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Hi all, New to FOH heard it was a cool forum to share in the hobby. I’ve been smoking cigars for 5 or 6 years now.

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

Hey all, thanks for having me and for this great resource. I started as a pipe guy who slowly migrated to NC cigars. During a trip to Europe, I was able to buy some Cuban cigars (some of which were awful, and obviously fake as I look back through pictures), but some were great. Well, long story short, once I got a (proper) taste of that twang that one only finds in cuban tobacco, I was hooked. I'm guessing I'm not the only one who sticks cigars in my wife's face and implores her to smell them?

Hello everyone, I'm new and doing from Miami, FL. Found this site thru the r/cubancigars sub on Reddit. Looking forward to learning more about Cuban Cigars and having an opportunity to buy some. Currently I have 25 Bolivar Belicosos Finos (Box May 22) and some Monte No. 4 (Box 2019) in my humidor. I've also smoked a Partagas Serie P no. 2 while visiting in Delhi.

Hello all! Currently around DC and doing my best to avoid ALL the swamp beasts that haunt Shelly's Back Room. Thank god for the back porch. Started my cigar journey with NCs (ironically enough it involved buying a heritage box of Montecristos... ) but have graduated to CCs within the last year. Excited to browse the forum and engage with all of you, dear BOTL/SOTL. Cheers.

Alright here it is lets get it!! Newbie/Veteran Handicapped Boxpass It’s early, and it’s also about that time of the year to gauge interest for a newbie/veteran handicapped box pass. This is to merely to continue gain interest at this point. So, the box would not be sent out until June at the earliest. We are still desperately needing more Veterans!! Please read over this entirely to see if you would like to participate. Fundamental Principles: NEWBIES DON’T FEEL INTIMIDATED!!! This is not about ‘proving yourself’ to the other users. You don’t have to have aged, rare, or limited edition stock to participate. In fact, the whole point is to hook up some beginners who DON’T have a lot of cigars stashed away. Only have commonly available vitolas from 2017/18/19? Perfect. This is for YOU. Put what you’ve got. What constitutes a newbie? Glad you asked. If you got into the game within the last year, I would consider you a newbie. If you’ve been in the game longer than a year but less than 3 shoot me a PM, we’ll talk. If you’ve been in the game longer than 3 years, you are definitely a vet, and if you participated in the past as a newbie, you will be considered a vet for this years pass if you want in. A lot of vets love an opportunity to help newbies expand their tastes and try stuff they might not have been willing to shell out the coin for, never having tried them before. This speaks volumes about the overall character of the folks in this hobby/community. It’s awesome to see folks with experience go out of their way to hook up beginners. I want to make sure that we have a decent mix of newbies and vets so everyone gets a shot at trying new stuff. 20 newbies/10 vets is what I’m shooting for. That way we get some cool, aged or unusual stuff for the beginners to choose from. 1 vet, 2 newbies, 1 vet, 2 newbies etc - this basic structure should keep the stock in the box plentiful and interesting so everyone has a chance to enjoy the process. We were pretty close to this last year, and I think it worked out well. I’m announcing this very well in advance of the start. This will give the newbies some time to add a few more marcas and vitolas to their humis, chat with the participating vets about the process, and get excited! I’m looking to start sometime around June-ish, obviously Covid-19 cooperating would be fantastic! This will be Habanos ONLY. If anyone has interesting NCs you want to contribute to the box, I’m sure someone will be excited to try them! Just count them as a ‘FREEBIE’ stick, separate from your puts. CUSTOM ROLLS. As a bit of a change this year they can count towards your puts/takes. You can add as many of them as ‘FREEBIES’ but will only be counted towards the regular pass contributions/swaps in a proportionate limit, No more than 1 for your contributions/swaps as a “Newbie” Veterans can have up to 2 count. Provenance must be proved and unquestionable. Feel free to gift as many as you would like. This will also be USA only. Sorry folks, due to customs in every country it gets real tricky with tobacco anything these days. The Rules Registration: I’m ideally capping the entry at 20 newbies and 10 veterans. Entry will be first come, first served, in the name of fairness, counted by the order in which they are received. I will be as prompt as I can with responses. A response of affirmation to this thread (e.g., I’m in and a newbie/vet) AND an email to [email protected] with your contact information will be counted as an entry. I will give you a detailed rundown of logistics/etiquette when I email you back. First come, first served. When you respond, declare yourself as either a newbie or a veteran. This will determine which set of puts/takes rules you are expected to adhere to. These will be clarified below. Puts/Takes: I’ll personally sign off on all proposed puts/takes. There shouldn’t be any issues, though, as we are instating a homogenized valuation system. Newbies – You get a handicap on your puts. Each cigar is given a numeric point value based on clear criteria. For each cigar you put, you will receive a 1 point handicap. Please do not try to put in 4 – 2 point cigars to grab an 8 point HTF. Points will be awarded as such. Add the points up for each of these criteria that your put cigar meets: 2 points: Base level score for all regular production, <2 year old cigars 2 more points: 2- 4 years old (Going strictly by the box code dates) 2 more points: 5 – 9 years old (Going strictly by the box code dates) 2 more points: 10 – 14 years old (Going strictly by the box code dates) 2 more points: 15+ years old (Going strictly by the box code dates) Discontinued Sticks: these will be handled on a stick-by-stick or case-to-case basis. There are some discontinued sticks that are more highly sought after than others, like the VR Don Alejandro, Bolivar Coronas Gigantes and have a higher monetary value than say a H.Upmann PC. So, there may be times where a put is not equivalent to a take just because of the point value given to it. I reserve the right to make judgment calls on all puts/takes to be of fair value. LCDH releases: Recent production LCDH/Habanos Specialist cigars will automatically be given a value of 4 to compensate for extra financial costs associated with them. Aged will add more points as described above. EL/RE releases. Recent production EL/RE will automatically be given a point value of 8 to compensate for extra financial costs associated with them. Aged will add more points as described above. Special circumstances may apply to these, for example, the LGC Serie D No. 5 ER Espana, are not a truly HTF stick or as valuable as others, so, there may be times where a put is not equivalent to a take just because of the point value given to it. I reserve the right to make judgment calls on all puts/takes to be of fair value. For example: RyJ Duke EL 2009: 8 (base score) + 8 (10 – 14 yrs) = 16 point value LGC Glorias RE 5ta 2016: 8 (base score) + 2 (2 – 4yrs) = 10 point value Extra points may be awarded on a case to case basis for GR and other extremely expensive/rare puts. For example, a Partagas Serie D No. 4 PET DIC 15 as a put would get: 2 points (base score); 2 point (2-4 years old). If you see a Montecristo no. 4 BRU AGO 10 that you would like to take, it would score: 2 points (base score); 4 points (5-10 years old) for a total value of 6 points. No handicap point on the takes. First person in line receives the box, picks the cigars that he wants, and proposes a trade to replace those cigars with others of equal/greater value from his collection. Puts and Takes are to be approved by the Box Pass Organizer prior to completion. After the trade is complete, that person removes their “Takes” from the box pass cigars, places their “Puts” in with the remaining box pass cigars, then re-packs the box pass cigars in the same manner it was received, and sends it off to the next person in line. Timely turnaround is our goal in order to keep the Bovedas fresh and the cigars in the best possible shape. Box will include cigars, extra bags, labels, and Bovedas. Members will be asked to keep an eye on the condition of the box and to help keep it in good shape. If the box needs replacing at some point, PLEASE let me know. Shipping routes will be plotted such that shipping cost and transit time between members is minimized. The box pass is meant to help some newbies try some HTF or cigars they would otherwise may not have the chance to try. Veterans – 1:1 put/take ratio and “like-for-like” as most other box passes go. Mainly to state the obvious: 1. This is USA pass only. Sorry for other members, international shipping and customs makes it prohibitively expensive and risky. 2. All Cigars placed in the box pass must be: a. In good condition, no broken head/feet, no broken wrappers, etc. b. Authentic. All puts and takes MUST have posted pictures in the box pass thread for all to see. – can’t state this enough, MUST have posted pictures!!! c. Beetle-free to the best of your knowledge. d. No more than 2 of the same cigar in the pass at one time. If all you’ve got as a newbie is something that will put 3 of in the pass, send me a PM we can figure something out. 3. No Non-Cubans cigars. 4. Custom Rolls. Provenance must be proved and un-questionable to be included in the puts/takes, if you would like to gift a custom rolled cigar to the box-pass, please feel free to do so. 5. Limits on put/takes: 5 regular production takes (no limit on puts); 2 HTFs: ER/EL/LCDH takes (no limit on puts). – some folks get heavy on the HTFs and I would like a better selection to be in the box the entire pass. I feel like some vets may miss out on some great sticks because too many takes are approved and I would like to avoid this. 6. The Box Pass is always shipped via USPS Priority Mail with tracking. The tracking number must be communicated via email to the Box Pass Organizer and the next member in line, so that the next person in line can track the package coming in and be prepared for it. Do not publish tracking numbers in the box pass thread. 7. If there is a disagreement about the value of a cigar, the Box Pass Organizer will have final say. That said, I don’t claim to know with absolute certainty the current value of every Habano ever made. If I cannot come to a satisfactory conclusion through reasonable research, I will privately reach out to senior members of this forum for input and assistance. 8. Side trades and gifts between members are encouraged, if the box can physically accommodate them. Be sure to label it clearly for the intended recipient and to mention it in your take/put post, so that those cigars aren’t taken accidentally. 9. And finally, the Millennium Rule! Cigars from 1999, 2000, and 2001 can be put into the box pass, but no more than three (3) cigars from these years combined at any one time. Any cigars put into the pass from these years must be from a box that you've recently smoked from, and you can confirm that they have not exhibited significant construction or taste issues. I will offer some contests towards the end of the pass. These contests will be posted in the same thread, so be following along. Questions? Just ask! Let's have some fun! Newbie: 1. @captaincaveman 2. @Hollywood Ninja 3. @Kyle5575 4. @The Squiggler 5. @La_Tigre 6. @armada_crew 7. @pedro849 8. @lovethehaze 9. @Monocle 10. @wickettedge 11. @Chas.Alpha 12. @elousv 13. @chadlevan 14. @zigarrenziggy 15. @UnoMas 16. @barry12321 17. @StogieHogie 18. @smitte3 19. @MasterYotti 20. @Chibearsv 21. @Reuben Veteran: 1. @FireMedic 2. @wineguy 3. @Habana Mike 4. @bdw1984 5. @taylorgov2 6. @PrairieSmoke 7. @StogieSteve23 8. @BoliDan 9. @Bucky McSwensen 10. @cfc1016 11. @inter4alia

Just checking in as i am new to FOH. I am a Irish lad living in London. Been living here 5 years and love it. A great City. Job: Financial IT Consultant Favorite Cigar ever - Cohiba Behike 52 2010 (Cost me £30 and smoked it on my best friends wedding. Didn't want it to end.) Cigar Grail- Cohiba Siglo VI GR Favorite alcoholic tipple - Pint of Guinness or Lagavulin 16 neat. I am starting to get into collecting cigars properly with the arrival of my first cooledor. Looking forward to chatting on the forum and expanding my knowledge. All the best Sparky.

Hi, all, I've been a cigar smoker for about 10 years now and used to pick up Habanos when I traveled for work. Sadly international travel for work has dried up, and research led me to FOH for Cubans, camaraderie, and chitchat. I've been browsing around for about a week now just scoping things out. Y'all seem pretty cool, so thanks for having the community!

Been reading the forum as a guest for a while, and glad to finally be on the board! I've smoked and collected cigars for a little over 15 years, but have a baby now and collect more than I smoke. Love reading people's debates about storing, aging, and what they are enjoying smoking at the moment. Great to learn from people with so much experience. Excited to participate in the conversations instead of just watching for the sidelines. Thanks for having me!

Hello all, I've been lurking on and off this forum for years (2007) but never participated. I feel like I want to participate now so : Bonjour à tous! I'm from Montreal, I've been smoking cigars for nearly 20 years, on and off depending on my financial situation. Now that I'm a bit more established financially, and due to certain big changes in my life, I've decided that my humidor looked empty and that I deserved a gift from myself. So I'm stocking up. I know a lot you from my lurking years. I've endured your posts, now you'll endure mine! Shoutout to @WarriorPrincess who took a few orders for me during a few 24:24 and convinced me that it wasn't so bad to talk to you folks. I can be shy and you wont hear from me, or you won't be able to shut me up. We'll see. Take care all.

Hello everyone! Im a new member from NSW, Australia. I have a little experience with cigars, but getting into it properly now. I have a xikar humidor set up and packed a box of partagas shorts in it that i got today. Im keen to get my collection going!

Hi guys, Long time lurker but first time poster ! Really excited to join this community for good Little bit of background on me, I'm a recent grad working in tech here in Montreal. Been into cigars for about two years now, first I ever smoked was a Fonseca Cosacos. Unfortunately never had the chance to smoke any Cubans since then (local prices at Mtl's LCDH are through the roof), but I'm hoping this can change now. Hobbies and pastimes include writing software and collecting / Drinking Scotch. Anyways that's all from me for now, hopefully I'll get to know you guys some more and thank you all for welcoming me here.

I started out with 20 qt gasket Sterlite tupperdors. I filled those two up rather quickly with boxes and sticks. I have started another one which is 50 qt (just started this week). Right now I have some good data for the smaller two. When I received the tupperdors from Amazon I splish splashed them with water then put them outside for 36 to 48 hours. Brought them inside to the basement. I put a Boveda pack in one at 65% and then put a 62% one in another. I calibrated the SensorPush temp and rh% gadget. Found here: [mention=79]PigFish[/mention]'s topic about temp and rh% and water content I wanted to try to get these up to 70 degrees. Took them up to a closet and the temps really fluctuated. I ended up moving these back down to the basement because I had better luck with stable temps. Now I can't get the rh% down on these tupperdors. I am trying to find ways to bring the moisture out. [mention=30206]BellevilleMXZ[/mention] recommended unscented kitty litter. I have researched a lot bit. Just looking for some advice on my specific problems. My questions: * Is the RH going up due to more boxes going in and they need time to settle down? * Would RH beads work? If so what is recommended? * Would the kitty litter trick help? Here is a month and the last week recap on these tupperdors.

Hi Friends, I've been into cigars for about ten years now, and I was into CCs from the very beginning. Only recently, though, do I now have the means to begin some serious collecting. To that end, I've been working the past few months to build my collection. Below is a list of the marcas and vitolas that I have so far. What do you recommend that I add to the collection next? I have to say that I really like every marca I've tried, so don't limit your recommendations to any particular brand. For me, theres a time and a place for every cigar. I appreciate your help! shaffer22 The list (so far): Bolivar Belicosos Finos Bolivar Royal Corona Bolivar Coronas Junior Cohiba Siglo II Cohiba Robusto H. Upmann Royal Robusto H. Upmann Sir Winston H. Upmann No. 2 H. Upmann Magnum 50 Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2 Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Especial Montecristo No. 1 Montecristo Double Edmundo Montecristo No. 2 Montecristo No. 4 Montecristo Petit Edmundo Partagas Serie D No. 4 Partagas Shorts Partagas Serie E No. 2 Partagas Mille Fleurs Partagas Lusitania Por Larranaga Petit Corona Por Larranaga Montecarlo Punch Punch Quai D'Orsay Coronas Claro Ramon Allones Specially Selected Ramon Allones Club Allones Romeo y Julieta Mille Fleurs Romeo y Julieta Cazadores Saint Luis Rey Regios San Cristobal de la Habana El Principe San Cristobal de la Habana La Punta Trinidad Reyes Vegas Robaina Famosos Vegas Robaina Unicos

A topic that comes up semi-regularly on our forum is what cigars to give newcomers for special occasions. After all, you don't want to cause offense, yet you don't want to give cigars that may go to waste to family and friends who are new to cigar smoking. Two of my cousins have humidors and a small collection, so they aren't new to the hobby, but others invited were. We met up the night before the wedding for cigars and scotches with my cousins, the best man and the bride's brothers and a few others. As my cousin was hosting he was happy to hand out some H.Upmann Half Coronas or Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No.2's. I suggested that we start with Cohiba Shorts Puritos because these are a short smoke, only 10 to 15 minutes and if some newcomers didn't take to them, then they could toss them without any offense. If they wanted another, then my cousin could hand out some H.Upmann Half Coronas or Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No.2's Well, this was a great plan as one or two patrons didn't take to the Cohiba Shorts at all, the groom was so taken with his that he wanted another, and my cousin's godfather moved onto a Cohiba Siglo II. I owed my cousin's husband a cigar as he gifted me a nice Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No.2 in April at his daughter's christening this year, it goes without saying that the Hoyo de Monterrey Double Corona I gifted him was very well received! As can be seen from the images below, it was great wedding weekend!

Hello Admins & All, I am new to the world of cigars, maybe since a month or two. My first Non-Cuban was a hand rolled, no brand cigar from a cigar store near where I work. It was some mild cigar that the guy in the store recommended for a beginner. I was interested and upon further research I found ton of info online. My first Cuban cigar was a Montecristo #5, paired with single malt on my daughter’s birthday. I immediately recognized the distinctive difference in flavor vs Non-Cubans. The #5 wasn’t even a full-size cigar but nevertheless the complexity and the earthiness was way beyond my expectation. There is so much information online and misinformation about CC’s, but just by saying it is nothing but hype, I think that’s just BS. I joined FOH to dive further into my exploration for good cigars and be a part of this diverse and great community!! Thank you all.

Morning all! Just emigrating back to the UK from a three year stint in Asia (....where I've picked up a certain bi-weekly Cuban habit! ) and thought I'd join FOH properly! Looking forward to speaking to you more on here, and meeting up with any Manchester-based folk for a smoke. ( Anyone have any good spots in the city they know of to relax and light one up in? ) Thanks H

Hello everyone, I'm fairly new to CC's. So far I've really enjoyed everything I've tried from my recently acquired sampler. Anyway, I'm excited to refine my pallet and find my favorite smoke.

Hello from Birmingham in the UK. Found the forum from watching the FOH reviews on YouTube. I tend to like thicker ring gauges and medium/medium full cigars - my current "go to" is the Partagas Serie D No.4. I've been smoking Cuban's for about twenty years.

Hello everyone, I'm fairly new to CC's. So far I've really enjoyed everything I've tried from my recently acquired sampler. Anyway, I'm excited to refine my pallet and find my favorite smoke.

Hello botl and sotl, Thank you for having me. I have to admit that I have been lurking for years. I figured it was time to come out of the shadows. I first began smoking cigars back in '91. I still remember my first cigar: a Bances. I loved those tubed cigars and used to actively seek them out. I graduated to a pipe in '93 and still enjoy the odd puff, but it tends to be more in the wintertime. In early 2002 a friend introduced me to the world of online cigar purchases. I made a few purchases from Uncle Mikey's and then I was introduced to a few online Cuban suppliers. I quickly fell down the rabbit hole ordering desktop humidor after desktop humidor to store all the cigars I was ordering. I quickly realized that this wasn't practical and have been rocking the coolerdors ever since. I'm jam packed right now but I'm happy to report that the walkin humidor is coming this year. I purchased $10k worth of Cuban cigars for the first few years, smoking everything almost as fast as I was ordering. It took the birth of my daughter to slow down. But like you all know, you can slow down but not ever completely get away from your vice and hobby. I only smoke Cuban cigars now and usually one a day. Weekends are when I'll have multiple cigars. I'm sitting on the Andaman Sea and I thought this would be a great time to make my first post. I'm enjoying a Hoyo Epi #2 as I write this post. JW Marriott has always allowed me to order to the hotel so that I can collect my purchases for my holidays. Upon arrival here in Thailand, I had HU Mag 46's, Monte Medio Coro's, PSD4's, Punch Punches, Hoyo Epi Especial, and Hoyo Epi #2's, waiting for me. I grabbed a bottle of Highland Park Einar on the way through Hong Kong and I enjoy a cigar and scotch every night. ...love holiday time. Who doesn't!?! I love scouring tobacco shops while on holiday for gems. I found some old SLR Petite Coronas in Aix-en-Province last year and promptly bought them all. My favourite cigar ever was a Cuban Davidoff Mille Series 1000 that I smoked at JJ Fox in London. It was complete perfection. Feel free to visit my reviews at http://www.cigars-review.org/users/cookj1.htm . I try to use this website so I can keep track of everything I smoke but there are many missing entries. Duplicate entries are only made when there's a difference from a previously smoked cigar. On a personal level, I'm from Vancouver, Canada. I came to Canada at the youthful age of 6 months old , from Perth, Australia. I'm married and have a 9 year old daughter. I'm a currency trader and I'm over 16 years into my career. I have a Norwich Terrier whom I love to death, named Eddie after the lead singer of Pearl Jam. I am a proud and staunch supporter of Tottenham Hotspur. Don't hold that against me. My great grandmother lived a few blocks from White Hart Lane. My family is from the area and I was born into it, just like my daughter. To me, life is family, cigars, fine drinks, and the friends that make it all so worthwhile. I hope you all smoke in good health and have the ability to enjoy all that life has to offer. Thank you again for having me. Feel free to reach out anytime. Jay

Just a quick hello. A few of my cigar smoking friends told me about the site and I thought I'd check it out. Currently trying out Ramon Allones, Allones Superiores.

Hello all, Here in Charlotte and loving this group. From the "what you are buying" to the "daily smoke". I used to smoke only while on work trips in the UK and Europe at big dinners, started to get more and more into the CC habit here in the US. Have always loved the Montecristo #2 and have some stock from 2010 on wards. Have branched into Cohiba and some others but still getting my feet wet with all the brands, limited editions and regional's. I have also started trying some Nicaraguans, really enjoyed the Ashton Symmetry in the last few months. Overall, looking forward to the advice, info, fun and buying in this group. If you are in the Charlotte area, let me know your favorite places to smoke!

Hello everybody from Perth, W.A. I have been enjoying this forum after discovering the informative and usually very funny video reviews. There's such a wealth of information here. I've been interested in cigars since a great trip to Cuba 12 years ago, more recently starting to take things a bit more seriously. Compared to the experience of many on the forum, I'm definitely a novice. I love that feeling how when smoking a cracking cigar, time slows down. Into most cigars but particularly Paratagás and Hoyos. Happy to meet you all. Best wishes, Paul

Hello All, I am pleased to have found this site, as it appears there is a wealth of information for newbies. I have enjoyed NC for many years. Not until visiting LCDH in Playa Del Carmen last Dec 2015, did I encounter/experience CCs. It has opened a new chapter in my smoking habit. Now, I am probably like the savy CC veterans were 5,10,15, 20 years ago; trying to learn as much as possible, figure out a reputable source, and identify my taste in this category. This will be my only post for a long while. I don't want to be the guy that asks a question that was already answered a 1000x. I will pour through the forum and gather my knowledge base. Keep sharing. Mike W San Diego, CA.