Cheap Humidors at cheaphumidors.com

I placed an order today with cheaphumidors.com, and so for it looks to be a great purchase. If you have not been to their site, now is a great time to check them out.

The site is simple to use, and has a very user friendly layout. I did a search on humidors and identified the Capri Cigar Humidor for its simplicity and reasonable capacity of 50 cigars. I have been looking for my first humidor for a few weeks now, and this one made it to the short list of potential purchases.

The humidor retails for $79.99, but has been marked down considerably. On top of the large discount applied, I noticed the "Pay What You Want!" tag in the description. This site has the option on select items for the purchaser to make an offer to the company of how much you are willing to pay for the product. If they decline your offer, you will receive an email stating that. If they accept your offer, they immediately charge your credit card and ship the product. I made an offer, and it was accepted and the company shipped the humidor in the same day.

The humidor is expected to arrive on Tuesday. This is my first purchase from cheaphumidor.com, but it most likely will not be the last.

Thompson Cigars- Where is the Customer Service?

I recently made a purchase from the Thompson Cigar Company, Americas oldest mail order cigar company, that has left me with a bad taste in my mouth- not a good idea for a cigar company. In this day and age, it is standard to receive confirmation of orders, and I would definitely say that it is expected to receive notification if there will be a deviation from the order.

I logged into the organizations website, and purchased a cigar humidor bundle that comes with a lighter and 20 assorted cigars. Thompson Cigars sent me an email confirming my purchase, with an order number, and the email linked to the Thompson Cigar Company site. The invoice stated that my order is in process.

24 hours later, I still have not received a shipping number from the company. Being an impatient person I contacted customer service, where I was informed that the item was back ordered and would not ship for at least 2 weeks. This is the type of information that should be supplied on an invoice, and should be communicated to the buyer at some point in the process. They have since attached a note to the product on the website, which is an effective solution for future orders. However, this does not explain the break down in customer service that I was subject to.

This will be an ongoing topic. I will be reviewing the product once it arrives, and I certainly hope the quality of the product is sufficient to offset the aggravation of insufficient customer service.

Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur

I stopped at a local smoke shop to pick up a couple of sticks for the weekend. To my surprise, General Cigar was having a special where you receive a free Excalibur cigar with the purchase of any other two cigars in the General line up.

My initial thought was expected: how good can it be if it is free? I decide to try this smoke first before the other two purchased, knowing that I had those other smokes as something good to fall back on. The pre-light inspection reveals a decent cigar, with minimal veins, good coloring, and no overly hard or soft spots. The cut goes well, with the construction of the cigar holding up.

After toasting the stick, I light it and take a few draws. The cigar produces a wonderful amount of smoke, but initially seems to be lacking in flavor. This mild start is not a bad thing, and in fact was a surprise. I had assumed that this would be a bitter and harsh smoke, and quite the opposite rang true.

The draw is quite easy on the stick, and as I progress from the first 3rd to the second 3rd the flavor begins to build a bit more. The smoke remains mild, but a bit more complexity is revealed and the blend of wood and leather begins to arrive. There is a slight underlying sweetness, and as the cigar progresses a bit of spice laces through the complexity. The spice remains understated, which is keeping in line with the tame manners of the cigar overall.

An hour from beginning to end, this smoke was a pleasant experience. The mild strength of the cigar was fitting for the time spent smoking. This is a cigar that will find itself in my humidor, and is a good choice any time of the day.

Rocky Patel Rosado

I purchased a 5-pack of the Rocky Patel Rosado in the Robusto size (5 1/2 X 50) from Cigar Monster, and they arrived this week safely. This is my first internet purchase of cigars and my first experience with the Rosado, but so far I am impressed with both.

The cigar is made from long aged Nicaraguan long filler, blended with Dominican long filler and binder, finished with a cloud filtered Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. There are a few noticeable veins in the wrapper, but not so many as to be offensive.

After toasting the foot, the light takes quickly and easily. The draw is noticeably smoother than the RP 1999 Vintage, and the ease of the draw makes for a calm smoke. The initial draw seems to relay a good deal of spice, but this initial flavor tapers to a toasted nut layered with leather and woody undertones. A sweetness runs through the smoke, a trait that last to the final draw.

From that original draw, I sensed that this should be a slow smoke with careful draws, and my assumptions ring true as an overdraw creates excessive heat and a bitter flavor. Allowing the coal to remain cooler creates a much more pleasant smoking experience.

The second 3rd of the stick shows a rich complexity opening up, and a faint flavor of dark coffee on the fringes. The stick is a solid medium strength throughout, and is highlighting the beautiful early fall afternoon. The subtle spice continues to play through the pallet, but is far from overpowering and adds nicely to the blend.

As the cigar comes to completion, the toasted flavors begin to intensify, as does the leather and wood. This special label cigars are a joy to experience, and will have a place in my humidor.

Cigar Monster- A Great Way to Get Smokes

My wife often harasses me for my complete inability to exist off the grid. I know I am addicted to technology and in being connected to the world, and I have decided to make the best of it and to use it in all aspects of my life. With that said, I have downloaded a great app to my iPhone, Cigar Monster.

The Cigar Monster app is a link to the Cigar Monster website (www.cigarmonster.com), which in turn is a link to the Famous Smoke Shop website (www.famous-smoke.com). It provides multiple deals each day on cigars and accessories (hourly it seems), and notifies the user through push notifications. The user has the choice of ignoring the notification, or clicking through the app which will take you to the website. Once you have completed the one-time registration with the Famous Smoke Shop website, you are free to make the purchase on the deal and any follow up deal. The best part is the free ground shipping, which allows the buyer to pay for just the smokes. And if you missed the deal during the day, all the days deals are available again between 11:00 PM and midnight of that day during the "Monster Mash".

I recently purchased a 5-pack of Rocky Patel Rosado Robustos (which I will be reviewing here this weekend) through Cigar Monster. The purchase was easy and the shipping was quick. When the sticks arrived, they were surrounded with so much bubble that it was near impossible for them to receive damage. The product itself was in immaculate shape, ready to smoke with no defects on or in the stick.

If you are looking to pick up a small variety of smokes for the humidor, but lack the time to scour the myriad of sites each day to find the best deal, download this app to your iPhone. You will quickly find your humidor full with great smokes at a great deal.

Rocky Patel Vintage 1999

I stopped at Julio's Liqueurs and Smoke Shop this evening to speak with my tobacconist about a good smoke for the evening. I was disappointed when I arrived and found that not only was my tobacconist not present, but no one in the store was able to help me work through my decision for a cigar. Being a big boy, I figured I could work through the decision on my own, and decided to purchase a Rocky Patel Vintage 1999.

The pre-light examination of the cigar was impressive. The label on the cellophane states that the cigar is a "six by sixty", and the stick is truly a massive smoke that challenged the ability of my cutter. The Connecticut wrapper is a beautiful buttery blond color with a nice oily sheen and small veins, and the dual cigar bands are a simple white and gold.

Toasting this beast is an event in itself, though getting a good coal on the end went quicker than I imagined it would. The first thing of note is that this is not an easy cigar to draw. Each puff is a great deal of work to pull through, to the point that throughout the event I found myself often resorting to a double draw to get the smoke to appear.

This is a mild cigar, displaying more aroma than taste. The initial flavors are predominately wood, with some toasted nut blending in. Though it started out even, the stick quickly insists on a crooked burn, a trait that carried through to the very end. As the burn carried into the second 3rd, some spice begins to appear at the edges of of the smoke, and some of the buttery flavor of the Connecticut wrapper begins to appear. The cigar still requires a double draw to produce a sufficient amount of smoke, and with each draw I find myself thinking that something is missing in this cigar.

At the half-way point of the cigar, I notice that the ash is displaying a prominent split, as if a sharp blade had been sliced lengthwise against the stick. This slice would grow through to the final third, when I finally knocked the ash off when it began to show signs of fall. Notable at this time there is the mention of leather that appears on the pallet, and a faint recollection of chocolate as well.

As I work through the smoke, there is a rare but occasional sweetness that appears from time to time. Wood tones are definitely the prominent flavor in the smoke. There is a clear lack of complexity throughout, a trait that could be good in another cigar but is somewhat a disappointment here.

The final third of the smoke becomes a bit more lively. The wood tones power up a bit with after images of spice and highlights of nut seeping through. The smoke begins to linger longer on the tongue and cheek, and a memorable sharpness strikes with each draw. Some creamy notes begin to present, and as the end approaches the cigar finally begins to produce the copious amounts of smoke that I expected long ago.

The Rocky Patel Vintage 1999, in the Connecticut wrapper, is a mild smoke whose physically dominant stature hides a decidedly small pallet presence. This may be a good choice for the once a year smoker or as a morning smoke to wake the taste buds, but lacks complexity and delivery for an evening smoke. It was $11 for the stick, and if you are seeking a mild cigar this may be the one for you.

Keeping the Costs Down

The enjoyment of smoking cigars does not come cheap. The individual who is just starting out may have an inventory that consists of a cheap cutter and a box of matches. The list of cigars that the amateur likes and dislikes is small, and it is hard to spend any amount of money on something that you may end up throwing away. But there are a number of good solutions to this problem.

The first is to find a good tobacconist. These individuals love to talk about cigars, and will spend as much time with you as you need. They are willing to show you the different products that exist on the market, and with a small amount of input from the buyer can steer you to a number of decent smokes. Generally the cost will be between $5 and $12 per stick, but if you want to dish out more for a smoke they can help you with that as well.

For those who may not feel confident in approaching a tobacconist, fear not, for there are other solutions out there. Nearly every online retailer of cigars has what they call "sampler packs" on their individual sites. These consist of a mix of different cigars, usually in a 5-pack configuration, that will give you a few different options. The cost per stick drops with this option to between $2 and $10 per stick, though again you can pay more (and occasionally less!). This is a good way to try out a few different smokes without committing to a full box. The downsides to this are that you do not get the personal attention that a tobacconist can offer, and you will have to think about storage of the extra smokes so that they remain preserved for future enjoyment. If this is a route you choose to take, some popular sites are www.famous-smoke.com, www.cigarsinternational.com, and www.thompsoncigar.com. There are many more, just be sure that they are reputable before you buy.

And finally, you will find forums out there where you can get some free info on different cigars, and what people think of them. Forums are easy to work with, as they can leave you feeling a bit more anonymous while getting answers to your specific questions. My favorite is over at www.cigarworld.com. The inhabitants are a bit crazy, but I find this comforting.

Cigars are a wonderful enjoyment, and with a little time you will find what you like.

Don Pepin Garcia My Father No. 2

Don Pepin Garcia is not only a master in the world of cigars, he is the master. And in his honor, his son Jamie (not such a slouch himself) has created a masterful cigar in the My Father.

Upon purchasing the stick, it is clear from the beginning that this is going to be a momentous event. The cigar comes wrapped in a cedar sleeve to insure freshness, and the cigar band itself is a work of art. Once the sleeve is removed, the cigar glows with a reddish brown color and oily sheen. As I toasted the foot of the cigar, I was wrapped in the warm aroma released, and found myself excited to begin smoking.

The draw on this cigar is so smooth it felt as though I was sucking on a straw. The flavors of wood and leather are blended splendidly in the smoke, and rest wonderfully upon the tongue and cheek with a slight pepper in the mix. The silky smoke was plentiful, and left me in a state of bliss.

During the transition from the second 3rd to the final 3rd, there was a brief flavor of honey, so feint that I nearly missed it's presence. The smoke developed into a glorious end with a slight nut flavor, and left me very satisfied. My only complaint is that it could not last forever.

The cigar cost around $10 retail, and is worth every penny.

The Arturo Fuente Churchill

My latest event was an Arturo Fuente Churchill, at a price of $7.25. I found myself with two hours of free time as I saved seating for my family to the Marlborough Labor Day parade, and thought that the large stick (7 1/4 x 48)would help to fill that time.

The first thing to note is the construction of the cigar. I must admit that I am not highly impressed. The cigar did not have any visible cracks, and the color of both the wrapper and the filler was warm and inviting. However, upon cutting the stick, the wrapper started to disappoint. I had to carefully trim down the unraveling wrapper before I could even think of lighting it. This problem magnified at the end of the smoke, as the wrapper became visibly unwrapped with the last 2 inches remaining.

The light was less than satisfying as well. After toasting, the end jumped to a quick canoe. This righted itself by the last third of the smoke, but was unsightly just the same.

The draw was smooth and sufficient. The smoke was very light at first; this added to the wrapper problems made me doubt if this had been a wise purchase. Thankfully this did not last long, as the experience quickly moved to nice tones of leather, wood, and light spice. During the final third of the smoke the spice picked up a bit more, and the finish was pleasant without harshness, less the unfortunate unraveling.

This may be a good smoke on occasion, but lacks the quality of construction to be a staple in the humidor. Given the Arturo Fuente name I definitely expected more.

The Brick House Churchill

The cigar. An age old right of manhood. The classic form of male celebration. And my newest venture. I have decided to take up the enjoyment of cigars, and find that I know very little of the craft. The best way to learn however is to jump in with both feet.

First, the disclaimer: smoking is bad for your health in any form.

Now that we have dispensed with this, I have decided to cut my teeth on the Brick House Churchill. Purchased for $5.25, It fit my target spend of less than $8.00. The cigar is a nice looking stick, with a light brown wrapper and measuring 7 1/2". After a clean cut, the stick took a good light. The cigar produced nice creamy white smoke, and a smooth flavor that carried through the entire event. As I moved through the first third of the stick I found there to be a pleasant sweetness that added to the experience, which remained to the end. The smoke was easy, and I quickly found myself fully relaxed and enjoying the late summer evening.

The smoke lasted about an hour, and never required a relight at any time. This is a cigar that would run well with any occasion. I highly recommend the Brick House Churchill. To any amateur, or aficionado, it will leave you feeling great about your choice.