Newbie: Cigar vs cigarettes

**gk101** · 06-18-2009, 12:02 PM

Hey guys, I am another newbie to this site. I am from Vancouver, Canada and new to this cigar business. I have been smoking cigarettes for a few years but decided to quit recently. And to be honest I never really liked cigars but the many that I tried were the gas stations type (that many of few despise on this site). A few weeks ago, a friend of mine came back from Cuba with a few Montecristos, and man did I ever enjoy it. Opened a whole new world to me. Now I am planning to do a newbie sampler offered on this site and start my own collection. Can anybody point me to a general forum for info on cigars.

The reason for this post is a bit different. A few days ago, I had an interesting conversation with an acquaintance of mine who grew up on a tobacco farm in Canada. He is a big cigar person and mentioned something very curious. He said that smoking cigarettes is a health issue because of all the chemicals that they have in them, which is understandable. The intersting part is that tobacco itself has not been proven by medical researchers to be dangerous to your health. Natural tobacco without any chemicals, which is used in cigars, is not nearly as bad as smoking. For me, the general dogma is that smoking a cigar is like smoking half a pack of smokes. What are your thoughts on this? And does this have any merit?

**ashauler** · 06-18-2009, 12:10 PM

Originally Posted by gk101

Hey guys, I am another newbie to this site. I am from Vancouver, Canada and new to this cigar business. I have been smoking cigarettes for a few years but decided to quit recently. And to be honest I never really liked cigars but the many that I tried were the gas stations type (that many of few despise on this site). A few weeks ago, a friend of mine came back from Cuba with a few Montecristos, and man did I ever enjoy it. Opened a whole new world to me. Now I am planning to do a newbie sampler offered on this site and start my own collection. Can anybody point me to a general forum for info on cigars.

The reason for this post is a bit different. A few days ago, I had an interesting conversation with an acquaintance of mine who grew up on a tobacco farm in Canada. He is a big cigar person and mentioned something very curious. He said that smoking cigarettes is a health issue because of all the chemicals that they have in them, which is understandable. The intersting part is that tobacco itself has not been proven by medical researchers to be dangerous to your health. Natural tobacco without any chemicals, which is used in cigars, is not nearly as bad as smoking. For me, the general dogma is that smoking a cigar is like smoking half a pack of smokes. What are your thoughts on this? And does this have any merit?

Welcome to the forum. If you use the search function you'll find quite a bit of info on cigars.....after all, that is what this site is all about.

**badwhale** · 06-18-2009, 12:23 PM

Welcome to:

Cigarsmokers.com
A cigar smokers community and discussion forum.

from Bitterville, PA

Will

**big bill** · 06-18-2009, 02:35 PM

Welcome from North Carolina

**Smoked!** · 06-18-2009, 03:01 PM

Welcome. The gents on this board have collected a great deal of useful information on, "all things cigar." Search around. You may be pleasantly surprised.

To respond to the stated reason for your post, I believe there is a a study from the Curie University regarding cigar vs. cigarette smokers and incidences of disease. (You can do a search for it if you are so inclined.) Carcinogens are not the only health factor to consider. If you are concerned about your health, seek advice from a medical professional.

IMO, tobacco use in any form is certainly not "healthy" for you. Enjoyed in moderation, cigar smoking likely will contribute only minimally to your c.o.d.

**mrtr33** · 06-18-2009, 03:04 PM

Welcome from northern Louisiana.

If you're smoking cigars as a "healthy" option to smoking cigarettes, I'm afraid you aren't going to find that to be the case. I used to smoke cigarettes as well - for 17 years, before I quit on my 30th birthday. Once I picked up smoking cigars, it was a whole different story - I could taste differences in tobaccos, sizes, and wrappers. Almost everyone on this board has a better tasting palate than I do, but I can definitely say that cigars have a better flavor about them than cigarettes do.

Basically, it boils down to this: I smoke because I like to. I smoke to relax. I don't think about how a cigar or two a week will affect my health. Takes the enjoyment out of it. Search around, others may have better insight....

**golfermd** · 06-19-2009, 10:44 AM

Welcome to Cigar Smokers. By all means look through the site. Concetrate especially on the Reviews threads as the entries there will give you some ideas on the different flavor prfiles, bodies and members likes and dislikes of the cigar they are reviewing.

**Stinkdyr** · 06-19-2009, 03:06 PM

Welcome to the world of cigars! Quite a step up from cigarettes, IMO. Strange as it may sound, I HATE the smell of cigarettes, and LOVE the smell of cigars. Maybe I am a hypocrite, or maybe cigar tobacco is just light-years better than stinkettes. Dunno.