha]

I'm certainly looking for a good inexpensive smoke, and I think I'd also like a smaller cigar for those times when there just isn't much time.

I know that I like CAO Golds so I figure I ought to like their Karats. But then I figured the Cohiba Red Dots, being a more pricey stick, ought to be better or at the least on par with CAO. They are a hair cheaper...

[StogieNinja]

Are you looking for any particular price ceiling, and do you have a particular flavor profile you're going after?

[rodwha]

They certainly aren't going to tell you how sorry something in their inventory is, eh?

I have a very limited experience. I tried a brown bag special which wasn't all that bad for the most part but didn't keep tabs on them after I found they didn't sell them as bundles or boxes so there just wasn't much point.

What I've really enjoyed so far are the Avo Classics and CAO Golds, which is why I figured their Karat ought to be worth while to me.

[rodwha]

I began looking at cigarillos at a cheaper (<$2) price for what I figured would be a higher quality compared to the same price but a full sized cigar.

As I figure I'll need cheaper (<$2) cigars as I'm finding myself in the garage more often than I figured, I'd be open to cigarillos (doubt my terminology is correct but slimmer, shorter cigars) that were (<$5).

My upper limit on cigars at the moment would be $8, though I'll no doubt buy a nicer cigar for a special occasion and would likely buy a Cuban if restrictions are loosened up. But I couldn't buy many, and even Avos won't be stocked in number until I've built up a stash of other cigars. At the price point CI has the Avo/CAO's for I'd just buy several of those.

[Zeede]

Unless you're coming off from smoking cigarettes and need the nicotine hit, I would suggest that you smoke better cigars less often. Quality over quantity.

I smoked my first cigar in the beginning of March of THIS year and to date have smoked a dozen cigars. That's not much more than one per week, but I have really enjoyed it and like that it makes me slow down for 60-150 minutes. I have only smoked this frequently because of the incredible generosity here, otherwise it would probably be one every two weeks or less.

Why? Because I'm on a tight budget for my hobbies, so I understand that you love cigars and want to smoke more often, yet without destroying your wallet in the process.