I was a hand rolled cigar smoker for many years so know a bit about them. There was a great cigar bar near where I worked that sold individual cigars, which is a great way to sample different ones to see what you like before committing to a whole box. Cigars usually contain 3 different types of tobacco, the filler, the binder and the wrapper. It's the combination of the three that gives each one it's individual taste. The green, or candola wrappers, were never to my taste. The brown, or natural wrappers are the most popular and usually give a mild flavor. My personal favorite is the madura, or black, wrapper. The taste is a bit more robust. Four countries product the majority of today's cigars, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Hondorus. Cuban cigars are still banned in the US due to the Cuban embargo but I've had opportunities to smoke a few over the years. They tend to be strong and very robust. Ones from the Dominican Republic were always my favorites, with Hondorus next. Never cared much for the ones from Nicaragua. Most of the Dominican tobacco has been grown from seeds brought from Cuba and many of the Cuban manufacturers also manufacturer in the D.R. My all time favorite is the Arturo Fuente Churchill Maduro. Some others I enjoyed were Punch, CAO, H. Upmann, Macanudo (what Tony Sopranno smoked!), Hoyo de Monterrey and Partagas. For a new smoker like yourself, I would recommend the CAO or Upmann with a natural wrapper. They are milder than most of the others I've mentioned.
Cigars can get quite expensive. Mike's Cigars,
http://www.mikescigars.com/brands-cigars/, sells a brand called Old Fashioned. These are seconds from some of the major manufacturers and are a lot cheaper. Most are seconds because of blemishes on the wrappers. Another good source is JR Cigars,
http://www.jrcigars.com/jr/index.cfm. They are probably the biggest distributor in the country. Some of their house brands are very good and reasonably priced. I always found Mike's to be a bit cheaper on name brands than JR. Both sell sample packs which is a great way to sample different ones to find what you enjoy.
A humidor is a must have if you're serious about cigars. They will maintain them at the proper 70% relative humidity. All cigars are aged but will benefit from additional aging. Aging allows the binder, wrapper and filler to combine for a more even, flavorful smoke. Being the cheap bastard that I am, I built my own humidor from a Rubbermaid container. If you're interested I can give you the details.
