Ok guys, I've been smoking cigars for a little while now and I'm getting close to buying a full box. So far I've had a number of Ashton Maduros, Buteras, RyJs, Padrons, Montecristos, Buteras, Punches, Excaliburs, and so on.

My favorites so far have been the Punch Rothschild Maduro, the Excalibur Special Edition Maduro (even though it put me on my ass), and Butera Fuma Dulce.

What else along these lines would you guys recommend trying out before I go ahead and pick up a box or two?

Thanks for the input.

Torano, Oliva, Camacho, AVO, and Fuente just to name a few

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"The cigar...is something that commands respect. It is made for all the senses,
for all the pleasures, for the nose, the palate, the fingers, the eyes... A good
cigar contains the promise of a totally pleasurable experience."

--Zino Davidoff

Partagas Serie S, anything from H. Upman, Montecristo Serie V. Buying a box is a sure way to determine how good a cigar really is. If you can smoke 25 and enjoy each and every one as much as the first you know that's a good cigar.

...come in here dear boy, have a cigar, you're gonna go far.....

I second the Toranos and would also suggested Fuentes. 8-5-8's are excellent. If you want something more topself, I'd suggest Ashton VSGs or PAMs.

Ruger

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Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything.

Wyatt Earp

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I also really like the Punch Rothschild Maduro, and I just recently tried the CAO Brazilia Gol and found it quite good. Very good flavor, similar to the Punch.

Fuente Hemmingways... my new go-to smoke.

Don't bother me. EYE am on a permanent vacation.

Ashton VSGs and PAMs 64. These are some of the only NC I still smoke.



Seg..

The Excalibur 1066 is an awesome smoke and you can never go wrong with the PAM '64.

Craig

Thanks for the input, they didn't have everything you guys recommended so I tried my best. I would have tried an Avo but they were so expensive that I wouldn't be able to afford a box anyway. I'm trying to get my cigar fix on a college student's budget so I try to keep it around $5 a stick.

I ended up getting an Excalibur 1066 King Arthur (highly recommended by the shop owner), a Partagas Black 5.25x54, RyJ Reserve Maduro No. 4, an H.Upmann Robusto, a Hoyo Rothschild, and a couple more Punch Rothschilds. I can't wait until tonight to light one up... I think I'll start it off with the Partagas.

That is so funny. I would pass on almost every cigar that was recommended to you. Goes to show you that there is no substitute for trying a bunch of different cigars and coming to your own conclusions. Everyone has different tastes.

I couldn't agree more with PRC on his choices. Try some of them if you get the chance. You won't be disappointed.

Don't bother me. EYE am on a permanent vacation.

JR Ultimates!

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"Those who want respect, give respect."

Judging by your location, I'm guessing you are frequenting the Little Taste of Cuba or whatever that place was. I used to go there too when i was going to school there.

Nice to see they are still pushing Buteras and other crappy cigars on unsuspecting college students trying to learn a little about cigars. I bet they are still bending everyone over on prices too. When I learned a little more about cigars, I came to really dislike the *******s in that store.

Do yourself a favor and order online....even singles.

As far as recommendations, I think you should stay away from every major brand in the NC version. That includes, RyJ, montes, upmans, etc. Go for 4-5 packs as testers. Try not to base your decisions on single sticks. Multiple sticks also allow you to see how dramaticly different a cigar can be if properly aged...or even just stabilized after you buy them.

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I bet they are still bending everyone over on prices too. When I learned a little more about cigars, I came to really dislike the *******s in that store.

Do yourself a favor and order online....even singles.

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Ouch! Open a store and see how cheap you can sell cigars and pay the rent and maybe even pay yourself! I have to pay 23% tax on my inventory here in GA before it even hits the humidor and thats whether I sell the smokes or not. So on a stick that cost $4 wholesale I'm already at a $0.92 disadvantage. The point is there is more to selling cigars in a local shop than you realize. These shop owners aren't getting rich selling cigars by anyones calculation.
Now if this jerk is selling junk to newbies he's doing the whole tobacconist business a disservice and needs to be run out of business.

...come in here dear boy, have a cigar, you're gonna go far.....

I've been to more than 1 cigar store. Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not complaining about pricing in stores in general...it's this particular store i don't like.

This place preys on the student population. Town of Princeton = lots of wealthy prep school kids.

Oh, I see. Sorry I didn't mean to jump on you like that. I've been writing my business plan to open my own shop and every time I turn around something else is taking a piece of the profit.

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This place preys on the student population. Town of Princeton = lots of wealthy prep school kids.

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They ought to be pretty smart kids then, huh?

...come in here dear boy, have a cigar, you're gonna go far.....

Punch Gran Cru
La Aroma de Cuba
Puros Indios
JR Alternate Cuban
Helix
Camacho Maduro
possibly Te Amo (undecided, but leaning towards "tasty")

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Originally posted by sobek:
Judging by your location, I'm guessing you are frequenting the Little Taste of Cuba or whatever that place was...Do yourself a favor and order online....even singles...Go for 4-5 packs as testers...Try not to base your decisions on single sticks...Multiple sticks also allow you to see how dramaticly different a cigar can be if properly aged...or even just stabilized after you buy them.

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Sobek is right on all of the above points. LToC is an expensive shop, probably because of the rents in Princeton, they ain't cheap. They do seem to recommend the most expensive cigars, regardless of experience, taste, etc. Since you are in Princeton, I'll assume you can occasionally get to Philly from time to time. Get to Holt's NE Philly store. It's 40 mins from Princeton and what you save on cigars will more than cover the time and cost of driving there. Also you can order 5packs and samplers from Holts at a reasonable price.

Also Kyle I am about 25-30 minutes south of you in Roebling, NJ. If you want any more advice or wanna trade sticks, e-mail me: mister_flail at verizon d0t net.

"Un día sin los cigarros es como un día sin el sol."

"A day without cigars is like a day without sun."

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Originally posted by pmpimbura:
Fuente Hemmingways... my new go-to smoke.

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I got hooked on these for almost a year. Can never go wrong with this smoke.

I averaged about 2 Signatures a week, thank cut back after I reliazed how much money *I spent



*Actualy Wife found out how much I spent

Smoke'em If you got them, and boy due I have them.

I agree with the Hemingways - always good. And the 8-5-8's mentioned earlier are terrific as well. I got a box and am down to the last five with nothing but positives. I'm in college too, and when looking for a great deal I turn to the Helix Maduro in a Pyramid. They are only like 3.25/ stick and I enjoy them.

Actually guys, I haven't updated my location in a while. I used to go to school in Princeton but now I've moved down south and I'm at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. I actually used to frequent A Little Taste of Cuba and thats where I got my first 6-7 sticks and yes, they were EXPENSIVE. The rent on their location is probably insane though, downtown Princeton certainly is not a cheap place to be. I found a somewhat cheaper place in West Windsor called Windsor Cigar Co. which wasn't too bad at all on their prices.

I've found this place here in Atlanta which I always forget the name of. (It's on Piedmont in Buckhead). The guys who run it are a lot more helpful, and their humidor is probably 5x the size as the one in LToC.

I'll definately make the switch to buying online when I purchase a box. I think I'm leaning toward a box of Punch Rothschilds and perhaps Excalibur 1066, I enjoyed both of them a whole lot, and neither one is too pricey.