Howdy all,

While I have smoked the occasional (3-4/yr) cigars since the 1980's, I have only recently started to smoke once a week or so. In the past I smoked maduro type cigars - particularly Hoyo de Monterrey excalibur, Punch, etc. Obviously the industry has exploded over the last decade or so and there are a lot of options out there.
I liken this a bit to wine palate development. Back in college I thought Sutter Home White Zinfandel was a classy way to get a buzz on with my date. Now I have been through all sorts of changes in what I like in wine, drifting from california reds to oregon pinot noir and off to european wines. Now I go back and try to enjoy that Sutter Home wine and I find it undrinkable.
Does this happen to the cigar smoker?
I was reading a thread about CC (of which I smoked many last week in Jamaica) and wondered if in a few years my palate would learn to appreciate them. I enjoyed a few of them but in general I guess I didn't see what all the fuss is about as compared to your typical NC Cigar.
Anyway, like the good student that I am I would like to recommendations as to a few different avenues to try some different smokes. I have ordered a few sample packs but perhaps there are a few "must try" ones out there that you can point me toward. We don't have a B&M near my area but I'm sure that I can get a few on my next trip to DC or Pittsburgh.
Thanks and sorry for the somewhat rambling post.
Dr.Phil
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It does take time and effort to educate your palatte to detect the flavors in cigars -- just as it does with wine. If you work at it, you will get better.

The best thing to do is buy sampler packs. This will allow you to try a wide variety of cigars without spending huge amounts of money.

Please do not take any CC's you smoked in Jamaica as representative of CC's in general. The CC's you had may have tasted good and may have been authentic, but if you purchased or otherwise obtained them in Jamaica then they are likely to be counterfit CC's.
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I think the development of the palate for cigars as time goes on is something that happens to many smokers. Obviously, there are some exceptions, but I have yet to meet them.

I would be very leery of "Cuban" cigars in Jamaica. Not saying what you smoked was or wasn't fugazzi, but there's a known high level of counterfeits from that area.

As for some maduros, seems like your history leans towards medium-full not over the top spicy. Padron, Fuente Hemingway maduros, Liga Privada, Perdomo Lot 23 maduros, and, there's nothing wrong with the NC HdM Excalibur or Punch, you'd be hard pressed to find a company that makes a more consistent cigar than General. Pepin, Tatuaje, AJ Fernandez also have some good offerings, but they are typically stronger and spicier.
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Taste and palate are always evolving. I use to link really strong big cigars, but now I like medium light to medium cigars mostly.

To me, it would seem like CC would be easier to enjoy than most NC's due to their easier smoking attributes and unique "twang".

For most dedicated CC lovers, they aren't smoking much else and when they do, the "unusual" flavors can have an "off" or "unexpectedness" to them. Not that it is bad, but we are creatures of habit.

With wine, I find even someone who's not into wine can tell a good one from a bad one when they are side by side.
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Might I say I like your profile pic. I have a tricolor corgi too who is now 9 or 10 years old. He still looks and acts like he did as a puppy. Well, except that he's pretty fat.
The CC I picked up in Jamaica were from an upper end duty free. No reason to suspect they were counterfeit in this case. I did see "cuban cigars" in other places in Negril that were more likely to be counterfeit. In any case I just don't feel (from reading some other posts regarding NC and CC) that I've quite developed that palate to distinguish a CC from a non CC. Nor should this be an issue since I travel rarely to places where I'd run into them. I'm hoping to be able to enjoy some of the milder cigars for what they are. For now, I'm having a tough time appreciating them. But I suppose the search is the fun of it all - much like trying to have kids.



With wine, I find even someone who's not into wine can tell a good one from a bad one when they are side by side.[/quote]
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Our Corgi (name is Camber) is like 9-11 years old. We found her on Craigslist several years ago and the owner said she was 3 and vet said like 5. Who knows? We keep her trim, but boy does she like to eat and sit outside. Everyone thinks she is much much younger.

Like wine, try a CC and NC side by side and you'll taste a difference. Which one is better? That is up to you. I can tell you NC's from Nicaragua are much stronger as well as my DR cigars.

Nothing wrong with smoking Fuentes, Davidoff, and Padron; all are fantastic brands... but it's only Habanos for me.
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