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Hi everyone, nice to meet you I am Robusto Rob I have recently started enjoying a cigar again after a long time with out one. I had forgotten how amazing it can be to sick back and burn a stick. Anyway I hope you have all had a good week! - Robusto

Guys it's happened. I let the pedal go and now gotta pay for it. Some Cubans some Ncs but mostly Cubans . Left them in a humipack for a few months and now I checked and they're soft 😂 No mold at the foot luckily but they're a bit squishy and I read the following on the forums to try and revive them... 1. Dry boxing them for a few days 2. Cedar strip + dry boxing 3. Naked humidor with cedar, no boveda Do this 5-7 days and then put them in a 65% humipack and see how we go. What am I missing? Anyone care to share their experience so I can learn from you? I have ordered humidors now given the nature of my stupidity yes lesson learned.

I'm just curious what I missed that the FOH store is empty. I haven't ordered in quite some time because I was building a massive pipe tobacco collection (cellar). I was curious what the current prices are so I logged in and ... nothing. Is there a restock going on? Massive shortage? About the only thing that I know is that prices via Habanos went up. Sorry for my ignorance but I have no clue what's going on so I figured I'd ask. I searched but didn't find anything. TIA

All long-term cigar smokers have this feeling that the speed of buying cigars will gradually exceed the speed of smoking cigars after smoking cigars for a long time.😄 Some people collect cigars as they love it, some are for the added value. No matter you are collecting cigars for loving or value added, a common topic is proper storage environment. 18-21°C is recognized as the ideal storage temperature for cigars. If the temperature is lower than 16°C, the expected cigar aging process will be weakened. If the temperature is too high, higher than 24°C, it will cause the cigar beetles hatched and may also cause mildew of the cigar. The temperature and humidity for aging must achieve long-term balance and stability, severe and frequent temperature and humidity fluctuations are extremely unfavorable for cigar aging and collection.

Spanish cedar wood or Canada cedar wood ? Both of the Spanish cedar wood and Canada cedar wood are quality options to consider for a humidor. Spanish cedar is considered the best wood for a cigar humidor, as this wood is very good at withstanding humidity and maintaining temperature. Here we would like to introduce them in below 2 aspects: 1) Benefit for cigars Advantages of Spanish cedar: Protection from Tobacco beetles: This type of wood can help prevent the tobacco beetles from building up in the humidor. Positive effect on cigar flavor: Spanish cedar wood is well-known for preserving cigar flavor for extented periods of time. Regulation of humidity/temperature: Spanish cedar is the most effective wood type for helping regulate the temperature and humidity levels within your cigar humidor by far. In view of the most important factor for the cigar storage environment ---- the stability of the temperature and humidity, using Spanish cedar will be better. Because there're many wood fiber ducts and pores on the surface of the Spanish cedar, which is more conducive to the retention of the moisture and absorb and adjust the extra moisture in the cabinet, to help the humidity keep stable in cigar cabinet. Image of Spanish cedar wood Canada cedar is not as effective as Spanish cedar, but it is still a reliable wood for the construction of cigar humidors. And it's more affordable than Spanish cedar. 2) Appearance Their colors are different. Spanish cedar wood is slightly reddish in color, and the color and texture are very uniform. While Canada cedar is grayish white, with larger texture, it has larger color differences and parti-color.

He's gone a few years now, but I am still moved to tears watching Mr Overton and I salute him and thank him for his service & life's wisdom.

Nope you complete idiot, I will swim to Cuba or quit smoking rather than follow your advice : Mods - Feel free to delete if not appropiate. This is just about cigars, forget about the Gold part, sure it's the same BS advice.... :-)

Greetings. It's that time of year again. CA has completed their yearly list. Time for ours. I've selected a sampling of the most recent releases, minus the special humidors. Those are too esoteric and hard to get. The poll focuses on the regular, EL, Reserva, GR and various LCDH offerings. Criteria is as follows: Please fill out the poll before it closes on Jan 2, 2020. You can select multiple choices in the poll as well.

I did a quick search on CCW for "recent releases". I included 2018 and 2019 as Habanos release calendar is never on time. This list is not perfect, but here goes. I will post a poll very soon. It will close Jan 2, 2020 @10PM EST In addition to selecting 2018 and 2019 "new" releases, the finally criteria was also included: I hope many of you chime in.

After 18 months away from Havana I was again able to go for a few days with a small group of the cigar gang here in Toronto. This seems like a good opportunity to provide a quick update and also include a few photos from the trip. The photos are mix of phone and DSLR, so the quality will be different. The colour/lighting/exposure are based on my preferences so that may not appeal to some. Considering the weather we've been having in Toronto it was an excellent reason to get away. Here's what I was leaving behind on the day of the flight to Varadero from the back of the cab: I thought for sure that the flight would be delayed quite a bit but as luck would have it we only took off 2 hours past the scheduled time. Of course leaving on an afternoon flight to Varadero with a two hour bus ride to Havana meant we would not make it to the hotel until late Wednesday/early Thursday. But, that's no matter when the thought of Havana beckoned. We got into the hotel around 12:30-1:00am. Check in, drop off bags and head straight to the back of the Nacional for a quick night cap. The next day i got up early, had a quick breakfast and again headed out to the back for the first morning smoke of the day - can never get enough of this place: First smoke all done, the rest of the gang started to stumble out into the 30 degree (celsius) heat (sorry all, that's up to the attendees to post their own photos). We had to figure out what our day was going to shape up to be like, cigars then shopping, shopping then cigars or shopping cigars and food or some other combination. We decided to have a couple of more cigars at the back then head out to the old city to visit Conde de Villanueva. That is a Reynaldo custom sublime - great cigar. That done we decided to walk around a bit and head over to the Partagas store. It's sometimes nice to get there when there's no festival going on to get the fill of the place, and that we did. We almost had the back room to ourselves. A nice small cigar (sorry no photos, and I can't remember what I smoked) and an espresso rested us well from the heavy workout we had with walking over from the Conde to Partagas. Quick update; neither Conde nor Partagas had anything other than regular production cigars. This was true of most everywhere we went. After the walking trip around the old city what could we do but head back to the Nacional for more smoking before dinner. Again, not many photos of this as I was too busy blissing out on the cigars and cocktails. When dinner time came we headed out to La Guarida: (sorry about the cutoff fidel quote, I was too busy trying to get the flag into the frame and missed) And of course, after dinner back to the Nacional for more, you guessed it, cigars (and some music): (like the cut off head?) Onto Friday. The big day. Rent a car and go cigar shop hopping. First up Melia Cohiba for a quick look at the humidor, all regular production. We then went to Club Habana to pick up some customs there (and I found the first stack of 50 cab Punch DCs. Of course I had to get one). Then onto El Aljibe for some chicken. Too busy eating to take photos (mainly). Popped into the shop there, not much to see. After lunch we headed over to 5y16, again mainly regular production but there we a couple of boxes of Libertadors there. After that onto Comodoro for some puntillas and talk to Alex for a few minutes. Then onto Melia Habana for some coffee - a few more Punch DC 50 cabs here too. Then back at the Nacional for a quick drop off the cigars/coffee, and of course another cigar. Then off to Terazza for an early dinner and then back to the Nacional for a cigar and some more music (are you noticing a pattern here?). The next day was a bit lighter with most of our time spent at the Nacional, but we did make a jaunt out to Parc Centrale for lunch as well as a quick stop off at the Cohiba Atmosphere lounge to check out the stock there. The Cohiba Atmosphere was the only place we saw the Monte Maltes and Dumas together, as well as the only place that had an open box of Cohiba Esplendidos @ 50% markup though (32 CUC). Which reminds me, for the first time in a long time there were many more Cohibas in Havana than the last few trips I made in 2016/17 - Robustos, I, II, III, IV, V and VI could be found in most places. There was one shop that had three pack Esplendidos but I forget which one. As for the Monte 1935 line, there were some Dumas at a few spots. Nacional had four boxes of the Maltes, but they were gone within a day. No Leyenda in any shops in Havana. The last bit of the trip was pretty uneventful. Just lounged around the Nacional mainly. Monday (March 4) was the end of the trip so we headed back to Varadero for the flight back to Toronto. What could the trip be without walking around the airport to check the cigar wares there? There were a few boxes each of the Monte 1935s - Dumas, Maltes and Leyenda. There was a lone box of Cohiba Talisman at one of the counters. And, there were boxes and boxes and boxes of the Punch 2017 - Regios de Punch - LE in the main humidor at the airport. Here are the final batch of random photos from the trip as well as the haul I brought back (the same as the one posted in the Cuban Haul thread).

Selected my stogies and spirits for this weekend. Non-Cubans (don't hold it against me) this time ?. Ashton VSG, Padron 80th Anniversary and 1964 40th Anniversary Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, Angels Envy Finished Rye and Jeffersons Groth Reserve Cask Finished.

Hello FOH, Recently discovered your website and forums and have been enjoying all of the information you guys bring on so many different topics! Going to La Habana, Cuba next Tuesday March 5, 2019. Staying right there in La Habana for a whole week. Im interested in a few things while im in Cuba: good cigars, good rum and good places. Starting with my main interest, CIGARS! I've been reading on here and have concluded I want to visit Alejandro "Alex"Gonzalez Arias at the Hotel Comodoro for some custom rolled cigars, probably his canonazo or his Behike 52. Do I have to order before hand, how could I come in contact with him in these days before my trip? Or can I just go to Hotel Comodoro the day I get to La Habana and just make an order of some cigars on that day? Im open to other suggestions of custom rolled cigar makers around La Habana but have read the review and believe Alex is good and his cigars more around my feel. Also, I want to buy some real COHIBA in Cuba. Mi gf brought me a box of 25 Cohiba SIglo VI last November and once she came from Cuba and I inspected the box and the cigar it was obvious they were FAKE. She paid $140 por the box in one of the "Cooperativas" and it was obviously a scam because they are not legit real Cohibas. Is there really "cooperativas" that sell real cohiba cigars for cheaper prices than LCDH? Ive heard there is but don't really know. Where in La Habana could I buy real Cohibas for a reasonable price if not in LCDH? Im fairly new to the scene so sorry for the questions. Regarding places to go out night, enjoy some rum and good music and people. Any suggestions in close proximity to Hotel Nacional or any other area in La Habana worth visiting during the nights to have fun? Thanks for any suggestions and any replies! Will post on my experiences after I come back from CUBA!

Hello cigars lovers!!! I´m master student in Enterprise Management in China and for my thesis I´ve chosen to evaluate the HABANOS brand image in China, willl you help me with 5 min of your time? If you know any Chinese lover of the exclusive quality of HABANOS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE the link https://ale580129.typeform.com/to/FnNc4k thanks!!!!!!! https://ale580129.typeform.com/to/FnNc4k

Fellow FOH Members. Here are you Top Cigars of 2018 (and 2017 thanks to Habanos' release woes) The cigars in this list reflect what was considered a "New" release by HSA in 2018. Of course, planned release date =/= actual release when it comes to HSA so some 2017 sticks were included. Before we begin; some stats. 137 Members voted. (IMO, that seems low, but IIRC it's an improvement over previous polls) There are 4 ties, so we won't officially get a "top 10". One cigar received zero votes. The HdM Rio de Seco. Not a big surprise as this was a pretty recent release. 58 Members voted for "NONE OF THE ABOVE". This can be read two ways. Many members did not get a chance to sample any of the listed cigars for one reason or another. This thread will allow comments, so those of you that voted this way; please feel free to expand as to what prevented you from trying anything. Of if you did and did not care for any of the candidates. Shenanigans. I really hope this isn't the case. Could it be a middle finger to Habanos? To this poll? Who knows? The List. #1 Trinidad La Trova LCDH Exclusivo #2 Quai D'Orsay No. 50 #3 Cohiba Talisman EL 2017 #4 (Two way tie) Montecristo 1935 Series Dumas Punch Regios Del Punch EL 2017 #5 H Upmann Connosseur B 2017 Habanos Specialist Series #6 (Three way tie) H Upmann Sir Winston Gran Reserva Cosecha 2013 Partagas Series E1 EL 2017 Quai D'Orsay No. 54 #7 (three way tie) Bolivar Soberano EL 2018 Montecristo 1935 Series Leyenda Romeo y Julieta Tacos EL 2018 #8 (Two way tie) Cohiba Robusto Reserva Cosecha 2013 Montecristo 1935 Series Maltes Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote. I've put the final voting tally below for reference so you can see how the votes ended up. I personally only tried 4 of the above with only one on multiple occasions. I think the Trinidad La Trova is a worthy of #1 status and may became a classic. Please feel free to discuss this "latest" batch of Habanos. What you liked, hated or otherwise felt "meh" towards. Final Poll results.

Reels are important tools of the angling trade. Many exceptionally fine reels are made locally that are especially fine, but get scant exposure for their craftsmanship. What talent do you know from your area that deserves a shout out? This is a Stamp River Reel made in Port Alberni British Columbia by master machinist Dan Holder that just sings when attached to a steelhead!

Part two of our annual corporate trip that rewards the absolute top people in mr beaver’s company begins today. I am mrs beaver, ceo wife. To thank the company for the fifth year of generosity, I continue to show them what a “herf” is and host one every night. We went to a fantastic cigar store about 10 minutes away. It was recommended by a Facebook friend. Cigarstore Hazar

I joke I joke, it isn't half bad out here, especially when your wife sends you a picture of a 24:24 arrival! I look forward to letting these bad boys rest until at a minimum February when I get home before they meet my torch! How's everyone's lives going back home, wherever home may be?

Dear FOH: I'm so happy to have found a group of serious cigar smokers with Friends of Habanos International. Your feedback will help me immensely. I'll be 59 in June so I decided to get started building my "Retirement Collection". I started my collection in 2014 like a crazy man and must have ordered maybe 8-10 boxes. Now I have 5- humidors and am running out of space That's problem #1. I want to store cigars properly so that they will taste great within that 5-7 year time frame. Problem #2 I can't seem to keep my hands out of the cookie jar. I need a strategy but don't have a clue Problem #3. I don't know what I don't know Problem #4. So I'd like to throw myself down to the mercy and collective intelligence of you all for your kind, thoughtful and sage advice. Got any great ideas as to what to purchase and store for that time frame, storage advice, etc.? What questions are important to ask? I have to do something quick about storage. What do I do? I'm looking for fellow collaborators. Raymond-Michael Kornfeind [email protected]

I'm interested in getting a large container going for specifically unopened boxes of cigars to age. Right now I've got a wineador that I use to hold my current smoking rotation and a few tupperdors. I was thinking of going the coolidor route to store 40-50 boxes at a time for long term (5+) years of aging, what do you guys use?

Hello fellow brothers / sisters I will be traveling to Havana Jan. 13-17 2018 if anyone will be in Havana let me know we can meet for drinks and cigars. If you will not be there during those dates let me know when I travel to Cuba every two weeks. Thanks Robert Rogers

Hell FOH'rs I will be Havana, Cuba again January 13-17 and if someone has time and will be in Havana these dates let's get together for drinks and cigars. If not these dates I go every couple weeks. Can call me on my Cuban cell or US cell. Message me to get the #. Thanks Robert Rogers

Good morning, I have been smoking cigars for 20 years now, cubans exclusively, but I would like to know the point of view from foh forum aficionados. As I am quadraplegic since a rugby scrum it is quite complicate with my "hands" to properly cut my cigar alone so I must beg for help....I have an efficient cabinet humidor for aging my cigars and I wonder if I could cut all my cigars in advance even if I don't smoke them before months/years. Will it change the aging process ? Thanks for your advices.

I will be traveling again to Havana, Cuba on November 20-27th with a few friends. If any members will be in Havana same dates shoot me a message. Thanks Robert Rogers

Not sure or have come across this in this forum. Searched but nothing. But has anyone ever did a collection of there sticks? I love watching videos on youtube with people showing off there box collection. Anyone want to post? There cabinet/boxes?

Back from Havana, Cuba and this was what I could grab while there. Very awesome trip still downloading pics. Prolly 400+ pics at least! Very excited to go back for festivals in Nov and Feb.