If you are anything like me, you are a member of a number of different cigar forums, groups, and blogs. When I first started smoking years ago, I would look for a cigar I enjoyed and stick to that stogie for what seemed like forever. My first cigar was an Excalibur III by Hoyo de Monterrey. I had no clue what the blend was and I didn't really care either. All I knew is that I smoked it and I liked it. The more I got into the hobby, the more I began to learn about different blends, different flavor profiles, and different strengths. This was the beginning of the end for me.

One of the positives to joining all these different sorts of cigar communities is that you begin to learn. You learn about cigars, of course, but you also learn about this crazy concept of Hard To Find (HTF) smokes. These are the cigars that come out either in extreme limited quantities, or once a year, or in some cases both. Because of the limited nature of these stogies, they command a pretty high price tag not only in the cigar store, but also in the secondary market as well. This brings up one of the negatives of being part of all these different groups... it can put a hurt on your wallet.

There are many different types of cigar smokers. There are those, like me, that like to buy cigars to… and this may be a crazy concept to some… smoke the cigars. With the advent of these HTF sticks, a new type of smoker was born, the collector. These are the "smokers" who find a limited release stick and buy it, not to really smoke the cigar, but more to say they got it. On these different communities you will see people post pictures of full lines of cigars. I liken this to hunters. There are those that hunt for food, and there are those that simply want that mount over their mantle. There is nothing really wrong with either ideology, just different frames of mind.

As you get further into these cigar groups, you too can get caught up in the chase. Like I said before, I am a smoker. Any cigar I get I plan on enjoying. That being said, I have sought out limited release smokes and I will admit, the hunt is pretty darn enjoyable. That feeling you get when you finally find that one cigar you were looking for is like opening a pack of baseball cards as a kid and finding that Mickey Mantle rookie card. There is a rush as you wait for it. and a sense of fulfillment once that package is in your hand.

Let's go into some of the more famous HTF Cigars. First, and probably the one that every cigar smoker knows, no matter if you are relatively new to the hobby for a long time here, is Arturo Fuente's Opus X. As long as I have been smoking, people have been craving and searching for these cigars. Long before the days of Liga Privada, Tatuaje, and Crowned Heads, smokers were seeking out Opus X. Some would argue that these cigars are made for the collector because most feel that even after you find them and get a few, they need a couple months to a year of age to be at their full potential.

One of the newest boutique brands on the street is Crowned Heads. Run by Jon Huber, the former head of CAO, Crowned Heads makes a wide variety of regular production cigars as well as limited release cigars. One of their first was the Las Calaveras. This cigar is released only once a year to honor those in the industry that have passed. The first one came out in 2014 and was so well received it is now a regular production cigar called La Imperiosa. Crowned Heads has also gotten into the habit of making regional release cigars like Tatuaje.

Oliva Serie V Melanio Figurado is a perfect example of this. Prior to last year, this cigar was not always available but was not impossible to get. After it was named the #1 cigar of 2014 by Cigar Aficionado last year, it became the HTF cigar to get. You can see the same thing happening right now with this years #1 cigar; My Father Le Bijou 1922 Box Pressed Torpedo.

Oliva Serie V Melanio Figurado? Yep, those are in stock too. So sit back and relax with your favorite stogie, while the rest of the world is wondering how you got them, or you could let them know who your favorite online cigar retailer is, CigarPlace.com.

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It is getting frigid here in Florida. You know, 48-58 degrees and only 70% humidity. That there is sweater weather down here. We know a lot of the country is dealing with a lot worse and there was a blizzard that went through the Mid-Atlantic this past weekend, making smoking a large cigar much harder these days. The question you need to ask yourself is do you suffer in silence, anger the family by taking your cigar inside, or adapt with a shorter smoke?

SHOP ALL SMALL CIGARS THAT TAKE LESS TIME TO SMOKE!

If you are in the adapt to the cold camp, there are plenty of great options for you. If you are like me, I normally stick with cigars at least over a 50 ring gauge. My go-to smoke is a toro-sized cigar around 6 inches long and a 52-56 ring. Standing outside for the hour and a half that it takes me to smoke this size really dampens my enjoyment of the cigar. I also hate to smoke only half a cigar and re-light it later. I needed to find something smaller, and luckily I have found a couple of different choices to fit my needs.

The first option is to change your ring gauge. I used to turn my nose up at anything less than a 50-ring. It just didn't have the right "mouth feel" for me. Almost all cigars have the same blend in them no matter the size. The only difference is the ratios used in order to achieve the same taste in the smaller sizes. One of the few exceptions to this is my choice when I am going for a smaller ring-sized cigar…the Liga Undercrown Corona Viva. This 5 5/8 x 46 cigar changes the ratios of ligero used from all the other sizes in the line. What this means to you as a smoker is a much fuller and richer smoke with the Corona Viva over let's say, the Gordito for example.

The next option for all those that don’t want a skinnier cigar, is to look at the length of the cigars you are smoking. One of the most famous of the shorter, stubbier cigars is the Nub line out of Oliva and Studio Tabac. When Sam Leccia came to the heads of Oliva with his idea for the Nub line, a lot of them thought he was nuts. Who would want to smoke a 3 1/2 or 4 inch cigar, but the idea stuck and it is a great seller for them. The concept is that a lot of people really enjoy that final third of a cigar. What if the whole cigar was that final “nub” experience. My personal favorite is the Nub Habano 358. This cigar is a full-bodied and spicy stick measuring at 3 3/4 x 58 and provides the perfect 45 minute to an hour smoke.

The final option for those looking to maximize your smoking enjoyment during the cold winter months is to reduce both the ring and the length of your cigar. This is usually my plan C as it seems like I am compromising a lot to change both, but then again I am not a fan of change in almost everything in my life. There are a couple of different options in this category. First is the very small tinned cigars. There are a number of choices here, no matter what strength of cigar you like. Most of the big names in cigars make these smaller sticks, like Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta.

The other choice in these much smaller cigars are boxed smokes that are just slightly larger than their tinned cigar brethren. There are many times where I have found that I do not want a larger cigar, either due to the weather or simply time constraints, that this group of cigars has helped me. One of my favorite brand of smaller cigars is Liga Privada Unico. These cigars are short-filled and the blend consists scraps of tobacco remaining from making the much larger Liga Privada No. 9 and T52.

Whichever option you choose, you can see that there are plenty of choices for when you want to enjoy a great cigar in the colder weather. Go get your favorite hot beverage, grab a seat by a heater, and a great cigar, and enjoy your winter wonderland.

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It is our mission to provide you with the best prices, discounts and deals for cigars, humidifiers, lighters, cutters, gifts and other cigar accessories. Shop and browse one of the largest collections of premium cigar brands and samplers.