At what point did you believe that you went from a newbie to a smoker of experience

[SDShark]

FWIW, I am only a year into this new found hobby/life-changing experience, and I still feel very new. I am transitioning slowly into an enthusiast. I am fine with this pace, that way I enjoy most of what I smoke!

 

[njstone]

Great answer by cigary. Especially on the time spent on focusing on the cigar and not just smoking it. Took me about 2 yrs to not feel newish after joining here. Even after smoking 10 plus years.

Ditto for me. I had been enjoying cigars occasionally for 12 years, but it wasn't until I got involved here that I really started to pay attention, research, grow my collection, etc. after a year or so here I felt like a novice. And only in the last couple months have I started to see myself as a veteran.

I think that last shift occurred when I realized I knew how cigars perform certian ways and why, and how to troubleshoot a cigar that isn't working for me (or a buddy). Like if I want more spice, cooler smoke, fix a tunneling burn, etc etc. it's one thing to know a specific cigar well enough to make it "right," it's something else to do that with a cigar that's new to you.

 

[Mr.V]

really like this, man! but, just to throw a spin: knowledge is not really about having answers, but about the ability to find new and better questions. if you can get past "i know nothing", and past "i know everything", and on to "i want to know more", i think you are at least in a good place.

and even i wanna know where some of y'all find come up with some of these smokes! o)

I like that

 

[Skitalets]

I feel like I'm just hitting this point. I've been smoking cigars for about 11 years, for 1 year as a member of BOTL. I'm now able to pick out some flavors, notice consistencies within brands, etc.

The single most important thing I've done to achieve that is SMOKE SLOWLY.

That said, I'm also positive I do not have as finely-tuned a palate as many. I don't think I'll ever be able to distinguish the many different nuances other brothers pick up. I am content just to know whether I like a cigar, and whether it's complex.

 

[carholio]

I'm only a little over a year in. I don't really have a desire to become too "knowledgeable". I enjoy smoking and the companionship. So for me, right now, i am content to just smoke what i like. I am okay saying I like this or i don't like that without knowing all the ins and outs and whys. For me all that "knowledge" is work. I want smoking to be about relaxing and BS'ing with friends.

I admire those that enjoy the knowledge part but it isn't for me.

 

[JuYcEmAn]

Although, cigar smoking is a passion, I am, by no means an expert. As with anything in life, I continually ask questions seeking to know more. If I were to say that "I'm an expert", or "I'm no longer a newb", then I stop reseraching and pontificate my ignorance.

There is always something I can learn, from other BOTL, about this wonderfully fascinating hobby. After 20 years of smoking cigars, I still feel like a newb. But, my questions are more in depth (based upon the knowledge I have attained), my conversations are more well-rounded, and I still want to know more. To MWLabel's point, being around JDog tends to ground me.

Worry less about the transition from being a newb to becoming a connoisseur. Enjoy the entire cigar smoking experience; trying new brands, new varieties, different countries of origin, beverage pairings, and, most importantly, the company you keep.

 

[kuzi16]

I have a cigar blog. I am on several forums. I have a collection that would last me upwards of 5 years if i smoked as many cigars as i do now. I have been in this hobby since 2005. i took a trip to Nicaragua to visit factories. I know many people that would be called "industry insiders" on a first name and personal basis and several more of them as casual acquaintances.

even after all of that i still consider myself a perpetual new guy.
every time that i feel i know some things, i learn that there is so much more than meets the eye. every question and every answer just takes me to another question. there is so much out there that i feel i could dedicate my life to cigars and i will still only be able to consider myself a newbie.

 

[dtbach]

All great answers! I've already found certain wrappers that I don't care for and others that I love. I'm not quite as bewildered now when I walk into a well stocked B&M. I'm still a "newb" but perhaps can upgrade myself to a "neophyte newb" :yes: I realize that I have just scratched the surface of what is out there but with help from brothers on this forum I am learning the lingo and beginning to appreciate the more subtle aspects of various cigars.

You never get young when you keep finding new adventures in life. Learning about cigars is one for me!

 

[mdwest]

I've been smoking cigars off and on for a pretty good while (over 15 years)..

I dont really collect.. but I keep a couple of hundred sticks on hand at any given time...

For me, I want to know enough to be comfortable in a B&M, be able to navigate around and find the things I am looking for, know what's off the table for my palate, and what I generally like, etc.. but thats really about all I am interested in.. I pursue a pretty informal education (read threads on various forums, read a couple of issues of CA a year, hang out with buddies at local B&M's on occasion, etc.. and generally take a passive approach to "learning"... for me its all about the experience, trying new things, etc.. if I occasionally end up with something I dont like.. thats ok.. if I accidentally happen across a great stick.. thats far better than chasing down whats "hot" at the same time everyone else is doing it.. I honestly prefer to figure things out myself through trial and error than any other way (I have more fun)..

I consider myself the perpetual student.. not really a newb.. but have no desire to be an "expert" either.. I'm just enjoying the ride...

as long as I can keep mold off the sticks, beetles out of the humi, dog rocket purchases to a minimum, and blue smoke flowing... its another great day..

 

[Goalee1]

Lots of great thoughts here. I never classify myself as anything more than a cigar enthusiast. As in my profession, I've been in a room full of line cooks who had great ideas and had done things that I've never tried, conversely, I've been in kitchens of "known" chefs and the place was just a clusterf. The number of years one smokes, though it does help, doesn't necessarily make someone an "expert". I've been smoking for the better part of 30 years and I'm still learning things to this day. Some guys take the bull by the horns so to speak and try to learn everything possible. I love talking to guys like that because they're like an encyclopedia without having to search for particular subjects. I know the basics, know what flavor profiles I like and don't like, and have a better than average palate (at least thats what I've been told by my cooks), on top of that, its just like any other libation. Smoke what you like and enjoy yourself while you do. G1

 

[jimmypa]

I seem to think I am somewhere in between a newb and an experienced smoker. Although I have been smoking for a few years now consistently, I don't smoke as often as most on here (anywhere from 2-4 cigars a week). So it is hard for me to keep up on so many different brands, wrappers, sizes, ect... There are soo many cigars out there I still need to try let alone a bunch in my humi that I still haven't tried it's ridiculous!

I've learned a ton from BOTL (thanks brothers!!) and still find myself asking questions half the time, but also find myself passing on some of the knowledge I have gained the other half of the time.

 

[Tobacco Giant]

I'll probably always consider myself a newb. It's all relative and I know many, if not most of the people on this board know a shitton more than I do.

 

[classic]

as i can imagine it you will taste more and more the more you smoke right?

 

[javajunkie]

as i can imagine it you will taste more and more the more you smoke right?

yes, but also the more you pay attention. just raw experience will add up, but actually examining the experiencce of smoking, and especially trying to put it into words, is so much more. and also another thread entirely. o)

just keep an open mind and enjoy the journey. o)

 

[Rupe]

I think that if you are able to carry on an intelligent conversation with someone working at a B&M about likes, dislikes, recent releases, etc. without sounding like a douche in the process you have graduated from Newbie status. For me the defining moment happened when I was in the humidor at the local B&M and i was able to make recommendations to a lady that was picking up a couple of cigars for her husband's birthday. The guy that was helping her was not very well versed and I was able to step in and help. He ended up thanking me afterwards.

I still consider myself a novice though since I am still refining my palate and working on picking up flavor notes. Hopefully at some point I will get it figured out and graduate to apprentice. My long term goal is to get enough experience under my belt and eventually reach journeyman status.

I don't know about you, but to me it sounds like a great excuse to smoke more!

 

[heavyd]

People who participate in online forums like BOTL or Cigar Asylum generally know more about cigars than I do. Many of the people I know from my local shops don't chat about cigars online and their knowledge is more limited, in my experience. I brought a Mummy into one of my locals last night and he commented, "That looks like a budget stick. What is Halloween?" lol. They are great guys, however. So, I'm an online newb and a semi-newb in the shop

edit: the "local" I'm referring to was not the shop owner or employee, but an older gent customer.

 

[Treinenwj]

I think that if you are able to carry on an intelligent conversation with someone working at a B&M about likes, dislikes, recent releases, etc. without sounding like a douche in the process you have graduated from Newbie status. For me the defining moment happened when I was in the humidor at the local B&M and i was able to make recommendations to a lady that was picking up a couple of cigars for her husband's birthday. The guy that was helping her was not very well versed and I was able to step in and help. He ended up thanking me afterwards.

I still consider myself a novice though since I am still refining my palate and working on picking up flavor notes. Hopefully at some point I will get it figured out and graduate to apprentice. My long term goal is to get enough experience under my belt and eventually reach journeyman status.

I don't know about you, but to me it sounds like a great excuse to smoke more!

What if the employee at the B&M sounds like a douche? You've seen the selection I have available to me, and if it isn't on the shelves there, they haven't heard of 'em.

 

[Hoshneer]

I think that if you are able to carry on an intelligent conversation with someone working at a B&M about likes, dislikes, recent releases, etc. without sounding like a douche in the process you have graduated from Newbie status. For me the defining moment happened when I was in the humidor at the local B&M and i was able to make recommendations to a lady that was picking up a couple of cigars for her husband's birthday. The guy that was helping her was not very well versed and I was able to step in and help. He ended up thanking me afterwards.

I still consider myself a novice though since I am still refining my palate and working on picking up flavor notes. Hopefully at some point I will get it figured out and graduate to apprentice. My long term goal is to get enough experience under my belt and eventually reach journeyman status.

I don't know about you, but to me it sounds like a great excuse to smoke more!

What if the employee at the B&M sounds like a douche? You've seen the selection I have available to me, and if it isn't on the shelves there, they haven't heard of 'em.

I have seen this happen many times where I live. :/

 

[fourkicksfan]

I think that if you are able to carry on an intelligent conversation with someone working at a B&M about likes, dislikes, recent releases, etc. without sounding like a douche in the process you have graduated from Newbie status. For me the defining moment happened when I was in the humidor at the local B&M and i was able to make recommendations to a lady that was picking up a couple of cigars for her husband's birthday. The guy that was helping her was not very well versed and I was able to step in and help. He ended up thanking me afterwards.

I still consider myself a novice though since I am still refining my palate and working on picking up flavor notes. Hopefully at some point I will get it figured out and graduate to apprentice. My long term goal is to get enough experience under my belt and eventually reach journeyman status.

I don't know about you, but to me it sounds like a great excuse to smoke more!

What if the employee at the B&M sounds like a douche? You've seen the selection I have available to me, and if it isn't on the shelves there, they haven't heard of 'em.

I have seen this happen many times where I live. :/

Wow I'm not going to call the shop out, but that happened here in Chicago where many people in a certain city recommend people to go. I asked about Headley Grange about two months ago and he had "no clue" as to who Crowned Heads was. Are you serious? That stick is one of the hottest in the market. If you own a b&m I think it's your responsibility to know about current trends, just my humble opinion!

 

[pbibby]

I'm going to bump this thread because I went to my first herf last weekend and realized I still have no idea about cigars (relatively). The knowledge of the guys at the herf was incredible. Even guys who were new to BOTL were insanely knowledgeable.

I'm going back on my previous statement that I thought I was no longer a newb. I am absolutely still a newb and will be for quite some time.

Oh well, guess that's an excuse to smoke more. Haha

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