Cigar Conversion Complete

[brass]

A year or so ago, I began a methodical and serious survey of tobacco blends. I am also a cigar aficionado, having smoked good cigars since I was in my twenties. I have one hand built humidor, several factory make and a cool-a-dor.
In the first part of my journey, I stated that I thought cigars offered more variety in flavor than pipe tobacco blends. I looked at pipes as the poor man's cigar - which is why I started smoking the pipe again.
I was smoking the pipe everyday but when I entertained, I always went to the humidor and pulled out a cigar for the occasion.
Overtime, my position has changed by 180 degrees. I now agree there is more variety in pipe tobacco blends than can be found in cigars.
I also reached the point this weekend, where I provided my guest with a cigar, a nicely aged Oliva G Maduro torpedo, but stayed with the pipe for myself. That was a landmark event in my tobacco journey.
I'm not denigrating cigars. A good cigar is still fabulous. And I still don't get as many "WOW" experiences with pipe blends as I do with good cigars. But I can say a good pipe and an aged blend of a decent tobacco, can hold its own against fine cigars. And I'm now occasionally getting the "WoW" experiences as well,e.g., Kendal Creme aged 14 years.
Just musing.
Pax

 

[seacaptain]

I smoked cigars for years, primarily premium maduros. I never thought that cigars had more variety than pipe tobacco. I'm not sure how you could arrive at that with literally hundreds of different pipe blends available.
Plus the tobacco flavor "range" is much smaller with cigars. There isn't really much difference between an Ashton maduro and a Macanudo maduro, but there's a world of difference between say, Dunhill toasted cavendish and Drew Estate toasted cavendish.

 

[brass]

Dagummit. Now I have to Dunhill toasted cavendish and Drew Estate toasted cavendish.

 

[seacaptain]

Funny thing is, Drew Estate toasted cav is one of my favorite blends but I don't really like Dunhill toasted cav.
Dunhill black cav is a winner though.

 

[newbroom]

I'm not cigar savvy, but I like putting cigar leaf in some of my blends. Today I mixed about 50% cigar leaf from a cheap Loyal Torano, with about 35% Autumn Evening and the rest a Captain Earle's Private Stock, and this stuff tastes freaking great!

 

[brass]

FYI, you can blending tobaccos, including cigar leaf, from PipesandCigars.com.
Newbroom, maybe we can swap a couple of samples of our blend recipes.

 

[xrundog]

You can buy a lot of pipe tobacco for the cost of a box of good cigars. That was a major consideration going over to pipes.

 

[cigrmaster]

I used to be a cigar nut with up to 3000 cigars at a time in my humidor. I no longer smoke cigars and love my pipes. I still smoke a cigar with one of my cigar buddies when we get together, but I honestly would rather smoke my pipe as the cigars taste one dimensional to me now.

 

[wilson]

I, too, have made the transition. I still enjoy a cigar, but my first preference is for a pipe.

 

[seacaptain]

cigars taste one dimensional to me now

That's a good way to put it. It's exactly how I feel about cigars now.

 

[beastkhk]

I feel there is more variety with cigars(regarding selection), many more brands/lines/sizes each with own thing to contribute. And I also feel like new blends/variations cigars are released more frequently compared to pipe tobacco. But, pipe tobacco, to me, offers more variety when it comes to the individual flavors/nuances of a blend.
I came from cigars and still maintain a selection, if it is windy enough that I question if a pipe is a good idea, I grab a cigar instead. I don't stock up on them like I do pipe tobacco though. I really enjoy how low maintenance storing pipe tobacco is compared to cigars.
So I go back and forth between the two, I am drawn to the pipe more often though.

 

[yaddy306]

I feel there is more variety with cigars(regarding selection), many more brands/lines/sizes each with own thing to contribute.

How much selection does one person need?

Tobaccoreviews.com lists 412 different pipe tobaccos that start with the letter "n". That should keep you going for a while...

 

[settersbrace]

Because I sell cigars I like to know what I'm selling, especially to the neophyte that strolls in and has never tried a premium stick. That said, I'm an all things pipe tobacco lover first and foremost, there's much more to offer. I will say as my palete continues to evolve I'm better equiped to detect more subtle nuances in many of the milder Connecticut wrapped cigars, something I was previously incapable of doing. There are times when a good cigar is just what the doctor ordered.

 

[cigrmaster]

setters, nothing better than a nice Ashton Cabinet with a cup of coffee first thing in the morning. I love a good Conn shade wrapped cigar. I love the Diamond Crown no. 6 but hate paying the price for them. I was a moderator at cigarfamily.com for a number of years and every Christmas I could choose two boxes of any cigars in the Fuente line up so I always grabbed some style of Opux X and a box of Diamond Crown no.6's. I actually enjoyed the DC as much as the Opus.

 

[derfatdutchman]

Here is some love for Padron, two of my favorite cigars were the 2000 & 3000. While I still love a good cigar, if I have my choice I'll pick up one of my briars.

 

[voorhees]

I find it amusing that we are all experiencing the same things. I too have made the slow progression from cigars to the pipe exclusively. I have smoked a few sticks here and there since taking up the pipe and have very few left now, maybe 40-50. I am soon to be closing my large humidor(200 stick) and going back to the desktop version until they are all gone.

 

[Waning Embers]

I go both ways depending on my mood. Love a good Oliva maduro with a glass of scotch.

 

[cigrmaster]

booker, I had no problems getting Don Carlos plus they were not nearly as expensive as the 2 I was grabbing so I went with what I did. I remember the first time I smoked an 858 Maduro, it was around 1984 or so and I was buying them for about 25 a box from JR cigars back then.
I was a big fan of Padron 3000 and 4000 maduro's, one of the best bang for the buck cigars on the market. Unfortunately I loved the maduro Anniversarios even more, but damn they were expensive.
Booker, here are a few pics of my set up back in the day. My cabinet was a Vinotemp that was temp and humidity controlled. Weighed in a 686 pouds empty, completely lined in spanish cedar with 2 draws for singles.






In the first draw you will see a few pipe shaped cigars. When one of my Cuban suppliers learned I had taken up the pipe, he had those made for me out of Cuban tobacco. In the second draw at the bottom right, you will see a few lanceros with a cedar wrap that are Don Carlos Lanceros. Best Don Carlos I have ever smoked.

 

[mcitinner1]

Mucho tobacco coolness in those pics. I just finished my third cigar of the year. :rofl: A Spectre with latakia.

 

[cigrmaster]

Booker, awesome set up. I remember those Upmann Jars and I had one as well. I have no idea where it went to though. I am thinking that I gave it to a friend. That 1492 Humidor is freaking awesome. Did you buy it in 1992 when it was released or later?
Were you also a friend of Rony, he was one of about 6 other suppliers I used to use. He was the one who gave me those pipe shaped cigars. Those Partagas Culebra's I had made for me when I was in Cuba in 2000. A buddy of mine had an in at the Partagas factory so they were made their. I also had some Cohiba A's made, I believe it was 13 in total. We also had some Romeo y Julieta double corona's made. Those Don Carlos Laanceros came about as one day I was sitting in Carlito's office in the DR and told him that he needed to make that cigar. He did as I asked and he brought me the first ones that had ever been in the U.S. They are my favorite DC. If you look in the last picture in the top left is a package of 5 cigars that are called Don Carlos Senior Blend. They are the personal Don Carlos Robusto that Carlito's father smokes. They are different than the regular production Don Carlos Robusto in that they are stronger and more full bodied. They are also an awesome smoke.