I Want to Try Hand-rolled Cigars

[djwebb1969]

The selection of hand-rolled cigars is vast. What I'd like to know is, where do people buy the machine made cigars? I don't see many offered online, and when I see them, they are out of stock. I wouldn't know where in this tobacco belt city I could buy a King Edward. Not smoking right now for health reasons, but I'm still curious.

Well I buy them online in the UK. You can get Hamlet cigars in many normal shops here, but not the full range of the other ones.

 

[username]

the gas stations near me still sale machine made cigars i figure thats their primary outlet.

 

[felix Cappuccio]

I've been enjoying some machine-cut cigars. The best I've found are Henri Wintermans Half Corona Dutch Cigars and King Edward Coronets. I tried Guantanamera Puritos, but didn't like them.
What is the best Cuban hand-rolled cigar to start with? and would Carlin Double Blade Cigar Cutter Black Ice suit all cigars? And do all cigars require humidors? Thank for any advice.

 

[felix Cappuccio]

I can't recommend a cuban

I've been enjoying some machine-cut cigars. The best I've found are Henri Wintermans Half Corona Dutch Cigars and King Edward Coronets. I tried Guantanamera Puritos, but didn't like them.
What is the best Cuban hand-rolled cigar to start with? and would Carlin Double Blade Cigar Cutter Black Ice suit all cigars? And do all cigars require humidors? Thank for any advice.

 

[badbriar]

My 2c worth from enjoying cigars for quite a while...
Forget machine made cigars - they are crap with floor sweepings as fillers. For real.
Forget Cubans - they have gotten to be uber expensive and are not nearly as good as they were prior to 2000.
Yes, you will pay around $400.00 - $600.00 for a box of recent production good Cubans. Even Monty 4's are over $300.00 per box now - if you can find them!.
Good Nicaraguan and Dominican cigars are actually much better and certainly stronger than the current Cuban offerings, at about a third the cost. A couple of excellent sticks to get you started; Foundation The Tabernacle - go for the Goliath. LFD Lanox. Liga Privada No.9 and T52. Any Padron 64 maduro. Ashton VSG. These are all stronger, but smooth and falvorful cigars that will not dissappoint!

 

[Coreios]

My 2c worth from enjoying cigars for quite a while...
Forget machine made cigars - they are crap with floor sweepings as fillers. For real.
Forget Cubans - they have gotten to be uber expensive and are not nearly as good as they were prior to 2000.
Yes, you will pay around $400.00 - $600.00 for a box of recent production good Cubans. Even Monty 4's are over $300.00 per box now - if you can find them!.
Good Nicaraguan and Dominican cigars are actually much better and certainly stronger than the current Cuban offerings, at about a third the cost. A couple of excellent sticks to get you started; Foundation The Tabernacle - go for the Goliath. LFD Lanox. Liga Privada No.9 and T52. Any Padron 64 maduro. Ashton VSG. These are all stronger, but smooth and falvorful cigars that will not dissappoint!

You're 100% correct. Real Cuban sticks are rushed and not rolled very well. Machine sticks are paper basically flavored cigarettes. More time and effort is being spent in Nicaragua, Dominican, and Honduras. Id rather have a Drew Estate Factory smoke than pay those prices for a Cuban. Which is actually an okay stick.

 

[zedman05]

“Best” is dependent on your palate. Just like pipe tobacco.
You want Cuban or Non Cuban ? They have their benefits.
If you want a fantastic Cuban, that won’t break the bank, usually the best place to start is:
Short cigars-
Partagas Short
H Upmann Half Corona
Ramon Allones Specially Selected
Medium length-
Ramon Allones Superiores
Partagas D4
Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No.1
Juan Lopez No.1
H Upmann Connoisseur No.1

Those should give a few options.
A humidor is not necessary unless you plan on aging for a bit. A boveda in a tupperdore works just fine for a bit.

Any good, sharp cutter is fine. The staple for years has been the Xikars. Reliable, well made cutters. Guillotine, V-cut, punch, doesn’t matter to the cigar. As long as you cut as little of the top off as possible, to allow a draw, then you are good.