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    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview - Now Live

    Random questions to which you seek an answer

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    • Jordan23J
      Jordan23
      Joined:

      @seren:

      Hi guys! I don't smoke but want to try out a cigar. What brand would you recommend to someone who doesn't smoke but wants to test the "flavours" of a Cuban cigar? I'm willing to pay ca. 20 € (25$) per cigar but only want to buy two pieces max.

      Any help is appreciated 🙂

      Alex1976 if you read this:
      Welche Zigarre würdest du einem Einsteiger empfehlen, der den Geschmack einer kubanischen Zigarre entdecken will und bereit ist ca. 20€ pro Stück zu investieren? Will nur zwei kaufen. Jede Hilfe ist willkommen 🙂

      Thanks!

      Bin nicht Alex, aber eine Cohiba ist immer eine gute Wahl. Ich würde ne Siglo III (ca. 17,00 €) nehmen. Die ist für nen Anfänger gut geeignet und nicht zu schwer.

      Go for a Cohiba Siglo III. It's not to big and to heavy in taste for an am. It's about 17,00 €.

      AE

      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • S
        seren
        Joined:

        Thanks for the input Jordan23. My first cigar will be a Cohiba Siglo III. What would be your second recommendation?

        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • ChrisC
          Chris
          Raw and Unwashed
          Joined:

          @DougNg:

          If you're walking up to the bar and then walking away to get to your friends, I usually tip heavy for the first one (100% of the cost of the drink), and then leave a buck or two for every subsequent drink. This guarantees that the bartender will be attentive to you for the rest of your stay

          If I'm sitting at the bar and I know that I'm going to be there for awhile, I'll leave a massive initial tip and then not tip for the next couple

          You can also have the option to run a tab.  The bartender will usually take a credit card from you and then give you a total at the end of the night.  You can add your tip in at that point.  This works well if you're planning to stay and drink for a while, order food, etc.  Otherwise, Doug's advice is pretty much dead on for how I operate at a bar.

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          • O
            Omega Man
            Haraki san Student
            Joined:

            Romeo y Julieta Petit Coronas is a decent cigar.  Once you are ready to branch out, you can try different sizes (e.g. churchill / double corona / robusto) and leaves (e.g. maduro).  You will need plenty of time to fully enjoy a cigar.  Relax and try to have at least an hour or two.  Sit down in your favourite chair with a glass of cognac/scotch/port/beer.  These drinks will bring out the unique flavours of the cigar.  Enjoy!

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            • RocknRollR
              RocknRoll
              Joined:

              The American tipping  system takes some getting used to.

              When I was visiting my friends in NYC a few years back the advice they gave me was: a tip of $1 per drink is considered the minimum (otherwise the barman/waitress may ignore you in future).  Tip more than this if you want priority service on your next trip to the bar.

              This was a simple approach I could get my head around. Does this still hold true?

              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • ALEX1976A
                ALEX1976
                Banned
                Joined:

                @Jordan23:

                @seren:

                Hi guys! I don't smoke but want to try out a cigar. What brand would you recommend to someone who doesn't smoke but wants to test the "flavours" of a Cuban cigar? I'm willing to pay ca. 20 € (25$) per cigar but only want to buy two pieces max.

                Any help is appreciated 🙂

                Alex1976 if you read this:
                Welche Zigarre würdest du einem Einsteiger empfehlen, der den Geschmack einer kubanischen Zigarre entdecken will und bereit ist ca. 20€ pro Stück zu investieren? Will nur zwei kaufen. Jede Hilfe ist willkommen 🙂

                Thanks!

                Bin nicht Alex, aber eine Cohiba ist immer eine gute Wahl. Ich würde ne Siglo III (ca. 17,00 €) nehmen. Die ist für nen Anfänger gut geeignet und nicht zu schwer.

                Go for a Cohiba Siglo III. It's not to big and to heavy in taste for an am. It's about 17,00 €.

                hey Andy du Würstchen;-)…..he asked me!
                get a siglo V....mild cigar with a good length...smoketime 30-45 min. price 20-23 bucks
                the siglo V is my favorite  the moment

                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • simoncS
                  simonc
                  Banned
                  Joined:

                  I have been smoking cigars for about 15 years now and I would suggest for you a Ramon Allones Specially Selected and Hoyo De Monterrey number 2 both are mild robustos and excellent value well under budget.

                  last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • seawolfS
                    seawolf
                    Mod Squad
                    Joined:

                    @DougNg:

                    If you're walking up to the bar and then walking away to get to your friends, I usually tip heavy for the first one (100% of the cost of the drink), and then leave a buck or two for every subsequent drink. This guarantees that the bartender will be attentive to you for the rest of your stay

                    If I'm sitting at the bar and I know that I'm going to be there for awhile, I'll leave a massive initial tip and then not tip for the next couple

                    This is some solid advice.

                    Tips. Insure. Prompt. Service. (TIPS)

                    I look at it this way: If you're trying to decide how much to leave, air on the side of more. It's only a couple of bucks, and it'll save you time and aggravation later on when you're trying to get more drinks or trying to close out your tab.  A good bartender sees everyone and will notice when the good tippers walk up to the bar.

                    “Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible” - Don Norman

                    @zeebeeleather

                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • Megatron1505M
                      Megatron1505
                      見習いボス
                      Joined:

                      Ok, thanks guys. This could get expensive  😶

                      Made in England, clothed in Japan, fed in America and drunk in Belgium !

                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • injunjackI
                        injunjack
                        見習いボス
                        Joined:

                        What can be more complicated than 'murican tipping system???

                        Here everybody gets paid properly, so tipping is absolutely free, and not "must". Of course you tip if you get excellent service or expect that, but as in normal situation tipping is not needed. (well, pretty often if the prices are like 5.60 for a pint you'll round that up to 6…)

                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • Megatron1505M
                          Megatron1505
                          見習いボス
                          Joined:

                          Much the same here IJ, I spent quite a bit of time drinking with some American dudes in LA and none of them could figure how I found tipping so complicated. Just what you're used to I guess.

                          Made in England, clothed in Japan, fed in America and drunk in Belgium !

                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • GilesG
                            Giles
                            IHUK Crew
                            Joined:

                            One of the reasons I love Japan.  Tipping is just not what you do and it is offensive to try. People work hard to give you excellent service because that's what they like doing.  It make for such a gratifying and relaxing visit.

                            "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

                            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • ChrisC
                              Chris
                              Raw and Unwashed
                              Joined:

                              @Megatron1505:

                              Just what you're used to I guess.

                              It's this, really.  In certain situations, tipping is an ingrained response.  People have variations in approach, but the basics of the social convention are generally understood and accepted.

                              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • GilesG
                                Giles
                                IHUK Crew
                                Joined:

                                I know, but for a visitor, it is fraught with uncertainty and risk.  Paula went to a restaurant in NYC once, picked up the tab and left 15% (way more than you would do in the UK), the waiter came back to the table and in a very aggressive manner asked her what was wrong with the meal.  She felt upset, unsettled and confused, she won't be going back….

                                "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

                                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • ChrisC
                                  Chris
                                  Raw and Unwashed
                                  Joined:

                                  Yeah, I get it from your perspective.  It's just odd to try to explain, since it's just sort of understood here.

                                  As for your example, that waiter was a dick.  Not only should you never go back, I would have complained to a manager.  15% is a respectable tip, and even if it weren't, berating a customer is completely out of bounds.

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                                  • ?
                                    Guest
                                    Joined:

                                    If only Americans were more like the Japanese!

                                    I've worked in the food industry for 12 years.  I've done every job in the restaurant, and even worked at two restaurants inside a Whole Foods Market, which is why I am posting this:

                                    In America, the only reason tipping is "understood" is because our capitalist society passes the cost of hiring servers/bartenders onto the consumer, and we consumers willingly accept it.  For example, at Whole Foods in Columbus, Ohio, we were not allowed to accept tips.  The reason?  We were making $10+/hr. with benefits as WFM employees.  But most restaurants pay their servers between 2 and 5 dollars an hour, with the expected tips making up the large majority of these people's incomes.  So the restaurant owners/corporations not only overcharge for everything on their menus, they also skirt the responsibility of paying a living wage.  That's why most servers expect the American 20% gratuity, regardless of quality of service, because they need it!  Sad.

                                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • O
                                      Omega Man
                                      Haraki san Student
                                      Joined:

                                      Sadly, you are right.  Most food service industry (i.e. restaurants and bars) pays minimal wages and expects the tips to make up the rest.  Some restaurants will go a step further, taking a % of tip from the waiter at the end of the night!

                                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • Z
                                        zwer
                                        Raw and Unwashed
                                        Joined:

                                        I tip 20% pretty well wherever I go, but part of it is because I tend to frequent the same places over and over and being known as a decent tipper can have benefits.

                                        My local gets packed after soccer matches and some of my fellow supporters complain about having to wait 30 minutes for a beer or an hour (or more) for food. I never wait more than 5 minutes for a beer or 20 or so for food.

                                        It's all part of 'treat others how you want to be treated.'

                                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • ?
                                          Guest
                                          Joined:

                                          That being said, I like to tip excessively large when I can.  It makes a difference.

                                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • Megatron1505M
                                            Megatron1505
                                            見習いボス
                                            Joined:

                                            I have to say that Adams view is my perception also (speaking as a foreigner). I just didn't want to be the one to make that comment as it is a socio-economical issue from a society I don't live in, and an economy I contribute to once every couple of years only with my tourist dollars.

                                            I can see both sides, and as usual the only real winner are the guys at the top, who get away with paying a low wage. Still, I will perpetuate the issue by assuming a 20% tip for all meal purchases, and adopting Doug's full price of the first drink, then a buck or two per drink thereafter policy. Seems like the best way to a good level of service.

                                            Made in England, clothed in Japan, fed in America and drunk in Belgium !

                                            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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