Hi everybody. I am Alan Britt from Smokingpipes, and today I want to talk about some of the first cigars that a lot of cigar smokers get into, and that's going to be sweet-tipped, infused, or flavored cigars.

Sweet-Tip Cigars

I think there can be a lot of misconceptions in the community about them. Some people kind of pinpoint them for "newbies," but I think these are cigars that can be enjoyed by everybody.

So first off, we're going to talk about sweet-tip cigars. This one right here is the brand-new Blind Man's Bluff Sweet Tip from Caldwell Cigar Company. I've been smoking these pretty frequently since they were released. A lot of sweet-tip cigars, I'd even say most, tend to be mild, blended to be mild, and the sweetened cap is kind of an accent to the flavor. This particular cigar and most sweetened-tip cigars are going to tend to dwindle away as you smoke it, but it's going to provide you with a nice sweetness on the palate at the beginning. So it provides an accent to a typically mild cigar.

In this one here, for example, there are lots of chocolate notes, and by that, I mean that the mildly sweetened cap almost gives a milk chocolate profile. There are a lot of other really good sweetened cigars. Baccarat is the first one that comes to mind, and that's been around forever. These are all really good ones to try. Whether a novice or a long-term cigar smoker, I think revisiting these would definitely benefit your experience.

Infused Cigars

And next up we can talk about infused cigars. Infused and flavored are definitely two different things in the premium cigar world; for FDA reasons, we prefer to call them infused. The Kuba Kuba, or ACIDs in general, are hands down the most popular infused cigars on the market. This is the first cigar that a ton of people smoked. They're widely available, not just in your local brick-and-mortar shops, but also in gas stations and grocery stores. It's a really good first point of access for a lot of cigar smokers who don't have the ability to go to their local shop.

The Kuba Kuba, or once again, ACIDs in general, they're infused with botanicals and herbs. It's a pretty secretive process that Drew Estate keeps very tight-lipped. It is a unique experience, hands down. You will never smoke anything like an ACID. If you haven't tried one, you most definitely should. It may not be your cup of tea or it may be the best cigar you've ever smoked, and there's only one way to find out: cut it and light it.

Tabak Especial: Alan's First Cigar

Drew Estate, who manufactures those, has a wide range of infused cigars, from the Deadwood series to the ever popular Tabak Especial. This is infused with a coffee flavoring. Once again, it's a secretive process. We're not sure how it happens, but it's tasty.

Also, this cigar has a super special place in my heart. This was the first cigar I ever smoked, and it was exclusively what I smoked for about a year. When I want to visit memory lane and bring back those days when I fell in love with premium cigars, I smoke a Tabak Especial with a cup of coffee. It takes me back to those youthful days of being a newbie cigar smoker. And even as a professional cigar smoker now, it's something I can revisit and appreciate, and I still think it's as delicious as it was seven or eight years ago when I smoked it for the first time. I really encourage everyone who is a cigar smoker to give this cigar a shot. I think you'll enjoy it.

Storing Infused Cigars

So one important thing to note with infused cigars, they should not be stored with traditional cigars. They should be contained in a separate humidor. For me personally, I have a small desktop that I use for all my infused cigars. You don't want those intermingling with your traditional cigars because they will infuse upon those. So whether you're a newbie cigar smoker or a seasoned vet, I highly encourage you to try infused and sweet-tip cigars, maybe for the first time, or if you've been smoking for 10 years and haven't revisited them, it's something you should definitely do to remind yourself that this portion of the market still exists and it's still good. There's something special to appreciate about these and I think you'll enjoy it if you revisit.