Saturday, September 04 2010
By Gary Korb
Among the many emails I receive each week, a good number of them have come from grooms or best-men looking for cigars to handout as wedding gifts. After all, it is one of our American traditions. Since I've been getting these requests for years, and because many weddings are held in September and October, I thought it was a good time to share some of my recommendations.
Keep in mind that most banquet halls are smoke-free. However since a lot of weddings are held during this time of year, the weather often permits cigar-smoking guests to partake whether the main event is held indoors or out.
Let's start with budget. In most cases the request will give me an idea of what they want to spend. Usually, because it's a wedding they're willing to spend a little more, and the order may even include a special
box just for the groom. But I recently received an email from one groom who was looking for something a little more budget-friendly because, even though he was an avid cigar smoker, most of the guests he'd be handing out the cigars to were only every-once-in-a-while smokers. In another instance, the groom wanted to buy a box for each of his groomsmen. Now that's what I call "brothers of the leaf."
The takeaway here is, if you're going to buy cigars for your guests, groomsmen, future father-in-law, whomever, just because your wedding is one of the biggest days of your life, there's no need to go overboard. You've probably already spent a small fortune on the food and the music alone. So be practical. You're not going to impress someone who doesn't smoke cigars on a regular basis with a Davidoff, a Padron Anniversary 1964, or a Fuente Fuetne Opus X. Besides, they won't be able to appreciate the finer points of those cigars.
Note that you don't have to go for a whole box either. Determine how many cigars you'll actually be handing out. Maybe all you need are a few 5-packs.
What follows is a list of good cigars by price category. Since I tend to get carried away with my recommendations, I've limited myself to three selections per range in various strengths. I know I'll get comments saying, "Why didn't you include such-and-such," so please feel free to contribute your own recommendations in the comments field.
$100 - $180/box
CAO The Sopranos Associate
Romeo y Julieta Reserve Real Churchill
Avo XO Noturno
Under $100/box
Rocky Patel Rosado Lonsdale
Perdomo Lot 23 Toro Maduro
Oliva Serie O Robusto
Under $75/box
La Floridita Fuerte Robusto
Don Tomás SE Connecticut #500
Maxx Traditional Corona
Finally, be careful about the strength you choose, too. As noted above, if most of your giftees are not regular cigar smokers, you don't want to choose cigars that will knock them out. On the other hand, you don't want to give them something too light either. You most likely know who you're going to give the cigars to, so be sure to take their preferences into account. Most importantly, have a great time and congratulations! (_[ca]__{{{
