Cigars?

figs86

Seeing as the last thread on cigars is approaching 2 years old, i thought id start a new one!

i'm a special occassion cigar smoker or just when the holiday mood or nice situ arrives. could smoke 2 a day for a few days straight and then none for 6 months, waiting on holidays or just the mood to take me.

as it was asked before, cuban cigars are available here and while the best in the world are amongst them, dominican and others are also huge, mainly to supply the u.s. (which still has trade embargo with cuba, hence cubanos are illegal stateside)

hamlets arent really cigars, theyd be considered very small and and of awful quality by most cigar smokers.

cigars are available in dublin, all on grafton street.
JJ Fox's - opp trinity college (cheapest)
Peterson's - next door to Fox's (cost about 1euro more per cigar, they say due to their walk in humidor)
and Decent Cigar Emporium at top of grafton street towards the green is also expensive (its upstairs, around capt america's)

having been into each shop once or twice, Fox's have very snobby staff (par for the course with cigars)
Peterson's are alright, also moderately snobby
Decent Cigar Emporium, very nice, bit salesman-esque might spout bit o BS at you

e.g. went into Fox's, guy came around the counter when i went in, didnt look at me or speak to me, just looked as if he were protecting his cigars might i rob them

went into peterson's guy bluntly told me they were more expensive than
Fox's and thats because of their humidor (at least he was honest)

went into decent cigar emporium, was taken seriously, treated well but even though i had a list of cigars with the price in fox's beside them and asked him for each of them, he said ''we're the cheapest in dublin'' when they sold the cigar at top of list for 2euro more than foxes! should be a little more careful with his claims there....

and to wind up my essay, tax here makes cigars (already a luxury item) really really really expensive. e.g. my favourite - a montecristo no.2 is about 18-20euro here compared to 5/6euro as i found in berlin - so its VERY special occassions i get them here

anyone with comments/views/favourites/or especially - any comments on ordering from the web from switzerland etc or buying whilst abroad

well done on getting this far

Buceph

Heh, two years since the last cigar thread and it was the reason I went searching this place out. :x

I've been smoking them on and off for the past few months. Nothing too serious really, mainly some cheapo cigarillos at €15 for a box if 50 in Spain. I'd break into them when I didn't have any cigarettes. Then a week or so ago I launched into some ancient King Edward's and Villigers before having a La Flor de Cano corona the other. They were all in shocking condition, probably because they've just been left lying about for two or so years.

I went hunting around Cork today for somewhere to get some decent cigars straight out of a humidor to see what I was missing out on, but all I could find were what I already have, and stored just as badly as I had mine, or Punch's starting at about €15. Not something I want to go splashing out on straight off, student y'see.

Now I'm seeing if there's somewhere I can order off t'internet. I found a site for somewhere in Dublin but it didn't really have what I was looking for. Now I'm trying to find somewhere decent, and based in the EU that I can order from. And looking up to see what I'll be hit with by customs.

If only I were rich.

Edit: Yeah. **** the Irish taxing system ****ing ****e. I thought it was bad for cigarettes. :mad:

delta_bravo

In my salad days i was partial to cafe creme filter tipped. Decent enough taste. But i just tried some King Edward specials this weekend, a far superior cigar. I would not be willing to spend €20 on a single cigar considering they cost about 50c to produce and im also poor.

Santa Claus

Spot on about the cigar shops in Dublin. I avoid Foxs and Pettersons like the plague. I like the atmosphere in the Decent Cigar and the lads know their stuff even if they are sometimes pricier.

I buy very little in Ireland now as the parents go over to spain a few times each year so I get them to bring me back a few cigars as they're very cheap over there....about half the price you'd pay in Dublin and sometimes even less.

I also buy from 2 cigar websites every few months and never had any problems. Prices are about the same as spain although 1 site has their prices in dollars so they're working out a bit cheaper than even spain at the moment.

Fratton Fred

Has anyone seen Old Port cigars in Dublin? They are Hamlet type cigars, but are port flavoured and dipped in rum, they taste a lot nicer than the usual cheapo cigars but are difficult to get hold of.

figs86

There are plenty of cigar websites to order from - order from Switzerland etc as they have low taxes and even though they are supposed to be taxed by customs coming through here, I've had 3 packages of ten come in without any hassle, delivered straight to my door.

Be very wary of who you order from as there are LOADS of fakes out there - if they're selling premium cigars very cheap, it is too good to be true! Like I've seen limited edition Cohibas which should cost a minimum of about 24 euro being offered for 6/7 a piece.

I don't want to advertise for anyone here but if anybody wants to PM me I'll tell ya who I order from.

Check if you're buying cubans that the dealer is licensed with Habanos SA - check their website or email them.

P.S. - Decent Cigar Emporium website advertises as ''We guarantee the best prices in Ireland'' and in fairness there are 2 shops down the road offering Monte No.2's a couple of euro cheaper - anybody call them on this?

Marcus.Aurelius

Used dongabriel.com before, good cigars, delivery a bit slow (8-10 days). Don't use them at the moment as their site isn't secure anymore. WTF like!!!?

Have ordered a box of Monte #2s from cigarone.com for 198 euro, free delivery. Supposed to be here before Friday, will let ye know if they do and if they're genuine and in good condition.

Its a bit nerve-racking, ordering off the web when you spend 200 or so on an unknown; at least in DCE and Foxs, you can see what you're ordering/buying.

figs86

i order from cigarone myself

had 2 orders come through now, a box of por larranaga petit coronas and a mixed box with monte 2s, partagas serie d no4, a cuaba, couple of bolivar

have to say i think their stuff is top class - have absolutely no questions about their authenticity as had 2 of the bolivars and fake stuff just couldnt be that strong, smooth and good!

delivery took bit longer than they advertised but no complaints, got here pretty quickly, i was just looking forward to them too much

quick recommendation to all types of cigar smokers - montecristo petit edmundos are incredible! their new from montecristo and are winning acclaim left right and centre from all sources. i've had 2, both absolutely wonderful

Marcus.Aurelius

How long did it take, if you remember?

figs86

any word on your order? how those bad boys smoking?

Marcus.Aurelius

Got them on the friday (5 days later). Some have a very tight draw, but most of them are great. The flavours are unbelievable.

AHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

figs86

that's really weird, i got a gift of 4 monte 2's a few months ago and each of them had very tight draws.

it really is frustrating because its a wonderful cigar otherwise

no amount of massaging or pressing the cigar really helped, there was part of the cigar just below the band that was rock solid - jammed up with tobacco, felt like there was a stone in it!

enjoy them my man!

Eric Cartman

i have to say a monte no.4 would be my choice, but the price keeps them to a special occasion only sort of deal. but i bought a 10 pack of king edward in spain and i have to say it tasted fantastic, very smooth and had a nice draw on it

MediaTank

New here. But FYI, Fox and Peterson are supplied by TDL (Tobacco Distributors Ltd) who are in turn supplied by Hunters & Frankau in London. TDL own Fox - though Robbie Fox is still involved in the business. The Decent Cigar Emporium buys from a number of suppliers, but not H&F. I don't think they compare prices with Fox/Peterson any more though they did when they opened first.

A couple of other internet retailers worth checking out are www.cigarsofhabanos.com in Hong Kong and www.promocigar.com in Cyprus. Both have been discounting heavily due to the dip in world markets I'm guessing.

Agonist

I rarely smoke cigars myself but anyone with a taste for cigars smoked outdoors in winter needs to see this:
http://knitty.com/ISSUEsummer05/PATTcigar.html
Get your mammy to knit it for you for Christmas or, better still, knit them yourself. I find there's nothing like craftwork to keep my hands busy and stop me chainsmoking unnecessarily.

CSC

I'm planning a trip to Grafton Street to stock up for Christmas. Any advice/tips on what I should buy. I haven't been smoking cigars that long and still unsure about different brands etc.

MediaTank

As ever, it depends. What size cigar do you like, country of orgin. Then do you prefer stronger or milder cigars.

BeerNut

As a very occasional, complete amateur, cigar smoker, I find it hard to go past Romeo 2s. Probably a bit bland for some, but just what I'm after in a cigar and generally quite easy to get hold of.

CSC

I like milder cigars. Will go in to the Decent Cigar Emporium and have a chat with the lads there. The last time I went in they were a great help.

MediaTank

Yip, depending on who's working there at the time service can be very good.

Lush

Thought I'd resurrect this old cigar thread, are any of you still smoking cigars? Any of you in Cork? I'm in the Cork area and looking for fellow cigar smokers… would be nice to get together and smoke a few!

brendy_b

O'Donovan's in Mallow now selling Partegass No 4!

BetterThanThou

I've got a question if anyone could answer, lately I've started having a cigarette while chilling out, I find the action of smoking quite relaxing, however, I find by the time I'm actually relaxed, the cigarette is gone, and sometimes I'll end up lighting up another few, which I would rather not do, for obvious reasons. I can't afford to be spending a few euro on a cigar every time I'd like to smoke, which is usually every evening. I notice there's some cheap, smaller sized cigars, and cigarillos that seem to be widely available. Are any of these any good? I know I'm not going to be getting a world class cigar at those prices, but are these cheap cigars at least enjoyable to smoke? In particular, I'm interested in King Edward Specials and Cafe Cremes, what shops should I be able to purchase these in? I know Tesco sell them, but would I have any luck in the likes of Centra/Spar? And how long would they usually burn for? Of course, it depends on the smoker, but I'd probably make a cigarette last about 8 minutes, would I be able to get 15/20 out of one of these?

bugler

I can't speak for the cheaper non-cubans you've mentioned, but it sounds to me like you should well consider some of the mini-panetelas some of the famous Cuban manufacturers produce. Montecristo, Cohiba, Partagas, R & J all produce these under the name "mini" or "club".

BeerNut

Please don't resurrect old threads.