Expert: James Yee - 1/12/2010

Question
Hi, I’m at sort of a loss as to which cigar to buy first.  I never smoked anything before but the other day I was at a party and an acquaintance handed me a cigar.  I fell in love (with cigars, not the guy).  Now I can’t figure out what to try first.  I don’t want to jump into this by buying a $700 cigar but I can’t stand those $7 a pack ones from the gas station.  I don’t mind spending some money but I want to ease into this.  Could you suggest a few different kinds that I could try?  I’ve found some “samplers” from various catalogs that had, for example, 10 different cigars for $40.  I’m not sure if this is a good idea or if this is a good way to get ripped off.  That doesn’t seem like much for good cigars but I don’t know if they’re good or not.  Please, any advice you can give me is much appreciated.  I am very much the novice.  -John

Answer
Hi John,

For beginners, it's always best to start out with mild-to-medium bodied cigars as they're less likely to upset your stomach.  Once your stomach and palate is used to smoking cigars, you can gradually move up to medium and full bodied cigars.

For starters, try these mild-to-medium non-Cuban cigar brands that you should try:

(In no particular order)

Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur
Sancho Panza
Montecristo
Romeo y Julieta
Davidoff
Avo
Padron
Padron Anniversario
Perdomo
CAO
Veracruz
Montesino
Dunhill
Graycliff

Here's a list of mild-to-medium Cuban cigar brands (if you ever get a chance to try them):

(In no particular order)

Romeo y Julieta
Sancho Panza
Guantanamera
Jose Piedra
Fonseca
Saint Luis Rey
El Rey du Mundo
San Cristobal de La Habana
Vegas Robaina

(NOTE: You may notice that some Cuban cigar brands have the same name as the non-Cuban brands.  Although the packaging may look similar, these are completely different brands made with completely different tobacco by two different companies.  The non-Cuban version simply uses the same brand name as the original Cuban counterparts.)

Premium cigar "sampler packs" that you can buy at most cigar shops and online retailers is a nice and affordable way of trying different brands of cigars.  The more cigars you smoke, the more defined your palate becomes.  Some sampler packs will have lesser known cigar brands while some will have more popular cigars.  The more you learn about cigars, the more you'll recognize premium cigar brand names and this will help you choose a cigar sampler that interests you.

Hopes this helps!  If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.

Regards,
James