I bought some cigars from the very limited selections on offer at the convenience store in town. I am fairly certain that these are mainly used to smoke other tobaccos but they were surely intended to be smoked as is, though they are obviously at the lowest end of the spectrum.

My first cigar wound up being a Black & Mild (with an off-white plastic tip), which was too terrible to continue smoking or to say anything else about.

After brushing my teeth and waiting a few minutes, I gave the Optimo Cigarillos Green Candela Wrapper a shot. This looked like an actual cigar, except for the fact that it was greenish in color, and was at least passible to my completely inexperienced palate.

I just came inside from smoking the final of three types purchased, which was a Swisher Sweets Perfecto. This was more inline with my expectations and is probably closer to being a proper cigar than the others that I smoked yesterday. The cigar had a somewhat pleasant sweetness (artificial?) which seemed to lessen the more that I smoked, which was fine by me. Having only begun pipe smoking a few weeks ago, I have little~nothing to compare any of these cigars to but the Swisher Sweets Perfecto is definitely my favorite of the three.

I will probably need to consciously avoid smoking on an empty stomach in the foreseeable future, as I am feeling a decent buzz at this moment.
[Reply]

Cigars like smoking in general are acquired tastes. Try visiting a local cigar store and asking the proprietor for a suggested smoke.

Should be a bit better than the ones you have tried so far.

Welcome.
[Reply]

I appreciate the welcome.

There are no local cigar stores~lounges in this area but the convenience store (only) in town does carry a couple more types that I have yet to sample.
[Reply]

Welcome, Bill!:-):-). Where In Texas Are You? I Grew Up In Lubbock, Then Moved To San Antonio, Then Austin. I Currently Live In Mobile, Alabama. Try Different Smokes, But Don't By A Bunch Of "Cheap Smokes" Because Of The Price! You'll Waste Your Money. A Great Place To Start Might Be Buying A Single Or 5'er From A Site Called www.cigarbid.com. Good Starter Cigars Might Be An Oliva Connecticut Or Something Like That. Check The Threads In This Forum On Good Budget Cigars, Also. Enjoy Your New Cigar Journey!:-)
[Reply]

I hope you can find some more approachable cigars in the near future, Bill.

Sugar is the key to stopping that nicotine buzz. I have some peanut butter cups or other candy around in case the nicotine sickness rears its ugly head.
[Reply]

Welcome Bill :-)

Already some good advice. Just wanted to give you a few of my online shops you might want to look at. If you find something there that piques your interest, let us know and we can give you our thoughts.

Cigarpage.com
Cigarsinternational.com
Famous-smoke.com
[Reply]

Welcome! I also started on the 7-11 cigars many years ago (Garcia y Vega and Swisher Sweets). They put me on the slippery slope to where I am today.

Bob put some good online sources in his post. Most have samplers that have a wide variety of styles at a very good price. I recommend grabbing a sampler or two so you can see what you like and don't like.

And I always smoke after a meal to avoid the wrath of the nicotine .
[Reply]

Another bit of advice is smoke a cigar slowly. It's not a race to the finish. You'll learn to appreciate it a lot more, and will usually avoid the dreaded nicotine sweats and nausea that we've all experienced.




Welcome to the Asylum! :-)
[Reply]

Hey Bill,


Nice to see you here too.


~Bill
[Reply]

Thanks for the welcome.
I live in Brazoria County, about an hour and a half away from the nearest building with 3 or more stories.

I know these cheap cigars are crap but my ability to make any online purchases has been lost, due to a recent breakup. I am probably stuck smoking the types of cigars that rappers sing(?) about, at least until I get my banking & digital payment issues resolved.
[Reply]

icehog3, Chainsaw13, Porch Dweller, shark, MaytagMan

I am not wanting~meaning to slight anyone but quoting a post in my last reply did not turn out how I expected, so I decided to go with this instead.

I appreciate the Welcomes, Replies, Comments, Et cetera…
[Reply]

No worries mate. We may be old and crotchety, but we’re not that old and crotchety. :-)
[Reply]

Speak for yourself - I revel in my crotchetiness.

Welcome Bill! My first cigar was purchased in a liquor store, a Tiparillo. Of course that purchase was the same year we first landed on the moon, but who's counting? :-)

There are many, many cigars out there to try. It can indeed become a lifelong journey. And this forum has some great and very knowledgeable guys that are always willing to help you along.
[Reply]

I smoked AyC Grenadiers out of the unhumidified case at Walgreens for years to keep me awake on midnight shift. Around 2002 I got a properly stored, premium cigar at a wedding. It was all downhill after that.

Image
[Reply]

Welcome! I looked up Brazoria County Texas and searched for cigar stores. I see what you mean about distance. Could a road trip to the south side of Houston be in your future?
[Reply]