Cigar prices can be a bit of a mystery. Eventually, most critical cigar smokers will come across an expensive cigar, only to feel ripped off when it doesn’t live up to its hype. Conversely, we can sometimes be surprised by the quality of a stick to which we had little expectation. A glance at Cigar Aficionado’s monthly ratings will quickly challenge the notion that good cigars have to be expensive. Whether you agree with the CA ratings or not, they serve to illustrate that the disparity of current cigar prices is wider than the quality of the product. Oftentimes, cigars of similar ratings can have a price differential by as much as $35 or more, and an inexpensive cigar might out-score another costing two or three times as much.
With that in mind we can surmise that many good cigars exist within a price-point that makes them affordable to most smokers. The question now remains, how do we find them?
Whose cigar is it anyway?
To answer this question we first need to look at how we choose new cigars.
Many of us buy cigars based on the brands we like. This would seem to be a reliable method of finding new, high quality cigars. Yet sometimes we are surprised to find a cigar from a familiar brand that does not meet our expectations. For example the Rocky Patel brand has dozens of cigar lines, many of which have little similarity in taste. Conversely, Padron makes many lines that all share a common flavor profile and consistency. How can this be? The answer seems to be less about the name ON the cigar (the brand), and more about the name IN the cigar (the blender). The Rocky Patel brand utilizes the skills of myriad cigar blenders while Padron has a single source (the Padron Family) from which all the blends emerge. From this perspective we can see that the sensibilities and experiences of a particular blender will forge a style of cigar making that is uniquely personal to his/her taste.
Following this logic we can turn things around and see an important pattern that could guide us towards finding cigars we will enjoy. If we know who the cigar blender is, and know of other lines he/she has rolled, we can follow the work of the blender as opposed to following the brand. This approach could, in turn, reward us with new cigars of flavor and construction that are consistent with what we already enjoy. This could increase the number of successful new cigar purchases and diminish the number of cigars returned to the vendor (or just throw out).
This is where the Cigar Blender Database is useful; to show who blends which cigars and to give the reader a point of reference when making new cigar purchases.
What about good/cheap cigars?
Familiarity with cigar blenders is key to finding good, inexpensive cigars. When new cigars are launched, they are often offered at big discounts as a way of gaining a foothold in the marketplace. Being “blender aware” allows us to anticipate quality cigars before they become popular and to take advantage of promotions that would have otherwise been overlooked. One example is Abdel (A.J.) Fernandez. If you enjoy the Rocky Patel Fusion or the Padilla Habano, you have experienced some of Abdel’s handy-work. When the Sol Cubano Cuban Cabinet was launched it was offered at $2 per stick. Acting on this offer turned out to be a good bet for those who enjoy the Fernandez product. Today the Sol Cubano Cuban Cabinet remains a good Nicaraguan puro at an affordable price.
Knowledge is power.
One important step to finding good cigar deals is having access to special offers from a variety of sources. Most online cigar vendors have email-only specials that are circulated to its membership as well as newsletters with useful information regarding blenders and new cigar releases. Signing up for email notices, while not recommended for some websites, gives the cigar smoker an advantage when seeking special cigar deals. Additionally the cigar catalogs we get in the mail often contain profiles of new blenders and start-up cigar companies.
Another resource is the one-day-deal found on many cigar websites. These always have great deals, although not necessarily for the cigars that interest us. But it’s good to check often because the offerings change daily or, in some cases, hourly.
Also, it’s good to keep an eye on the Five Pack deals. It is sometimes cheaper to buy four “fivers” than a box of twenty. One example is Famous Smoke Shop’s “Five Cigars for the Price of Three”. In this deal a fiver of the Perdomo Cuban Parejo Rothchild is $18 while a box of twenty costs $89.99. That’s a savings of $18. But it’s always good to check the math. Sometimes, what is presented as a savings is in fact not any savings at all.
One exceptional way to get great cigars deals is on cigar auction sites. These sites invariably yield good value and the best prices can be found in the lots that offer large quantities of cigars. Perhaps because of vendor over-stock, some lots have hundreds of available cigar bundles. We can get a much better deal when going against one hundred and fifty bidders than we could against just one or two. These large lots are generally found in the “special” section of an auction website. I suggest checking often…premium brands can come and go, and at super bargain prices.
Reading cigar magazines is another good way to find useful information and bargains. Each month cigar ratings are published and will often contain low priced cigars with a 90 plus score. Again, rather than relying solely on the review, we can make a better-educated choice on a new cigar if we know from whom it was blended. But even here, the prices shown are full retail and will not be as low as an email special or auction sale.
In summary.
When looking for cigar bargains, due diligence has its rewards. But not everyone has the time or the inclination to do the research. To these people I suggest asking someone who enjoys doing the homework and he/her will probably be happy to give recommendations. It is in this spirit that the new feature, Under-The-Radar Cigars, was created. It contains a list of resources for cigar bargains and will also, when available, have links to specific deals. (This is not a sponsored link and is presented solely as a way of spreading the word about good cigar bargains. No guarantees are made, as these are only subjective suggestions.)
So the bottom line is this: good cigars exist at any price point and they are there for the taking. By doing the research or simply asking around, we can continue to indulge our passion and still have money left over for the groceries.
