CIGAR SMOKIN' AND BS

Yea I'm kinda leaning toward having one as well

 

I see you’re in Lakewood, I lived in Cerritos for 75% of my life. Head over to old town Bellflower and visit Bo’s. He’s got 3 shops in our area but Bellflower is the newest & they have a beer\wine license (super rare in CA). Bo is a 70ish bald guy, dark skin but IDK his ethnicity, maybe El Salvadorian? He’s almost always there with a couple employees ready to make recommendations. Bo breaks the stereotype of asshole shop owners that are inconvenienced by you visiting their store & having the audacity to ask questions. He’s there clearing tables, pouring drinks & swapping ashtrays as needed. I have absolutely 0 affiliation with him, and I wish I was still close enough to visit regularly but alas it’s a bit of a drive from La Habra the last couple years.

Cigars are like wine: there are thousands to choose from & it’s impossible to know what it tastes like from only a description. You gotta try em, take notes, hone down the qualities you do (and don’t) like.

 

Thanks! My neighbor actually recommended Bo's as well, glad to hear it's a casual setting. I'll definitely have to find time to stop by.

Had this Romeo y Julieta Numero Dos on Friday night and quite enjoyed it. Definitely better than the Gurkha I had last time.

 

Undercrown 10 with my coffee on a wet, windy afternoon. Enjoyable cigar and for me a much more interesting profile than the standard Undercrown Maduro.

 

Those of you who buy your cigars online... any suggestions on good places to shop? Specifically, was hoping to try and find some kind of sample pack perhaps, so I can try a few different things. I do still need to stop by the local cigar shop and talk to them. So far only been into the local Total Wine store, selection seemed fine but now that I'm looking online it seems there are WAY better prices to be had by shopping online.

Seems the Nubs are highly recommended here and that led me to this: https://www.jrcigars.com/item/cigar-samplers/oliva-nub-collection-1/OL1SMP.html#read-more

 

Cigarbid.com

 

Famous Smoke Shop. I try to use them before anyone else. It’s a U.S. private, family owned business, not some foreign conglomerate. famous-smoke.com

 

This is far too high class a place for me, I smoke gas station class cigars.

 

Life is too short for cheap cigars

 

Do you have a humidor? Samplers are a good way to try a number of different things but you’ll need a storage solution even for shorter smokes like the Nub.

There was a suggestion for Cigarbid which can be a bit overwhelming being an auction site and cigars that average out at ridiculous prices per stick. It’s a good site if you know what you’re looking for and find reasonable deals to be had, but there’s also a reason why a lot of the stuff is priced where it is. Just don’t overpay on MSRP and don’t go overboard with how many sticks you can get for X dollars or you’ll end up with a lot of stuff you don’t want to smoke (I’m still unloading stuff onto friends I play golf with!).

Another poster mentioned Famous and they’re a solid option too. I’m a little biased now towards them since their mothership/lounge is in the same town as the dealership I bought by truck so I’ve visited them twice in the last few weeks.

Online I probably frequent SmokeInn, Neptune Cigars, and Luxury Cigar Club for mail orders. Not so much for budget blends but they run some good deals from time to time. Also look to order around a holiday as they all generally have sales of 20% off and rewards programs too.

 

foxcigar.com the best hands down

 

Thanks, everyone, I'll have to check these places out and see what I can find.

Yeah, definitely not in a place where it makes sense to bid on anything as I don't know much of anything yet.

No formal humidor, but I do have a Boveda Humidor bag and humidity packs. I figured this was a good, cheap option to have for trying a few here and there. If I end up going down the rabbit hole more than I can pick up an apache or other plastic case as was talked about in this thread or possibly a real humidor. Either way, currently, I'm able to store a small handful without issue. And yeah, definitely not planning on buying in bulk at the moment. But, it seemed like a 5-10 stick sampler could be a good buy so I can affordably try a few things and not have more than I can store properly.

I appreciate the insights - thanks!

 

the crow flies straight

 

Nub Connecticut and left hand peanut butter stout