Cigar smokers out there?

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**Ensis Ferrae**

Hey there Dakka, Just wondering if there are any other cigar smokers out there, and what their favorite smokes are?

I'll start, although I am fairly new to the cigar game:

One of my favorites so far has been the Ashton Classic Churchill, or Macanudo Rothschild.

**Maelstrom808**

Rocky Patel Vintage 99s and Vintage 90s are my personal favs.

**infinite_array**

Ashton Churchills, and Mayorgas.

**snurl**

I like the little Al Capone brand. Cognac dipped with a filter tip. They taste good.

**Sir Pseudonymous**

I smoked a pipe for a while; never liked cigars. Now I just stick to cheap cigarettes at the most, though I've been meaning to get a pouch of pipe tobacco for old times' sake.

**Coolyo294**

Or you could do your respiratory system a favor and stop smoking.

**Ensis Ferrae**

Maelstrom808 wrote:Rocky Patel Vintage 99s and Vintage 90s are my personal favs.

What sort of flavor does Rocky Patel's normally have??

**Sir Pseudonymous**

coolyo294 wrote:Or you could do your respiratory system a favor and stop smoking.

One doesn't inhale pipe smoke, or cigar smoke if I remember correctly. It contains different chemicals than the tobacco used in cigarettes, which make it far more irritating to the throat, but apparently make it taste better or something.

**Soladrin**

coolyo294 wrote:Or you could do your respiratory system a favor and stop smoking.

Or you could let people enjoy whatever the hell they want.

**Ensis Ferrae**

Sir Pseudonymous wrote:
coolyo294 wrote:Or you could do your respiratory system a favor and stop smoking.

One doesn't inhale pipe smoke, or cigar smoke if I remember correctly. It contains different chemicals than the tobacco used in cigarettes, which make it far more irritating to the throat, but apparently make it taste better or something.

Nope, you dont inhale cigar smoke... and by different chemicals, if you mean "none" then you are also correct. the tobacco used in pipes and cigars is cured, rather than whatever they do to cigarette tobacco. The only additives in a cigar is the sun and fertilizer. The taste also comes from a variety of things, such as leaf location on the plant and curing technique.

**Corpsesarefun**

Ensis Ferrae wrote:
Sir Pseudonymous wrote:
coolyo294 wrote:Or you could do your respiratory system a favor and stop smoking.

One doesn't inhale pipe smoke, or cigar smoke if I remember correctly. It contains different chemicals than the tobacco used in cigarettes, which make it far more irritating to the throat, but apparently make it taste better or something.

Nope, you dont inhale cigar smoke... and by different chemicals, if you mean "none" then you are also correct. the tobacco used in pipes and cigars is cured, rather than whatever they do to cigarette tobacco. The only additives in a cigar is the sun and fertilizer. The taste also comes from a variety of things, such as leaf location on the plant and curing technique.

If your cigar has no chemicals in it then you should probably demand a refund as anything on a scale larger than an atom either is a chemical or is made up of chemicals.

**Sir Pseudonymous**

Ensis Ferrae wrote:
Sir Pseudonymous wrote:
coolyo294 wrote:Or you could do your respiratory system a favor and stop smoking.

One doesn't inhale pipe smoke, or cigar smoke if I remember correctly. It contains different chemicals than the tobacco used in cigarettes, which make it far more irritating to the throat, but apparently make it taste better or something.

Nope, you dont inhale cigar smoke... and by different chemicals, if you mean "none" then you are also correct. the tobacco used in pipes and cigars is cured, rather than whatever they do to cigarette tobacco. The only additives in a cigar is the sun and fertilizer. The taste also comes from a variety of things, such as leaf location on the plant and curing technique.

I didn't mean additives, I meant in the strains of tobacco used for them. They contain certain alkaloids, I believe it was, which make them taste different, but are more irritating to the throat and lungs. Some of it might just be from different soil conditions, but the strains themselves vary a good bit too, as I recall.

**Ensis Ferrae**

Sir Pseudonymous wrote:
I didn't mean additives, I meant in the strains of tobacco used for them. They contain certain alkaloids, I believe it was, which make them taste different, but are more irritating to the throat and lungs. Some of it might just be from different soil conditions, but the strains themselves vary a good bit too, as I recall.

ahh, makes more sense now. In a pretty short time i have learned tons about the industry, and sort of "protocols" on the business. But yeah, there are many many different types of tobacco leaf out there, and each will taste different according to where it was grown, and how, on top of the curing processes, etc.

By no means am I an agricultural green thumb, but this stuff really is interesting to me.

**Sir Pseudonymous**

Ensis Ferrae wrote:By no means am I an agricultural green thumb, but this stuff really is interesting to me.

Indeed. It's been a while since I read up on the matter, and right now the only strain I could name and identify would be latakia, a syrian pipe tobacco that smells like barbecue and burns the mouth not altogether unlike hot sauce. I'd say it was rather unpleasant, but admittedly the tin I had of it was old and dried out, even after letting it sit wrapped in a cloth dashed with rum for a few days. Pipes are nice, and the tobacco tends to be both dirt cheap and high grade. I think the nearby specialty tobacco shop, with a walk-in cigar humidor larger than the entire rest of the store, sold high quality pipe tobacco for $2.50 an ounce, or so. I stopped smoking mine after my taste abruptly changed, and I could barely stand even the smell of them. Fortunately, that seems to have passed now... This is making me want to get a pouch now...

**GazzyG**

I smoke the occasional cigar, but only on special occasions/at parties. Probably once a month for me.

**Polonius**

I smoke cigars pretty frequently, although far more in summer than in the dead of winter, as I only smoke outside.

I prefer cheap, basic cigars, like the Lew's Smokers (J&R tobacco's house brand), or Onyx. I do enjoy a macanudo, or a Romeo y Julieta when I can get my hands on one as well.

I don't have much of a refined palate, and my humidor only holds about 20 sticks, so I tend to run with samplers and the like rather than full boxes.

**Ahtman**

If you aren't smoking a Fuente Fuente Opus X you aren't really smoking.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Ensis Ferrae wrote:
Sir Pseudonymous wrote:
coolyo294 wrote:Or you could do your respiratory system a favor and stop smoking.

One doesn't inhale pipe smoke, or cigar smoke if I remember correctly. It contains different chemicals than the tobacco used in cigarettes, which make it far more irritating to the throat, but apparently make it taste better or something.

Nope, you dont inhale cigar smoke... and by different chemicals, if you mean "none" then you are also correct. the tobacco used in pipes and cigars is cured, rather than whatever they do to cigarette tobacco. The only additives in a cigar is the sun and fertilizer. The taste also comes from a variety of things, such as leaf location on the plant and curing technique.

Cigars vary greatly as there are cigars that are produced similarly to cigarettes, meaning they use HTL or Homogenzed Tobacco Leaf, in quite a few cigars. I'm going to guess you are referring to premium cigars which tend to have less additives but in the end is still tobacco, and it is still getting into your system.

From the National Cancer Institute:

# Are there harmful chemicals in cigar smoke?

Yes. Cigar smoke, like cigarette smoke, contains toxic and cancer-causing chemicals that are harmful to both smokers and nonsmokers. Cigar smoke is possibly more toxic than cigarette smoke (3). Cigar smoke has:

* A higher level of cancer-causing substances: During the fermentation process for cigar tobacco, high concentrations of cancer-causing nitrosamines are produced. These compounds are released when a cigar is smoked. Nitrosamines are found at higher levels in cigar smoke than in cigarette smoke.

* More tar: For every gram of tobacco smoked, there is more cancer-causing tar in cigars than in cigarettes.

* A higher level of toxins: Cigar wrappers are less porous than cigarette wrappers. The nonporous cigar wrapper makes the burning of cigar tobacco less complete than the burning of cigarette tobacco. As a result, cigar smoke has higher concentrations of toxins than cigarette smoke.

Furthermore, the larger size of most cigars (more tobacco) and longer smoking time result in higher exposure to many toxic substances (including carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, ammonia, cadmium, and other substances).

Cigar smoke can be a major source of indoor air pollution (1). There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke. If you want to reduce the health risk to yourself and others, stop smoking.
# Do cigars cause cancer and other diseases?

Yes. Cigar smoking causes cancer of the oral cavity, larynx, esophagus, and lung. It may also cause cancer of the pancreas. Moreover, daily cigar smokers, particularly those who inhale, are at increased risk for developing heart disease and other types of lung disease. Regular cigar smokers and cigarette smokers have similar levels of risk for oral cavity and esophageal cancers. The more you smoke, the greater the risk of disease (3).
# What if I don’t inhale the cigar smoke?

Unlike nearly all cigarette smokers, most cigar smokers do not inhale. Although cigar smokers have lower rates of lung cancer, coronary heart disease, and lung disease than cigarette smokers, they have higher rates of these diseases than those who do not smoke cigars.

All cigar and cigarette smokers, whether or not they inhale, directly expose their lips, mouth, tongue, throat, and larynx to smoke and its toxic and cancer-causing chemicals. In addition, when saliva containing the chemicals in tobacco smoke is swallowed, the esophagus is exposed to carcinogens. These exposures probably account for the similar oral and esophageal cancer risks seen among cigar smokers and cigarette smokers (3).
# Are cigars addictive?

Yes. Even if the smoke is not inhaled, high levels of nicotine (the chemical that causes addiction) can still be absorbed into the body. A cigar smoker can get nicotine by two routes: by inhalation into the lungs and by absorption through the lining of the mouth. Either way, the smoker becomes addicted to the nicotine that gets into the body.

A single cigar can potentially provide as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes

I don't care if someone smokes, and have had a cigar on occasion myself, but let's not delude ourselves that just becuase it isn't as dangerous or unhealthy as cigarettes that it still isn't a carcinogen. Throat and jaw cancer really isn't any better than lung cancer.

**Polonius**

One of the problems I have with the medical community is their reluctance to meet cigar smokers half way. Perhaps this is due to a lack of knowledge, but there has to be some level of cigar smoking that becomes relatively safe.

Clealry, even a cigar a day is probably roughly as bad as a pack of cigarettes. What about two a week?

The medical professionals I've spoken to personally seem to ok with a "two a week" policy.

**Black Corsair**

Montecristo^^ No4, No3 and No2^^.... when i have a job

meanwhile, Jose L Piedra cazadores (not bad for their price)

**Ahtman**

Polonius wrote:The medical professionals I've spoken to personally seem to ok with a "two a week" policy.

Having worked in a Cigar shop in days of yore there are a lot of people that smoke 2+ cigars a day. Trying to get them to do go from 21 a week to 2 would be a pretty tough sell, like getting someone to quit smoking cigarettes by going from a pack a day to only having a pack a week. I imagine it is similiar to drinking in that a fifth a day will not make your liver happy but an occasional glass would have a negligible effect.

**Polonius**

I guess my point is that I wish they'd distinguish between "enjoying a cigar now and then" and "habitually smoking cigars."

**Ahtman**

Polonius wrote:I guess my point is that I wish they'd distinguish between "enjoying a cigar now and then" and "habitually smoking cigars."

I don't disagree, I was just giving an example of people treating cigars like cigarettes.

**daedalus**

I used to smoke Macanudos (the dark ones in the tin) and Arturo Fuentes. Wilshires were a favorite as well, though they effectively ended my cigar smoking hobby. They're made with pipe tobacco, and I fell in love with them, and got a pipe. I now smoke the pipe daily, favoring the darker/more oily tobaccos.

**Ensis Ferrae**

Polonius wrote:I guess my point is that I wish they'd distinguish between "enjoying a cigar now and then" and "habitually smoking cigars."

there are lobby groups out there fighting to get lawmakers to differentiate between cigarette and cigar/pipe smokers. "Cigar Aficionado" apparently did a survey of cigar smokers and found that less than 5% smoke more than one a week, and an even smaller percentage "inhaled" (my guess is, the intentional inhalation, as in cigarette smoking) their cigars. Basically, trying to get the lawmakers to see cigar smokers as a "lifestyle choice" rather than a habit.

Just this last saturday, i was tempted by a Cohibe Behike 52.. but at 28 Euro a piece, I really couldnt justify the purchase, even though it was Cigar Aficionado's top rated cigar of 2010.

**Polonius**

I think the other problem is the difference between those that smoke handrolled cigars, and those that smoke "little cigars" or other mass produced jobs.

Obviously smoking anything at any rate increases risks of various ailments, but it would be interesting to get past the monolithic "smoking is bad" answer and really get an idea for how much, how often, and for how long.

**GazzyG**

I can honestly say that I've never tried an expensive cigar.

I usually tend to smoke just regular Hamlets. I smoke so rarely that a pack of ten lasts me a coupla months.

I really should try a more expensive class of cigar, see what the difference is.

Also, I'd like to have a go with a pipe, but that might wait till I'm a bit richer in years.

**Ahtman**

Ensis Ferrae wrote:there are lobby groups out there fighting to get lawmakers to differentiate between cigarette and cigar/pipe smokers. "Cigar Aficionado" apparently did a survey of cigar smokers and found that less than 5% smoke more than one a week

Sounds like a push poll. I wouldn't call someone who occasionally has a cigar a cigar smoker anymore than I would call someone who has a glass of champagne at a wedding a regular drinker. CA isn't the most reliable source on this. One might even think they might be biased in favor of cigars.

There is an argument that cigars are trying to be excluded becuase they are seen as being upper class while cigarettes are lower class: cigars for the rich, cigarettes for the poor. It is seen as the well off trying to rationalize and exclude their own bad habits from legislation.

**Maelstrom808**

Ensis Ferrae wrote:
Maelstrom808 wrote:Rocky Patel Vintage 99s and Vintage 90s are my personal favs.

What sort of flavor does Rocky Patel's normally have??

Really it depends on which ones you get. Some of his lines don't really do much for me, but the Vintage line is fantastic, all being rated 90+. The 1990s are a medium body cigar with a Honduran wrapper. It goes really well with a good cup of cofffee in the evenings

The 1999s are a Connecticut wrapper, very mild while finishing with a more medium body, they have almost a cedar-like taste to them initially. Another two that are really nice and a little bit cheaper if I remember correctly are his The Edge (Manduro), and Edge Light. Both of which are somewhat similar to the 1990 with The Edge being a bit stronger and the Edge Light a bit milder.

**Ensis Ferrae**

Ahtman wrote:

Sounds like a push poll. I wouldn't call someone who occasionally has a cigar a cigar smoker anymore than I would call someone who has a glass of champagne at a wedding a regular drinker. CA isn't the most reliable source on this. One might even think they might be biased in favor of cigars.

There is an argument that cigars are trying to be excluded becuase they are seen as being upper class while cigarettes are lower class: cigars for the rich, cigarettes for the poor. It is seen as the well off trying to rationalize and exclude their own bad habits from legislation.

I found this in the editorial of the magazine, where they did state that it was a poll from among its readers, so it makes a lot of sense the results they "achieved"

Maelstrom808 wrote:

Really it depends on which ones you get. Some of his lines don't really do much for me, but the Vintage line is fantastic, all being rated 90+. The 1990s are a medium body cigar with a Honduran wrapper. It goes really well with a good cup of cofffee in the evenings The 1999s are a Connecticut wrapper, very mild while finishing with a more medium body, they have almost a cedar-like taste to them initially. Another two that are really nice and a little bit cheaper if I remember correctly are his The Edge (Manduro), and Edge Light. Both of which are somewhat similar to the 1990 with The Edge being a bit stronger and the Edge Light a bit milder.

would your "evening coffee" be decaf? I personally dont drink coffee period, but that sounds like a good match to me.

Last night, i unfortunately burned a cigar, and now the smell is all over the house (i smoke outside, but the dead cigars are soaked in water and disposed of in the trash).. It was a Montecristo, i believe one of their actual Cuban line, since i cant find the same ring online anywhere.

**Maelstrom808**

Ahh, don't soak them when getting rid of them. Let them burn themselves out naturally and they will give off less oder when you get rid of them.