I’ve been excited to review the Domus Magnus for quite some time. As a cigar, I view it something like the Colorado’s younger brother – not as much strength, but still very enjoyable and it bears resemblance to its older sibling. I purchased and smoked this cigar at The Cigar Inn (53rd st. location). With the cigar I paired a cup of coffee from the bodega across the street on 52nd.
Blend Specifics
Wrapper: Nicaragua Sun Grown Binder: Nicaragua Filler: Nicaragua
Top bandFoot band
Appearance & Construction
This cigar tends to be very springy to the touch. As a result, the draw tends to be a bit loose – which I really enjoy. The cigar delivers loads of smoke, and I can’t complain about that. Other than that, the box pressed cigar sports a rich brown Nicaraguan Sun Grown wrapper, and the pig tail wrap on the head ads a nice touch. Off the foot are scents of wood and bread.
Flavor & Smoke Characteristics
The Domus Magnus kicks off much milder than I would have expected right after smoking the Colorado. After the first few puffs though, the cigar really opens up with notes of wood, toasted bread, and chocolate. Very notable as well is just how smooth and cool the smoke is. As the reviewer at acigarsmoker.com rightly points out, there is also a discernable tartness in the profile as well.
The first half of the cigar was excellent – up until the point that I dropped a huge load of ash and put a big red burn on my hand. I can’t exactly blame Casa Magna for that though!
Right around the halfway point, the tartness (bordering now on bitterness) becomes a bit more prominent, which pairs nicely with the coffee notes. The strength of the cigar is also picking up.
The final third of this stick gets really interesting. The body of the smoke grows, and a really enjoyable spice is present on the tip of my tongue and in the retrohale. Smoke off the foot also has a nice savory note to it, confirming that this is a great complex cigar.
Conclusion
Casa Magna remains one of my all time favorite brands. This cigar is smooth, complex, and flavorful. At $12-$15, it is a bit pricey, but it is well worth it. I highly recommend picking up a five-pack.
Studio Square and Rocky Patel Host “A Taste of the Good Life”
Studio Square and Rocky Patel have joined forces to bring cigar enthusiasts everywhere an event that will leave even the biggest aficionados in awe. On September 13th, from 5:30PM – 9:30PM, guests will experience an evening of limited run Rocky Patel cigars, a decadent menu of choice cuts and raw bar items from the recently opened S PRIME Steakhouse, a selection of ultra-premium Bourbons and Scotches and dynamite live entertainment. Guests will also be treated to a commemorative gift pack and six additional cigars housed in a custom, ostrich-skin travel case available only at this event.
“A Taste of the Good Life” will utilize the entire Studio Square NYC complex, giving guests an experience unattainable at any other venue in New York City. From the more casual atmosphere of our 30,000 sq. ft. Garden, to the filet mignon carving stations and raw bar provided by S PRIME in The Loft, to the panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline from our Empire Suite and Rooftop event spaces, guests will certainly walk away from this event having gotten, “A Taste of the Good Life”.
Host Rocky Patel, enjoys a reputation of crafting some of the finest cigars in the world. Patel’s passion goes far beyond producing quality cigars, he takes a personal interest in his customer’s enjoyment of his products. With a reputation for excellence comes high expectations and Studio Square has assembled a group of premium brand partners for this event including Ferrari and Maserati of Long Island, Russian Standard Platinum Vodka, Laphroaig Scotches and the world-famous, Larry Flynnt’s Hustler Club.
A portion of the proceeds from “A Taste of the Good Life” will be donated to Cigar Rights of America, an organization dedicated to supporting the rights of premium cigar smokers across the country.
It is really hard to hate a cigar lounge. From the beginning of the experience (saying hello and picking out a cigar) to the final puff and the stroll back outside, the experience is meant to help us relax and enjoy the art and elegance of the leaf. That doesn’t mean that this thoughtfully designed experience is always a sanctuary from stress. Most veteran cigar smokers have seen the experience soiled by loud and idiotic patrons, rude shop owners, and a whole slew of other distractions. So, what exactly is it that pisses us off?
In order to come up with the list below, I took to our social networks, particularly our Facebook page, and asked our audience what their biggest lounge pet peeves are. I also dropped by Twitter and the Reddit cigar community (r/cigars) and was given some great insight.
If you are a new cigar smoker heading to a lounge or just hoping to get through the cigar bar experience without alienating your boss and his heavy-hitting friends, this might be a helpful list of things NOT to do next time you are out at a lounge.
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13 Ways to Make Everyone at a Cigar Lounge Hate You
1. Lick the wrapper of your cigar before having it cut.
This tradition of licking the wrapper before lighting is really a vestige of a forgotten past when cigars were not humidified properly by importers and shops. 99% of the cigars you see, touch, and smoke in a shop are humidified perfectly, so go easy on the slobber – it really won’t make you look like an aficionado.
2. Criticize or belittle someone’s cigar choice.
Don’t do it. It doesn’t matter if their cigar costs $2 or $25. If it isn’t your flavor profile, don’t ruin it for someone else (yes, complaining about a cigar will taint their perception of it even if it’s a great stick).
3. Tell everyone how that Cuban you had the other day was better than every other cigarever.
This is the other side of the cigar criticism coin. No one gives a damn if you smoked a Cuban. You don’t sound cool by repeating that you did. And yet every 5 minutes someone on this planet has the urge to affirm themselves by touting their Cuban cigar experience.
Want to know the likely truth? That Cuban you had in Puerto Rico on your business trip was probably a fake. It was probably made of some generic Dominican tobaccos and given a fake Cohiba wrapper.
And even if it was a real Cuban, this is typically how the conversation goes, and this is how dumb you will likely sound:
Cigar smoker 1: “Dude yeah I love cigars. I was smoking this cuban the other day it was so good.”
Cigar smoker 2: “Yeah? What was it?”
Cigar smoker 1: “A Cuban, it was so good, so much better than anything here.”
Cigar smoker 2: “I heard you. I asked which Cuban.”
Cigar smoker 1: “Uh a churchill I think. It was so good.”
Be prepared to receive an annoyed expression.
4. Interject into another conversation and quickly begin talking about yourself and your opinions.
This really is common sense, but it deserves repeating because of the way that cigars tend to bring out the egos of those who only smoke to stroke their ego: stop talking about yourself so much. Chances are, you are much less interesting than you think you are, and you might just find that those around you are interesting themselves.
5. Start a heated debate on politics and religion.
As much as you might love talking about the importance of metaphysical realism to the development of Western rights theory, or your most hated politicians, etc., there are just some topics that, unless you really know the person you are speaking to (one on one), you should avoid.
Cigars draw all sorts of individuals together, and that means people with wildly varying political and religious sensibilities. So before you go bashing Obama as a Muslim socialist or talking about how dumb you think conservatives are, take a moment to check yourself, and perhaps instead ask your friends if they have any special plans for the season or what their favorite spirit to pair is.
6. Blow smoke in someone’s face.
I’ll admit, I’ve done this a few times back when I first started smoking. But the truth is, it really isn’t funny. Enjoy your own cigar and let your fellow cigar smokers enjoy theirs.
7. Light up a cigarette.
How would you like it if I poured some kool-aid into that nice $40 bottle of wine you are drinking? Oh, you wouldn’t? Then please don’t pollute everyone’s smoking experience by blowing cigarette smoke everywhere, because it is the same thing. Aroma makes up 80% of the taste for many cigar smokers (myself included), and I can smell cigarette smoke immediately, even across the room.
It will ruin everyone’s smoking experience, and you will not be making any friends.
8. Puff another person’s cigar.
Don’t do it. As Aguilar7 on r/cigars put it, “It’s like asking to kiss someone’s spouse, to see what it’s like; get your own.”
9. Mooch cigars off of other cigar smokers.
When you’re sitting down, relaxing with a nice cigar, the last thing you want to hear is someone all-too-politely beating around the bush about how much they want to try the cigar that you just bought five of. Even if you know that there is a particularly generous cigar smoker that might bless you with a free stick, don’t be a cigar bum. Save your own money, buy your own cigars.
If you really want to, ask another BOTL if he’ll trade some cigars with you so it is a fair deal.
10. Give yourself generous amounts of other people’s liquor without supplying any.
Cigar smokers are some of the most consistently generous people you will ever meet. But don’t take advantage of that fact. If someone brings a bottle to share and offers you some, accept it graciously. But if you didn’t bring any to share, be polite and forgo pouring yourself more glasses of their hard-earned money.
11. Walk away with someone else’s cutter or lighter.
I can’t even count the amount of torch lighters and cutters I’ve lost because I let some forgetful person borrow them only to have my tools vanish. It’s normal to borrow cutters or a lighter – just be sure you don’t walk off and enter a deep conversation while your friend is forced to now borrow another cutter or lighter.
12. Stamp out your cigar when you’re finished with it.
Cigars are not cigarettes – don’t treat them the same. It is considered bad manners to smash a cigar against an ash tray when you are done smoking.
13. Get drunk and smoke too many cigars – throw up everywhere.
Yeah, this happens. No, your boss won’t be impressed. But your friends will laugh – at you. Not only that, you’ll smell like cigar smoke and puke. And that’s disgusting.
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Head spinning from so many rules? Well, don’t be discouraged. The common thread running through all of these rules is common sense, civility, and thoughtfulness. Don’t show off – just show up prepared to relax and enjoy the company of others.
If you live in the New York City area, don’t forget to sign up for invitations to exclusive FineTobaccoNYC cigar and whiskey events. To sign up, click here.
The award winning single malt whisky Highland Park, distributed by Maxxium UK, has clinched a total of seven new awards for both Thor and Highland Park 50 year old reinforcing the brand’s ability to continue to win the highest accolades for new and limited editions.
Following the recent launch of Thor, the first edition of Highland Park’s stunning Valhalla Collection, (a range of four unique whiskies, released annually, taking inspiration from the legendary Nordic gods of old) it has been awarded the first ever Spirit Design Masters Award at The Spirits Business 2012 Awards. The stunning 16 year old single malt, which is the newest edition to the Highland Park family, also secured Gold, Best in Class at the International Spirits Challenge 2012. This is one of the most respected and influential spirit competitions in the world, receiving more than 1000 entries from across 70 countries.
Highland Park’s oldest ever island single malt whisky – Highland Park 50 year old, which launched exclusively at Harrods, London in 2010 has also collected a total of four awards. As well as winning Best Design at the World Whiskies Award 2012, this unique bottle, encased in an intricate ‘net cage’ of hand-crafted ornate Sterling silver created by Scottish jewellery designer Maeve Gillies, also took home the Best Limited Edition at the World Whiskies Design Awards. With only 275 bottles produced this prestigious edition was also named Best Single Malt Scotch 41 Years and Over (Multiple Casks), at the 2012 Whisky Bible Awards.
Adding to the brands successful run recently both Highland Park 50 year old and Thor have also both clinched a gold medal for design and packaging at the International Spirits Challenge 2012.
Peter Sandstrom, marketing director for Maxxium said: “To receive recognition from these respected industry bodies is a great honour and we are thrilled with the success we have achieved this year. The quality of the competition means that all of these awards are of great significance to us. We’re looking forward to building on this success in the near future, especially in terms of our newer editions, which will allow us to maintain our award winning reputation within the industry.”
To find out more about Highland Park please visit www.highlandpark.co.uk
Notes:
Highland Park:
Five keystones contribute to making the Best Spirit in the World:
· Hand-turned malt adds to the deliciously succulent, balanced layers of aromatic character found in Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky.
· Aromatic peat gives a delectably seductive, luxuriant floral sweetness to Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky.
· Cool maturation enhances the smooth character of Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky.
· Sherry oak casks contribute to the distinctive richness and multi-dimensional complexity of Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky.
· Cask harmonisation ensures consistency and balance in Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky.
Established in 1798 on Orkney, Highland Park is one of the most remote Scotch whisky distilleries in the world. For over 200 years, the distillery has combined time old tradition and the very best craftsmanship to achieve perfection. Its core range of 12, 18, 21, 25, 30 and 40 year old single malt is consistently acclaimed by connoisseurs and experts.
Davidoff is presenting its limited edition in the form of an elegant “White Edition” for the second time. The cigar’s dark wrapper leaf gives the perfect contrast to the white band with classic Davidoff lettering in gold. In addition to the main band, the cigar bears a white band at the foot with a discreet mother-of-pearl inscription “2012”. The special Robusto Gordo format also lends the cigar a harmonious appearance.
A strong and full-bodied taste is the hallmark of the Davidoff “White Edition” 2012. Filler tobaccos from a number of different growing regions in the Dominican Republic were matured over six years before finally being brought together to form this special vintage. Due to the addition of the Piloto binder leaf and choice Dominican Criollo wrapper leaf, smokers will be delighted by the aromatic and complex notes in the finish.
A cigar of such noble character deserves an exceptional packaging to match. The Davidoff “White Edition” 2012 comes in a white enamelled box of which just 8,000 individually numbered specimens will be offered for sale worldwide. The Davidoff “White Edition” 2012 will be available at authorized tobacconists in the US from August 1, 2012.
What started last year with the inaugural Tweetup event at Burns Tobacconist (@burnstobacco99) and was put together by the hard work of David Jones (@dmjones1009) tikibaronline.com has grown into the massive event that is expected to converge on Chattanooga on August 24th and August 25th. To commemorate the united voice of cigar smokers on Twitter Emilio Cigars and Miami Cigar & Co. have joined forces to release a limited edition set.
The cedar box of 2 cigars will contain a cigars made just for this historic event. The Añoranza in a box-pressed Churchill, and the debut of La Musa Melete from Emilio cigars in the same format. These sizes will be limited to 300 boxes of 2.
Gary Griffith (@emiliocigar) states, “We are delighted to be releasing this joint project with Miami Cigar and Co., dear industry friends, on behalf of Burns Tobacconist, one of the finest retailers in the country. We chose this opportunity to release this special size of the new La Musa Melete blend, and as the first appearance of the blend on the market.”
In their second year supporting the Tweet-Up, Jason Wood (@miamicigar) VP of Miami Cigar adds, “Cigar smokers on twitter have become a driving voice in the industry. These aficionados are passionate about our craft, and we wanted to share with them something special.”
If you can’t make it to Chattanooga, you can follow the festivities via the twitter hash-tag #CHATweetup2012.
It seems that, in spite of how enthusiastic the Scottish are about their alcohol, the most recent attempt at a Guinness record for “longest whiskey tasting” is a failure, but not for the typical reason. The group of Whiskey aficionados did in-fact break the world record – but no Guinness officials showed up to witness the event, stripping the team of their world record.
The team of Whiskey lovers traveled to eight cities and eight whiskey shops over the 24-hour period, traveling over 643 miles.
Andrew Torrence from the Whiskey Shop (one of the event organizers) explained the development of the idea saying,
“I heard someone talking about the world’s biggest whisky tasting and I felt that it was a record that should be held by Scotland but it wasn’t. I got to thinking and had the idea that if we couldn’t do the biggest we should do the most, so that’s how it developed.”
The tastings focused on three core Compass Box whiskeys:
Great King Street Blend
Peet Monster
The Spice Tree
The DailyMeal writes that
“The officials from Guinness contacted the team a few days after the event to let them know it would have broken the record. However, they could not officially count it because they were not able to attend.”
I don’t know about you, but I’d be pretty pissed if I traveled to eight cities in 24 hours and didn’t get the record because some lazy Guinness reps didn’t show up. But in any case, hats off to such a dedicated group of whiskey aficionados.
Since coming under the management of Michael Herklotz (formerly of Davidoff), the Nat Sherman Townhouse has become something of a second home to me. The selection is fantastic, there is more seating than ever before (minus access to the Johnson lounge downstairs), and the staff is knowledgable and friendly. So when I asked what was new, a gentleman kindly pointed out the new Bench Collection cigars. The first such cigar up for review is the L-IDD, which, from La Aurora, sports a unique Indonesian wrapper that I’m excited to smoke.
La Aurora, the Dominican Republic’s oldest cigar factory, has teamed up with Nat Sherman to offer two very special cigars to the Tobacconist’s loyal customers at their Flagship Townhouse Store.
These cigars were manufactured in 2007 in their Dominican factory. The blends were part of the development of the La Aurora Excepcionales, a cigar made exclusively available to a small group of New York City retailers.
“We had three blends we really liked”, said Michael Herklots, who worked closely with La Aurora’s Manuel Inoa on the project. “Ultimately we chose a blend for the Excepcionales, but there were two other blends that we really liked and decided to make a very small production of them to use sometime in the future.” On a recent visit to La Aurora, Herklots inquired about the small production of the other two blends. And, fortunately for Nat Sherman, they were resting in the company’s vast aging room.
La Aurora agreed to make the small amount of cigars avialable for Nat Sherman’s exclusive Bench Collection- a series of small production cigars that use harder-to-get tobaccos in more artisenal style blends.
Both cigars are available in limited quantities boxes of 20 cigars
Blend Specifics
Vitola: Lancero
Size: 6.5″ x 40
Wrapper: Indonesian
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Appearance & Construction
This is not the most beautiful cigar my eyes have ever beheld. There are a few blotches on the Indonesian wrapper, and the color is (unsurprisingly) not quite like most cigars – sort of a light brown with a slightly reddish hue. The band, with the traditional Nat Sherman color scheme, says Nat Sherman “Bench”.
Otherwise, the construction is pretty much flawless, there are minimal viens, the wrapper is slightly oily, and the city is springy to the touch. After using a straight cut on the triple capped head, I find the draw to be about average.
Flavor & Smoke Characteristics
Before lighting this cigar, I take a whiff of the foot of the cigar. Apparent is a sort of woody smell, and something else that I can’t quite put my finger on and am hoping shows up a bit more discernably when I light.
The second the smoke touches my lips, I’m tasting a very unique and powerful sweetness that I haven’t experienced in any cigar I can remember. It is also, delicious, with tinges of milk chocolate, butter, and the slightest tanginess on the retrohale.
As I hit the second third, a few things are apparent. First, the ash has a hard time staying put – it burns perfectly straight, but tends to fall quickly. Second, the wrapper is delivering lots of flavor with this vitola. The strength of the smoke continues to build, making sure I don’t get bored with this cigar.
The final third sees the body and strength of the smoke increase, and the retrohale gets significantly more spicy.
Conclusion
The Nat Sherman Bench L-IDD is a cigar worthy of the Nat Sherman name. I found it to be complex and very flavorful, mostly thanks to the lancero vitola. It isn’t a cigar I would smoke every day, partially because the flavor profile isn’t one that I typically smoke, but it is a great morning cigar. Pick up a few of these before they are all gone!
General Cigar is proud to introduce FOUNDRY, a new boutique collection created to amplify the artistry and romanticism of premium cigars.
FOUNDRY is a stark juxtaposition between the old and the new. This visually-arresting collection was inspired by the art form of “steampunk,” which is both a retrospective and futuristic interpretation of innovation.
FOUNDRY is the brainchild of Michael Giannini who led the team that created the breakthrough brand. “Innovation comes from many sources,” he notes. “It is a pleasure and an honor to be able to call upon our greatest resources: the collective talent of cigar masters, our expertise in tobacco cultivation, processing and blending and the creativity of our artisan cigar rollers and box makers to bring FOUNDRY to fruition.”
Through a groundbreaking approach previously unseen in the premium cigar category, FOUNDRY entices the premium cigar connoisseur to take a bold step back in time and a quantum leap into the future to envision the artistry of handmade cigars through the lens of unbridled innovation.
Visual considerations aside, FOUNDRY’s avant-garde approach extends to its masterfully balanced synthesis of flavors. Featuring an indulgent collection of five proprietary tobaccos from four different countries, each aged between three and six years, Foundry’s foundation is amplified through an eight year old wrapper developed by General Cigar. Called H-47 Pleno Sol, the lustrous wrapper imparts a deeply complex, layered smoking experience like no other.
The four-cigar collection is accessibly-priced, and will make its mark on tobacco retail starting in late-October. Foundry features these new cigars: Wells (6”x 50, SRP per cigar is $7.95); Lovelace (6 ¼ ” x 54, SRP per cigar is $8.45); Talbot (5” x 60, SRP per cigar is $8.95) and Cayley (6 ½” x 60 x 56 x 43, SRP per cigar is $9.45). Each frontmark is presented with a unique box design and features both a traditional paper band and a steampunk-inspired metal gear band.
Every hobby has its myths, and new hobbyists tend to have to go through periods of believing some silly myths (i.e. all wine gets better with age, the Irish invented distilling, etc). So recently I took to Reddit (r/cigars), to try to isolate the top myths related to cigars.
So, without further ado, here are some of the top myths many still believe about cigars and cigar smoking. The list is ordered from the most silly myths, to ones that many veteran cigar smokers still believe today:
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Myth #1: “Cuban cigars are unequivocally the best in the world.” (submitted by venganza24)
This myth crops up time and again, mostly from the uneducated cigar smokers, but also from many wealthy cigar smokers who are “Cuban only.” Though it might be true that Cuban cigars are very good and even some of the best in the world, it is impossible to make the blanket statement that Cubans are the best for a few reasons.
First, tastes are relative. Some profiles are enjoyable to one cigar smoker and unenjoyable to others. If you love the kick of a spicy Nicaraguan puro, you might not have the same appreciation for most Cuban cigars, and vice-versa. Second, since the embargo, quality standards in terms of quality control, construction, and technology in countries like Nicaragua, the D.R., Honduras, etc., have increased one hundred fold, rivaling and on average besting Cuban cigars in quality (and I’ve had many Cuban cigars).
So why do people (including seasoned cigar smokers) continue to insist that Cubans are categorically better? For U.S. smokers, it is typically because Cubans are not available in the states, so people tend to elevate them by perception alone. For European smokers that love to boast about how amazing Cubans are, I’ve found that it is often, simply put, snobbery. Most importantly, however, is that Cuban cigars are seen as a status symbol of the sophisticated and well-off.
Myth #2: “All cigar smokers are snobs.”
Put a large number of people together to talk about a hobby, and there will be snobs. Hell, I’m willing to be that if you put 20 clay-mation animators in a room and had them watch Wallace & Gromit, at least one of them would look down his nose.
So why the wide-spread perception that cigar smokers are snobs? Well, we have Hollywood to thank for that, along with the already-snobbish who get into cigar smoking just so that they can be extra-snobby.
Myth #3: “Cigar smoking is for the wealthy.” (submitted by aguilar7)
If this myth were true, I certainly wouldn’t be smoking cigars, and neither would most of my friends. This myth is, like others, supported by Hollywood, who often portrays cigar smokers as wealthy, corrupt, or criminal. Of course, it is true that some cigars are expensive, and some idiotic companies even play this myth to their advantage.
The truth is, there are many world class cigars for under $5 a piece. If you are wise with your money and don’t overspend, even a poor college student can have good sticks on hand for special occasions or even a regular smoke with friends.
Myth #4: “The darker the wrapper, the stronger the cigar.” (submitted by MattyBlayze)
Many beginning cigar aficionados make the understandable mistake of assuming that if a cigar has a dark wrapper, it must be a strong cigar. The truth is, there are plenty of incredibly dark cigars that, though flavorful, are hardly what I would call powerhouse cigars (e.g. Macanudo Maduro 1997, Rocky Patel OWR, Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro, etc). Additionally, there are lots of cigars that, though lighter in complexion, pack a serious punch (some Savinelli cigars, Hispaniola Connecticut, etc).
Myth #5: “A cigar’s flavor comes from the wrapper.” (submitted by MattyBlayze)
This isn’t a myth you’ll hear a lot about from the uninformed. Although it comes from a generally true observation (the wrapper adds a lot of flavor to a cigar), many cigar smokers will emphasize the point a bit past what is true. A cigar’s flavor is determined by a lot more than the type of wrapper. The size/shape (vitola) has a lot to do with what you’ll taste in a cigar, and so too the binder/filler tobaccos have a lot to do with the taste as well.
Myth #6: “White ash means the tobacco is high quality.”
This myth has always struck me as a bit bizarre, but the reasons for it seem pretty clear. It seems like human nature to connect purity to quality. We do it all the time with wine, cigars, whiskey, fabrics, you name it. If the ash looks “clean” then the tobacco must be processed better, right?
Wrong. Cigars with very white ash tend to have higher amounts of of calcium and magnesium, which, though important for a good cigar, don’t make a good cigar. There are plenty of cigars with salt and pepper ash that smoke incredibly well, and I’ve had white-ash cigars that are incredibly bland. A good discussion on it here.
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What cigar myths are missing from this list? Let us know in the comments below. I can think of one more off of the top of my head, which I’ll have to credit to psi_chi from r/cigars:
“My favorite myth: you can keep money in your bank account once you start smoking cigars.”