[VR4]

Im a new smoker, enjoyed the first 2 or 3 cigars (A Papalon, a cigar with a "Heaven" lable on it, and a Romeo and Julietta I believe) I had, but recently had a few cigars that all left the same bitter taste in my mouth, like I was smoking a chunk of wood. I would like (as anyone would i imagine) to avoid this situation in the future. I was hoping someone could give me a link to a site for complete and total newbies like me, so that I wont burden the forum with many questions like "What is purging."
Thanks in advance,
Jerry

 

[Wetterhorn]

Hi Jerry! Welcome to the Jungle!!!

Your problem could be several things - one is that your cigars are burning too hot. This causes the nicotine and tar to gather at the end of the cigar giving you a bitter finish (the aftertaste you describe). A possible solution is to allow your cigars to rest while you smoke - what I mean is to allow 20-30 seconds between draws. This usually results in a cooler smoke and a slower burn.

Of course, it is possible you got hold of bad cigars. They could be dry and musty.

Hope this advice helps... Another good tip is to pick up the The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cigars. I know the title sounds a bit degrading, but it is a great guide to beginning smoking, so good that many veterans like it as well. It is recommended reading on the Top 25 Cigar site.

Well, again, welcome to the wonderful world of cigars!

 

[MoTheMan]

Welcome aboard dude!
Grab a banana, uh, a cigar, and join the company.

What Wetterhorn said. It's good advice.
But, simpler yet, just click on the "search" word (in the oyellow-orange band above) and type in the key word you're looking for.
There's such a wealth of knowledgeable in this group here; we are very lucky indeed.

 

[Churchlady]

Jerry,

welcome!!! What mo and wetterhorn said... there's another sticky on the newbies page that gives all of the "lingo" that we use around here... very useful, I refer to it often!

This indeed is a safe place to ask questions - no flaming allowed, no snobs allowed - only gorillas who love the leaf!

 

[David]

Jerry,

Welcome to the best forum on the net. Here, questions stupid or otherwise are welcomed—yours is not a stupid question. I am relatively new to cigars as well, and selecting a good smoke is as daunting as selecting a good wine. In my experience some cigars just leave that bitter " a cat just s**t in my mouth aftertaste". In my opinion a quality, well aged cigar should smoke cleanly and be smooth, no matter how full bodied, and almost aftertaste free. A good example that I discovered lately is the Carlos Torano Exodus 1959. Also, the CAO Extreme used to smoke very cleanly but I have not smoked it in a while. Just experiment and see what you like best. As I have learned you do not have to "acquire" a taste for quality cigars cigars. If a cigar is really good quality more likely than not it will be to your liking. By the way I smoked a Romeo reserve maduro lately that was just awful so it was probably your selection.

 

[kamikaiguy]

Hey VR4 Welcome to the Jungle.

I agree with David I had a few Romeo and Juliet 's that were absolutely terrible. Your Best bet is to try different cigars and see what you like. Some of my Favorites are anything Oliva, Padron, Partagas Spanish Rosado's and the new Perdomo Silver Label La Tradition.

 

[relaxnsmoke]

VR4, Welcome to the Jungle. :w I just started up with cigars in the past 3 years, 1/2 of the smokes I tried in the 1st year turned into sour, bitter, gagging hackers at some point and I tossed them. But, the other half were so good, I kept up the quest. Now only about 1 out of 20 may be a bit off. :w That is a pretty good batting avg. IMHO.

Use this link.
http://www.top25cigar.com/reviewdatabase/top25reviews.asp

 

[MoTheMan]

Jerry,
In my opinion a quality, well aged cigar should smoke cleanly and be smooth, no matter how full bodied, and almost aftertaste free (Except the Cuban variety which will often do that -- mtm). A good example that I discovered lately is the Carlos Torano Exodus 1959. Also, the CAO Extreme used to smoke very cleanly but I have not smoked it in a while. Just experiment and see what you like best. As I have learned you do not have to "acquire" a taste for quality cigars cigars. If a cigar is really good quality more likely than not it will be to your liking.

What Dave said above. Right on the money. Those cigar examples he gave, mmm mmm good. I'm with you on those two Dave.

MoTheMan

 

[VR4]

Ah thanks very much. Thought it was just me for a little bit.
Found a good cigar shop over in Fort Worth, nice people, very informative, gave me all the info I needed.
Thanks again