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Official Cigar Thread

I'm a fan of the JR alternatives and stop by the JR's in Burlington every few months. I've tried tons of different cigars over the years and for the money the JR's Alternative to the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature has been my consistent favorite. I actually prefer the "Short Story" version of this cigar but they are hard to find and expensive. The "Short Story" is the same blend as the signature but is about 4 inches long. It's a 20-30 minute smoke at the most and that's perfect for me.

My absolute favorite is the Romeo y Julieta #4 but they are also hard to find and expensive and JR's doesn't have an alternative. I also like the Partagas #2 and JR's does have an inexpensive alternative for that one.

I use a piece of tupperware to store by cigars. To keep the humidity up I wet a small piece of clean sponge with water and a little scotch or bourbon. Does the trick and adds a little flavor.

Love this topic.
 
I'm a fan of the JR alternatives and stop by the JR's in Burlington every few months. I've tried tons of different cigars over the years and for the money the JR's Alternative to the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature has been my consistent favorite. I actually prefer the "Short Story" version of this cigar but they are hard to find and expensive. The "Short Story" is the same blend as the signature but is about 4 inches long. It's a 20-30 minute smoke at the most and that's perfect for me.

My absolute favorite is the Romeo y Julieta #4 but they are also hard to find and expensive and JR's doesn't have an alternative. I also like the Partagas #2 and JR's does have an inexpensive alternative for that one.

I use a piece of tupperware to store by cigars. To keep the humidity up I wet a small piece of clean sponge with water and a little scotch or bourbon. Does the trick and adds a little flavor.

Love this topic.

I really like the Short Story. Smoked one on NYE.
 
I'm a fan of the JR alternatives and stop by the JR's in Burlington every few months. I've tried tons of different cigars over the years and for the money the JR's Alternative to the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature has been my consistent favorite. I actually prefer the "Short Story" version of this cigar but they are hard to find and expensive. The "Short Story" is the same blend as the signature but is about 4 inches long. It's a 20-30 minute smoke at the most and that's perfect for me.

My absolute favorite is the Romeo y Julieta #4 but they are also hard to find and expensive and JR's doesn't have an alternative. I also like the Partagas #2 and JR's does have an inexpensive alternative for that one.

I use a piece of tupperware to store by cigars. To keep the humidity up I wet a small piece of clean sponge with water and a little scotch or bourbon. Does the trick and adds a little flavor.

Love this topic.

excuse the ignorance, not a big cigar man but thinking of getting a box for an upcoming golf trip. Would you recommend the EMS or Maduro wrapper? Is 41.95 for a box of 20 a good deal?
 
I would go EMS wrapper...they are lighter shade than Maduro. As for the price, it depends on the cigar.
 
excuse the ignorance, not a big cigar man but thinking of getting a box for an upcoming golf trip. Would you recommend the EMS or Maduro wrapper? Is 41.95 for a box of 20 a good deal?

Definitely prefer the EMS to the Maduro. And whether it is a good deal would depend on the brand and size of cigar.
 
sorry for not clarifying.. It was the JP cigar mentioned above (Alternative to the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature)
 
sorry for not clarifying.. It was the JP cigar mentioned above (Alternative to the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature)

All the JR alternatives are a good deal. They come in bundles not a box, so you might want to get a container to keep them safe.
 
newbie alert again. Is there an advantage to a shorter v/s longer cigar? looks like the ones that were mentioned above come in 4, 5, and 6. Thoughts? I could google all this but appreciate the real world, cut to the chase advice
 
well sometimes you don't have time to smoke a cigar for an hour
 
newbie alert again. Is there an advantage to a shorter v/s longer cigar? looks like the ones that were mentioned above come in 4, 5, and 6. Thoughts? I could google all this but appreciate the real world, cut to the chase advice

$41.95 is what I paid for the last 20 bundle of the alt AF Hemingway Sig from JRs. It's a great price for that cigar. You need to buy a couple of singles with different wrappers and decide for yourself. It's a personal preference thing. For me smoking a cigar is a process. You get it started...it starts to loosen up....you hit the sweet spot....you finish when it becomes too hot. Just like sex. The longer cigars take a while to smoke. That's great for a 4 hour round of golf but so much for an after dinner smoke.
 
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Padron Anniversary series or Patel Decades
 
Good article on Cigar Aging

(I copied this post from another forum where I'm a member)

Of Cigar Aging …

Published October 17, 2015 1:20 pm PT

The typical smoker of aged and vintage cigars is one who appreciates the value of time and the delicacy in the works of art that a manufacturer can create. These are educated passionados thanks in part to their experimentation over the years with the aging of different cigars . Not every cigar lover becomes a vintage cigar passionado, but for many this is a natural process of maturing in their cigar smoker career as described in Nino Inzerillo’s book Sigari? Si, grazie!.

This article compiles opinions and information published from some of the world’s leading experts on the topic of cigar aging.



THE CIGAR AGES

According to Luigi Ferri (as referenced by Nick Hammond in the article “It Just Takes Time”, Cigar Journal issue 3/2015), whose considerations are based on over 30 years of experience in the tasting of cigars of various ages, generally speaking we can divide the life of a cigar into three ages:

◾Youth (fresh cigar) – from 0 to 3-4 years
The “sick period” is typically included in this stage and it is one that needs a lot of attention because cigars should not be smoked during this time. “Immediately after rolling” explains Min Ron Nee (MRN, famous author of the book An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars) “a cigar undergoes a sick period, during which the ammoniac [sic] smell is still detectable in a newly manufactured cigar.” This is due to the fact that tobacco leaves are moistened before rolling and this accelerates a further fermentation producing a lot of ammonia. How long it takes to get rid of the ammonia scent depends on the fermentation rate, the chemical constituents, the cigar size, the packaging and how we store cigars. Per MRN, “For the majority of cigars handled in the usual way, the ammoniac smell will be over 90% gone in a few months, 95% to 99% gone by the end of the first year, and practically all gone by the end of the second year. Milder cigars…take even less time.”
Fresh cigars are the majority of the cigars we find on the retailers shelves. Didier Hoevenaghel (agricultural engineer, technical expert, master blender as well as cigar manufacturer and author of the highly respected book The Cigar from Soil to Soul) defines the Market Standard Age (MSA) of cigars as being “1-3 years (from their rolling) depending on the distribution, retail shop and rotation of the brand.”

◾Seniority (aged cigar) – from 5-6 years to 15-20 years
This, according to Luigi Ferri, is the best period of maturation. Zino Davidoff (in his The Connoisseur’s Book of the Cigar) wrote “you have to have a particularly keen sense of smell and eyesight to notice aging effects. But that does not mean that the cigar no longer lives"
 
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