Evolving or Devolving?
- Thread starter sgoselin
- Start date
Thanks for this, sgoselin.
I've enjoyed cigars since I was a kid, only 41 now, so it'll take me awhile to catch up to you.
When I started checking out the cigar forums online, it took me about 15 minutes to coin the term "cnob". The arrogance and uptightness surrounding cigars was just about enough to make me puke.
Then I found this place. Just a bunch or regular knuckleheads sharing some fun.
One thing I have learned is that if there's lots of hype around a particular smoke, it's very likely it's going to suck. It's because my taste runs out of the mainstream, I suppose. That, and I'm very picky. Too many cigars out there, so little time. It makes no sense for me to try and force myself to like something.
There's also that "mystique" that's wrapped around cc's. The whole bad boy, not allowed, sinner thing that makes them so appealing.
To date I've only tried 15 or 20 cc's. Of those, there are exactly 2 that I'd like to smoke again. Cuaba and ERDM. I've found all the rest flowery and sissified.
Today I am fortunate to have been gifted a Sancho Panza cc. I had an nc Sancho over the weekend and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A double quixote, I believe. I'll smoke the cc Sancho today, and I'm excited about it.
Point is, I'm always half afraid to say "Ya know, this thing sucks" for fear that I'll be an outcast. :r
My fear is that my opinion will be misconstrued. I have smoked literally hundreds of gifted cigars. At least 20 this past weekend. Even though I didn't like most of them, I enjoyed every one. I enjoyed the opportunity to experience the cigar. I enjoyed thinking that someone thought enough of me that they wanted me to try what they like.
And I smiled with every one I sparked up, even if I tossed it in the fire after 20 minutes.
I'm very leary of hype. A good amount of the hype that surrounds isom's has always smelled a lot like ego to me, and I thank you very much for validating that. I also realize that just as much of the hype is out of pleasure. It should be pretty easy to tell which is which.
It takes a big man to be so humble. (Don't let that go to your head.) :r
Thank you, my friend. It's a great gift you've given. Nothing like learning from someone else's experience. :tu
I've enjoyed cigars since I was a kid, only 41 now, so it'll take me awhile to catch up to you.
When I started checking out the cigar forums online, it took me about 15 minutes to coin the term "cnob". The arrogance and uptightness surrounding cigars was just about enough to make me puke.
Then I found this place. Just a bunch or regular knuckleheads sharing some fun.
One thing I have learned is that if there's lots of hype around a particular smoke, it's very likely it's going to suck. It's because my taste runs out of the mainstream, I suppose. That, and I'm very picky. Too many cigars out there, so little time. It makes no sense for me to try and force myself to like something.
There's also that "mystique" that's wrapped around cc's. The whole bad boy, not allowed, sinner thing that makes them so appealing.
To date I've only tried 15 or 20 cc's. Of those, there are exactly 2 that I'd like to smoke again. Cuaba and ERDM. I've found all the rest flowery and sissified.
Today I am fortunate to have been gifted a Sancho Panza cc. I had an nc Sancho over the weekend and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A double quixote, I believe. I'll smoke the cc Sancho today, and I'm excited about it.
Point is, I'm always half afraid to say "Ya know, this thing sucks" for fear that I'll be an outcast. :r
My fear is that my opinion will be misconstrued. I have smoked literally hundreds of gifted cigars. At least 20 this past weekend. Even though I didn't like most of them, I enjoyed every one. I enjoyed the opportunity to experience the cigar. I enjoyed thinking that someone thought enough of me that they wanted me to try what they like.
And I smiled with every one I sparked up, even if I tossed it in the fire after 20 minutes.
I'm very leary of hype. A good amount of the hype that surrounds isom's has always smelled a lot like ego to me, and I thank you very much for validating that. I also realize that just as much of the hype is out of pleasure. It should be pretty easy to tell which is which.
It takes a big man to be so humble. (Don't let that go to your head.)
:rThank you, my friend. It's a great gift you've given. Nothing like learning from someone else's experience. :tu
Wouldn't it be hilarious if sgoselin just works for the company that makes these
(I am NOT saying that this is the case at all...but what GREAT advertisement!!) On a serious note, Thank you for sharing your story! Tastes change and it is always nice when you find a favorite that is easy to come by (well, maybe not after everyone here smokes them up
) Your love for cigars is evident in your story and I think it is great that you are still looking for "The Perfect Smoke." Everyone knows there is no such thing...but the search for it sure is fun!!you say that as if it were a bad thing
:r :r
To date I've only tried 15 or 20 cc's. Of those, there are exactly 2 that I'd like to smoke again. Cuaba and ERDM. I've found all the rest flowery and sissified.
Today I am fortunate to have been gifted a Sancho Panza cc. I had an nc Sancho over the weekend and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A double quixote, I believe. I'll smoke the cc Sancho today, and I'm excited about it.
If I sent you the SP, a couple thoughts - don't expect it to be anything like the NC, and don't be surprised if it's sissifed
I wouldn't call it flowery, but it is mild - a good breakfast cigar...:2
edit - and no worries if you don't like it!
SmokeyJoe
Elder Jungle Leader
I very much appreciate your post... and could not agree more with the "smoke what you like" mantra. I like Opus X, God of Fire, and various ISOMs, but I have been enjoying some El Rico Habanos and Saint Luis Reys that are far less expensive - and I am enjoying just as much.
Great post, brother! :ss
Great post, brother! :ss
I'm gonna smoke that bad boy right now, Julian.If I sent you the SP, a couple thoughts - don't expect it to be anything like the NC, and don't be surprised if it's sissifed
:2
edit - and no worries if you don't like it!
I'm headed for the car with it.
Like I said, for me, it's not nearly so much about the "like" as it is the opportunity.
If it were not for you and so many other brothers here, I'd have never found the jewels that I have. I figured from the start that I'd have to kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince, and that's what this thing is.
A couple years from now my humi's will be full of stuff that I actually like as a result of the generosity here.
Who knows, that SP you sent might be just what I like. I just keep an open mind and keep smoking everything anyone sends. I love it, and I love you guys for it. Doesn't make a shit whether I like the cigar or not, ya know?
If it weren't for you, when would I ever get a chance to burn an '01 Sancho Panza? That's what I'm talking about. :tu
That's cool, and whether or not I like the cigar has no bearing whatever on how excited I am to quit typing and get to smoking.
Thanks Julian!!!
Everyone here knows the seceret to enjoying Aged Havana's is how one light's them..... using anything less than a 100 dollar bill just wont bring out those delicate flavors..... Just Kidding.
You are a lucky man to know what you like and not to be pursuaded by the snobbery that at times says any havana is better than any Non cuban... except Gurkha's of course, because we all know Gurkhas are better than some cubans :r
I'm just rambling, I enjoyed your post, very refreshing...... Thanks
You are a lucky man to know what you like and not to be pursuaded by the snobbery that at times says any havana is better than any Non cuban... except Gurkha's of course, because we all know Gurkhas are better than some cubans :r
I'm just rambling, I enjoyed your post, very refreshing...... Thanks
The Bull Goose has been at this longer than most so his experiences are always a must read.. at least for me.
Personally, the quest for the poo has pretty much ended. Been there kind of thing. Exploring the smoking now vs just a manic buying urge. The smoking is interesting and the more you learn the more some of the comments from the elders here come back to resonate.
Storage and provenance "is the issue" at least for me for most cigars. Identical cigars, identical box codes yields vastly different smoking experience based upon how they were stored. There is no better provenance than cigars you have purchased and aged yourself. This becomes more apparent to me as the years go by and my personally aged cigars start taking on the characteristics that they may.
Fresh cigars hold a vast amount of smoking pleasure for me lately. Don't think so much about potential and just sit back and enjoy them for what they are today.
Company to me always has a huge impact on the appreciation of a cigar. If a brother hands me a stick at a herf, can 100% guarantee I will enjoy it more than if I pulled an identical cigar from my humi.
The NC vs C argument seems more valid today than 10 years ago. NC cigars are "catching up". Smoked a 14 year old Padron anniversario over the weekend. One very experienced brother thought it was a R&J Clemenceau. Very enlightening.
The concept of relative value is the thing that creeps into my smoking thoughts vs the absolute statements made by the OP here. So many fresh NC and C cigars today that are reasonable in price and when you contrast them with vintage cigars that are not, it's pretty hard to justify the price difference in relative terms. Have not come to the point where bundle cigars actually taste better.. but the relative thinking starts to creep into the equation. I notice that when trying to review a cigar what I choose to think about at the time has a huge impact on the perception of flavors.
It's like wine I guess in that blind the differences fool even the most experienced tasters. However, the aspects of enjoying a cigar have everything to do with that which is going on in your head at the time. How you feel about the cigar, company, the environment, your life etc.
So where are you going to allocate all the extra $$$ you are saving from cigars Steve?
Personally, the quest for the poo has pretty much ended. Been there kind of thing. Exploring the smoking now vs just a manic buying urge. The smoking is interesting and the more you learn the more some of the comments from the elders here come back to resonate.
Storage and provenance "is the issue" at least for me for most cigars. Identical cigars, identical box codes yields vastly different smoking experience based upon how they were stored. There is no better provenance than cigars you have purchased and aged yourself. This becomes more apparent to me as the years go by and my personally aged cigars start taking on the characteristics that they may.
Fresh cigars hold a vast amount of smoking pleasure for me lately. Don't think so much about potential and just sit back and enjoy them for what they are today.
Company to me always has a huge impact on the appreciation of a cigar. If a brother hands me a stick at a herf, can 100% guarantee I will enjoy it more than if I pulled an identical cigar from my humi.
The NC vs C argument seems more valid today than 10 years ago. NC cigars are "catching up". Smoked a 14 year old Padron anniversario over the weekend. One very experienced brother thought it was a R&J Clemenceau. Very enlightening.
The concept of relative value is the thing that creeps into my smoking thoughts vs the absolute statements made by the OP here. So many fresh NC and C cigars today that are reasonable in price and when you contrast them with vintage cigars that are not, it's pretty hard to justify the price difference in relative terms. Have not come to the point where bundle cigars actually taste better.. but the relative thinking starts to creep into the equation. I notice that when trying to review a cigar what I choose to think about at the time has a huge impact on the perception of flavors.
It's like wine I guess in that blind the differences fool even the most experienced tasters. However, the aspects of enjoying a cigar have everything to do with that which is going on in your head at the time. How you feel about the cigar, company, the environment, your life etc.
So where are you going to allocate all the extra $$$ you are saving from cigars Steve?
My bro and I like to smoke MAXX cigars. the small 4 dollar ones. There not great, but we enjoy them and there cheap. it gives us 20 mins or so just to chill and shoot the S**T over a cigar and coffee.
My bro swore he heard a guy boo our choice of cigar selection once at the local B&M (the MAXX) and we where hardly phased by it. We smoked what we where enjoying and not gonna let anyone ruin that.
:ss
My bro swore he heard a guy boo our choice of cigar selection once at the local B&M (the MAXX) and we where hardly phased by it. We smoked what we where enjoying and not gonna let anyone ruin that.
:ss
:r
For me it's Tuition (x2), Wedding (x1) and my brides desire to replace everything but the studs in our home. At least that is what I think she means when she addresses me as "stud".
WeekendSmoker
Maturing Primate
It's not always easy to publicly state that one's favorite (fill in the blank) is not the most expensive (fill in the blank) that exists.
For me there are several "states" of smoking (or drinking / eating for that matter).
In one it is an analytical excersize where I will carefully will try to deconstruct a sensory experience in a variety of components and place each component into the relevant frame of reference to that component.
Then there is the social smoking (sensory) experience where the cigar is somewhat analyzed while enjoying the company of like minded people.
Finally, there is the situation where i'll just have a cigar/drink whatever as way to relax without paying too much attention to it.
All 3 paths are great if you're in the appropriate state of mind. I've tried to be analytical about a cigar while I was at a somewhat loud party and all that what happened is that I got annoyed at people because I didn't have the space to do my little ritual. Really, it was just a matter of a mismatch between the experience I was seeking and the situation I was in.
Anyway, a bit of self-awareness has helped me in enjoying my pastimes...
Rgds
WeekendSmoker
For me there are several "states" of smoking (or drinking / eating for that matter).
In one it is an analytical excersize where I will carefully will try to deconstruct a sensory experience in a variety of components and place each component into the relevant frame of reference to that component.
Then there is the social smoking (sensory) experience where the cigar is somewhat analyzed while enjoying the company of like minded people.
Finally, there is the situation where i'll just have a cigar/drink whatever as way to relax without paying too much attention to it.
All 3 paths are great if you're in the appropriate state of mind. I've tried to be analytical about a cigar while I was at a somewhat loud party and all that what happened is that I got annoyed at people because I didn't have the space to do my little ritual. Really, it was just a matter of a mismatch between the experience I was seeking and the situation I was in.
Anyway, a bit of self-awareness has helped me in enjoying my pastimes...
Rgds
WeekendSmoker
mostholycerebus
Gorilla
HA! The backwoods work their magic again! I've long defended them, and I just bought my first envelope. Perhaps I was lucky because when i started smoking cigars I would usually smoke with a buddy who always carried Backwoods. I would mooch one every night, and end up comparing it to whatever $2-$10 sticks I brought. There nothing more humbling than enjoying a 50-cent rough cigar more than some super-hyped super-premium you heard about. I figured pretty early that a band, a price tag, and a good smoke are three completely different things that don't necessarily have anything to do with each other.
Smoke what you enjoy, and enjoy what you smoke! :tu
Smoke what you enjoy, and enjoy what you smoke! :tu
This is exactly where my head is right now. I'm immensely proud of the fact that everything in my humi has been either in my possession or in the possession of a trusted source for a year or more and as I move forward more and more of the sticks I smoke that are aged will have been aged by me.
Tho sadly I'm still doing some poo searching, but I've only been at this a year.
FANTASTIC POST that brings out what I have been grappling with for months.
I feel that Bull Goose experienced an emancipation of sorts, like coming to a full circle with the whole thing.
As a 2-3 month old hobby, I am still stuck in price tags, what others say about a cigar, the forbidden fruit of the ISOM, the restlessness of seeking the PERFECT stogie and of course 'hoarding' as many as I can.
This intimate post helps me feel better about being stuck in the mire, feeling confident that change and clarity will come just like it did for the Bull Goose.
Someday, after the fullness of experiencing all kinds of stogies, I too will come full circle and get comfortable in my own smoke no matter what it is.
I too will kick back, not hoping for more, just enjoying the experience fully with no desire of any sorts involved.
'An unclouded day', as they say. :2
I feel that Bull Goose experienced an emancipation of sorts, like coming to a full circle with the whole thing.
As a 2-3 month old hobby, I am still stuck in price tags, what others say about a cigar, the forbidden fruit of the ISOM, the restlessness of seeking the PERFECT stogie and of course 'hoarding' as many as I can.
This intimate post helps me feel better about being stuck in the mire, feeling confident that change and clarity will come just like it did for the Bull Goose.
Someday, after the fullness of experiencing all kinds of stogies, I too will come full circle and get comfortable in my own smoke no matter what it is.
I too will kick back, not hoping for more, just enjoying the experience fully with no desire of any sorts involved.
'An unclouded day', as they say. :2
Insightful, introspective, and informative post. Reminded me of a Robert Frost poem - if I might indulge myself.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost
Corona Gigante
Ann Coulter's Cabana Boy
Maybe one factor to take into account: research shows that one's olfactory sensitivity, specifically one's ability to identify smells, drops off sharply after age 60.