Island Jim: What’s your favorite cigar?
All the time as a retailer I am asked “What is your favorite cigar?” What a question. How do I pick just one. There are so many great manufacturers out there making fabulous cigars. It’s impossible for me to pick a favorite. My goal is to try them all, yes I have certain tobaccos that I like. But to pick ONE from thousands is impossible for me. And there are so many great masters of the craft, I cannot even start naming names, mostly for the fear I will not mention one of the masters of the craft.
For the most part great cigars are in that $7 – $20 price range. Some below a few higher, but money does not make a cigar taste better to me. I respect a fair number of Master Blenders or as I refer to them the Head Chefs of a fine restaurant who know their ingredients and how to make a great recipe.
I have had fantastic $6.00 cigars, and OK $20.00 cigars. The joy of cigar smoking for me is to experiment, try them, smoke them. I have not in my opinion had a bad cigar yet! Some may not fit my taste profile, but that does not make it bad. Not one, not one, manufacturer that I know is making a bad cigar. They are making cigars for their market, some markets I fall into, some I don’t. Does not make them bad.
We are living in great times, we have choices. It was not that many years ago, that we did not have choices, there was only so many different manufactures to choose from, now every day I am hearing and trying something I never heard of. For me, that is what cigar smoking is all about, always on the quest to try something new, to find that perfect cigar, that perfect cigar that fits my budget.
Not everyone agrees with me, and you know what? “That’s OK.” That is what is so cool about cigar smoking we don’t have to agree. What brings us together is the ritual, the socializing 10 guys and gals around a table will be smoking 10 different cigars and they all at the time think they are smoking the best. Wahoo!
What a country…. For me the quest is on, I am smoking and enjoying and looking for that next great cigar…..
