[sahd03]

allright. i'm doing my christmas shopping WAY early this year for the first time ever - and I gotta tell ya, so far, it's WAY better than doing it the two weeks before christmas!!!!

My brother-in-law is a cigar guy. But i know NADA. I need help on what to buy and the shop I will be using has these options - the prices are high and low, but are some of these "better" or "more special" than the others? I'm only looking to spend about $50 on actual cigars, so I'm not going for the super pricey stuff here...

BOLIVAR
COHIBA
CUABA
DIPLOMATICOS
EL REY DEL MUNDO
FONSECA
H. UPMANN
HOYO DE MONTERREY
JOSE L. PIEDRA
JUAN LOPEZ
LA FLOR DE CANO
LA GLORIA CUBANA
MONTECRISTO
PARTAGAS
POR LARRANAGA
PUNCH
QUAI D'ORSAY
RAFAEL GONZALEZ
RAMON ALLONES
ROMEO Y JULIETA
SAINT LUIS REY
SANCHO PANZA
TRINIDAD
VEGAS ROBAINA

[neuthunder]

I suggest casagno 18's.... very good, very cheap(dunno how much a case goes for)

[LuvDog]

I'm assuming that is their entire inventory?

Do you know what he currently smokes?
Do you know what size/shape he prefers?

Of the ones you've listed.

Some ones that I'd recommend

Montecristo Esp #2
Cohiba - Corona Especial, Siglo IV
Partagas - 898, Series D 4, Series P 2

There are many others... give me some more info.

[sahd03]

They come in shapes and sizes?! I had no clue. I have no more info to give, nor do I know his preferences.... I don't know the guy very well since he and his wife never spend time with the family and god forbid they talk to people when they ARE there.... oops... off topic.

Anyway, I have no more info and I'm not asking his preferences becuase this is secret santa! but, with the info I have so far, I can be dangerous.

I was hoping to put together a nice little "cuban cigar gift package" ... two nice cigars.... then... um.... maybe a new cutter and a nice cigar box for storage.... any other recommendations?

[benVFR]

It's August.. plenty of time to do some "recon" and figure out what he likes and not worry about him remembering the discussion..

Besides unless he is incredibly picky he's probably not going to dislike a particular high-quality cigar.

[LuvDog]

Lots of different shapes and sizes...

What's your total for the secret santa purchase?

You can spend big money on a cutter and humidor too.

Just a few cigars alone will be $50.

[ancosta]

I have some Montecristos that I have yet to try and I also have some Guantanameras which I have had several of....talk about major buzz. The first one I smoked made me feel like I had an epi pen stuck in my heart. Very smooth other than the shakes that come with it if you smoke too quickly! Can't comment on price, they were a gift that came back from a trip to France

[Greg (MA)]

I'd avoid getting Cohibas unless you want to blow all of your money right then and there. Cohibas are THE defacto Cuban cigars, and their pricing reflects this. I wouldn't go so far as to say they are overpriced, but I know quite a few people who have overpaid and don't have the experience to fully understand and enjoy them.

Montecristo's #2 is the other Cuban cigar staple. However, if you give him a few Montecristo Edmundos, a Partagas Serie D No 4 (or a P No 2) and/or a Romeo Y Julieta Churchill, he may appreciate it more.

The owner of the Habanos (Cuban cigar distributor) store in Costa Rica spoke very highly of Vegas Robaina sticks when I was down there. It's also always fun to light up a Trinidad Fundadores, as they have been produced specially for Fidel beginning in 1980.

H. Upmann's are always a good choice, although I have only had bad luck with Fonseca. Punch Punch is another well known stick. You can't go wrong with a Bolivar Belicoso (Torpedo shape) or a Hoyo.

Where are you getting these by the way?

[LuvDog]

Ditto Greg... where are you getting these?

Be sure of your source... most cuban cigars bought and sold in the US are fakes.

BTW... does your brother in law smoke only cubans? There are other options for great cigars.

I'll agree with Greg on the Punch Punch and the Boli Belicoso.

I'm not a huge fan of the Upmann's or Fonseca brands

Another staple is the Hoyo de Monterery Epi #2

Personally, I wouldn't go with a churchill from RyJ too much cigar and I never have enough time to devote to it... I like to stick with robusto's or torpedo/pyramid/belicoso.

[sahd03]

Actually, I'm buying them from a shop in Whistler, BC, Canada. The owner of the shop is a great guy and it's a shop I've been in, so since I like to frequent privately-owned establishments when I can, I will.

I like Greg's idea of getting a few different cigars and maybe not spending a ton on just one cigar. The secret santa limit is $100. I'm thinking of blowing it all on cigars, he's probably got nice "equipment" already.

And although I do have plenty of time to do some recon, I only see this guy once a year and both he and his wife are way too self-absorbed to speak with us much. So, I'm goig to get him a few stogies recommended by you guys and be done with it.

I've learned a lot, though - maybe I'll buy one for myself!

[LuvDog]

what about us for helping you out

[Greg (MA)]

Keep in mind, if he knows anything about cigars and smokes them somewhat reguarly, he will already have a full set of equipment. Unless he's specifically looking for a good lighter or cutter, spend it on stogies.