New Friends Wanted

[ronmart]

Hi,

I’m a new cigar junkie from Seattle. By day I work at a famous high tech company and by night I’m an internationally known photography blogger. I have a great wife who hates cigars and three children who don’t know daddy has a new passion yet.

I picked up my fondness for cigars just this past September in Las Vegas while staying at Mandalay Bay. I decided to stop by the Davidoff store in the casino where I picked up a wonderful Millennium Blend Robusto. I loved every second of it, so I made the newbie mistake and picked up a second. While I turned a little green, I kept things down and learned my lesson to start slow (something I’m not good at doing).

I’m a very driven and motivated person, so as soon as I got back home I started doing too much research on cigars. I picked up another couple Davidoff Millennium Blend’s from Famous Smoke and the rest is history.

I’ve enjoyed the following so far:

• Arturo Fuente Anejo (Maduro)
• Arturo Fuente Don Carlos #2 Cameroon
• Arturo Fuente Hemingway Classic
• Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story
• Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature * FAV
• Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature Maduro
• Arturo Fuente Rosado Sungrown Magnum R
• Ashton VSG * FAV
• Davidoff Millennium Blend * FAV
• Davidoff Nicaragua
• Davidoff No 2 * FAV
• Davidoff Special "R" * FAV
• Davidoff Year of the Horse
• Illusione Epernay * FAV
• La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel Natural (great draw, bad cigar)
• Montecristo Classic
• Montecristo Epic
• Montecristo Monte
• Montecristo Montecristo * FAV
• Montecristo White * FAV
• Onyx Reserve (hated)
• Padron 1964 Aniversario Exclusivo Maduro
• Padron 1964 Aniversary Series
• Romeo y Julietta 1875 Petite Numero Dos - En Tubo (kicked my butt)

Of the 42 cigars in my humidor, I’ve got the following selection:

• Aging Room Quattro F55 Vibrato
• Arturo Fuente Anejo (Maduro)
• Arturo Fuente Anejo No. 77 "The Shark"
• Arturo Fuente Hemingway Best Seller
• Arturo Fuente Hemingway Classic
• Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story
• Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature
• Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature Maduro
• Arturo Fuente Hemingway Work of Art
• Arturo Fuente Hemingway Work of Art Maduro
• Arturo Fuente Rosado Sungrown Magnum R
• Davidoff 2000
• Davidoff Anniversario No. 3
• Davidoff Maduro
• Davidoff Millennium Blend
• Davidoff Nicaragua
• Davidoff Puro d'Oro
• Montecristo Epic
• Montecristo Platinum
• Padron 1964 Aniversary Series
• Padron Family Reserve 1964 45 Year
• Rocky Patel 2008 Autumn Collection Connecticut
• Rocky Patel Gold Connecticut
• Rocky Patel Olde World Corojo
• Rocky Patel Olde World Maduro
• Rocky Patel Patel Bros.
• Rocky Patel Vintage 2003 Cameroon Box Pressed
• Romeo y Julietta Romeo
• Zino Platinum Crown Series
• Zino Platinum Scepter Series

Here’s a photo of my humidor (ignore the gauge values):



It looks nice but it’s not a very good one.

As you probably noticed, I’m chatty and love to talk about cigars. Feel free to reply with your thoughts and recommendations for cigars I should try when there’s space left in my humidor again in the future (it’s full now).

Besides freezing my fingers off smoking outside on my front porch, I've had the pleasure of enjoying cigars at The Foundation Room in Las Vegas (heaven), Casa Fuente, and Lit (my local casino cigar lounge).

 

[Smoqman]

Welcome brother !!

 

[AlohaStyle]

Welcome to BOTL man, from south of Seattle.

Looks like you enjoy some nice cigars... the fun of starting out in cigars is seeing what you like. But....... if you haven't visited Smokey Joe's by Tacoma, you're missing out! :thumbsup:

 

[Fia]

Welcome to the slippery slope of cigars!!!:applause:

 

[ronmart]

Welcome to BOTL man, from south of Seattle.

Looks like you enjoy some nice cigars... the fun of starting out in cigars is seeing what you like. But....... if you haven't visited Smokey Joe's by Tacoma, you're missing out! :thumbsup:

Excellent - thanks for the heads up! I haven't been there yet so I'll have to try it out!

The only smoke shops I've visited thus far are Lit, Newcastle Golf Course, and a few local shops in Renton (none of which are any good).

Lit at Snoqualmie Casino is great though - fair prices, no taxes, and nice environment and friendly staff. See my review on Yelp under the name Booyeah.

 

[ronmart]

Welcome to the slippery slope of cigars!!!:applause:

Yeah, my prior obsessions include automotive detailing, xbox gaming, and photography. At least with two out of those three, I figured out a way to have them pay for themselves. I don't think that's likely with this one though!

 

[ronmart]

Welcome brother !!

Thanks!

 

[AlohaStyle]

Lit is a nice place to go especially if you live on the East side as it's the closest nice place. But Smokey Joe's is on Indian land as well so there are no taxes. But, their selection of cigars is much better and they have a full restaurant and bar with a bigger and more comfortable area to sit. 9 flat screen tv's, etc, etc. They just started a project to build out the place which will include an outdoor deck, new walk-in humidor and a nicer steakhouse type restaurant.

Seriously, you need to go... but it all depends on where you live it it's worth going or not.

 

[rdomfoto]

Welcome from Chicagoland!

I was the same way - I had had a few cigars and then the bug hit me last September. When I was in Vegas in October, I was introduced to Fuentes by the guy working the Davidoff kiosk in Paris.

So, that's what your current humidor looks like. Start researching your new, larger one now!

 

[ronmart]

Lit is a nice place to go especially if you live on the East side as it's the closest nice place. But Smokey Joe's is on Indian land as well so there are no taxes. But, their selection of cigars is much better and they have a full restaurant and bar with a bigger and more comfortable area to sit. 9 flat screen tv's, etc, etc. They just started a project to build out the place which will include an outdoor deck, new walk-in humidor and a nicer steakhouse type restaurant.

Seriously, you need to go... but it all depends on where you live it it's worth going or not.

Very cool - thanks for the recommendation - never heard of it yet! I can see myself making a field trip down there to Griots & Smokey Joe's and spending way too much money!

From what I see on the website, I like Lit's humidor a little better and they'll be expanding soon too. However, it seems to be an awesome atmosphere that is definitely worth a visit. Thanks a bunch for letting me know!

 

[Life in smoke]

Welcome from AZ!

 

[ronmart]

Welcome from Chicagoland!

I was the same way - I had had a few cigars and then the bug hit me last September. When I was in Vegas in October, I was introduced to Fuentes by the guy working the Davidoff kiosk in Paris.

So, that's what your current humidor looks like. Start researching your new, larger one now!

I'm trying to resist the urge to get a new humidor because I know I'll fill it faster than I filled this one!

I listed the brands of the 42 that are in there now. I'm also still at the phase where I want to try everything, so I prefer to buy samplers rather than boxes.

I try to limit myself to one smoke a week (typically 1 - 2 cigars) but if my wife has her way that'll drop to once per month. With a dad who had bladder cancer from smoking and a history of diabetes and strokes in my family, I'm inclined to enjoy at a slow pace without overdoing it. However, cigars are like enjoying a great wood burning fire - it smells good and is relaxing so you just want to keep going back - even if your clothes smell terrible afterwards.

 

[ronmart]

Welcome from AZ!

Hi! (they need a like button <g>)

 

[Hoshneer]

Dude...... Awesome intro and way to go into some detail. I always love reading intros like this because I can tell you have a lot of passion. Welcome to the insane world of BOTL!

 

[Life in smoke]

Haha the new format will have them, the site is switching over soon enough, but I forgot to add a recommendation, your list is great so far try and branch off into Drew Estate or Tatuaje, both make great sticks! More specifically try the liga line with Drew estate and maybe some Herrera Esteli's, with Tat maybe the fausto, powerful stick though be warned haha and try and find some tat pcrs they are great short smokes and find a Reserva they are great too, I could go on, but for the sake of everyone sanity I'll stop there haha

 

[Sirspanksalot]

Welcome from texas! Enjoy your stay. And props on that long add intro haha :thumbup:

 

[ronmart]

Dude...... Awesome intro and way to go into some detail. I always love reading intros like this because I can tell you have a lot of passion. Welcome to the insane world of BOTL!

ha, ha - thanks! I'm obsessive compulsive when I find a new passion, so I dive deep on anything I'm passionate about.

 

[ronmart]

Welcome from texas! Enjoy your stay. And props on that long add intro haha :thumbup:

My parents and siblings live in Texas and I'm from New Orleans, so even though I'm in Yankee land I'm a true Southerner (and rabid Dallas Cowboys fan).

 

[Sirspanksalot]

Welcome from texas! Enjoy your stay. And props on that long add intro haha :thumbup:

My parents and siblings live in Texas and I'm from New Orleans, so even though I'm in Yankee land I'm a true Southerner (and rabid Dallas Cowboys fan).

Hardcore cowboys fans can even drive me crazy lol.

 

[ronmart]

Haha the new format will have them, the site is switching over soon enough, but I forgot to add a recommendation, your list is great so far try and branch off into Drew Estate or Tatuaje, both make great sticks! More specifically try the liga line with Drew estate and maybe some Herrera Esteli's, with Tat maybe the fausto, powerful stick though be warned haha and try and find some tat pcrs they are great short smokes and find a Reserva they are great too, I could go on, but for the sake of everyone sanity I'll stop there haha

Thanks!

I've already discovered that I enjoy full flavor, but not full bodied. Since I'm new to nicotine (never smoked cigarettes), the less the better so I tend to not care for anything that has more than a medium nicotine kick. That's why the Numero Dos kick my butt - good flavor, but it had me on my knees swearing I'd never smoke again (and I never drank any alcohol with it).

I can handle my booze very well, but too much nicotine kicks my butt in a hurry.