less than a year 36 11.88%

1-2 years 60 19.80%

2-5 years 95 31.35%

5-10 years 33 10.89%

10-20 years 51 16.83%

over 20 years 28 9.24%

Back when I started in the early '80s I would smoke mostly singles of Davidoff, Macanudo, and Partagas. In the early '90s I discovered La Gloria Cubanas (NC) and started smoking those, mostly. LGC Wavell Maduro is still one of my must-haves.
I also like, in no particular order:
Cruzado
AF Hemi
A few RPs
Gurkha G3
La Aurora
(the list is long)
I like a lot of CCs, too, but I don't see much really different about them.
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Going on my second year smoking.

In no particular order I like:

The Griffins
Arturo Fuente Between the Lines/Don Carlos
Cohiba's past the sick period that have mellowed slightly that are "ON"
Partagas 898 new and old / Shorts with 3+ years on them
Hoyo, love the des dieux, petit robustos, psd4's with a few years
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Not necessarily. But I would say that CCs might make this a whole different discussion. Of course, our B/SOTLs who live outside the US cannot really comment on many of the NC brands that have come and gone, for they were predominanly for the US market.

I must say that for most of my smoking life, non-counterfeit CCs were not much of an option of me to obtain. I smoked my share, gotten to me by my uncle, when I visited Canada, and from a fellow minister who did a yearly mission trip to Cuba and didn't smoke cigars - but brought as many as he could back for me. I also did enjoy trying some legally and non-counterfeit by reviewing for SMOKE.

I am not limiting, but the majority of the comments will gravitate that way.
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I've been smoking cigars for only three years and have picked up some favorites. I used to smoke cigarettes, but that was a long time ago and I really don't count that.

Favorites:

Fonseca Habana Seleccion
Rocky Patel Renaissance
Rocky Patel Vintage 1990
Punch Rothschild (Maduro)
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I have been smoking a pipe for over 35 years, (took it up my junior year abroad in college when i was in england, along with such other vices as Guinness and Single Malts)...took up cigars in about 01 when i went to a single malt and cigar tasting sponsored by my pipe tobacco shop....my initial favorites were the la gloria cubana series R # 5...although i have recently moved away from that to the SLR serie G at about $2 less per stick...while i enjoy more expensive cigars such as opus X and padron's, they are at a price point where it is a rare luxury. just within the last 2 weeks i have smoked 2 tatuaje's and was very impressed, as well as olivas

i have only recently(last 4 years) discovered the world of cubans. my first one was given to me by a client, and i wish i would have thought then to save the band....almost got high just sniffing it on the way home...

then i married my wife and took numerous trips to her hometown in Canada and found a shop that sold cubans so tried a few...found i liked Cuaba and only recently have smoked a couple cubans gifted from the FRherfs

so i guess my favs would be as follows (in no particular order)
NC:
SLR SERIES G
OLIVA V
AF ANEJO
CAO
LA GLORIA SERIE R

CC:
CUABA
PATAGAS SERIE D
VEGUEROS

I tend to prefer larger ring gauge 50+ i.e. toro, topedo, belicoso...

interesting thread to read
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age 36 been smoking cigars since 93...

It all started with a trip to Windsor, CA...Bought various Partegas, Punch, and a Jose Piedra...started hitting the local shops after:

Top 5 all time favorite NC:
1). El Sublimado (not made anymore)
2). Ashton VSG
3). Monte Cristo Platinums (love whites too)
4). Casa Magna (new and I love them)
5). tie Partegas Black label, Punch Rare Corojo

*I tend to stick with what I like and not venture much...I am exploring more...recently with pepin's stuff which so far I am enjoying. Fuente's with the exception of the Anejo, need more aging IMO...especially the Opus. I do love them when they are right.

Top 5 CC's:
1) Monte Cristo torpedos
2) Various Cohibas Siglos (non cubans are blah)
3) Hoyo's
4) Ramon Allones
5) Romeo J's
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I've been smoking cigars for 30 years and my favorites seem to change like the weather. After all the time spent, I still like to try anything and everything and there always seem to be something new coming out.

Thinking about what I currently like and smoke more often than not, it would have to be only two. El Rey Del Mundo Robusto Larga and Diamond Crown No7 Maduro.

But what do I know...I used to like Big Butts.:-):-)

Larry
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13 strong years for me so far.

Top five marcas would probably be:
Partagas
Bolivar
SLR
Punch
Sanch Panza

I don't own or smoke many non-Cubans (probably 1% ish), but a few that I've smoked and enjoyed recently:
Oliva Serie V Lancero
Tatuaje Noella
Most Tabacalera Tropical stuff

I smoked a whole lot of Fuentes in the 90s. Now, I might have one a year.
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Been smoking for 12 years now. I would say four serious years of smoking.

Went through a lot of NC brands. Padron was my major goto. But more recently, I've been smoking some spicier cigars. Tat's and DPG's.

I've also discovered my likes from the island. Smoking a lot of Partagas and Bolivar recently.
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1-2 Years (It'll be two years this summer, I think. I'm bad with time though.) I really can't pick top 5 brands because Davidoff is the only brand that I consider a favorite. Other brands have sticks I like, but twice as many sticks I'll never buy again. That being said I like a lot of Camachos and all the CC Bolivars I've had so far have been great.
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Been smoking cigars since early 90's and I do not have any favorite brands.

I wonder about some brands that were popular in the 10+ years ago that I do not see like:

Don Juan
Don Thomas
Tempe Hall
Santa Cruz

In terms of Habanos, they seem to me they have become milder over the years, but better made. Internet and forums have made them far more accessible then relying on Euro vacations and friends to do my bidding... Never thought I'd have as many cigars as I do now, even though I have liked them just as much a while back...
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Started July 4 when I was 17, so it'll be 3 years this July. My favorites marcas are:

H. Uppman
Cohiba
Partagas
Por Larranaga
SCdLH
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Smoked my first cigar around 1969, maybe 1970. It was on the Huntington Beach, CA pier.

Since then I've bounced around between pipes, cigs and cigars. Actually it's probably been close to thirty years since I've smoked a pipe. For the last three years it's been strictly cigars and that's how I plan to keep it.

I smoke mainly Cubans now, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy NCs. Certainly that's where the bulk of my cigar smoking history is.

So, leaving CCs out of the equation, my favorite NC brands, in order, would be:

Don Pepin
Fuentes
LFD
Padron

No fifth place. If I'm going to have a NC, it'll be one of the above unless I'm trying something new.
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I've only been smoking cigars for about a year. I started after my friend's (the groom) father gave all of us a really nice cigar. I can't remember what it was, but I know that it was fantastic. I finally understood why people smoked cigars. That was the initial push. Although it was mainly through this forum (and CS) that my slide became a free fall. :-)

My current top 5 (in no order):
Padron Anniversary Series
AF Hemi's
Tatuaje
Illusione
Oliva V
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I have been smoking for about 15 years where I would smoke a couple a month and then I found Louie and the good folks that are now here!

Dom H. Upmann was my favroite and then I gradually went through the Rockies, Pepins and some of the other favourites.

Nowadays I guess I focus on Padron, Taboo, CC LGC, CC Parties and I got the CC Custom bug recently.

I would be interested to see if we could do a cross analysis based on years of experience you set up.

I bet I know the answer but would be cool to see if we could get 500 answers here and do a real analysis.

Shoot me a PM if you'd like some help organizing data and we could present it to the peanut gallery!

Travis
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[quote=e-man67;301508]age 36 been smoking cigars since 93...

It all started with a trip to Windsor, CA...Bought various Partegas, Punch, and a Jose Piedra...started hitting the local shops after:

Top 5 all time favorite NC:
1). El Sublimado (not made anymore)
2). Ashton VSG
3). Monte Cristo Platinums (love whites too)
4). Casa Magna (new and I love them)
5). tie Partegas Black label, Punch Rare Corojo

JK5 and I tried these not too long ago. It was a funny experience (as cigars can be it seems). I bought two from the same box, at the same time. I brought them home and placed them immediately in the humi. We smoked them about 5 days later. Mine burned perfectly and the flavor was solid. JK5's burned terribly and he didn't care for the flavor at all. Just a random occurence from two cigars from the same batch.
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What a great post. I love reading stuff like this and hearing everyone's life work of cigars :-)

I've been smoking cigars for 6 years now. I wouldn't consider myself a hardcore smoker either. It's really weird for me because I will go a whole week where I have at least 1 cigar a day then I will hit a dry spell where I don't smoke one for 2 weeks. I suppose when and where have huge impacts on my passion.....


Even though I have 6 years under my belt, I'm not sure I have even scratched the cigar surface as far as variety. So far in 2009, I'd say I have broadened my horizons as much as ever.

My top 5 would probably be:

1. any CC brand -they have pretty much spoiled me as far as NC's go. But I will not give up NCs.
2. H.Upmann
3. Torano
4. Partigas
5. La Aurora -first thing you think of when you hear this name is $$$$. But I have stumbled into what may become my favorite cigar over time. The Principe!! They are dirt cheap and really hit the spot for a short smoke.
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I got into cigars briefly in the late 90's (96-98) and most of the brands I remember are still around today although not as widely discussed here. Macanudo, Partagas, Montecristo (non-Cuban)

I would say most of the popular brands today are fairly new. (within the last 10-15 years) I know some of them have been around longer but probably as boutique brands, not widely distributed to the average late 90's B&M.

I think the reason for the shift away from some of the older brands has to do with the fact that the average smoker has a wealth of information available to them online and tend to be better informed than they might have been 15 years ago. In my opinion it has also led to an industry-wide increase in the quality of what's being produced because frankly, smokers have higher expectations.

That being said, I think the internet has done wonders for storefront retailers too. I notice them carrying more of the exciting cigars generally discussed on this board instead of the usual blah brands like Macanudo, red-dot Cohibas, etc...
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Been smoking pretty regularly for the last 4-5 years, and occasionally for about 12-15. My tastes have definitely changed over that time, but what is generally to be found in my humi, and what I reach for consistently:

PAM 64s
AF Anejo
AF Sungrown ( Chateau or other, 858s atm)
De La Concha house - Pepin rolled, still think they are one of his best, and I like them better than tatuajes.
Boli CCs - PC or GM usually, depending on how much time I have.
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20+ for me (Oh Lord, almost 30). Started out with hand rolled (yes, I inhaled) then cigar wise went to machine made, Phillies from Grandfather, Garcia Vega from high school bud's, Wolf Bros Crooks in the mid 80's.
Graduated to bigger and better in the 90's with the friendship of my Navy bud "Monte" who introduced me to the "new" world.

Confirmed CAO & Perdomo ho still today.

Loves:
Partagas Black
Bauza
Romeo y Julieta
Don Tomas Corojo
La Gloria Cubana Serie R
Bolivar Cofradia

Enjoy the larger ring sizes.

Joing CA has opened my eyes even more today. :-)
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