I quit cigarettes last year - and was never really a cigar man until a friend gave me a cohiba at a restaurant the other night. Wow. What a lushous experience - unforgetable.I want to start now - perhaps try to become an afecionado in the future. DO you have any advice on where and what to get for a novice, general tips, humidor advice etc?Appreciated!

www.hamlet.com

A very interesting thread...I've been smoking cigars for some time now, a thoroughly enjoyable pastime. I suppose the best advice I can give is, 'the bigger the better'. I have studied endless hours of film footage of Mr Winstone Churchill and his cigars were always quite noticeable, they tended to be brown and quite thickish and varying in length depending on how much had been smoked.The general accepted rule of thumb is; the bigger the cigar the more successful and knowledgeable the person. In addition to this don't worry about how it tastes - not important, as long as you spend a vulgar amount of money on the biggest fattest cigar you can afford. My final tip is to encourage your partner (if you've got one?) to smoke cigars - there is nothing more enjoyable than inviting friends and family around of an evening and comparing the size of your cigars!I've also learned a party trick...as I get to the end of the cigar I can turn it around in my mouth without burning myself too much - clients also find this quite amusing.

I also learned a party trick a few years back.First, find an intern...

oh yes please..."The notion that cigars are as deadly as cigarettes is supported by the National Cancer Institute, which recently released a 232-page report on the trends and dangers of cigar smoking. The report, which includes the findings of more than 50 scientists including Hoffman, concluded that regular cigar smokers have a similar risk of developing oral and esophagus cancer, but less chance of developing lung and larynx cancers, coronary heart disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease than cigarette smokers.Smoke from a cigar that is not inhaled poses a risk that cigarettes don't, said Hoffman. Cigarettes emit an acidic smoke, while cigar smoke is alkaline. This means that the nicotine in cigar smoke can be absorbed through mucous membranes in the nose and mouth, Hoffman said. And because of their larger size, a premium cigar exposes a smoker to the same amount of dangerous chemicals as about 10 cigarettes."www.cancer.org

Good point '!' your mother must be very proud.Is she a know it all too who leads a perfect and chaste life, does not over indulge in anything and is therefore in a position to preach to others too?Or is it just you?Each to his own, again, please!

And has dustin hoffman really given up acting now?

Thanks for that. My mother died of bowel cancer three years ago. She was the healthiest person I knew. It breaks my heart to see people making an active choice to play russian roulette with cancer by putting burning leaves in their mouths.Apologies if my "preaching" offends.

I have friends and family who have suffered the same end. I also have friends who have died in car accidents, died playing rugby and died of other forms of cancer.I feel for your loss, but that is a personal loss. The implications of smoking are on the packaging, let people make their own decision

Sticking to the thread of the question, there is a brilliant shop in Wardour Street (off Shaftesbury Avenue) that has an excellent cigar selection and a few times a week you can watch a few house brands being rolled.Cohibas are the way forward for me as I like the taste and I'm not risking £20 on something else that might taste like cr@p.As for posts regarding size of cigar etc and success-this is genius and should be on stage. If you're puffing to try and radiate success and wealth tehn a cigar is not the option, nor is anyone interested in cigar size. Smoke the thing if you like it and your comapny at the time doesn;t mind.If my wife smoked cigars I'd be shocked, without sounding sexist, women + cigars is not a good look!