Well, to be honest, I really don't know just what I've tried so far. Today I had Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino (I think it was a #11) but as I said before, I bought my current stash from a friend who supposedly had a bunch of "good" cigars and was giving them up. After reading a lot, looking at fake labels and trying to figure out what to look for (triple caps, full leaf wrappers, etc.) I think some of the stuff he has is good quality but certainly not Cuban. It appears that other stuff he bought was junk. Hard draw, hot, hard to burn, etc. I know he didn't realize, since I am finding out how easy it is to be fooled. So, I figure I'll smoke them and see if I can figure out what it is I have. It's a lousy way to start, but I'll muddle through. To be real honest, I don't mind saying that I've been pretty stupid about the whole thing. I figured I'd get a bunch of good cigars and just sit down and enjoy them (much like the emperor enjoyed his new clothes, I guess.) I think I'm starting to get a little smarter and the smarter I get, the stupider I am!

The cigar I had today seemed very mild, almost no taste until I got down about 1/3 of the way, then it started coming on with what I can only describe as a "woody" taste. It burned well and evenly all the way down and had a really nice aroma. By the time I got to the end I was really enjoying it. I also had a knock off of a Bolivar (don't know which one) but I enjoyed that, too. Last week I had a very dark wrapped cigar, fat and long, (forget the brand and didn't write it down - I won't make that mistake again) and it was very overpowering. I will try to update you on what I think I have smoked, and hopefully will not wear out my welcome.

Last month I was in Ireland and I did buy some cigars from what appeared to be a very good cigar shop. It was down the end of Grafton St in Dublin. I bought an assortment of what I hope are true Cubans, but haven't dug into them yet. From reading some of the tips I've seen about forgeries, these might actually be the real thing, but I'm going to finish the ones that i got from my friend before I dig into them. By then I should have a pretty good idea of desirable texture, taste, burn, etc.

One note here... I am not trying to be a snob, but I am trying to get an idea of what is good quality and what isn't. Years ago when I started drinking wine I made it a point to go out and get the ones that were top rated by people who knew more than I did. At that time I would have thought that Welch's grape juice was a fine wine. But what I found was as time went on I could taste a wine, and if I liked it, it was usually rated well. I also found that wines didn't have to be expensive (or French !!!) to be good, and I am sure it is similar with cigars. My hope is that I will be able to build a proper taste with smoke that those more knowledgable than I rate highly, then move on to my own selections. It sounds as if that is exactly the idea behind the exchange with the FOG's It is a great idea (I wish I had known about it sooner,) and as soon as I get through what I have now I will definately take someone up on the offer. For now, I am really enjoying investigating the ones I have.

Along these lines, does anyone care to talk a little about how they developed their tastes and perhaps relive some mistakes that you made when you first started? I'd be interested in learning from them.

Mark