Ask ECG - a cigar thread for dummies.

[Evinissent Cum Guinness]

Took me awhile to find some time for this, I've been on the go alot the last week - but I'm doing absolutely nothing until Sunday here in relaxing Palm Springs, California so I figure I'm in the perfect place to make a cigar thread for anyone who wants to know a little more - hell, I might even have a question or two.

The desert cities, especially Palm Springs and El Paseo, are enough to make me feel like a newb to cigars, and I've been sucking sticks for ages. Here we've got jazz legends and blacksploitation actors and billionaires, all sitting down together at Mel's tobacconist downtown like normal Joes, knowing a lot more about cigars that I ever knew was possible.

That said, I think I can be something of a guide in these matters, so if you want to know anything about cigars, ask away, and I'll start off by recommending some good first smokes.

For the man or woman who takes his coffee with cream and sugar, or gets a latte at starbucks, the smoke for you to cut your teeth on is the Ashton Cabinet No. 3, from their aged cabinet selection. It runs from 7 to 11 dollars a cigar, and is the perfect mild-medium introduction to cigars. A light brown wrapper of Connecticut shade tobacco, with a binder and filler of smooth Dominican tobacco, this beauty from Ashton is going to get you hooked with it's complex and woody flavors.

A natural cigar, it of course has no flavoring beyond what was grown into it from the ground - you can taste cedars, light leather or cordovan, and hints of vanilla. It's ring gauge (the girth of the cigar) is around 46-8 I would say, and it's about six inches long. It should be smoked fairly slowly, the flavors cook wonderfully if you take nice big puffs in about 90-110 second intervals on this one.


For the man or woman who takes his coffee black, with a little cream or sugar sometimes, you're going to want to try a medium cigar. For starters, I'd recommend what I'm smoking right now: a Camacho Corojo Cetros (pictured at the top of the thread.) Grown form a first generation cuban seed in Honduras, Camacho has a smooth yet robust taste that is the closest cigar not produced on a certain Island South of Miami that has said islands renowned flavor complexity - a complexity I have come to love as a Cuban smoker, but question whenever I light one of these darlings up.

Costing around 4-6 dollars a stick, the corojo cetros is a long, thin stick. A ring gauge of around 44, and a length of about 7 inches makes it a very Clint Eastwood looking smoke, it is wrapped dark brown in a Honduran cuban-seed wrapper. While it smokes smooth, especially when cooked nice and slow, it is a deceptively robust smoke - not something to smoke on an empty stomach for a newbie, but perfect after a barbecue with an IPA or Porter. For flavors, contemplate it to find hints of chocolate, leather, and almonds.


For the, oh, whomever, who takes their coffee black, or espresso (like me!) then look no father than a few of my favorite double maduro cigars. While most maduro cigars are only wrapped with a maduro tobacco, the double maduro is entirely maduro - wickedly smooth, potent, knock-your-socks-off sticks that your wife will curse for their effect on your breath in the morning.

We'll start with the Punch After Dinner Cigar, which is from the non-cuban Punch line (punch also has a state owned factory of fine cigars in Cuba) in the oscuro wrapper. Oscuro is a very dark maduro, built for destruction. It's a real full bodied bastard, and at about 7 and a half inches, a good long smoke made to be enjoyed after a filet minon and with some good scotch.
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A little less potent, but just as full bodied in flavor, is the CAO double maduro. CAO made the map when it started it's line of maduros, seen on the HBO series "the Sopranos," and are renowned for their idea of displacing Cuban smokes worldwide through a campaign of creative marketing, backed by inventive blending of tobaccos. The Mx2, or Maduro times Two, is no exception to their clever ideas - it is a rich, oily, and potent expansion of their maduro line that offers some of the most full bodied and rich taste you will find in a cigar - it will right off remind you of a very strong espresso coffee.

Finally, the king (in my opinion) of double maduro smokes is the Sancho Panza double maduro. Another Honduran, the Sancho Panza is a true work of art. Probably the smoothest, most oily and rich flavor of any cigar I've tried, this smoke has everything a 10-12 dollar smoke can offer, at around three dollars. It's got a coffee-chocolate dark complexity to it, and matches the taste of a good Irish stout just right.

This thread feels incomplete, but I just had a really stressful phone call in the middle of it, so I'm off track. Anyway, this should be a decent start to a forum this site has needed. Cheers.

[Booger]

So this helix I just got (didn't have anything you recommended, so I picked a few medium colored ones, sad I know) is hard as a rock and has burned off like 1/2" in 20 minutes or so. Very little flavor too.

I asked the man about the Camacho, he said he'd order some Monday. Cool place, fine wines, some cigars and lots of micro brew beers. Ask for it and he'll get it. So maybe I'll try some darker ones, like a maduro or something. This is just 'blah' to me.

[Evinissent Cum Guinness]

In my experience helix is kind of hit or miss. I'm assuming you got one of the blue tubed ones?

[adragster7104]

What would someone that doesn't drink coffee smoke

[Booger]

Originally Posted by Evinissent Cum Guinness

In my experience helix is kind of hit or miss. I'm assuming you got one of the blue tubed ones?

Blue box with a blue sleeve Connecticut shade. No squeeze or squish to it what so ever.

I have a 898 churchhill here too.

Probably bunk with my luck.

That Helix had no flavor to me, nothing on the lips or in the smoke. The smell was fairly faint too. I smelled like smoke of course, but nothing strong.

[Evinissent Cum Guinness]

Originally Posted by adragster7104

What would someone that doesn't drink coffee smoke

How do you like your hard alcohol?

I stay away from helix, usually. They are just too hit or miss.

[adragster7104]

Originally Posted by Evinissent Cum Guinness

How do you like your hard alcohol?

I stay away from helix, usually. They are just too hit or miss.

If I do have hard alcohol.....its usually rum and coke. Then again......I love a cadillac margarita...some vodkas too.

[Joey]

I can't stand smoke, but ECG is so knowledgeable it almost makes me want to try a fine cigar or two

[426HEMI]

I picked up a couple of house cigars this weekend. I'll report on how they go.

[raph8erxxx]

if you like a good chocolate maduro i would say a pardon 1964 Maduro

[chimay]

I like the camaroon (sp?) wrappers... like the CAO X2 and.. La Perdona (i think?) the greenish label if I recall. I've not smoked Cigars in a while. When I start my new job, I'll be buying a humidor and some cigars after I make a few gun purchases.

[Evinissent Cum Guinness]

Nice avatar there, Raph. I love me some Tatuaje, especially some Havana VI and the Seleccion de Caador.

[raph8erxxx]

Originally Posted by Evinissent Cum Guinness

Nice avatar there, Raph. I love me some Tatuaje, especially some Havana VI and the Seleccion de Caador.

there the best ciagrs out right now IMO,
I like the brown, im a coiuple boxes away from having one of all the brown lines.

[[]D [] []V[] []D]

In Germany you can get Cubans at almost any store being that there's no trade embargo, so ECG what would be your recommendation, I'm not a regular stogie enjoyer but I want to take advantage of the cuban access

[Cheez]

I love me some Macanudo Portofinos in the white tube...real good smoke

Cubans are overrated...especially considering most cigar tobacco is grown from cuban seed

[raph8erxxx]

Originally Posted by Cheez

I love me some Macanudo Portofinos in the white tube...real good smoke

Cubans are overrated...especially considering most cigar tobacco is grown from cuban seed

Cuban cigars are some of the best in the world if they are aged at least 8 years( im smoking 98's now) and they come from a city factory. Cuban seed means absolutely nothing..Like wine, the minerals and other chemicals in the ground as well as the climate( all known as the terrior) effect the taste drastically.

[raph8erxxx]

Originally Posted by Ramstein's Greatest

In Germany you can get Cubans at almost any store being that there's no trade embargo, so ECG what would be your recommendation, I'm not a regular stogie enjoyer but I want to take advantage of the cuban access

Right now there are very few cigars out of cuba that smoke well young.. Try a partagas series d no 4 or a montecristo edmundo.