Many years ago I would look forward to going into my local cigar shop and browsing the walk in humidors. I would take my time, check out what was available, and buy my weekly smokes. Unfortunately, many of the classic tobacco shops have closed and been taken over by these...cigarette shops that carry a few boxes of cigars. Don't get me wrong there are a few true cigar stores left, but by going to old school cigar shops I end up spending and arm and a leg on four or fives smokes. So I decided to one day go online. It s cheaper to buy a full box these days from an online dealer...I was wondering what most people are doing these days?

online is pretty much cheaper at most online places but you cant really get the same feeling when you get walking into a cigar shop

i do it mostly in person( since im 18 i cant order off most sites) though i do order some samplers or boxxes of things i like from jrcigars.com the only place ive found that sells to 18 year olds

its usually cheaper online

Here in the People's Republic of California, taxes are so ridiculously high that I just cannot afford to buy from the local B&Ms. The prices here are double the typical internet cost. While it's true many cigars are not available as singles when ordered online, I can get a 5-pack for about the cost of two singles bought locally. I would love to be able to support the local establishments, but thanks to the obscene tax rate I just can't bring myself to do so very often. The last time I visited a B&M, I paid $10 for a Padron 6000 and $6.75 for a Punch Rothschild. I can buy a box of 50 of the Punch smokes online for $110!

I would like to patronize a local store--if there were one in the area. I try to go to downtown Hartford two or three times per year, but when I add on the fee for parking to the price of the cigars (not to mention the inconvenience) it just doesn't seem worth it.

AFSteve-I feel your pain as a fellow 18 year old. Is Jrcigars a reliable site? I'm planning on purchasing my first box and humidor soon, but not until I've tried all kinds of cigars. Right now, Oliva seems like a nice choice for my first box.

I know that clicked "add to cart" won't be the same as walking into my local B&M, smelling cigars just waiting to be purchased, and talking with the people working there.

Well,what can I say? I have to do what I have to do to save some money.

My local shop is ok except it's in a fricken mall and no opportunity to smoke onsite and parking is usually a pain. The do offer a full box at single price times amount in box minus 10%. Some sticks it equals out to similar online prices, maybe a little higher ($5-$8 bucks) but I buy from them to do my part to keep them going. For online I usually go with JR as they are fast, reliable and have always been in good condition when I received them in addition good prices. They have a great yardgar for about $1.40 per.

Guardian and AFSteve- I'm only 19 so I also feel the pain of 21 and over vendors, but I have used JR cigars and was not disappointed. The cigars were delivered in good condition, and ahead of schedule. I also believe www.famous-smoke.com will sell to those 18 and over, however I have never used them before.

I too try and support my local b&m, especially as they are very friendly, offer discounts left and right, and good for trying new brands. They also introduced a frequent use card with a chip that will accumulate points that can be converted to store purchases. Although that helps a bit, it still cannot compare to online vendors where i make my bulk purchases.

I make a run to the local B&M fairly regularly, which is located in a mall w/ no smoking, but I don't buy high or volume. I'll by a cutter or a humidor and usually a handful of singles to support the cause, but w/ taxes so high, I regularly buy from Holts, JR, and Famous. There are some others I buy from as well, and many others I'm sure are as good or better.

I do go to Santa Barbara regularly for a week at a time and always go to Santa Barbara Cigar for my weekly allotment and maybe a smoke or shot or two while I'm there. They small "lounge" is free and the people are friendly with their stashes.

I will still make an extra effort to support my local B&M. Hell, they even have a nice special going on that I might want to look into. For $149.95, I can get a Colibri triple flame lighter, a humidor (I forgot exactly how many it can hold, somewhere in the ballpark of 75-100. It should be fine because I don't smoke big cigars), and a 2 cigar traveling "case." Not a bad deal if you ask me.

And yes, my local B&M has great service and I love chatting with them. It's just that I'm trying to ease up on my spending and I'd love to save a few bucks.

Local b&m's all the way. I'm 19 too, so online ordering with the exception of a few places is out of the question. Plus, I'm always looking to try new things. While I'll always have a few Opus X and Padron 64's on hand, I like having an assortment of 50 or so different cigars for sampling; it assures that each time I reach into the humi for a cigar I'll have a different experience. I'm sure eventually I'll get into buying full boxes of cigars, but for now I'll stick to buying singles.

jrcigars is cheap and i had no trouble it arrives tomorrow so ill tell you the condition when it arrives


i really do like patronizing my local tinderbox

but its expensive sometimes

thanks jdawg for the new site to order from

jrcigars delivered my samplers today the box came in great condition well packed with peanuts

Sounds good. I'll look into them. The only thing about Jrs is that I couldn't find anything made by Olivia on that site. Is it my poor searching skills or do they not have Olivia?

jrcigars has no oliva but famous-smoke.com does but at a slightly higher price than holts.com

and they dont have the series G which if i remember correctly is your go to

Famous-smoke does have the Oliva Serie G belicosos and robustos. I just placed an order this week too, so I can verify that they are even in stock. they also have the Serie O, but I prefer G.

Yeah who could afford to by all there stogies local.
Give the govt time they will find away to tax the internet sale of cigars.
Just like they did to the cigarette smokers remember the Govt sent them all a bill for the taxes they owed.
Sure i buy 90% of my stogies online use a credit card like everyone does i call it the rat the Govt runs the banks real easy to know whos doin what.

I do as most do probably. I order online at various sites for the majority of my smokes, but I go to local shops and grab a single or two and sometimes enjoy it there. It's worth it to go to the shop since Ga taxes aren't too bad as long as I am enjoying it there.

I just got turned off my shop the other day because the guy who was working(not the owner) was smoking cigarettes. I didn't completely mind that but we started talking about Oliva's and he said that he doesn't like Nicaraguan tobacco.

Cigarettes > Nicaraguans.... maybe he doesn't like tobacco

Just have several questions about ordering online. According to cigar.com I may have to report any tobacco transactions to my state (so that they might charge me tobacco tax). What are the steps involved in ordering online? Do I have to contact the state or something if I buy online?