My palette must be bad, just had a cheap cigar and like it!

[dtbach]

A few months ago (just after started smoking cigars again) I bought a Po' Boy sampler from Cigar International. It was 30 Churchills for $30, so obviously they aren't the finest smokes around. I put them in the humidor to age a bit since I figured they would be abysmal if I smoked them right away.

The first couple I had lived up to their price tag in that they dog rockets of the first degree. After a month I tried another one today, Ravi's Untimely Demise. It wasn't bad at all, in fact I enjoyed it! The wrapper didn't unravel, it burned evenly and had a nice draw. Very mild and smooth.

I obviously have a bad palette right? Thing is, for the price I wouldn't mind getting some more for when I walk the dog or mow the lawn. Then I looked them up on the site and here is the description:

Raji gets a hero’s funeral.

Maybe just a regular funeral. Better still, a rather unceremonious dump in the ashheap of the cigar industry would be more fitting. Raji’s Untimely Demise is a questionable brand complemented by a dubious blend. This thing was DOA from day one. The artwork eyebrow-raising, the name remarkably cheesy. Run my friend. Run fast and far, no matter how the $19.99 price might tempt you.

and this is from the business that is trying to sell them!!! LOL:cursing:

I think I'll wait to smoke the 2nd one that was in the pack before buying anymore. By that time I hope my palette is better and it will be the dog rocket it should be.

But what if I still like it?? I'd feel like I would have to take the band off and lie like hell if someone asked me what I was puffing on!

Funny business this cigar smoking is I tell ya. . . .

 

[Fourtotheflush]

Buy what you like
Smoke what you like

Roll with your pallet.

As you get more cigars under your belt you will hone in on what your pallet likes.
If you like these cigars smoke them - no matter the price point.

 

[Ecks]

Buy what you like
Smoke what you like

Roll with your pallet.

As you get more cigars under your belt you will hone in on what your pallet likes.
If you like these cigars smoke them - no matter the price point.

Exactly. There are days where a $13+ LP or Tat fits the bill perfectly, and there are days where I will reach for a $3.50 Fuente Curlyhead. It all depends on the mood I'm in. And in no way should you be ashamed of what you smoke. If you enjoy it, f*ck the world!

Matt

 

[pbibby]

Buy what you like
Smoke what you like

Roll with your pallet.

As you get more cigars under your belt you will hone in on what your pallet likes.
If you like these cigars smoke them - no matter the price point.

Absolutely!! As long as you enjoy them then keep buying them. That's what this hobby is all about. Suggestions are great but ultimately everyone has different tastes. Some guys might like a $30 Padron, others like a $5 Macanudo. Smoke what you like!!!!!!

 

[GoingPostal]

Smoke what you like, Try new things, everything else is just commentary.

Hey if everyone liked the same things then every cigar would taste the same. Hey if you like them so what does it matter what they cost. I like the padilla fumas think they are a good smoke, other probably think they are garbage.

 

[Fourtotheflush]

The only caution to the wind I will throw out there.

If you like them, I wouldnt load up on a box of them right away.
Get a 5er.

As a newer smoker you will find your likes and dislikes changing rapidly.
Dont load up on a box of something unless you know you really like them and have had a few of them.

 

[Rupe]

One thing that I noticed when I started here is that there is sometimes somewhat of an "elitist" undertone that runs through the forums. I always felt a little bit inferior because I didn't smoke Liga Privada, cut my cigar with a Palio cutter or use Hearfelt beads and Boveda packs. Then you hear statements like "friends don't let friends buy from Thompson" and you start to wonder.

Well, my advice is not to worry about what other poeple think. Personally a couple of my favorite budget smokes are the 1898 Indepencia (a "medium filler Thompson exclusive") and the Victor Sinclair Legacy Double Maduro. Both are great smokes and run $1.50 and $3 each respectively. Balance what you like with what fits your budget and enjoy every last minute of it!

Who gives a flying fig if every cigar you smoke is not a flying pig!

 

[mdwest]

Price point is not anything I consider at all when buying sticks anymore.. I simply buy what I like..

While I've got a humi full of $10-$15 sticks.. Ive also got a couple of hundred $2-$5 sticks laying around as well...

Guess what I reach for 5 out of 7 days?

Typically something that falls into the lower price range..

Not because I am on a budget...

but because I reach for whatever it is that suits my fancy at the moment.. and it more often than not isnt a super premium, high dollar stick..

I just finished off a 5 Vegas Classic about 30 minutes ago that I had about $2 in (bought them in bulk a while back on cbid).. and had a padilla cazadores (less than $5) a little earlier today..

No shame in the po-boy sampler at all.. if they werent all churchills, I would probably go to CI or cbid now and pick up a mazo.. personally I love trying new stuff.. at a buck a stick you can afford to throw a couple of them in the trash and not cry about it if they suck..

 

[sneak_a_cigar]

Sometimes the worst stuff can be the best stuff.

Street food, 2.00 bottles of wine, 1.00 pints , etc

 

[mdwest]

Sometimes the worst stuff can be the best stuff.

Street food, 2.00 bottles of wine, 1.00 pints , etc

+1

some of the best meals I have ever eaten have been from street vendors.. I still tell people about an egg and cheeze sandwich I had in Maricabo Venezuela almost 15 years ago.. I paid less than a dollar for it.. and to this day I havent had a better "on the go" midnight snack yet...

 

[heavyd]

Bro, If you end up liking cheapies, that's all the better for you, and your wallet . I wish all my favorites were $2 smokes. I'd actually have some disposable income to buy shoes and socks!!

 

[JuYcEmAn]

It's not what you purchase, it's that you are enjoying the cigar experience. Cigar preferences are, as are most preferences in life, relative; unique to your own experience and criteria. In the wise words of a fine BOTL, "Buy what you like. Smoke what you like. Roll with your pallet."... FTTF

 

[Chrisso]

I often smoke a crappy low budget cigar, just to rekindle the flavors and emotions I did when I was back in college smoking junk with my buddies. Its alot like listening to the popular song back in high school or whatever. Its something that spools up an emotion, feeling, and memory in me that the high dollar cigars dont do.

I much prefer my higher dollar smokes, but certainly will never bash or kick a low budget one to the curb.

I agree with everyone else. You smoke what you want, what you like. Thats what this luxury is all about.

-Chrisso

 

[heavyd]

...just to rekindle the flavors and emotions I did when I was back in college smoking junk with my buddies...

I can only be envious here. As much partying we did, and as much fun as we had....I can only imagine how much better it would have all been if we were throwing down cigars

 

[Scyfer]

one of the best lines i have heard was from a cigar cyclopedia and it was something like this...the best cigar you will ever smoke may be the very next one...so who cares what it costs ...if you liked it then it was money well spent

 

[BrandonP]

Don't let price be such a big driver of what you smoke. There are some good cheap cigars on the market just like there are some not so good uber-expensive smokes on the market. Like everyone else has said, smoke what you like.

 

[javajunkie]

One thing that I noticed when I started here is that there is sometimes somewhat of an "elitist" undertone that runs through the forums. I always felt a little bit inferior because I didn't smoke Liga Privada, cut my cigar with a Palio cutter or use Hearfelt beads and Boveda packs. Then you hear statements like "friends don't let friends buy from Thompson" and you start to wonder.

Well, my advice is not to worry about what other poeple think. Personally a couple of my favorite budget smokes are the 1898 Indepencia (a "medium filler Thompson exclusive") and the Victor Sinclair Legacy Double Maduro. Both are great smokes and run $1.50 and $3 each respectively. Balance what you like with what fits your budget and enjoy every last minute of it!

Who gives a flying fig if every cigar you smoke is not a flying pig!

sorry, have to hit this up:
i really get where you are coming from on this, but think it is a little off. we gather here because we really passionately enjoy this hobby. by the time you have signed up here, a lot is taken as read: you don't necessarily need to list every AF 858 and padron thousands you burn, as you can assume most have been there and done that. you find yourself posting about the expensive and HTF and LE stuff because it was harder to come by, and we here on BotL may be the only people who actually get how cool it is. how many people do you have who you can talk cigars to? really? you post cool stuff in the latest purchase or today's smoke just with the knowledge that we here actually get it.

and, to be fair, there is some stuff that does get trashed regularly. gurkha and RP are two lines that come to mind, but mostly that is their marketing. thompson gets trashed mostly due to their policies regarding customer care and privacy, as far as i can tell.

but, to dtbach's point: dude, you are doing this to enjoy! there is no shame in enjoying something you got at a decent price, that is a win! the advertising for those deals is poorly handled reverse psychology, daring you to like them, not honestly warning you off the purchase. if they had no faith in the brands, they wouldn't waste the time to type up copy, and certainly the overhead to actually stock the product. FWIW, i can name six separate smokes in my stash right now that were all about $4 at a B&M, and that i would be perfectly happy to smoke or share.

and, god willing we ever meet up in person, i would gladly sit down and burn a Ravi's Untimely Demise with you. o)

 

[Cigarizard]

one of the best smokes ive ever had was a $2.50 GH on a roof top var with two of my closest mates. better than a Liga by myself when im in a bad mood. Smoke what you like, like what you smoke!!

 

[dtbach]

All cool replies! Yes, I am in the quest for the best budget cigar I can find, so that I can light up in confidence something that I will enjoy and that won't break the bank. Then I will give the Ultra-Premium cigars a place in my humidor for when I'm just in the mood for something decadent.

To tell the truth, I'm having a blast going through dozens of cigars a week and writing down my impressions. I know there is no end to this (and that is a good thing!) but eventually I'll have the best of both worlds, cigars I can afford on a continuing basis, and enjoying high end sticks on those occasional moods.

 

[Cigary43]

Bro, If you end up liking cheapies, that's all the better for you, and your wallet . I wish all my favorites were $2 smokes. I'd actually have some disposable income to buy shoes and socks!!

I was going to say this as well. I wish my tastes ran for $2 cigar as I could have saved a ton of money.