saving money or the need for the name brand

ilikebigbutts-cigarbutts

so lets say you have found a cigar that is or close enough to taste/strength/body as your favorite cigar. also this cigar is lets say a few bucks cheaper than your favorite. would these factors be enough for you to except them as your new cigar considering the economical times? or would you still not be entertained to replace them with your "favorite". i personnally would buy these cheaper cigars as a replacement but would still have in back of my mind they arent THE cigar i fell in love with and would still want that cigar when i could get it. i guess kind of like a treat to myself i would bye the original cigar. kind of like some people have to have the name brand instead of the off brand no matter how similar they are.

Stoogee

If I could find something almost exactly the same as an ashton VSG for less money I would smoke it over the ashton but It would have to be very close if not I would spend the extra money for the vsg I smoke 3-4 cigars a week at the most and the 10-20 bucks I might save is not that big a deal to me.

urbino

j0z3r

Would this perhaps pertain to seconds as well? For example, and I know urby is with me, the Perdomo ESV '91 seconds are top flight in quality with the only distinguishing factor being cosmetic, ie a slightly uneven colored wrapper, too many veins, sun/water spots. In the case of that particular model, but also taking into account all seconds that are first rate, I'd have absolutely no problem opting for the seconds and feeling satisfied that I had a great smoke and saved some green.

urbino

Yup. I've never even bothered to try an ESV '91 "first."

phobicsquirrel

I really don't know what a cheap cigar is, though 20 I believe is far from that. I figure around 6 or so is cheap for me. And I usually smoke cigars around that price. though some are way off from that..

Tumbler

urbino

I smoke the no-name one -- that is, it's just the "H. Upmann" -- usually in the corona or the churchill (which is more like a panatela). Their Vintage Cameroon is very good, too.

Tumbler

Thanks Urb - I will give it a try

kuzi16

how about the 5 vegas series A (as the cheap one) and the Partagas black as the expensive one. I almost alwas have both on hand. they taste very similar. the black is an "amped up" version of the A. if the black was a few bucks more id almost never smoke em.

urbino

Interesting. I've only had one Black; it didn't make much of an impression, so I don't remember much about it. I do like the 'A', though. I think I've got one more Black in the humi, somewhere. I'll have to smoke it and an 'A' on back-to-back days.

jihiggs

if youre cigar hobby includes sticking to name brands just for the sake of the words on the little band, then you are no better than a highschool chick paying twice as much for name brand jeans.

urbino

jihiggs:

if youre cigar hobby includes sticking to name brands just for the sake of the words on the little band, then you are no better than a highschool chick paying twice as much for name brand jeans.

And considerably less hot.

These Filthy Hands

urbino:

jihiggs:

if youre cigar hobby includes sticking to name brands just for the sake of the words on the little band, then you are no better than a highschool chick paying twice as much for name brand jeans.

And considerably less hot.

LMAO!!!

jihiggs

nice, lol

robert69165

I told my brother to let no one tell him that his smokes are junk and if he likes it (the cigar) he likes it, If all he likes are swisher sweets then go for it, if all he likes are Opus by golly, he'd better share (lol). Is'nt that the true nature of smoking cigars to smoke what you like regardless of the band, trends or price? Be true to yourself and smoke what you like lol

kaspera79

robert69165:

I told my brother to let no one tell him that his smokes are junk and if he likes it (the cigar) he likes it, If all he likes are swisher sweets then go for it, if all he likes are Opus by golly, he'd better share (lol). Is'nt that the true nature of smoking cigars to smoke what you like regardless of the band, trends or price? Be true to yourself and smoke what you like lol

I agree, i enjoy inexpensive cigars like the 5 Vegas, and one of my favorites Bauza which are about three bucks each in a box purchase, and I enjoy the ultra premiums like Opus, Gurkhas, Zino, and Graycliff as well, price does not always indicate how good a cigar is, or how much one person will enjoy them. But Swishers ? ummm not for me, ;}

brc81

bigharpoon

jihiggs:

if youre cigar hobby includes sticking to name brands just for the sake of the words on the little band, then you are no better than a highschool chick paying twice as much for name brand jeans.

I've heard it's very uncool in Europe to smoke cigars with the band still on. With the band off nobody can tell what high-end/low-end cigar you are smoking so it immediately eliminates any rash opinions of the other person or being self-conscious of your cigar. Instead, you have common ground and it's a friendly "nice to meet you, fellow cigar smoker" kind of atmosphere. Now the cigar experience is reduced to its basics: personal enjoyment. I carefully take the labels off my cigars before lighting and smoke them sans band.

kaspera79

bbc020

kuzi16

gmill880

robert69165

the swishers were a stretch, I know. But hey I was scoping out a catalog (not c.com) and found hand rolled premium swisher sweets. Didn't know they existed, kinda like a jackalope or somthing.

gmill880

kuzi16

how "premium" are we talkin?

bacon.jay

j0z3r

That is a valid point Bacon, I've had the same trouble with quite a few cigars. I like to take the band off, but that has less to do with the band and more to do with my obsessive need to pick at things. So if the band is loose, like I can roll it around on the cigar, then I'll take it off, otherwise I'll resist the urge to pick at it for as long as I can and hopefully by that time I'm far enough into the cigar to soften it up. Since I've started reading while I smoke, I find the urge to pick at the band does not maintain such a presence, though it is still there.

bacon.jay

bacon.jay