cigars

Anyone ever make snuff from a dried-out (unsmoked) cigar? How was it?

Have smoked cigars for decades and have several thousand personally in humidors. No, they are NOT all created equal. Yes Cuba makes some very good cigars, but really, there are an incredible array of stupendous smokes being made in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras. LOVE a good full bodied smoke and a good peaty scotch of an evening!!!

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@Ivan no, but I’ve read here it seems to work out better than grinding pipe tobacco. Also some cigars come packed in a box with loose tobacco leaves which can be used. Ask your local tobacconist if he has some (he might ask for a small cost though, as they also sometimes sell empty cigar boxes).

I like a cigar now and then, and keep a hundred or so around in the humidor. I tend to prefer medium to full hondurans with a maduro wrapper. My favorite smoke is probably a double maduro (oscuro) Punch rothschild. Currently smoking a CAO VR torpedo.

@stogie which whiskys have the most peat and what should I smoke with it?

Well, I like Laphroaig whiskey with say… a Camacho Triple Maduro or Diesel Shorty or maybe a Cain FF. Any number of options, all with nuances.

i agree with stogie here … i havent had a scotch with more peat than laphroig. i think you would want a medium to full bodied stick to go.with it. i might go with rocky patel edge sumatra myself.

Being in the US cubans are hard to get. Had a few, but with all the fakes sold, it is likely none were real. Wasn’t impressed, the best one that was the most likely real one was only fair. I tend to prefer Nicaraguan cigars. Especially Tatuaje black label and the little red label puro they came out with recently, Veracu or something like that. Can’t afford them as often as I like, but I’d rather have good pipe tobacco than a fair cigar so I’ll spend the money for good cigars when I can and smoke my pipe more regular. Illusion used to be good, but the last 2 I had really sucked. Went mushy at the end, soft and spongy and had an uneven burn. Only tasted right for the first inch or so. Won’t be buying them again.

I used to smoke Indonesian cigars, mostly the non-premium brands, before I got back into smoking a pipe. Even the non-premium brands are hand-rolled, labor is cheap here. I’ve occasionally splashed out on good Cubans, just to find out what the fuss is about, but I really believe the market for cigars is like the market for diamonds: it’s an artificially created luxury good, with supply strictly limited so that demand pushes the price up. I just don’t see any rational reason why a pound of good Cornell and Diehl pipe tobacco costs the same price as a cigar butt from Havana. Sorry, I’d keep my mouth shut on a pipe-and-cigar forum, but on snuffhouse, that’s what I really think.

@stogie and @dasr The peatiest scotch I’ve found was a Lagavulin 15 year. Been a while though so Laphorig may have increased or Lagavulin may have gone down. I’ve been dry for 4 years and it was a few years before that when I had money to spend on single malts.

@stapf, Thanks for the heads up… I have never tried Lagavulin. Will definitely keep my eyes open… CHEERS…

@stogie and @dasr The peatiest scotch I’ve found was a Lagavulin 15 year. Been a while though so Laphorig may have increased or Lagavulin may have gone down. I’ve been dry for 4 years and it was a few years before that when I had money to spend on single malts.

So true! Too peaty for me sadly, headache ahoy! Most of the ‘island’ single malts have a strong peaty vibe… I can’t drink whiskey any more… sad really, I really used to enjoy them. Oddly cognac seems fine with me - Go figure eh :slight_smile:

i agree with stogie here … i havent had a scotch with more peat than laphroig…

Try Lagavulin it has a stronger peat flavour than Laphroid IMO. The two distillaries are virtually next door neighbours so use the same water but Lagavulin must be produced in a different way to give the smokey peaty flavour.

Ardbeg is more peaty than Lagavulin and Laphroid, in fact Ardbeg 10, is a hairy wild man

Caol Ila and Talisker are also nice. My favorite is Laphroaig 10 year though. Highland Park is also a good scotch. It has a nice balance between smoke and sweetness.

@Jakartaboy I totally agree with your statement about the expensive cigars . It’s been my main reason to start smoking pipe tobacco as well…cigar smoking is nice and really tastefull don’t get me wrong ! but it’s become a little bit hyped up.And as with all things ‘fashionable’ they become over-priced eventually … I’d rather try several nice well balanced pipe-tobacco’s than pay a day’s wages on two fine cigars… but that’s just my humble opinion. As for the indonesian cigars; did you ever smoke a brand called 'adipati '?? They’re available overhere and I allways keep a box or two (for the difference in sizes) in stock …they may not be the best in quality but they do taste very fine !? Greetings from holland, Dutch

@Dutch, yes, Adipati are pretty readily available here. Pretty cheap, must be about 20 cents each. I’ve smoked them, they are okay, but I like some of the other cheap brands better. One of middle sized Panther cigars is my favourite. These days you also get a few premium local brands, up to and beyond five bucks each. One such is Tambo, which is fantastic. They are really going for the export market, they only sell locally through a handful of shops in Jakarta and Bali. They also do a pipe tobacco called Tambolaka, which must be the strongest pipe tobacco I’ve ever tried, including some of the ropes. Bit too strong and pungent for me, and I usually think I like that kind of tobacco.

Tambolaka is very strong ? I heard of the brand before-think 4noggins had it… Tambo I never heard of before-thanks for the info :slight_smile:

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Tambolaka had a bit of a cult following on some of the pipe forums. Frankly, I think it was partly because it was quite difficult to get hold of, before 4noggins started stocking it. Rarity gave it value. Still, it’s worth trying. It really is quite different from any other genre of pipe tobacco that I’ve tried. I’m happy to see Indonesia produce an interesting pipe tobacco, but it wouldn’t be a daily smoke for me.

Same happened with the B.Sobrani I guess :wink: nowhere to be found leeds to a cult like status. Am reading all I can find about Tambo - both in cigars as in pipe-Tobacco. It makes for quite a difficult read ; Tambo , Tambolaka , “Vooroogst” are all used in different revieuws… I’m not to complain though:a good cigar and a good read make a perfect day to me ! thanks for the info @JakartaBoy By the way is it easy to come by most tobacco’s there where you live then ? I find that Holland is not the easiest of places when one wants to broaden ones tastes …

By the way is it easy to come by most tobacco’s there where you live then ? I find that Holland is not the easiest of places when one wants to broaden ones tastes …

No, it’s a pretty terrible place to buy tobacco. Mostly, I have to have it shipped in. Even then, the customs can be very erratic about how they apply the rules: I’ve had a kilo of tobacco shipped in without anyone raising any questions or even applying any duty, but other times I’ve had the lot confiscated. I’ve formed an alliance with a guy who has an importers licence, for a reasonable fee, he’ll import bulk tobacco for me, anything listed on 4noggins. Unfortunately, he’s not interested in broadening his supplier base, so I can’t get snuff through him. Most shipments have gone through without trouble, but the last time, I had an official looking letter asking me to “present a chemical analysis” for the substance I was importing. The customs officer was a nice, mother-like lady, so I went and played oriental deference with her for half an hour (“Of course, I respect your right to make a determination on this issue, and I will have to accept it. However …”). In the end, she released the shipment with no further questions, 6 x 25gm of Toque Quit in the bag.