Cigar V Smoker: When Does Cigar Quality Matter?

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Dio

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 21, 2020
101
107
IMO stick with the vitolas you like and always go for the best you can afford. After accumulating some experience you can start your hunt for best quality/price cigars.
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,675
29,393
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
To start with a practical scenario: I've got a small assortment of fine Cigars (e.g. Oliva Serie V), but have no clue when it would be appropriate to smoke them because my level of experience is nowhere close to matching the quality they offer.

Starting from practically zero Cigar experience, how far into my schedule should I plan on breaking out a decent Cigar? And How do you count Cigar Experience?
-Total time with a stick in your mouth?
-Variety of Tobaccos smoked?
-Maybe Learning to manage a Humidor? (How far can an affordable Cigar be elevated?)

At what point should a person experiment with even more expensive Cigars? (if ever)

When was your "Aha" moment, when the Cigar game made sense and you specifically found one thing you enjoy over another?
pretty much right away. I never felt like cigars where really subtle. Once you can comfortably smoke a cigar and enjoy the flavor is a good time to try what's more expensive.
 
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rajangan

Part of the Furniture Now
Feb 14, 2018
974
2,809
Edmonton, AB
I feel like a lot of people overthink it. That's fine for them. And don't get me wrong, I'm not a cigar codger, but let's not overthink this. Price generally does coincide with quality, but there are diminishing returns just like with pipes, and it doesn't always hold true.

I know 5 people who blind tasted Davidoff Nicaraguans and Vega Fina Nicaraguans (half the price) and all choose Vega Fina as superior.

Don't let the brands you smoke become a subconscious display of your dick size--real cigar people, and all your pipe smoking friends can see through it.

Smoke when you feel like it. Reading, in the company of conversation, by a campfire, driving home from the mother in law's, or going for a nice walk - just ideas. I prefer indoors because wind is bad.

I recommend against smoking while swimming.
 

troutface

Lifer
Oct 26, 2012
2,328
11,362
Colorado
It takes smoking quite a few different cigars at different price points to train your palette. Eventually you’ll find what works for you and your wallet. My experience is that often more expensive cigars are good, but don’t have enough of a “wow” factor for me to buy them again. Same goes for wine, bourbon and many other things.
 

BROBS

Lifer
Nov 13, 2019
11,765
40,026
IA
Amazon: Pelican Case 1060 or 1050. Airtight, with pressure release valve, maintained great environment with Boveda packs. Very solid case, comes in a few sizes. I have a few, makes travel easy. They are typically $23 or less. Waterproof as well.
Did it smell like a barbie’s ass inside?
 
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BROBS

Lifer
Nov 13, 2019
11,765
40,026
IA
I feel like a lot of people overthink it. That's fine for them. And don't get me wrong, I'm not a cigar codger, but let's not overthink this. Price generally does coincide with quality, but there are diminishing returns just like with pipes, and it doesn't always hold true.

I know 5 people who blind tasted Davidoff Nicaraguans and Vega Fina Nicaraguans (half the price) and all choose Vega Fina as superior.

Don't let the brands you smoke become a subconscious display of your dick size--real cigar people, and all your pipe smoking friends can see through it.

Smoke when you feel like it. Reading, in the company of conversation, by a campfire, driving home from the mother in law's, or going for a nice walk - just ideas. I prefer indoors because wind is bad.

I recommend against smoking while swimming.
You’re right about price. I smoked a $10-11 Ashton aged Maduro and I liked an Oliva Serie G Maduro much better. I just bought a box of 24 of the Serie G Maduro and it was $70.

so I like that $3 cigar much more than one that I paid $10 for.
 
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Misanthrope

Can't Leave
Apr 26, 2020
367
1,126
Texas
When I first started out, all cigars I tried just tasted mostly like gas station egg salad and regret, but after a few months in my tupperdor, they're actually more palatable, and I can pick out tastes and notes that I couldn't before. So, I bought some more different ones to try, and I didn't find any of them disagreeable.

I still don't feel like I have an actual handle on what's good and what's bottom of the barrel yet--like, I mean, if you've never had real spaghetti, Chef Boyardee seems pretty good, right? So I'm still just sort of leisurely going through a "try everything and anything that looks remotely interesting at the local shop" process.
 

rajangan

Part of the Furniture Now
Feb 14, 2018
974
2,809
Edmonton, AB
$3 cigar much more than one that I paid $10
I like those prices. Can't go wrong there. Wild guess, $18 & $25 metric dollars, here. I guess we don't see the profound price difference. Yours is over 300% while ours is maybe 50%ish. That, I wonder, might make Canadians less suspect of the cheaper ones.
 
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BROBS

Lifer
Nov 13, 2019
11,765
40,026
IA
I like those prices. Can't go wrong there. Wild guess, $18 & $25 metric dollars, here. I guess we don't see the profound price difference. Yours is over 300% while ours is maybe 50%ish. That, I wonder, might make Canadians less suspect of the cheaper ones.
Well I should be clear the $3 stick is more like $5 or more retail. And the $10 is retail. So still half of the price however you cut it.

I’m getting the deals from discount sites. Not sure if you guys have those or access to them? Like Cigarbid?
 
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rajangan

Part of the Furniture Now
Feb 14, 2018
974
2,809
Edmonton, AB
Well I should be clear the $3 stick is more like $5 or more retail. And the $10 is retail. So still half of the price however you cut it.

I’m getting the deals from discount sites. Not sure if you guys have those or access to them? Like Cigarbid?
I imagine there's deals. The only one I've ever ordered from was on an IR. But 99% of my cigar purchases have supported a B&M.
 

craig61a

Lifer
Apr 29, 2017
5,765
47,540
Minnesota USA
To the OP, inexpensive cigars have their place... You're sort making a comparison between Granger and Stonehaven here,

You can experiment with higher end cigars and not have to make a huge investment. Buy a couple and set them aside. Fire them up when you have plenty of time to go slow and enjoy the experience. Read other people's reviews, and try to understand what they are expressing. Nobody's the same and you won't necessarily have the exact same experience.

Some brands are better than others. But not all higher priced brands are necessarily better either.

I have boxes of cigars that run the gamete, from high priced to cheap. and I appreciate them for what they are. If you can find a lower priced cigar that pleases you, then all the better.

Don't get hung up on names. A number of people at some of the local cigar lounges I occasionally go to like to blather on about how they only smoke Tatuaje's, or whatever the "in" brand at the time is. A lot of them are 1-2 year cigar smokers who follow the crowd and only know what they've read on internet sites.

A knowledgeable tobacconist will help you pick out what you want and is commensurate with your level of experience, and not just stick with something that's high priced.

I'm beginning to ramble... Bottom line. Do some research, take your time and familiarize yourself with what's out there, smoke whatever appeals to you. It took me a few years to settle into what I liked, and that was before the internet (which was probably a bonus!). Cigar Aficionado had just hit the stands, and I got a lot of good info from that mag.
 
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jewman22

Lifer
Apr 2, 2021
1,110
10,950
Ontario Canada
Quality always matters, however cost is not the best indicator of quality. Yes more expensive cigars tend to be more consistent and higher levels of quality control, but that won't prevent getting bad sticks.
I find Oliva makes great cigars for the price point and beyond, Davidoff is worth trying, but they are drastically overpriced. Priced well beyond most Cubans.
 
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