"I paid $25 for this cigar"

     Ironically, you hear phrases like the title way too often.  Typically some "cigar snob" is uttering those words and all to proud of the fact they spent a lot of money on a cigar.  Now if you reside in a place like California where taxes are ridiculous (and the agenda of all the self-righteous ass wipes) you'll find cigar prices extremely high, as it's they're way of trying to get rid of a totally legal product (that's another discussion for another time), but in other places a great premium cigar can hit your pocket in the neighborhood of $9 to $14 dollars.  Example, a Camacho Triple Maduro 6x60 averages around $15 and up in the People's Republic of California, but recently while visiting my hometown of New Orleans, I found them at a couple of stores for $11 per stick.  So there may be a reason you have to pay more for a cigar, unless you're like me and I order online and have my cigars shipped to me (screw these dumb ass tax happy California zealots), but for the most part it's not about how much you pay for a cigar that determines if it will be a good one or not. 

     The first rule of thumb is "your palate is your palate", what taste like a dog rocket to you, may be the best cigar in my humidor to me.  So you and only you can tell what you like best.  But don't fall into that trap that you have spend a King's ransom to enjoy some fine sticks.  SPOILER ALERT!!!  Because a lot of the folks I enjoy cigars with respect my opinions regarding cigars, I've often taken the bands off of some cigars and tell the person I'm giving them to "this is one of the most expensive cigars I have in my collection, but I want you to try it".  As we sit and enjoy the cigars, I hear comments like "man this is one of the best cigars I've ever had", or "this has to be a $20 cigar, because it's just so smooth and tasty" as well as other complimentary comments.  After the cigars are done, I show them the bands and...wait for it, wait for it...... BAM!  JMs Dominican, Flor D Oliva, Cigar.com House Brand, Quorum, Baccarat and the list goes on.  All of those brands are what's called "value brands" or as the cigar snobs call them "cheap shit".  On average for the brands I just mentioned you'll spend $35 to $45 a bundle of 20.  Now my friends I just laid this bombshell on, are dumbfounded.  "How can a cigar that cost so little, taste so good?"  Because it's not always about the price, it's about where it's made, who blends it, how it's kept etc. 

     I'll throw out a heap of praise to Cigar.com right now on their house blends.  A.J. Fernandez and Don Pepin Garcia are two of the hottest, most knowledgeable guys in the cigar business and they both produce and oversee not only their top of the line super premium brands but they also make some of Cigar.com's house blends.  Now common sense will tell you that these gentlemen aren't going to risk their reputations and sales of their own brands and make a crappy cigar for another company.  No!  They put the same quality and care in Cigar.com's House Blends as they do their own cigars, the only difference, price,. and the Cigar.com House Blends are off the chain (The Brazilian, the Sun grown etc)  Also, if you do a little research when looking at value brands, you'll find a lot of the tobacco that has been used in the super expensive, super premium brands are used in the value brands.  Yep, the same exact tobacco.  Some of it may be short filler or leftovers, but it's the SAME tobacco.  My point is you don't always have to spend a million bucks to get a great cigar. 
    
     Then there's seconds, 2nds, overruns whatever you want to call 'em.  They are cigars that come from major factories that don't quite meet quality control standards.  A slight difference in color, a tear in wrapper, the foot of the cigar is frayed a bit etc.  Those cigars aren't thrown away or "rebuilt" they're sold as seconds etc., and typically at a huge reduction in price, sometimes 60-80% off of what their super premium friends that made the cut sell for and they don't always have a band on them.  So why would one spend $16 on a cigar when they can get the same cigar without a band and a slight blemish for $5?  It blows my mind, after all I'm not buying my cigars for anyone to judge, I'm buying them for my enjoyment and magically once you start enjoying them, the blemishes go away.  I have yet to purchase a cigar just because the band or box looks great.    

     Yes, this is still America and you can spend whatever you want to on a cigar, it's your damn money, but I'm just hoping to share a little wisdom and let you know, in this time of "belt tightening" we all want to save a little money when we can.  I'm also not saying don't buy super premium brands and blends, we need to support our lifestyle as much as we can, because the "pleasure police" (thanks Cigar Dave) are trying to take away our freedom to enjoy a legal product.  Do some research and you'll be surprised at what you might find.  In my case, I purchase a lot of cigars and I like to let them age, so whether it's a $2 stick or a $15 stick, you'll also be surprised at what proper aging can do to a cigar.  About 6 years ago I picked up a bundle of cigars called "National Brand".  They had a sun grown wrapper, they looked great and this older gentleman who had just spent $400 on cigars for his friends who were coming over, picked up a bundle of National Brand for himself.  "Wait, you just spent $400 on two boxes of cigars for your friends, but only $45 on cigars for yourself?" I asked, to which he replied "those idiots wouldn't know a good cigar if it smacked 'em in the ass, but it makes 'em feel good when they come to my place and smoke $15 cigars".  Alrighty then.  By the way, this gentleman (who I used to run into often at the cigar shop) knows his stuff, told me to "go do the Google thing on these cigars and Greg, you might just be surprised".  So I run to my laptop and voila!, National Brand is made by Caribe Cigars (Camacho).  Holy crap, let me get a bundle, which I did.  Now back to today or a few months ago, I've smoke a few of these over the years since I bought them and they were great, now with about 6 years of age, some plume on 'em, MAN THIS CIGAR freaking rocks! 

     In closing I say to you, take some time and truly learn about what you're smoking.  You will not only save money, but you'll find some absolute winners.  I know I mention the cigar snobs a lot and they too are Brothers and Sisters of the Leaf, so I have love for 'em, just a little, but still love.  I think they're misguided kids who really don't know any better or pompous butt holes who want to brag about how much money they have and spend, but remember the old proverb "a fool and his money are soon parted", then I'm sure they'll be the value brand Kings and Queens once they're broke, although they'll put the band of an expensive cigar on that value cigar so they can keep bragging LMAO!!! 

CLP folks!  (clip, light and puff).  Until next time "smoke 'em if you got em"