Cheap & Delicious versus Expensive & Delicious...What Say Y'all?

[Yarddog]

I've been smokin' ceegars a buncha years, off and on...currently on, but I reckon that's obvious. I've been known to trot down to the ol' B&M and buy $10-$15 sticks, but have, in the last couple of years, have discovered a whole new world out there in the Land of Stogies!

What I've discovered is that there are a lotta great sticks that I can pick up for $2-4 from on-line sources...many but not all of those are also available in B&Ms for a higher price point...that, to me, with an admittedly unrefined palate, are the equal of many vaunted sticks costing anywhere from ten bucks on up to thirty.

Ya know, I've smoked some of the legends...Liga Privada #9...Padron 1926...others...but to me, I'd just as soon smoke one of the more 'pedestrian' sticks that I have...to my taste, them twenty buck stogies just ain't worth the extra scratch!

Some of the ones currently inhabiting my humidor that I consider to be just as good as the super premiums are...

Foundry Chillin' Moose
Man o' War Ruination
Fallen Angel Devil's Ink (got a BUNCH of those)
Puros Indios whatever was on sale a while back at CI

Coming soon are the Uncharted from JP Cigar

You might notice that I have an affinity for AJ Fernandez...guilty as charged.

But, I also have a number of 'treat sticks' too...Southern Draw Firethorns, El Rey del Mundo Nicaraguans, a coupla three varieties of Illusiones, some Camachos...Triple Maduro, American Barrel Aged, Connecticuts, JDN Gran Consuls, D'Crossier 512's...

But for my money, there are a LOT of great sticks that I'd rather buy ten of than one Padron, or Liga Privada, or Opus X...admittedly, I've never had one of the latter, but you get my point.

So, what say y'all? Are ya really getting good bang for your buck...several of them, actually...by spending more for the name, reputation, and of course, excellent quality...or are ya more prone to gravitate toward less expensive...but in all other respects equal, maybe better...sticks? In other words, are you gonna be more prone to populating your humidor with say...Liga Privadas, My Fathers, good stuff like that...or no-name stuff? Like me?

Have at, ladies and gentlemen!

[Slowpokebill]

I sure smoke a lot more sub $5 sticks with some $5-8 sticks than $10 plus sticks. I do keep some Padron 64, A. Fuente Anjos and Opus Xs in the humidor, too. There are some very good sub $5 smokes and their are some pretty boring $10 plus cigars.

Part of the fun is finding that perfect cheap cigar. It is also good and important to try some of the really great smokes just to have something to help you judge when you find that great cheap cigar. It is worth splurging once in awhile.

[Demuths1770]

im covered from one extreme to the other. i have several Joya Red, fallen angle, Nica Libre, New World, Schizo and so on to ligas, Tatuaje, crowned head, and up to unicos and opus x. i have a real soft spot for Liga Tatuaje and crowned head but i have a good verity. there are many many many great cheaper sticks out there and they are good but they dont live up to the higher end sticks

[Yarddog]

Doncha just love that variety? And there's just tons and tons of information out there these days that's easily accessed!

[WNYTONY]

I'm with ya Vance. I tend to stay more middle of the road and grab some of the baller sticks when I can get them at a decent price or as a once in a while treat.
And I like the smaller sticks like Petite Caz, Verocu 5, Bait Fish which are all usually in that lower range as well.

[Demuths1770]

Doncha just love that variety? And there's just tons and tons of information out there these days that's easily accessed!

the verity is nice but i have my go to cigars and brands now so i have been sticking with them. nice thing is most of my go to brands have a few cheaper priced cigars i can stock up on. the fun for me now is the hard to find sticks and going after them and also getting the new sticks which in a way is bad for the industry. all these new sticks keep coming out and its hard for B&Ms to keep up and have space for them

[Bruck]

Did someone mention the "perfect cheap cigar?" I'm in search of that holy grail as well, but so far what I've found, and for that matter what I mostly smoke now, is what I consider to be "decent cheapies" - ones I can pick up on the cbid in the $2-3 range. Here's my current list:

Cabo Classic
Gurkha Park Avenue CT & Mad
Nica Libre
5 Vegas Gold (not the maduro though)
Schizo
Bahia Red
Bahia Blue
John Bull
Graycliff G2
5 Vegas classic
Buenaventura
Bahia Trinidad
5 Vegas A
RP Cargo
Bahia Icon
Joya de Nicaragua Fuerte
Bahia Gold White Label
Flor de Oliva
Fonseca Arana

[jpalamar]

I'm the opposite extreme. Love higher end cigars and not much cheaper stuff does it for me. Plus I love the search for harder to find stuff. I'd rather smoke quality over quantity.

[Old Smokey]

It depends on what I am doing while I am smoking. But I have found very few cheap cigars that I truly enjoy. I only smoke on average 2 cigars a week and I prefer to do nothing but enjoy my cigar when I smoke. So having said that, I prefer some of the higher priced ($8-$10) cigars. And occasionally up to $13 if it's something I think will be really special. Fuente is my weakness.

[Desertlifter]

I'm with the quality over quantity crowd, but that doesn't mean that there aren't gems to be found among less popular marques. I love Tats, Avos, and Opus/AF products, but I also like finding sticks that just aren't as popular. I love Hammer and Sickle cigars, for instance, and I think that Punch Rare Corojo are way under-appreciated because....General Cigar. For a heavier bodied stick, I put the Espinosa y Ortega Murcielago up with the best. Room 101 are usually appreciated over all with mixed reviews, but the Daruma and Namakubi are great, and they are more in the middle range than the upper. I just don't like the really large RG stuff they (or anybody else) makes.