Greetings all:
I'm brand new here.

I just wanted to say hello & to get some feedback on a couple of my observations. Not only am I new *here, I'm also new to the cigar world. Briefly, I quit smoking cigarettes years ago (late 20s, I'm now 50).... but I discovered a tendency to fall off that wagon a little whenever I went out of town on business. Thankfully that was only once or twice a year & I didn't smoke much.
Anyway, this time around I decided to fight fire with fire, as it were, & try a couple of cigars instead of cigs. Up to this point my only experience with cigars was over the counter stuff @ Seven Eleven (Antonio & CLeopatra grenadiers, Backwoods smokes, etc.). As you can imagine, I asked my local cigar store aficionado for some "smooth/mild" recommendations.
I came away loaded with three types, 2 of each: Macanudo Hyde Park; Oliva Connecticut; Arturo Fuente Hemingway. All 3 were pleasant surprises & were obviously out of this world compared to any other cigar I'd ever smoked.

At this point, I just want to see if my experience 'checks' with what is typical:

-- The Hemingway was um... "less mild" than the other 2.

-- ALL THREE had the unexpected pleasure of actually getting "milder" as it smoked. Is that real, or is that an illusion as my unaccustomed palette got more 'used' to the flavor as the cigar burned down? IOW, I sorta expected these things to get more 'harsh' the shorter they got, but all 3 ...if anything....got milder.

-- I also seemed to notice that the amount of 'ash' hanging off the end seemed to contribute to mildness. From my cigarette days I'm accustomed to 'flicking the ash' off the end, a lot, but I started resisting this urge with the cigars cuz it seemed to make a difference in the smoothness/mildness. Am I nuts, or is this really how it works?

-- I was STUNNED at how far down I was able to smoke the Oliva & Macanudo. They were both extremely pleasant like down to the last 1.5".

-- Final observation... the process of enjoying one of these (any of them) is a real investment in time. I'm currently on a little solo vacation & have time to...er.... 'burn'.... which is a good thing cuz this is like a 30 minute process. Not complaining, just reflecting. This seems to be the perfect thing to help one slow down, gaze out over nature, and reflect on life. No cigarette ever contributed so much meditative quality to my life.

Again, I'd be interested in any feedback to see how my experience/observation(s) reflect with that of others. I'll never be a regular cigar smoker--my wife would torture & kill me..... but in terms of 'naughty' solo pleasures, I'm ready to add this to my list!

THANKS!


pm1546