Five good cigars for a newbie?

[tlh42692]

Any recommendations as to what may be a good few smokes to start out with? No preference to the body, as I am new I think I need to experience a little from Mild, Medium to Full bodied cigars.
My apologies if this has been covered previously.

Thank you for any insight!
Taylor

 

[Sin]

Illusione Epernay
Tatuaje Brown Label
Liga Privada T52
Padron Anniversary Series
Opus X

and a Gurkha to show how the others are head and shoulders above this one.

 

[StogieNinja]

Taylor, have you smoked anything at all? If so, what did you smoke, and what did you like/dislike about it? That will help us make recommendations. And welcome to BOTL!

 

[tlh42692]

So far the only thing I have smoked was the Genesis by Ramon Bueso. I really enjoyed that, particularly what could be described as the woody and peppery, at least to my inexperienced palate. Thank you for the welcome!

 

[SDShark]

Liga Privada No. 9 or T52
My Father Flor de Las Antillas
Padron 64 Anniversary
Tatuaje Havana VI
El Rey del Mundo

 

[javajunkie]

i would say one of two approaches. either A, go for one cigar from iconic makers:

fuente hemmingway signature
padron anniversary maduro principe
a la flor dominicana (love them, but my litto-fu is not up to par)
liga privada 9 (or, barring cost or availability, undercrown corona viva)
tatuaje, either noellas or tainos

OR, B, go with iconic cigars of a wrapper type, or nationality. which would take me longer to pull out of my keister. o)

 

[Goalee1]

A lot of the cigars listed are pretty high end. Fuente's are a great introduction to the cigar world. First, I"d pick somthing like a Chateau and pick one up in natural, maduro and sun grown to see if you have a preference as to type of wrapper. this will give you a similar flavor profile while keeping cost down and honing in on likes/dislikes, also they're all pretty available. I'd stay away from things like Liga 9, Opus, Tatuaje brown label for now, all pretty potent smokes for a beginner. Some good mild-med bodies smokes would be things like in no order,

Cabaiguan
Padron 1000 series (regular line)
Fuente regular line
DE Undercrown

Just do yourself a favor and if you have a local B&M, go down and talk to the tobacconist. Always good to form a relationship as they'll be able to help with preferences and please stay away from Thompsons. G1

 

[carholio]

I'm a big fan of Oliva cigars. They have a good value to cost ratio and they are readily available at most cigar shops.

For someone just starting out here is the breakdown ----- Serie V (full) -- Serie G Cameroon (medium) -- Connecticut Reserve (mild)

Of course YMMV.

 

[FuenteSmoker]

I would say to start cheap, you probably don't have the pallet yet for some of the sticks suggested above no offense!, try diesel, la aurora, king havano saint Luis Rey $2-8 dollar sticks. Enjoy!!

 

[StocktonJohn]

I would second the Ramon Bueso, also anything from Pete Johnson and Liga Privada. All Illusione cigars are excellent. A couple a bit harder to find, but worth the effort are Reinado and El Primer Mundo Epifania.

 

[TheKidCigar]

I don't know how keen you are to drop the money on some of these sticks, Taylor. When I have a new smoker come into the shop I will normally ALWAYS point them in the direction of a milder 5-7 dollar range cigar. (Perdomo Champagne 10th, 7-20-4 torp, AF Double chateau, Oliva G cameroon) Or hell, even a Jaime Garcie Connecticut. I guess what I'm saying is I'd hate to have you go out and spend 60 bucks or so on 4-5 cigars and hardly be able to tell the difference between them. It's gentler on your pallet and your wallet to start in the conservative range and really get a feel for which sizes you like, what flavor profiles, wrapper shades etc.

 

[38-50]

Padron Londres - Cheap
Casa Fernandez Lancero - Underated
Curivari El Gran Rey - Balanced/Refined
Tatuaje Havana Cazadores - Full flavor/Full strength
Quesada Jalapa - Next on my list.

 

[StogieNinja]

Good high end stuff has ready been recommended, so I'd recommend you look at some budget options. Nica Libre and 601 Blue are great, full-bodied smokes. Also, try the 1878 line from Pinar Del Rio. I've enjoyed both the maduro and the oscuro.

 

[javajunkie]

A lot of the cigars listed are pretty high end. Fuente's are a great introduction to the cigar world. First, I"d pick somthing like a Chateau and pick one up in natural, maduro and sun grown to see if you have a preference as to type of wrapper. this will give you a similar flavor profile while keeping cost down and honing in on likes/dislikes, also they're all pretty available. I'd stay away from things like Liga 9, Opus, Tatuaje brown label for now, all pretty potent smokes for a beginner. Some good mild-med bodies smokes would be things like in no order,

Cabaiguan
Padron 1000 series (regular line)
Fuente regular line
DE Undercrown

Just do yourself a favor and if you have a local B&M, go down and talk to the tobacconist. Always good to form a relationship as they'll be able to help with preferences and please stay away from Thompsons. G1

yeah, in retrospect, this is what i should have said. o). and ESPECIALLY talking to your local. if you do have a shop comfortably near you, even to hit once a week, talk to them! set a price cap, like $6, stick to it, and truy for broad strokes before you fill in all the details with high ticket items. lines that come in the same blend and different wrappers, like fuente chateau, the pdr 1878, san lotano, even nub, can rock out at decent tags, and help you get an idea of different identities of wrappers.

 

[Red Raider]

A lot of great suggestions have already been made. Visiting with your local B&M will go a long way.

One last suggestion would be an EPC Short Run.

Good luck

 

[sneak_a_cigar]

I started with an Oliva Connecticut three months ago. It was recommended by my local tobacconist when I asked for a mild, inexpensive starter cigar.

They also recommended an Arturo Fuente Magnum R and that was my second or third smoke.

Both of those were really flavorful, smooth, and mild cigars.

Also pay attention to your cigar smoking technique. Over my first few sticks, I learned to get more enjoyment out of each stick by cutting, lighting, and smoking correctly.

So pay as much attention to how you smoke, as to what you get.

That's one newbies advice.

 

[SmokinNukie]

Welcome Taylor. The suggestion to find a good local shop is spot on. Some of the recommended smokes are high end and might be strong for a new smoker. Most guys start lighter and progress to stronger stuff with time. Here are some starters that I enjoyed when I first started smoking cigars which have allowed me to progress to much stronger ones.

EPC short run
La Traviatta
Olivia G
Perdomo Champagne series
Onyx
Monte Cristo white labels

Once you are comfortable with these move to Tatuaje, Don Pepin blue, LFD, Liga Privada, La Gloria Cuban Serie R, etc

Good luck and welcome!

 

[InspektorGadget]

A few ideas more mild to medium
El Rey Del Mundo
Rocky Patel Connecticut
Macanudo

 

[Zen Smoker222]

Rocky Patel vintage 1999
Hemingway short story
Fuente double chateau
Perdomo 10th champagne
I loved all of those when I first started

 

[GoingPostal]

As already stated For a new smoker i always recommend "budget/economy" sticks cause most new smokers won't have the palete to fully enjoy a liga or illusione, (god knows i didn't). I know when i started some of these were my favorites some still are

AF chateau
Perdomo lot 23
Padron x000 series
Carlos Torano Exodus
Pinar Del Rio Classico/ or habano sun grown.