Brian24

Hahaha.

Avoid alcohol for 6 months. Some people will say you aren’t trying to quit drinking, you’re trying to quit smoking. This is true, but after a drink or two your brain will do everything in its power to convince you one or two smokes is not big deal. Also, for me my alcohol tolerance plummeted when not smoking. Like the stimulant kept me awake and not wanting to turn in. Congrats, you’ll be a cheaper date. Others have said only go cold turkey. I disagree. As between gum, patches, and lozenges I’d recommend the lozenges. Gum loses it after just a minute or two and the lozenges tend to taste better. Also, get some laxatives. Black coffee and cigs will move the bowels like clockwork. Takes a while for the coffee alone to do the trick. Good luck. Not very fun.

That’s pretty cool. Great find.

Some wrap during the stall, some don’t. I don’t and have never had an issue with a dry brisket. I usually just do the flat, as opposed to the whole brisket. The part they remove tends to have a different cook time, which leads to inconsistent results. - rub on mustard. Rub on rub. - make sure room temp before you put it on the smoker. 3-4 hours at room temp. - don’t spray with apple juice or anything else for at least a couple hours. Otherwise you just wash the rub off. - be patient thetough the stall. It’s just the fat breaking down and the meat cooling itself. This is a good thing. - have fun, in my limited experience it is not as unforgiving as people say.

I’d say approx 275, I’ve got a dozen 25 ct boxes in various stages of empty and a large miscellaneous box for consolidation when a fresh box arrives.

Smoking fast ruins the cigar IMO. I have no idea how you’d smoke that fast and not wind up with a scorched and acrid experience.

I live in Nashville, relocated recently from Ohio, seems to be much more friendly climate in the south.

I’d love to start exploring some custom rolls. As a US resident, I just have zero idea about how to get started short of going to Cuba.

Sig 3

The Canada tobacco tax blows my mind.

I think this is a great idea.

If it comes off easily pre light then it comes off. Otherwise it stays on. I’ve had a run of cigars I either haven’t been able or haven’t been interested in nibbling lately, so I haven’t really had a need to get past the band unfortunately.

Agree. Great story.

I am relatively new to Cuban cigars, maybe 3-4 years. I had my first great Cuban cigar after a number of years having enjoyed very good non Cuban cigars, e.g. padron. When I’m in the states, so if I’m at a brick and mortar or an event where I’m expected to buy a smoke, I will now almost exclusively get a Connecticut wrapped cigar. Although mild, they tend to have a Cuban esque flavor or two. After that first great experience, I probably bought a dozen boxes early on, only to find I really didn’t like some ‘brands’ e.g. Cuaba, Ramon Allones. More importantly, I discovered I absolutely loved smaller ring gauges. Which I did not buy during the initial fury. Non Cubans seem to be rolled larger, so that’s what I was used to. That’s what I bought. Fortunately, folks will trade and it all sorted itself out. Now I probably buy about a box a quarter. I probably over did it and really wish I ordered multiple singles, of all sizes, zeroed in on what I liked and moved forward from there. Also, 24:24 quarter boxes are great. You can let those hang out for a month to a year after you receive to see how they evolve. If you like them, pick them up. It takes time to build up a haul that you will personally truly enjoy working through over the years. Like you, I do not have very much aged stock. Maybe 3 years max on the Cuban stuff. That’s the fun of it for me, there is no rush. If you find what you like, buy a few boxes, and smoke one a month. If you smoke 2-3 cigars a week, you don’t need to many boxes to wind up with aging stock. You will know when they’re on. I’ve been blown away by the transformation on some smokes, in as little as 180 days. Like other folks have said, if money and storage are no object, the world is your oyster. If you’re like me with some disposable income, a young family, and storage for a dozen boxes, make a point to definitively find what you like. I still keep one larger box for singles and odd cigar pick ups. And I find myself combining boxes of similar cigars to make way for new stock. For example, I recently had about 10 ERDM and 10 D4s left. I combined those boxes and picked up a fresh box. Your system will evolve. Enjoy the ride.

No date or box code, I have a couple singles. I haven’t had too many, but these are great. Better burn than any D4 I’ve ever had. Similar flavor profile. I’d say a little sweeter, or a sweet backbone on this one, but I’m having a rum and Dr. Pepper, so that might have something to do with it. I just love how the smaller formats don’t seem to come with the burn headaches and still have a reliable great taste. Love this cigar, happens to be one of the first on my deck after relocating to Nashville, which may also have something to do with it.