Brands to Avoid?

[eugenepark]

Honestly, there aren't too many brands I'd advise writing off completely. Even some of the manufacturers that have a lot of misses have some hits as well. Maybe Gurkha is one I'd avoid, but hell, they probably have some decent cigars too, and I just haven't found them yet. If you see something that interests you, look it up and see if it's available at more than one retailer, or if it has people not affiliated with retailers recommending it, etc. Aside from some of the bottom-shelf discount sticks that are barely even trying, most of the premium, handmade cigars out there are at least decent in quality. Everything else is a matter of taste, mostly.

Gurkha... ugh too many bad memories of their sticks. I should have known there was something wrong when it seemed like Thompson Cigars was practically giving away bundles of them lol.

Plus they go way over the top with branding and designs... sort of a red flag.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

Gurkha... ugh too many bad memories of their sticks. I should have known there was something wrong when it seemed like Thompson Cigars was practically giving away bundles of them lol.

Plus they go way over the top with branding and designs... sort of a red flag.

That’s funny. Only had one, I didn’t know they were known for being bad. Mine was so awful I couldn’t finish it. I threw it into my fire pit.

 

[rajangan]

Avoid Davidoff Nicaragua. A local, panel, blind taste test concluded that Vega Fina's Nicaragua was better despite being half the price.

Fuente curly head. Garbage.

 

[rajangan]

+1 on this

A while back I did some research and made a list of all the cigar brands that are still family/independently owned. Here's the list, although this could be outdated by now:

la flor dominicana
oliva
padron
perdomo
davidoff
aj fernandez
arturo fuente
rocky patel

Casa Turrent is also family owned.

 

[jerseysam]

Gurkha... ugh too many bad memories of their sticks. I should have known there was something wrong when it seemed like Thompson Cigars was practically giving away bundles of them lol.

Plus they go way over the top with branding and designs... sort of a red flag.

Gurkha is (or was, I haven't paid attention them in a few years) the mall ninja brand of cigars. It always gave me a chuckle with their marketing, on the bid/volume sites you'd see something like:

Gurkha Ultimate G7 Penthouse Dragon-Soul. MSRP $300. Our price $9.99.

....and there would be cats crowing on the message boards like they landed a God Of Fire release. If the folks selling extended warranties and ballon down-payment lending didn't cross-mine the Gurkha audience, they missed a lucrative market.

...

 

[anotherbob]

all cigars. Sheesh those things cost quite a bit for something you're going to burn and then throw away. That said the only cigar I've had I didn't enjoy was supposedly the best one I've smoked, really rare and terrible.

 

[eugenepark]

Earlier this year (pre rona) I was in Jamaica and picked up some real cuban Cohibas for $18USD ea (had a resort credit to spend.. wouldn't have bought with my own money).

Did they smoke well? Yes
Were they any different than most other cigars? Nope

Since then I've pretty much been going with Drew Estate Acid or Drew Estate Java sticks. I figure they at least have to spend some money to apply that flavor and sweetener to these, so it's not just buying another plain cigar with a proprietary band design.

 

[danimalia]

Gurkha... ugh too many bad memories of their sticks. I should have known there was something wrong when it seemed like Thompson Cigars was practically giving away bundles of them lol.

Plus they go way over the top with branding and designs... sort of a red flag.

The Rolls Royce of cigars! When they're not playing up the tacky rich people shit, they're trying to rub up against the military, or at least some 14 year old boys idea of the military with their Black Ops lines and whatnot. Really, the retailers also deserve a shit ton of scorn for some of this too. I remember Gurkha Beauty being sold for $500 a box on CI while at the same time, on the same site, you could get them as part of a sampler for $3 a piece. Caveat emptor, a fool and his money, etc., etc., but seriously.... Consider the thought of someone new into cigars who reads the copy and believes what Gurkha and CI are selling... That he's buying a prestigious, top-of-the-market cigar at 5 bills a box... And the next day he sees them available for $3 a stick. Just awful business, IMO.

 

[danimalia]

Casa Turrent is also family owned.

I've really wanted to try some of their cigars. San Andres maduro isn't my favorite wrapper leaf but I understand they have a lot of different leaf and seed types grown in Mexico for the different lines, as well as mixing in leaf from other countries as well. Pretty cool.

 

[cshubhra]

1. Padron (More specifically 1926)
2. Oliva specially Serie V Melanio and Master Blends 3
3. La Aroma De Cuba
4. Caldwell - all offerings have been good so far
5. Sometimes Rocky Patel can be a miss but most of the time is a hit. I like the various vintage series
6. 601
7. I personally like light offerings from Monte Christo and Romeo y Julietta
8. Little experience with My Father but generally like what I have tasted so far. I have been unlucky as most had bad construction



Avoid Gurkha

 

[highwaycobbery]

yeah the worst cigar I've had otherwise then that one Cuban (it was a gift from Castro that got regifted to me, my bosses wife was a congressman and loved that I have dirty tats and smoked cigars) has been enjoyable. Then again that's how I feel about the worst pipe tobacco I've smoked that wasn't Captain Black so maybe get out your salt pincher.

Oooo, dirty tats? I’m interested. I have plenty. Maybe a upcoming thread? Challenge.

 

[saltedplug]

I founds Thompson greedy bastards and never made a return purchase.

In general any cigar less than $5.00 is likely a loser.

I read a lot of reviews, concentrating on independents. The retailers tell you anything to get you to buy.

 

[anotherbob]

Oooo, dirty tats? I’m interested. I have plenty. Maybe a upcoming thread? Challenge.

well on my right forearm I got a kama sutra pose called the hanging position. A Betty Page on my calf as well as another "cheesecake" lady on the other side. And of course the Fox which isn't dirty but is still awesome. Didn't have the Austin Osman Spare art work on the ribs yet if I remember correctly.

 

[odobenus]

Totally subjective of course, but I avoid most anything by Drew Estate (except independent entities that they distribute, like Joya de Nicaragua), non-CC Punch, Camacho, Curivari, EP Carrillo, and Perdomo. And lately, I've been developing a stronger antipathy toward La Aurora, which I used to love.

That said, I'm a picky, mercurial bastard and have tried and rejected more My Fathers, Tatuajes, AJFs and Olivas than any of the following combined -- it's just that they also produce a few cigars I love.

 

[jewman22]

I avoid Davidoff, they are good cigars, but they are not worth what they are charging for them. At that price point I will always reach for a MonteCristo No.2 or a Romeo y Julieta Churchill. Yes the real ones from Cuba and not those fakes bearing the same name from the Dominican.

 

[username]

Acid so far has been the only cigar that I just straight up tossed as I didn’t like it at all felt like I was smoking a tea bag. I agree in Gurkhas to got a few in a sample pack and they were mediocre pretty sure it was cheap so I didn’t think much of it at the time.

 

[anotherbob]

Acid so far has been the only cigar that I just straight up tossed as I didn’t like it at all felt like I was smoking a tea bag. I agree in Gurkhas to got a few in a sample pack and they were mediocre pretty sure it was cheap so I didn’t think much of it at the time.

those are one of my favorites the acid cigars. Oh well.

 

[musicman]

Acid so far has been the only cigar that I just straight up tossed as I didn’t like it at all felt like I was smoking a tea bag. I agree in Gurkhas to got a few in a sample pack and they were mediocre pretty sure it was cheap so I didn’t think much of it at the time.

Acid has a bunch of different lines/flavors, but their most popular, the Kuba Kuba, is a little like smoking a Lakeland, only in a cigar. I've had one. That was enough. FWIW I love Lakelands in a pipe, but I've had very few infused cigars that I enjoyed. Right on about Gurkhas though. Overpriced, hype driven dog rockets.

Other brands I tend to avoid are:
Pretty much every brand from General Cigar Company, except for a couple of the Hoyo de Monterrey vitolas. They're generally solid smokes.
Rocky Patel
Alec Bradley
Victor Sinclair
Carillo

Brands (non-Cuban) I've thoroughly enjoyed:
Ashton, especially the VSG
Fuente
My Father, especially the "Don Pepin" lines
Tatuaje
Illusione
Padron
Diamond Crown

 

[DanWil84]

All tough this topic is a very nice resurrection, my €0.02 I would like to add Oliva and Joya de Nicaragua to the list, I think two of the most consistent brands in construction. They also make some cigars for brands that only blend the cigar. Also the cigars from AJ Fernandez in the General cigar catalogue (diesel, man o war) I think are great for their pricepoint. Being from Europe cuban cigars are easily accessable but left these out of the list for obvious reasons.

 

[mso489]

Most of my cigar smoking was done on business trips after I'd quit smoking my pipes in solidarity with my late wife's quitting cigarettes. I haven't smoked cigars in quite a while. So if I were choosing one, I'd probably just go with good experiences of the past with Dominican Republic sticks. They tend toward mild, but they have rich flavor and quality leaf.