Entry Level Box of Cigars

I would recommend you buy yourself a sampler box of cigars and go from there.

Baranows has a good selection of these sampler packs but I'm not sure on what their overseas shipping policy is (they are based in Australia)

http://www.baranows.com

The cigar thread has some good tips. Make sure you have a humi when you order your first box as you do not want to get stuck without it. I'm sure you can go to some of the local cigar shops near you adn pick up sticks for cheap just to try them out before moving to a full box on the net.

I wouldn't invest any money in a box of cigars until you at least have a humidor or a makeshift Tupper-dor to maintain consistent levels of temperature and humidity and you know what you like. Check out cigarpass.com for all cigar discussion, top25.com features a nice database of reviews. You could always go down to your local B&M store and just ask them.

Two recommendations off the top of my head for a decent cigar that won't break the bank would be Padron 2000 series or Fuente 8-5-8. Both would be around $4 each (depending on state tax). Boxes of 25 online are around $90 for each brand.

Cheers.

There is really no reason to get a box until you can at least discern the difference between mild, medium and full bodied smokes to see which you like more.

I'd recommend a Padron or a Rocky Patel Sampler. Or maybe a 5-er of Padron 3000, a 5-er of RP The Edge, a 5-er of RP Connecticut, and a 5-er of Don Lino.

I'd agree with everyone here on waiting on the box. When you are ready to order, give Cigars International a look. They've got some mix and matches, as well as some great info under "help."

My personal go-to is CAO Black, and I haven't met anyone who didn't enjoy one.

Definitely get a non-brand specific sampler before you get 5 packs or boxes. Just start out slow with something like this - http://www.cigarsinternational.com/p...P-CIDD24&cat=6
Although, if you're a scotch drinker, you may want to just skip the mild and step up to medium/full bodied sampler that would go with the drink better.

Oh and don't worry too much about humidor...people will make a big fuss about maintaining 70 degree 70% environment with proper humidification and minimum airflow, etc. You're just starting out so try a sampler and see if you like it, they'll last just fine a couple of weeks in a ziploc bag that they come in.

^^^

agreed with the last point. humidor schumidor, ziploc bag it or lately i carry around a canvas shopping bag from the bookstore that can hold a box of cigars along with the book.

They are very overpriced....

I mean, where to start?! A lot of people tell beginners to start with mild cigars, I think this is a big mistake. Just because you are a beginner doesn't mean that you should be smoking a flavorless stick of paper. I say get a couple mild, a couple medium, and a couple full bodied and see what you like best. The easiest thing to do is to go to a Brick and Mortar shop and look around. It can be hard with no knowledge, but we all started there. Try and find a smaller shop, where you can speak to the owner. Just tell him you want to get into cigar smoking and want to know where to start. Here are some of my recommendations:

Padron 3000, Camacho Diplomat, La Aurora 1495, Rocky Patel Sungrown, Oneoff Corona, Tatuaje red label, and the Oliva Seri V or G.

As for Cubans, if you want a site to order boxes, PM me and I will send it to you. I would try Fonseca Casacosa, Romeo y Julieta Coronitas en Cedro, an the Cohiba Siglo II to start off.

Also, buy a torch lighter. You can spend anywhere from 2-200 on one, but get one. It will make lighting your cigars much easier, especially outside. Ronson makes one that sells for like 2 bucks at Walmart. You can get a Colibri firebird for like 10. You can get a Dupont Xtend (my personal favorite) for anywhere from 70-200 depending on where you buy it. If you dont need the reliability and long life of an Xtend, just pick up a cheapo.

And spend some money on a good cutter. Those crappy single blade plastic things they give away suck. Most shops will have a good double blade guillotine cutter for like 20 bucks. You can spend a little more (50-70) and get a xikar or davidoff cutter, which both use fantastic steel.

P.S. DONT buy Gurkha. If a shop owner tries to get you to buy anything by Gurkha... run.

Just curious, but what is wrong with the brand Gurkha?

Ahh, my old apartment off of 16th St, NW in Washington was a perfect place for a cigar. How I miss it. Get a few sampler packs of various makers -- as mentioned the Cigars thread has good suggestions -- Padron and Rocky Patel are popular choices, but CAO is a even, mild cigar and Romeo y Julieta #2 are good. Get maduro (darker, treated wrapper) and natural wrapper cigars to see the difference in taste and complexity. Stores like JR Cigars have tons of 5-packs at very reasonable prices.

I am just not a big fan of their cigars, they are overprice and over-marketed. They will have a good stick every now and then, but they are mostly crap. A good rule of them is you can never go wrong with Padron or Pepin. Padron is a brand and Pepin is Don Pepin Garcia, he is a master blender behind such brands as Tatuaje, Don Pepin Garcia, Cabaiguán, and Padilla (although he is no longer blending for them).

We've got a Cigar 101 series on my site: http://www.lifeepicurean.com/?tag=cigar-101

Plus reviews: http://www.lifeepicurean.com/?page_id=1105

If you're going to go all in and start with an entire box of cigars, I'd personally recommend Hoyo de Monterrey's Epicure Maduro. It won't bust the bank, a totally solid smoke, and is my own every-day-smoke. You can pick up a box for around $60 from Tinderbox. Feel free to check out my review, I really feel you'd be very satisfied with these.

for entry level cigars that arent too strong, smooth, and reasonably priced, I always recommend CAO Gold Robustos. Still one of my go to smokes. They used to be owned by a family that lived here in nashville and a friend of mine was an avid customer. Ive smoked a lot of cigars...but for the money and consistent pleasure, the gold has never disappointed. usually around $50-60 a box. well worth the money.

Keep in mind its an epensive habit to get into. starts small, but soon youre looking at lighters for $1,000 and cutters of different varieties....then humidors...then more expensive cigars..then cubans...then aged cubans...then you find someone who has 3 boxes of perfectly aged montecristos that are older than you and still moist as (insert dirty joke here)....Not to mention the countless hours spent trying to perfectly calibrate the humidor to a 74% humidity level...the barometer that comes with the humidor will need replaced, and only the best will do...

gah. Sometimes hobbies are more trouble than theyre worth.