On Friday, I had a cigar on the way home from Ye Olde Daye Jobe. It was, ah, dry. As leaves at the top of the pile. It was from a reputable brand I’ve had good luck with so I’ll attribute all the trouble I had with it to that point: It was just not properly kept. (It was not one of mine.)

Today, I had a cigar on the way home. It was also from a reputable brand. It had been properly cared for. It was incredible. So that’s today’s lesson in cigar care.

Update is brief because I’m working on the site revamp.

Ahh, Hoyo de Monterrey.

This isn’t my first Excalibur, and it won’t be my last. These are hand rolled, a nice combination of filler and binder. Premium cigars, well constructed.

I’ll start with that: The look of these cigars is great. Some of the most flawless cigars I’ve seen on the outside. They’re about as pretty as a cigar gets without being a prop. That look continues on to the construction. I like well put together cigars almost as much as well put together legs. I think it’s something about the hand-rolling that just perfects a cigar.

The smell of the cigar, unlit, is pretty much as to be expected. Nothing fancy, but not repulsive, either. Lit, it’s pretty good smelling. It tastes better than it smells. The tobacco burns well, it stays lit, it doesn’t burn too fast or hot.

I liked this cigar, just like the other Excaliburs I’ve had. It’s not my favorite but they’re worth having in the humidor. It went well with bourbon, but I can see it going well with Scotch, too. (Which is what I had with the others.)

Give it a try; they’re under $10 each, but over $3, which puts them firmly in the camp of cigars I like on a Friday after a long week. (sub $3 is a sort of every day, doing yardwork kind of cigar; over $10 is a “it better be great!” price point I’ve only once found!)

Ah, this was a nice find at a local tobacconist.

I’ve always wanted to try a Don Diego cigar — admittedly, partly because I’m a huge Zorro fan. I’m also always interested in trying smaller cigars even though my typical preference is a Churchill type because I like a long smoke.

These cigars are tiny, at least the ones I got. With a ring gauge of 30 and a length of four inches, we’re not talking about much of a cigar. They came in a pack of ten. I was so interested in them that, on the hour long drive I had later that day I snipped the end off of one and lit up — which meant I was driving windows down!

Now, to start with, the cigars each came individually wrapped in cellophane. The construction of each seems sound, but I’ve only smoked two. They were sound through out, which actually kind of surprised me. These are actual cigars, not the small cigarette-like types I’ve had before from American Made. There’s nothing on the box that indicates if they’re hand rolled or not but I believe they are — and that’s what impresses me, that they are able to make such a well put together small cigar.

The aroma of these sticks is perfect. Not too strong, it didn’t linger in my car or on my person, but it is so pleasant. Some of the best smelling cigars, both before, during, and after lighting them. It goes with a really good taste — light but tasty. The flavor is as good as the smell, and I think that’s a great thing for them.

The size is perfect, too — they’re a little less than an hour smoke, so if I want more than something like an American Made or Dean’s, but less than a full sized cigar, I can get it here.

These are great cigars and they fit a good niche. I can’t say enough good about them!

I don’t usually write about cigars I don’t like; I’d rather not say something, if I don’t have something nice to say. But today I’ll be talking about two smokes I didn’t really care for. It’d be dishonest not to mention them, and a possible disservice. The two are both from pretty well known brands and a lot of people seem to like them so it’s possible I got bad sticks. But they weren’t memorable or anything I intend to purchase again.

The first was a Romeo y Julieta Serie G. This is a big disappointment given that I liked the 1875. But something about this one — the taste just wasn’t good, certainly not worth the cost of the Serie G. The construction and look of the cigar was great, though. It just tasted kind of like it was made of paper. It was really odd given the things I’ve heard about the Serie G, but them’s the breaks. It also seemed to have an issue staying lit. Normally I’d blame this on me, but other cigars from the same humidor have no such issue. At least, not to this extent.

The second, also from a big brand: The Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva. I don’t want to totally bag on this cigar but I’m not sure I have a choice. It tasted like woody dirt. There’s not much worse that can be said about a cigar other than that it exploded while smoking it or gave you chickenpox, and I’m not entirely certain these two results wouldn’t have been better than what actually happened. Seriously, after smoking this cigar I felt like a cartoon character looking down my nose at a perfectly destroyed cigar that had just covered my face in ashes.

I know this is harsh. I know it’s probably just my taste. I’m sure there are cigar snobs out there who love both of these. I’m just not one of them. Would not buy again, basically. I might try one if someone gave it to me, but only after first checking for pockmarks and explosives.

I wasn’t born smoking a cigar.

As someone working his way toward thirty, and someone who never smoked as a teenager, smoking a cigar wasn’t a habit I just transitioned into. Especially not with all the anti-smoking media we’re exposed to. It was very much a choice. Sure, I grew up around a few smokers. I never minded the smell of (some) cigarettes, and I’ve always liked the smell of unadulterated tobacco. But nobody I knew regularly smoked cigars (however, now that I do, I’ve come across quite a few people who I never would have guessed smoked cigars). So this isn’t an innate skill.

At some point in my late teens or early twenties, I became interested in cigars. Just a little, not a lot. Maybe it was the Starr report. I don’t remember the original seed that started it all. But the interest was there. Then, when I had more means to make it an affordable habit, I took an interest in them. Finally, one day I stopped by the local tobacconist and bought two cigars. I read about how to properly smoke a cigar (for instance, not inhaling the smoke).

They were so-so, but that may have been my inexperience.

Then I made an order for a few cigars. A five pack, to be exact. Robusto Cigars — not too long, not too short, and kind of fat. I bought a nice torch lighter (by Colibri) that was kind of cheap ($20ish, which is my go to price for stuff) and got my own cutter (under $2, it didn’t last!), and started the habit in earnest. I quickly realized it would be easier to order cigars in bigger bulk than I could smoke before they went bad. So I bought a humidor (supposedly it’ll hold 300, but in actuality I’d be happy if it’d hold half that — I’ve had around 120 in it and thought “this thing is getting too full! time to stop buying until I’ve smoked some!”). The Colibri crapped out and I bought a Xikar and received a Xikar cutter. I’m still using both.

So that’s my start. But it doesn’t explain the why.

I think some of it is the fire. I’ve heard smoking referred to as the closest we can get to fire without getting it on us (which is the first rule of fire — don’t get it on you). People have a weird relationship with fire because it’s so useful, but so destructive. A lot of what we have as a society comes from the discovery of fire. We’d still be in caves throwing sharp sticks at our food if we didn’t have fire.

Some of it, too, is that I just like tobacco. Pure tobacco — I don’t like to smoke cigars with anything else in them. I like the color of it, I like the smell, and I like the way it burns.

I also appreciate things that are well made, and in the cigar world, a lot of things are well made. My humidor is a Spanish cedar box that keeps the humidity at roughly 70% (which the cigars like) without too much effort on my part. I just have to fill the credos with some distilled water and propylene glycol and it does the rest. The cutter and lighter have to be well made to last, and both have stood up to some abuse.

And there’s nothing like a hand rolled cigar in terms of craftsmanship. To take the leaves of a plant and make a stick that will burn just right, smell and taste just right, and look just right? That’s a skill few people have.

Smoking a cigar is like a treat, and a respite from the day. I sit around outside, nursing a beer or some whisky (or, occasionally, a Martini). The computer and phone are put away. If anything is going on, I’m having a conversation or cooking on the grill (which is also simple but well made). Sometimes we’re playing pool. It’s a nice quiet time and the cigar adds something to it.

It gives my hand and mouth something to do while I think.

It’s also a self controlling habit. I don’t find cigars addictive, even though the nicotine level is insanely high compared to a cigarette. I’ve gone weeks without smoking since I started with no need to do it, no urge. I come to it because I want to, not need to. And the things aren’t cheap: even the cheapest is a dollar a stick, and most of the ones I like to smoke regularly are $3+. It’s also an investment in time: A good sized cigar takes an hour to smoke, or more.

When I clip the end off a cigar, I know I’m going to be making friends with it for at least an hour. That and the cost are pretty good reasons to make sure I choose wisely when I purchase it.

As I said above, I also like the taste of a good cigar. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t do it. I don’t buy specially flavored cigars, just like I don’t by specially flavored spirits. If what I’m consuming doesn’t taste like something I want in my mouth, I’m not going to consume it or disguise it with other artifical flavorings. I try to do this with food, too*. It’s a good rule of thumb, I think.

Sure, there are risks and dangers and statistics that tell me I shouldn’t. I do a lot of things I “shouldn’t.” A man needs a vice or two.

In the end, I smoke because I want to. I don’t need it, I just want it, and why not?

* I am guilty of adding tobasco sauce to a lot of food, but that’s not disguising anything: That’s an accent, and tends to bring out the flavor a bit without covering it up. Which is an important distinction: Whisky adds to the flavor of a cigar, they compliment one another quite nicely, but unless you’re room-is-spinning drunk the flavor of both is still detectable.

I have to confess before starting this: Before smoking this cigar, I had never smoked a Romeo y Julieta of any sort. I’ve heard good things, but they just never made it into my humidor before.

This was a well-constructed cigar. I always like the torpedo shaped head, as it allows more control over how much of the cap is cut — and I tend to try and cut as little as possible. The color of the wrapper was uniform and the wrapper itself was smooth and free of any defects. The binder and filler held together well; the cigar was able to support long and strong ashes. There was no unravelling or bits of filler coming loose.

The draw was easy, even with just a bit of the head clipped off. The flavor was a great taste — woody with a bit of maduro earthiness but not overpowering. The smoke carried those same elements, although at times I got a whiff of an almost gasoline scent in the fading smoke. It wasn’t overpowering or even unpleasant, so perhaps some element of the taste was just throwing my sense of smell off.

The burn was good, and even, right down to the end. I took this cigar down to a nub before letting it go out on its own. With this cigar I had a dram of the wonderful Macallan 12, which went perfectly. Overall, I’d have to say — this was a really pleasant smoke and I intend to buy some more the next time I’m in the market for some cigars.