Hey Rush ! Welcome to the group. Good luck in your search for your favorite, I have been trying for fifteen years. There is always something great that I have yet to try. You will find a number that you keep returning to, but like kuzi says, who would want to stop the search ? Ashtons are great , along that same line are one of my favorites Avo, and one that a lot of others don't talk about Griffins. Nice to hear from you.

Hello to all! Mikey T here. Just joined the forum this evening ... looking forward to interacting with other enthusiasts. I've been a cigar.com customer since 2/07 ... great prices, fast shipping ... excellent selection. Don't be afraid to try the house brands ... Brazilian is my latest favorite. Mikey T

---

"A fine cigar is just like a woman. If you don't light it up just right and suck on it with a certain frequency, it will go out on you." Unknown

Alright Mikey T! Welcome aboard!

---

'The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.' - Ronald Reagan

Hey Mikey T welcome aboard. The house blends are popular on here. Good everyday smokes.

---

I hear you about smoking the same cigar all the time(Kuzi), I would definetly get bored if that were the case...just looking for those exceptional few to load my humidor with and just let them sit and mellow out over some time....thanks for the welcome everyone!

---

"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one"

-Albert Einstein

i have a very wide veriety all the time in my humidor. Im a bit more selective when it comes to the aging humidors.

---

Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

Hey Mikey, Welcome to the party ! Stick around awhile, you will have a great time. There is a lot to be learned right here. Also, don't be afraid to pick up some samplers. You will find a new favorites every time.

Hi, everybody.  I just posted to a couple of threads before seeing this one, but, you know, better late than never.

I'm just getting back into cigars after going smokeless for . . . oh, 8-10 years.  I came to cigars initially by way of pipes.  When I was a very small boy, my father was a part-time preacher at a little country church in Missouri.  There was a very beloved older gentleman there, who smoked a pipe.  He used to sit with me on the edge of the porch at the front of the church and tell me stories while he smoked.  I don't remember any of the stories, but I remember Mr. Paul (that was his first name, but everybody called him Mr. Paul) and I remember the smell of that pipe.

Fastforward roughly 25 yrs., and I was in grad school.  One of the other students -- an older guy -- smoked a pipe.  It was the first time I'd been around pipe smoke since those Sundays with Mr. Paul.  Of course, I was instantly hooked.

I sort of transitioned to cigars because a) they're much easier to smoke, and b) a man my age (even now, but especially then) can't really smoke a pipe in a public place without appearing to be a self-important fathead.  Eventually, I found a cigar I liked as much as a pipe -- the Fuente Hemingway -- and I've hardly touched my pipes, since.

Anyway, then I stopped smoking altogether for about 10 yrs., and now I'm back.  And that's all I have to say about that.  /forrest gump

---

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

Hey Urbino , welcome to the group. You chose a great cigar with the Hemingway Series. Which is your favorite in that group ? It's hard to pick a favorite for me but the ones I have most often , ( or as often as I can ) are the classic and signature and Short story... I Have never tried Betwen the Lines or Untold Story mostly because of the 30.00 buck price.. It is a special occasion cigar for me. Read some threads and try some new cigars that you read about. I have found a LOT of new great cigars based on the posts of the many knowledgable members of this brotherhood.

Thanks, kaspera! (BTW, I'm jealous of your proximity to the great Iwan Ries, especially as a former and still occasional pipe smoker. I still have some of their 3-star blends around the house, somewhere.) I love the Classic. It's the perfect size for me. The Signature, which I like very much, too, is gone just the tiniest wee bit too soon. The Masterpiece is, well, a masterpiece, but I rarely have time to smoke one. I've actually never tried the Short Story (or the Best Seller), but I will one of these days. And ditto on the BTL and Untold Story. I've just never been able to convince myself they'd be that much better than a Classic or Masterpiece. I'm definitely interested in reading what everybody else is smoking. In fact, let's start with you. As a fellow Hemingway fan, what else have you had that you find similar?

---

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

Since I don't smoke the Hemingway line on a very regular basis the only similar cigars that come to mind would be the Ashton VSG, the Padron 1964 has a lot of qualities I enjoy in the Hemingway, and of course the Don Carlos and Opus X. again rarely spending much time in my humidors but occasionally finding their way into my hand. The Fuentes I have most often and buy by the box are Double Chateau, Chateau, ( for a quick smoke ) 858 Maduro, and a long time favorite Bauza by Fuentes. Montesino by Fuentes was my first cigar and still keep these in my humidor. Ashtons but not as much, along with the stronger blends of The Griffins and another favorite Avo..the list goes on .. Different smokes for different nights. or company for that matter. Ther guys in this group have me trying new cigars so often I have a difficult time deciding which I should reorder and which can wait a while. A nice problem to have.

I tried the Don Carlos and didn't like it as well. Never had the OpusX or the VSG. The Padron is a fine smoke, but muddier in flavor than the Hemingway, I thought. I'm pretty sure I tried the 858 and the Chateau, back when I first started trying cigars, but it's been so long ago and I was so green at the time, I don't really remember them. I definitely need to try them again. I think I had a Montesino back then, too. Same story. The others I don't think I've ever tried. I'll definitely add them to my list. Once I get a stock kinda built up, I'll start participating in the trades, etc. Thanks!

---

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

Yeah, the Hemingway line is hard to match which is the beauty of all the different blends available. Similar but different. And while you may like a coffee taste others prefer a nutty or woody taste. I personally like them all ! I still enjoy everything from the mild to extra strength. It all depends on my mood when I look into the treasure chest. I like your description of the Padron being muddier not in a bad way but so much going on in the taste that it is hard to define what the characteristics are.

Yeah, that's what I meant about the Padron. There's a lot going on in both cigars, but the Hemingway seems to have a clarity that the Padron doesn't. (I'm not very good at descriptions of cigars. I can taste differences and say, "Yes, I like this one, but that one not so much," but I can't say any of them taste of leather or hazelnuts or cranberry frappe to me. I'm the same way with literature.)

---

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

And while we're talking about Hemingways, btw, what's up with the wildly varying prices? For example, one site will list boxes of Classics at, say, $250 ea. and even then be sold out, while another site lists the same box of Classics for, say, $175 and still has them in stock. From a supply/demand perspective, that makes no sense. Are there a lot of counterfeit Hemingways out there or something? (Like I said, I've been away from cigars for 10 yrs.)

---

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.