A Quick Cigar Smoker Census, Among Pipers

[cigrmaster]

Blue,

Im a Cameroon connoisseur.. and thats one Ive never been able to get a hold of. Many of the Don Carlos line are the measuring sticks for me. Just last week I had one of the recently released Eye of the Sharks.. I would have completely missed out but the owner of the store knows I love them and saved one for me. Woof.

If memory serves Carlito uses a 1984 Cameroon wrapper on the Don Carlos Lanceros. He has bales and bales of 84 Cameroon wrapper sitting in a cold storage facility. You would think since I created the Don Carlos Lanceros I would have been able to get a few bundles here or there.
It was Feb 2000 when I was sitting in Carlito's office and I told him he needed to make a Don Carlos Lanceros. I have always been a fan of thinner cigars because of the wrapper to filler ratio. I get better flavors from thinner cigars and explained that to Carlito and basically begged him to make some. At the 2001 Cigar Family Celebation that they hold yearly, Carlito handed me some of the Don Carlos Lanceros. I was the first person in the states to try one and it was awesome.

 

[davek]

Smoked cigars years ago, about 5 Marsh Wheeling stogies a day, decent for a cheap cigar. I also would get a couple good cigars every week when I picked up my box. Royal Jamaican was a good one. I think they stopped making Marsh Wheeling.
Picking up the pipe after years not smoking I smoked whole leaf cigar tobacco in a pipe for a good while. My tastes have been changing in the last couple months and my fav right now is a burley and bright I mix up myself. Just 10%-20% bright leaf to mellow the burley bite and add a little tang. I guess I like good, straight tobacco flavor.
Interesting that this thread was started right about when I got out some of the cigar leaf I still have. I've been smoking it yesterday and today. I'm finding that just a touch bright leaf makes a nice addition to it. I rolled one cigar yesterday and got it too tight. I had to poke a little rod through it to get it to smoke. I wonder what a burley and bright cigar might taste like.
Trivia for the day... Marsh Wheeling stogies are a long skinny cigar. They called that style a stogie 'cause the conestoga wagon drivers liked them for a long smoke.
Bonus trivia... Clint Eastwood supposedly smoked them in the spaghetti westerns. He hated tobacco and said he picked the nastiest cigar he could find so he would have that "mean" look. Said he would cut them in half before use.

 

[whiteburleydude]

Love cigars but I stick to only 2-3 per week. A must on the golf course though.

 

[philobeddoe]

There used to be a cigar called Robert Burns ~ Black Watch, this was the cigar I cut my teeth on when I was a teenager. I cannot seem to find them anywhere, if any of you have a connection to find them, please PM me.

 

[maker]

maybe 1 a week but pipes have taken over

 

[echambers]

Since I transitioned to mostly pipes I went from 3-5 a week to 1 or fewer. Although with summer coming I suspect that might increase a bit.

 

[jndyer]

I typically smoke one every Friday after work.

 

[instymp]

1 or 2 every night with my adult beverages in the evening.

 

[madox07]

I own a humidor, which I like to keep stocked up. I used to smoke more cigars in the past, than now, but for special occasions I do prefer the cigar over the pipe. To answer the question straight ... probably up to 20 cigars / year. I fondly remember a brand of torpedo cigars, that I used to smoke in the states and can no longer find in Europe, they were Nicaraguan made called Flor de Oliva.

 

[mso489]

If you have a lot of pipes (define your own "a lot") it is probably better to keep them well-smoked than to switch off to cigars, or at least that's one way of looking at it. I do have "too many," so if I added a few cigars a week, pipes might go for months without getting smoked.

 

[hawky454]

Never really been a cigar guy. I’ll try one from time to time but I always end up wishing I were smoking a pipe instead. I’m the odd one of the bunch, all the guys in my family and friends circle are cigar smokers... not one of them really care for the pipe, they say it’s too much work.

 

[jon11]

I smoke about 4 Cuban cigars a week

 

[davek]

not one of them really care for the pipe, they say it’s too much work.

The tinkering and ritual is one of the things I really like about the pipe.

 

[mso489]

I'm always afraid to say this for fear of jinxing the deal, but from time to time I walk into a cigar humidor and admire the stock and enjoy the fragrance. When I look around for something to enjoy, and note the prices, pretty soon I'm thinking about all the great pipe tobacco blends I have at home, not to mention the pipes, and I usually walk out trying not to feel so smug.

 

[mau1]

I'll usually buy 2 - 4 boxes of gars a year. The serious smoking occurs on the annual 5 day fishing trip with "the boys" in late June once bass season opens. Might have an early morning fishing gar, an after breky smoother gar, an afternoon beer gar, and an evening camp fire gar. Usually I've had my fill by the fifth day. Then it's on occasion when puttering in the garage or of a soft summers evening on the deck. Slows the world down, ya know? Given the crazy taxes we pay in Canada, I've resorted to turning my friends and their parents into "gar mules", whenever I find out they're vacationing in the States. Simply order online with JR Cigars and have them shipped to wherever they're staying. 50 gars per adult crossing the border, no customs. Works a charm! But now that I've taken up the pipe...I've yet to buy anything for the upcoming fishing trip. I may just use up what's left in my humidor.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Up to December, when I really picked up on pipe smoking again, 3 to 5 cigars today. Padron, Tatuaje, My Father and some other Nicaraguan. I prefer Nicaraguan tobacco to Cuban, sweeter and stronger. Plus, the quality is much better.
Since picking up pipe smoking again, I've smoked 3 to 4 cigars total. The only advantage I can think of that cigars offer is less hassle.
Anybody want to trade pipe tobacco for a few hundred high quality cigars? LOL

 

[bluegrassbrian]

It was Feb 2000 when I was sitting in Carlito's office and I told him he needed to make a Don Carlos Lanceros. I have always been a fan of thinner cigars because of the wrapper to filler ratio. I get better flavors from thinner cigars and explained that to Carlito and basically begged him to make some. At the 2001 Cigar Family Celebation that they hold yearly, Carlito handed me some of the Don Carlos Lanceros. I was the first person in the states to try one and it was awesome.

Maybe the family needs to be reminded.. making my mouth water.
I'll usually keep a tin of the Cohiba Pequeños in my box for short smokes. While i don't think they taste as good as any of the full size red dots, I love their utility.

 

[shaintiques]

I smoke both pipes and cigars regularly. I probably smoke 2-3 cigars per week.

 

[madox07]

mau1 what's up with you guys? I hear so many people from Canada complaining about the high tax on tobacco. How much is it actually, how much more expensive is a cigar (% wise) compared to the same stick in the US for example?

 

[jzbdano]

2-3 times the cost vs the US is what I saw last summer in Canada. I bought 2 cigars and smoked what I brought. The 2 I bought were Cohiba Robustos from a factory box code that I miss dearly, BTO ... 12. They were 65CAD each after the GST and sales tax. I can't wait to smoke them with my dad this spring.