Hello

[MPage]

Hello,

I am just looking into the world of cigars. I am yet to have my first smoke.

I live in the Milton Keynes area.
I am a lover of whisky.

Looking for beginner advice and to meet new people.

[grumpybaldy]

Welcome aboard! You've come to the right place - a very friendly group with a lot of experience of cigars they're happy to share - and many with a related interest in whisky too (see dedicated thread). You'll get a lot of 'you're on the slippery slope now' and 'expect to be kept poor' (all of which is true to some degree), but it's all about smoking what you enjoy and what you can afford.

We were all beginners once and, like me, a lot of beginners based their first forays on the advice here. The first decision is 'what shall I try first?'. They'll be lots of good advice on this, but the first choice is the fundamental one - Cuban or non-Cuban; again, they'll be a lot of opinions and most people's path takes them down both branches.

We do have smoking get-togethers ('herfs') which, although infrequent, are really enjoyable and a chance to meet people 'for real'. Once you've been on a while, you can buy and sell cigars between members. Like all forums, you get th most out if you participate, and, like most things in life, never be afraid to ask questions and to offer your thoughts - it's not one of those forums which seem to exist as 'mutual sniping' societies Enjoy!

[ha_banos]

Start smoking!

One would get vilified for saying that these days. Welcome along.

[mcdee]

[Hookmaker]

Welcome 👍


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[Dorsetman]

Welcome

[Deano]

Welcome! MK isn’t that far I went through there the other day!

[MPage]

grumpybaldy

Thank you for the welcome and the information. I am the sort of person who likes to experience as much as possible and not pigeonhole myself too early, so I will be trying both Cuban and New World cigars. Until now, I have been watching some videos on YouTube, which tend to be from the US. They only talk about New World cigars for the most part, so I'm a bit ignorant when it comes to Cubans.

[MPage]

Start smoking!

I like your philosophy. However, I have one small hurdle to get over. The Wife!

[MPage]

Welcome! MK isn’t that far, I went through there the other day!

Oh, where abouts are you?

[Snakes]

Welcome!!

[kern47]

As a relative newbie myself, my advice (budget depending) would be to start on the cheaper side and explore the range of wrappers and flavours in the New World selection. Get some tasting experience behind you, that way you'll really be able to appreciate the higher end New Worlds and the nuance of Cubans. I still enjoy a range of both now, although I can be disappointed by some of the cheaper ones, but don't remember that being a problem when I was starting out.

Basically, don't spoil yourself too early!

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[smokey joe]

Howdy

[Cigar_Addict]

Welcome. I started back with cigars after a 15 year hiatus, and these guys have steered me well. I also have to budget, but that doesn't mean going cheap as it can be a false economy. That's also not to say expensive is better either and as you'll see, there are some extortionately priced sticks around.

I'd say take some time to read as many threads as you can. The wealth of knowledge on here is truly vast. I started a 'Best Budget' thread when I joined 18 odd months ago and the suggestions were a great starting point.

If you're going to start a collection, get a reasonable size tupperware tub & some Boveda or similar packs (65% is a good all round RH for both Cc's & NC's) to store them. Well rested cigars really do improve the flavours

Matt

[MPage]

Welcome. I started back with cigars after a 15 year hiatus, and these guys have steered me well. I also have to budget, but that doesn't mean going cheap as it can be a false economy. That's also not to say expensive is better either and as you'll see, there are some extortionately priced sticks around.

I'd say take some time to read as many threads as you can. The wealth of knowledge on here is truly vast. I started a 'Best Budget' thread when I joined 18 odd months ago and the suggestions were a great starting point.

If you're going to start a collection, get a reasonable size tupperware tub & some Boveda or similar packs (65% is a good all round RH for both Cc's & NC's) to store them. Well rested cigars really do improve the flavours

Matt

Thank you. I have had a look at your thread and will be going over it again and again. I did see somewhere that NC are good to smoke at purchase but CC are best aged. Is that your view? And how long would you age them for?