I am a cheap date
webmost
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While sitting on the throne this morning, I reviewed the highest rated entries in my android cigar rating app and came to this conclusion: There appears to be zero correlation between the price of a stick and whether I enjoy it.
Just yesterday, for example, I smoked a six buck Fuente 8-5-8 Flor Fina Natural I bought at the cigar lounge we visited in Merryland. It was a dead ringer for the Riata I bought at Otter's Pocket for a buck sixty eight. Saturday, I smoked an eight buck Hoyo Excalibur Cam which reflection tells me is right along the lines of the AJ Fresh Rolled Habano which c.com sells for $35 for a mazo of 20. Even from the same house: I tried an MOW and loved it; then tried a Side Project and couldn't stand to finish it. Mike bombed me a San Lo maduro I thought was da bom; someone else bombed be a San Lo CT I tossed in the trash halfway. On the other hand, I know I can reach anywhere in a bundle of Factory Throwout #49s at $23 a bundle and enjoy a great smoke. While the few sticks I've tried north of ten, twelve bucks, I was not impressed.
Is it just me?
I know all my beemer riding buddies are firmly convinced that more money == more better. They'll hock the house for a new R1200GSA, and by the time they've got it farkled they spent $29,000, so they are convinced they have the best. But now they're afraid to drop it. I spent a tenth of that for a used KLR cause it weighs a hundred fifty pounds less and if I drop it who cares. I'm starting to think that stogies work the same way.
Apparently, I am a cheap date.
Just yesterday, for example, I smoked a six buck Fuente 8-5-8 Flor Fina Natural I bought at the cigar lounge we visited in Merryland. It was a dead ringer for the Riata I bought at Otter's Pocket for a buck sixty eight. Saturday, I smoked an eight buck Hoyo Excalibur Cam which reflection tells me is right along the lines of the AJ Fresh Rolled Habano which c.com sells for $35 for a mazo of 20. Even from the same house: I tried an MOW and loved it; then tried a Side Project and couldn't stand to finish it. Mike bombed me a San Lo maduro I thought was da bom; someone else bombed be a San Lo CT I tossed in the trash halfway. On the other hand, I know I can reach anywhere in a bundle of Factory Throwout #49s at $23 a bundle and enjoy a great smoke. While the few sticks I've tried north of ten, twelve bucks, I was not impressed.
Is it just me?
I know all my beemer riding buddies are firmly convinced that more money == more better. They'll hock the house for a new R1200GSA, and by the time they've got it farkled they spent $29,000, so they are convinced they have the best. But now they're afraid to drop it. I spent a tenth of that for a used KLR cause it weighs a hundred fifty pounds less and if I drop it who cares. I'm starting to think that stogies work the same way.
Apparently, I am a cheap date.
“It has been a source of great pain to me to have met with so many among [my] opponents who had not the liberality to distinguish between political and social opposition; who transferred at once to the person, the hatred they bore to his political opinions.” —Thomas Jefferson (1808)
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Comments
The Diesel line can be had for $3/each but they sell for much, much more in the few B&M's that carry them (I've heard tale of up to $16!!!). Another reason Ccom is the best.
But there are other factors that are contributing to the phenomena that you are experiencing (finding that a lesser "priced" smoke is, in your experience, "better" that one you paid more for, or is listed as more expensive)
1) your palate - it's unique, what you like/dislike is different from anyone else, and changes over time
2) your storage - some cigars do better (burn, flavor, etc) at higher or lower RH, 62 versus 70 for instance
3) smoking style and vitola - depending on how you smoke, certain vitolas, at certain rh, might taste quite different......... smoking a "Cigar A" Robusto "fast" at a higher RH, will result in a totally different experience, than smoking a "Cigar A" Lancero slowly, stored at lower RH.
4) some cigars (most of us would say many!) are simply over-priced/over-hyped......so it's easy for an individual to find lesser priced cigars that taste better to them
5) some cigars are probably "under-priced", and thus, for many of us, compare favorably to cigars we've smoked that are priced much higher
Cheap date?.......I don't think so.........just a cigar smoker like the rest of us
in my experience there is a bit of an indicator of over all quality of construction when it comes to price. if you are paying $0.90 a cigar and you have one or two in a bundle that dont burn you arent upset. if you are paying $18+ a cigar and one out of a hundred dont burn right then you are pissed.
the manufactures know that. the pricier ones have better quality control and in part that contributes to the higher price.
of course once you get above $7-9 range in my opinion, that construction quality better be there.
near the lower end it is clearer. the difference between the quality of $1 cigar and a $4 cigar is usually a bit clearer than the quality of a $11 cigar compared to a $14 cigar.