Friday, December 19 2008
By Gary Korb
One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is recommending cigars to smokers looking for something new, or a less expensive alternative to a cigar they already enjoy. If I can pinpoint a particular brand or two, I often suggest a
box or a 5-pack. But more often, I suggest a good cigar sampler, which brings me to the motivation for this article.
It all started when I was talking to my friend and coworker, Humberto Gonzalez. Humberto is the brainchild of most of the new wave of Famous cigar samplers like the "Wisebuys," for example. We were discussing an idea I had for a new cigar sampler. As the conversation progressed, we began to talk about online cigar stores always promoting "the next greatest cigar sampler" in their emails.
"I'm tired of seeing things like, the 'Ultimate Sampler,' the 'Supreme Sampler,' the 'Mother of All Samplers' kind of shlock," said Humberto. "I'd rather give the power to the people and let them decide what's best for them. The reason I say this has to do with my travels when I was in cigar sales over the last few years. I was often asked by the average cigar smoker, 'What's the best cigar out there?' Naturally, that's subjective, so my best answer was, 'The best cigar in the world is the one you like.'"
If you accept Humberto's theory, logic would dictate that "the world's greatest cigar sampler" is the sampler that comes with the cigars you enjoy most.
So what if, instead of an online cigar store pushing their idea of "the next greatest cigar sampler," you could put together your own custom-made sampler, tailored to your personal flavor profile? Well, actually you can. Like Dorothy at the end of The Wizard of Oz, who learns she could have gone home to Kansas at any time just by clicking the heals of her ruby slippers, you've always had the ability to create "The World's Greatest Cigar Sampler." Allow me to direct you to Famous Smoke Shop's Create-A-Sampler engine.
With Create-A-Sampler, not only can you choose from a massive selection of cigars, but you're not limited to any one specific shape. The only caveat is that you're limited to what's available at the time you create your sampler. Of course, you can probably come up with a truckload of personalized samplers, and since there's no limit to the number of brands you can add, you can create a sampler of any size.
Here's a 20 cigar sampler that I came up with for myself.
1. 601 Habano Oscuro La Punta
2. Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature
3. Avo #2
4. CAO Cx2 Toro
5. Camacho Select Robusto
6. Carlos Toraño Cameroon 1916 Robusto
7. Cohiba Black Supremo
8. Davidoff Millennium Short Robusto
9. Gran Habano Habano #3 Gran Robusto
10. Graycliff Blue Label PG
11. Gurkha Ancient Warrior Robusto
12. La Flor Dominicana Cabinet Oscuro Nat L-400
13. Alec Bradley MAXX The Fix
14. Montecristo Platinum Robusto
15. Oliva Serie O Robusto
16. Padron 3000
17. Perdomo Habano Gordo
18. Rocky Patel American Market Selection Toro
19. Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve Robusto
20. Romeo Y Julieta Reserva Real Toro
And that my friends, is how you make "The World's Greatest Cigar Sampler." Now it's your turn.
