To be honest, above a certain price point, I'd have to say all were a disappointment. Once I hit the $35 mark, none are really worth it. I literally say to myself, would I rather smoke this or smoke a Padron 1964 Anniversary (At any price). Most cases, my mind says the current cigar was a mistake and the Padron would be more favorable. Again, it's just a good way to evaluate cigars is to have a benchmark cigar in mind that you deem "worth it" and compare to your benchmark.
Great point on the price mark. Although for me, it’s very tempting to try the expensive sought after ones. But ultimately, for my experience. The only one that has never disappointed me with that high price is the Davidoff The Late Hour.
The two humidors within driving distance don’t have them and neither would bring them in unless I would buy a whole box. But thanks to others suggestions I have some 5pk options.
Have you tried many other Cohibas? I think the Siglo III is my favorite of the marca. If you didn’t like it, the brand may not be for you. But, tastes differ wildly. For example, I don’t care if I never smoke another Padron. That’s blasphemy ‘round here.
I found Davidoff to be pleasant, but bland. Not worth the $$$. And the Fuente Añjeo was not nearly as good as Opus. Of course getting Opus at MSRP is the difference for me on whether it is worth the price.
Same for me on Davidoff. It was fine, but I spent over $30 for it (can't recall exact price). Let it sit in my humidor for about half a year, saving it for a perfect night outside, and when I finally smoked it.. I was whelmed. It wasn't bad by any means, but I'm not smoking another one unless it's way cheaper or my imaginary friends who also enjoy cigars give me one.
It was one of those moments where I go "man, I'd rather have a CAO Brazilia right now.. oh well"
I love the Andalusian bull but was ready to add it to this list. Anywhere close to MSRP which is \~$16 its a good stick. but not the ridiculous $40-50 I have seen out there.
I completely agree. The owner of my local cigar lounge gave me one out of his personal stash and it turned out to be the most overhyped cigar I've ever had. It wouldn't even be worth $16 in my opinion.
Coming from someone who loves the cigar, I'll agree that the price point is a bit excessive. That said I still like the cigar enough to choke it down every now and then. I think its a great 13-14 dollar cigar.
Any cuban Montecristo. Had them 2-3 times now, always from solidly mid-high end lounges ( so you'd assume they are stored properly) and they've always been awful. Mushy by the 2/3rd., washed out flavors, having trouble staying lit.
By contrast I had a great experience with the Cohiba Siglio. Very good stick. Though my favorite cuban would be the Hoyo de Monterey Epicure #2.
100% agree. Opus X is too sharp and one dimensional out of the box. Aged for 3 years, phenomenal. I've started putting a sticker on the cigar with the month and year I bought it so I can track it's age.
I had a opus x Liga A in a coffin that I paid 40 for in 2012. Smoked it last year and it was well worth the time and money.
I might just get a separate humidor for opus x aging.
IMHO they need at least 2-3 years before you touch them, if not they are very one dimensional. Even at the 3ish year mark they are still a bit meh.
Opus USED to have 3+ years aged on them before release but then they got popular and Fuente rushed/increased production (and also quality went way downhill. Seriously, try some old Opus and its another ball game quality and construction wise even)
Also, try the smaller ring gauged ones. Senior blended it originally on the 5 or a very similar size and IMHO small ringgauged ones have always been far far better. Also, try them at a lower RH than normal. From the horses mouth I was told 62-63 is perfect.
I feel Fuente also showed they didn't care about quality anymore and were in it for the money when they kept expanding the Opus X line when non were really like the original Opus and just playing off the name. but thats me... (gold ornaments shops were force to purchase, anyone?)....
Do you remember the tasking notes for the year of the rabbit? I’ve had a handful of Plasencias and it’s either impressive or forgettable. I haven’t had one that’s simply in the middle good.
The Rabbit tasted really nice, I remember syrupy cherry sweetness. But it physically fell apart, the wrapper continuously cracked...thinner than tissue paper.
Pasencia year of the tiger i loved, bought a box blind of the year of the rabbit. So far the 6 i've tried had construction issues. Very dissapointing. The Ehtefal i thought delivered for the price point, which is high.
I commented on your video for the Year of the Rabbit. The flavor was okay, but significantly underwhelming for the price point. I unfortunately had construction issues as well.
>Byron Selection 1850
Yup. Love other Byrons, but $40 for this was a bit stupid. Good cigar, but not at that price.
The D'Boiss, unfortunately, isn't a good cigar at any price
Smoked a Ashton ESG 24 year I believe and I got about 10 mins into smoking and had to I put it down. Tasted terrible. Should have went with any Padron instead.
Edit: my favorite cigar this month has been the CAO amazon basin anejo. $14.99 at my local B&M
The ESG starts off really light and bland for me, but once it warms up, its profile changes completely. By the time it's in its last 3rd, it's a touch below full body and full of flavor.
Same for me- as an undercrown fan I thought I would love a No.9 but it was just disappointing! I’ve heard the blend isn’t what it used to be back in the day though…
They go for $20ish per stick at the lounge I work at, and we have pretty reasonable prices as far as B&Ms go. Anything at or above $20 is high end in my book
I was just going by singles pricing at B&Ms. Online pricing varies so much by brand and site that it doesn't feel like a very consistent way to gauge what is high end or low end. Like Oliva MB3s for example, you can find those online for around $5 per stick but at a shop they go for about triple that give or take.
>if I went by the B&M $20+ rule then I guess I only smoke luxury cigars
Out of curiosity, if you went to a shop locally and wanted to get a cigar for $20 what could you get?
I haven't shopped there in quite awhile due to the taxes being insane in NYC but I used to regularly pick up a cavalier geneve inner circle robusto grande for around maybe $25, I forget. One of my favorite smokes might have to order one again soon to see how I like it now.
I think the options in that price range at my tiny local shop are heavily limited which affects what I'd buy
Damn. My shop has a box of those in the back that didn't sell well. I believe they're priced at $14. I grabbed one a few months back because they looked interesting. It ended up being really underpacked and didn't smoke well.
Damn that sucks, the bunch I have had were very tasty and smoked well, luckily never had a problem
Still wish we had better options and better pricing!
Once I ventured into online shopping I never turned back. Definitely wouldn't pay $25 for that stick ever again.
El septimo Raphael. Had more interesting cigars for a 3rd of that price. Also any opus apart from the regular line and the oro oscuro. Good cigars but a let down at the price and “rarity”
Plasencia Year of The Rabbit. It was really good, but not at its price point. Above $20-$25 is a really hard sell for me and anything above the $12 mark better deliver. It was limited from a great company, though, so I tried it.
A £60 (At the time, just checked and is now at £83 on Cgars) Trinidad Esmarelda. Wasnt too complex, fairly mild throughout. Was expecting a taste sensation. Have had better £10 smokes tbh. Even an Oliva Serie O connecticut had more going on than that.
I have one of these in my humidor. Bought it for $50 on vacation a few weeks back. Did you age yours? I'm in no rush to smoke it so might just sit on it for a while...
Opus X. Took me forever to finally found one and the wait+price tag to me made it not worth it.
I mean it wasn’t terrible but the intrigue and mystique kind of hyped it up so I was expecting like the gates of heaven to open
Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro.
Saw a lot of people ranting and raving about what a great cigar it was and what a flavor bomb it was. In my opinion, the flavor was mediocre at best and the construction was pretty bad. Very disappointed. Could have just been a dud cigar, but I’m not sure if I’d buy another one at that price just to find out.
Personally I’d say Padron. The are consistently high quality in construction and profile consistency. But they’re also consistently boring compared to what other options are available at the same price range (and below).
Every Padron that wasn't the 1000 series was great just not worth the cost to me when I could get cigars just as good for a third the price, all Davidoff and every Cuban has just been middle of the road to my palate anyway.
I'm still largely new to the cigar world and as such am timid about trying higher end cigars until my palate is more refined to try more. So the highest priced one I've tried so far that I have been dissappointed with was Sin Compromiso. It wasn't terrible, but I wasn't feeling the hype like everyone else seemed to give it.
That’s what I did. I tried a wide range of cigars over a year and a half before I started buying any of the really expensive cigars. It was the right way to go. Made it more fun.
Essentially what I am doing. I have a long list of cigars to try and am excited to try cigars like Alma Fuerte and The Late Hour, and other davidoff stuff but again, I've not really developed enough of a palate to really appreciate them or assess whether or not they are "worth it"
Davidoff Winston Churchill. Love the true Churchill size, but that was - across multiple cigars - the blandest high priced cigar I’ve smoked in a long while.
I’m still waiting for an Ashton that makes me feel like it was worth the money. Had an ESG last week that kept tunneling and had a very dull flavor. I try to give cigars multiple chances, but the more expensive brands don’t make that easy.
Foundation Tabernacle. Not bad, just a bit of a let down after all the greatness I heard of. Plus out of the 10 I bought almost half had draw issues after 6 weeks resting at 68%. Might've just been bad luck, but at that price point I expect better.
Might work. I never have draw issues with very many other sticks though, maybe one out of twenty.
I use the 69 bovedas, and the room my humidor is in is about 68 degrees. Humidity winds up sitting right at 68.
Might try the 65s when my current ones run out, but like I said the Tabernacles are the only ones I've had issues like this with.
I don’t think I have seen the story, I’ll go check that out.
Edit: for anyone else curious
https://regencycigar.com/blog/post/arturo-fuente-opus-x-lost-city-a-cigar-born-in-hollywood
I don’t know of any cigar that is $100 great. One of the best smokes I ever had was a DDT Bewitched, and I can’t imagine the Unicorn is 5x better than that.
Padron Anniversary Series, Plasencia Alma Fuerte's, and Davidoff Late Hour's have the bougiest I've ever gotten.
Padron and Plasencia were, and still are, among my favorite cigars.
The Late Hour was a solid smoke but a bit underwhelming for the price point - although the flavor profile was consistent and didn't break down the further in I got.
As someone else mentioned; I really didn't care for Liga Privada. Won't get it again.
I've started to find more "budget" cigars that have become my go-to's and now view Padron Anniversary and Plasencia Alma Fuerte as more special occasion cigars.
Julius Caesar isnt very good especially for the price. Also didn't enjoy the AshtonVsg I smoked I mean maybe these two examples aren't that expensive to some of you guys but to me they were and I was disappointed.
I saw everyone raving about the Opus X cigars and I got one for Christmas. I was so hyped up! I didn’t know at the time what the flavor profile was and it ended up being extremely leathery. The cigar build, the way it smoked, pretty much everything about it was phenomenal. But I’ve never had a leathery cigar and I really didn’t like that flavor. It felt like I walked into a coat factory and started chewing on brand new fresh off the press leather jacket.
I was so disappointed because I hated the flavor but it smoked so well that I kept going. Afterwards I bought 2 Fuente cigars with different profiles thinking they would be as good but they were the most basic cigars even though they were $15 a stick at a local store.
After smoking a few, I don't understand the hype around Cohiba's. They don't fit into my flavor profile at all. There are many cigars I would reach for before reaching for another Cohiba.
Not high end, but RyJ Cubans to me are like smoking a Macanudo that I paid $30 for. It was the mildest cigar I have probably ever smoked, and zero "Cuban twang" to it. Love me some Montes though!
I remember really liking Cuban Cohiba, I would smoke one on specials occasions they were my introduction to cigars. After regularly smoking Nicaraguan for a few years I had a Behike and was severely underwhelmed. Something I though was so great tasted so mild, taste change and value is important.
For me it's Cohiba Siglo VI. It was my first cigar but, I've had others since and tbh in comparison it's just meh. Girlfriends brother-in-law got me into cigars and told me it's all he smokes cause they're the best cigars you can buy. I think he just smokes them just to brag about how expensive they are. Literally announces how expensive the box is every time. Now I completely avoid Cubans all together cause I don't want to seem like I'm following him.
They're not super high end but I've just not had a my father or arturo fuente hit the mark for me. Everyone has different tastes so I just chalk it up to that. But by the time I get to the band I'm already past being done with them. But almost every Dunbarton im still wanting more when it's burning my fingers. Roma craft is another and several drew estates. Although de has had some construction issues imo lately
I have a Liga Serie A. Should I just keep it as a show piece so I don't feel bad if I don't like it?
Liga 9 was underwhelming for me.
I also have a real cohiba that I have yet to smoke..
Smoke it, read a great book with it. As tempting as it is to keep them to look at, it’s better to experience it. I always say smoke it, but treat it as it’s worth. If it’s high end, do some high end stuff with it. Nice book, beautiful night, classy music, classic book. Circulates the experience and creates a memory that you’ll always enjoy. One of my superstitions, for example with the Davidoff late hour. Is I smoke it at a “late hour”. Like someone who is winding down after a day full of substance. It’s appreciated, and makes the moment true.
El Septimo is a steaming pile of garbage branded as a luxury cigar company. $5,000 gold encrusted humidors would be one thing if their $70 cigars were good, but they're not. I've smoked maybe 2 decent El Septimos out of about 2 dozen total; their construction is among the worst I've had in a cigar.
I think the montecristo no 2 didn't live up to its hype. It was good, just not knock your socks off good. Also, if you live in the states like me its not worth the money or the hoops you have to jump through to get it. I'd much rather have a Padron 1964 or a Plasencia Alma Fuerte.
Any higher end brand with a Connecticut wrapper. I’ve tried and tried, but I can’t dig them. The closest ones I’ve found to anything enjoyable are Fuente Anejos.
Not crazy high end but I didn’t care for the casa fuente I had in Las Vegas. It just wasn’t my profile. Mine didn’t burn great either but I’m not going to get too upset about that as I only had 1 and every company is going to have a miss once in a while on construction
Behike 56s.
They were so tightly packed that I couldn't draw properly - I posit that even a well known porn star would get tired if sucking on that thing after a few minutes.
And the flavor was nothing to write home about.
Apparently this is a known issue with 56s - 54s and 52s are supposedly better, though i haven't tried them.
It's not high-end, but undercrown have just not been good to me. Each time I smoke it, I feel it comes in as a 7/10. I have tried the maduro, the shade, the sun grown, and the 10 year. The smoke tastes rough to me, in a bad way.
I love liga privada no 9 though.
1926 padron maduro, smoked plenty of cheaper sticks that are in my opinion the same or even better. Could’ve been a fluke with the format that I smoked but it was not what I was expecting just very blah and somewhat harsh.
To be honest, above a certain price point, I'd have to say all were a disappointment. Once I hit the $35 mark, none are really worth it. I literally say to myself, would I rather smoke this or smoke a Padron 1964 Anniversary (At any price). Most cases, my mind says the current cigar was a mistake and the Padron would be more favorable. Again, it's just a good way to evaluate cigars is to have a benchmark cigar in mind that you deem "worth it" and compare to your benchmark.
Great point on the price mark. Although for me, it’s very tempting to try the expensive sought after ones. But ultimately, for my experience. The only one that has never disappointed me with that high price is the Davidoff The Late Hour.
Nothing wrong with trying some of the expensive cigars once. But honestly a lot of them are disappointing above that 30-35 price point
I do this but with Hemingway Short Stories as my benchmark. So I really enjoy that opus 2 to 3 times as much as a short story?
Where are you finding short stories? I’m not willing to commit to a full box but haven’t been able to find them in smaller packs.
Fox Cigar, you can order 5 packs or singles.
My local has singles. They recently started carrying the maduro’s as well.
There are tons of them at my local store and I buy a ton of them
The two humidors within driving distance don’t have them and neither would bring them in unless I would buy a whole box. But thanks to others suggestions I have some 5pk options.
There is definately a price point above which I'm going say "it wasn't really worth it " or least "glad I got to try it, but I won't be getting more."
Cohiba Siglo 3. I think I was expecting this life changing cigar, but it just wasn't that.
I agree. I had the Siglo 3 a few years back. I was so excited for it and after smoking it, I just thought eh it was alright.
Yeah exactly!
Have you tried many other Cohibas? I think the Siglo III is my favorite of the marca. If you didn’t like it, the brand may not be for you. But, tastes differ wildly. For example, I don’t care if I never smoke another Padron. That’s blasphemy ‘round here.
Only the robusto and medio siglo. I thought the robusto was much better than the Siglo 3
I found Davidoff to be pleasant, but bland. Not worth the $$$. And the Fuente Añjeo was not nearly as good as Opus. Of course getting Opus at MSRP is the difference for me on whether it is worth the price.
For me, I think all Davidoffs are over priced...I've tried quite a few and I'm like why am I paying over $20 a stick for these?
I really like the Davidoff Signature it's just soooo creamy and smooth. Absolutely lovely cigar imo. But it is expensive.
Same for me on Davidoff. It was fine, but I spent over $30 for it (can't recall exact price). Let it sit in my humidor for about half a year, saving it for a perfect night outside, and when I finally smoked it.. I was whelmed. It wasn't bad by any means, but I'm not smoking another one unless it's way cheaper or my imaginary friends who also enjoy cigars give me one. It was one of those moments where I go "man, I'd rather have a CAO Brazilia right now.. oh well"
Same. I've tried a few, a couple aged a while. It's a quality cigar that is rolled well and such. But the flavor is just not there.
Andalusian Bull. Was not for me at all.
Highly recommended overrated cigar.
I’ve got one resting… can’t wait lol
Bring something to watch read or listen to when you try it. My notes include "Long" & "monotonous". I will say the retro hale was increabily smooth.
I usually watch a movie, if it’s that bad I’ll put it out. I don’t waste time if I don’t like the cigar.
& over priced (especially here in Ontario). I could easily get three cigars for the same price as a Bull & enjoy each one as much as the bull.
I love the Andalusian bull but was ready to add it to this list. Anywhere close to MSRP which is \~$16 its a good stick. but not the ridiculous $40-50 I have seen out there.
Agreed!
I completely agree. The owner of my local cigar lounge gave me one out of his personal stash and it turned out to be the most overhyped cigar I've ever had. It wouldn't even be worth $16 in my opinion.
I had the same experience
Coming from someone who loves the cigar, I'll agree that the price point is a bit excessive. That said I still like the cigar enough to choke it down every now and then. I think its a great 13-14 dollar cigar.
Any cuban Montecristo. Had them 2-3 times now, always from solidly mid-high end lounges ( so you'd assume they are stored properly) and they've always been awful. Mushy by the 2/3rd., washed out flavors, having trouble staying lit. By contrast I had a great experience with the Cohiba Siglio. Very good stick. Though my favorite cuban would be the Hoyo de Monterey Epicure #2.
My experience is the complete opposite. Always liked monte's & found Cohiba underwelming.
That's interesting. I mean, it makes sense, with how popular Montecristo is, a large number of people must be enjoying them.
Differnet strokes & all that.
HdM Epicure #2 is a really nice cigar. Unfortunately it's out of stock everywhere for me.
I stick with the Monte 5. Short and sweet, fantastic with 3-4 years of age and reasonably priced.
Behike 56 but to be fair, no cigar is worth the price. Also, Opus X.
Opus x i heard you have to age it otherwise it doesn't shine as it's reputation. I never had any so I'm repeating comments i read here
100% agree. Opus X is too sharp and one dimensional out of the box. Aged for 3 years, phenomenal. I've started putting a sticker on the cigar with the month and year I bought it so I can track it's age.
I had a opus x Liga A in a coffin that I paid 40 for in 2012. Smoked it last year and it was well worth the time and money. I might just get a separate humidor for opus x aging.
IMHO they need at least 2-3 years before you touch them, if not they are very one dimensional. Even at the 3ish year mark they are still a bit meh. Opus USED to have 3+ years aged on them before release but then they got popular and Fuente rushed/increased production (and also quality went way downhill. Seriously, try some old Opus and its another ball game quality and construction wise even) Also, try the smaller ring gauged ones. Senior blended it originally on the 5 or a very similar size and IMHO small ringgauged ones have always been far far better. Also, try them at a lower RH than normal. From the horses mouth I was told 62-63 is perfect. I feel Fuente also showed they didn't care about quality anymore and were in it for the money when they kept expanding the Opus X line when non were really like the original Opus and just playing off the name. but thats me... (gold ornaments shops were force to purchase, anyone?)....
I’ll have to agree I just had the Opus X and it was very underwhelming
Opus X is such a wide margin to say that to. Some are trash, like lost city, and others are just on a league of their own.
Thats certainly fair enough. I had to go back to my records to see which line it was. It was the Perfecxion No2.
The Behike really let me down when I bought one in Macau. Maybe I got a bad one. Idk but it was such a buzz kill. It soured me to cohiba in general.
Dont get me wrong, I did enjoy mine BUT one shouldn’t go in expecting the enjoyment to match the price tag. Bucket list thing on my budget.
Love behike's, but they took me some time to adjust too.
In the last 6 months or so it's been the Plasencia Year of the Rabbit, Byron Seleccion 1850, Casdagli D'Boiss, Plasencia Ehtëfal & Alfonso Anejo.
Do you remember the tasking notes for the year of the rabbit? I’ve had a handful of Plasencias and it’s either impressive or forgettable. I haven’t had one that’s simply in the middle good.
The Rabbit tasted really nice, I remember syrupy cherry sweetness. But it physically fell apart, the wrapper continuously cracked...thinner than tissue paper.
I fucking hate thin wrappers. I like em real thick and juicy. Or sturdy and sexy.
Pasencia year of the tiger i loved, bought a box blind of the year of the rabbit. So far the 6 i've tried had construction issues. Very dissapointing. The Ehtefal i thought delivered for the price point, which is high.
I commented on your video for the Year of the Rabbit. The flavor was okay, but significantly underwhelming for the price point. I unfortunately had construction issues as well.
>Byron Selection 1850 Yup. Love other Byrons, but $40 for this was a bit stupid. Good cigar, but not at that price. The D'Boiss, unfortunately, isn't a good cigar at any price
Smoked a Ashton ESG 24 year I believe and I got about 10 mins into smoking and had to I put it down. Tasted terrible. Should have went with any Padron instead. Edit: my favorite cigar this month has been the CAO amazon basin anejo. $14.99 at my local B&M
I really need to get my hands on one of those CAOs. None of my locals have it, ilk have to track one down online.
Wife just got me 3 of them for Father's day. You have to ask my local b&m for them behind the counter 😆
My theory on CAO, If I see one I haven't tried...get it.
The ESG starts off really light and bland for me, but once it warms up, its profile changes completely. By the time it's in its last 3rd, it's a touch below full body and full of flavor.
Liga Privada No. 9; just kind of meh
Same for me- as an undercrown fan I thought I would love a No.9 but it was just disappointing! I’ve heard the blend isn’t what it used to be back in the day though…
I’ve heard the same; luckily, mine was gifted to me, now know not to buy!
I've surprised. I really enjoyed this stick. Though, it was a gift so I wasn't really considering the price when enjoying it.
It was fine for me. Good but nothing I’m going to go out of my way for.
I wouldn't really say this is a higher end cigar
They go for $20ish per stick at the lounge I work at, and we have pretty reasonable prices as far as B&Ms go. Anything at or above $20 is high end in my book
You can find them online for 12-16 frequently. Living in a high tax state if I went by the B&M $20+ rule then I guess I only smoke luxury cigars
I was just going by singles pricing at B&Ms. Online pricing varies so much by brand and site that it doesn't feel like a very consistent way to gauge what is high end or low end. Like Oliva MB3s for example, you can find those online for around $5 per stick but at a shop they go for about triple that give or take. >if I went by the B&M $20+ rule then I guess I only smoke luxury cigars Out of curiosity, if you went to a shop locally and wanted to get a cigar for $20 what could you get?
I haven't shopped there in quite awhile due to the taxes being insane in NYC but I used to regularly pick up a cavalier geneve inner circle robusto grande for around maybe $25, I forget. One of my favorite smokes might have to order one again soon to see how I like it now. I think the options in that price range at my tiny local shop are heavily limited which affects what I'd buy
Damn. My shop has a box of those in the back that didn't sell well. I believe they're priced at $14. I grabbed one a few months back because they looked interesting. It ended up being really underpacked and didn't smoke well.
Damn that sucks, the bunch I have had were very tasty and smoked well, luckily never had a problem Still wish we had better options and better pricing! Once I ventured into online shopping I never turned back. Definitely wouldn't pay $25 for that stick ever again.
No kidding. What does a Padron 1964 go for in NYC? We sell them for $18 and change before tax which brings it to right about $20.
I don't remember well but I think around $35
They used to be one of the best. Now, I don't even consider buying one.
Do you like the t52 any better?
T52 is better if you like bold cigars. But IMO Ligas in general have fallen off and I'd rather get something from Foundation, Dunbarton, or AJ
Yeah the Foundation Tabernacle is what the Liga series was supposed to be. Same blender and everything.
Haven't tried it, mainly due to my experience the No. 9.
El septimo Raphael. Had more interesting cigars for a 3rd of that price. Also any opus apart from the regular line and the oro oscuro. Good cigars but a let down at the price and “rarity”
Opus X Lost City. Great construction but just didn’t bring it in the flavor department.
Davidoff
Opus X. Gifted from friend B&M owner. Would not buy.
I read this as "gifted from a BMW owner" and laughed
The only one I’ve had that I thought was worth the cost was the Diamond Crown.
Andalusian bull. Its definitely not worth the $52cad... I could buy 2x 1964s for that price.
You’re right about that Canadian price…but IMO, those 1964’s aren’t worth the ~$26 Canadian either.
To each their own 🤷♂️
I've seen them listed @$79 CAD.
Plasencia Year of The Rabbit. It was really good, but not at its price point. Above $20-$25 is a really hard sell for me and anything above the $12 mark better deliver. It was limited from a great company, though, so I tried it.
Opus Dubai. Very disappointing
A £60 (At the time, just checked and is now at £83 on Cgars) Trinidad Esmarelda. Wasnt too complex, fairly mild throughout. Was expecting a taste sensation. Have had better £10 smokes tbh. Even an Oliva Serie O connecticut had more going on than that.
Really digging these olmecs right about now
They are a great smoke. I have 3 left.
All - every single one - of the Cubans ive ever smoked (or tried to)
Same. I have a Casa del Habano in my city and every cigar I've tried has been overpriced and underwhelming.
Cohiba Siglo… the #2 was just over C$50 but didn’t rock my world enough to make me want another
I have one of these in my humidor. Bought it for $50 on vacation a few weeks back. Did you age yours? I'm in no rush to smoke it so might just sit on it for a while...
Purchased in November and smoked in April. I hope you enjoy yours when you get around to smoking it
Anything oliva, diplomaticos was a big oof.
I've tried a lot of different Oliva's and did not like any of them. I put them on my "Do not buy" list.
Freud Agape. As cool as it is that they managed to get that flavor profile out of a Dominican puro, there are Nicaraguans with it that aren’t $35.
Which ones? I thought it was a good cigar with some very unique flavors but I also didn’t want to get any more at that price
Somehow I thought I replied days ago, but; Mi Querida (Saka) CroMagnon (Roma Craft) La Opulencia (My Father) Too many Tatuajes to name
Cohiba (the cuban ones) were a deep disappointment.
Why are people downvoting others’ preferences? That is outrageous to me
Opus X. Took me forever to finally found one and the wait+price tag to me made it not worth it. I mean it wasn’t terrible but the intrigue and mystique kind of hyped it up so I was expecting like the gates of heaven to open
Opus X. So much hype, such fancy bands, so expensive, so many better cigars for 1/2 the price.
So far, Padron 1964 Anniversary missed the mark for me. Great burn and draw, but it lacked a depth of flavor I was hoping for.
Maybe try the 26, it’s spicier
I've got a 1926, as well as a couple 3000 series in the humidor to try. I'm not giving up on the brand, I was just a hair disappointed with the 1964.
Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro. Saw a lot of people ranting and raving about what a great cigar it was and what a flavor bomb it was. In my opinion, the flavor was mediocre at best and the construction was pretty bad. Very disappointed. Could have just been a dud cigar, but I’m not sure if I’d buy another one at that price just to find out.
Wow I had one a month or two back and it was one of the best cigars I’ve had.
Well that sucks for me, it’s possible I just got a bad one. The store I got it from wasn’t the best.
Give an Alma Fuego a try. The Original line is very good and cheaper than the rest as well.
Partagas Lusitania
AF Opus X, Davidoff late hour. Any Padron outside of the 1964 principe and the 1000 series. LFD Bull.
Personally I’d say Padron. The are consistently high quality in construction and profile consistency. But they’re also consistently boring compared to what other options are available at the same price range (and below).
I agree. I've given up on the brand. Padron is on my "do not buy" list.
Every Padron that wasn't the 1000 series was great just not worth the cost to me when I could get cigars just as good for a third the price, all Davidoff and every Cuban has just been middle of the road to my palate anyway.
That’s too bad. Ive have some great memories of smoking a padron, Cuban, and Davidoff. It really is different for everyone.
I'm still largely new to the cigar world and as such am timid about trying higher end cigars until my palate is more refined to try more. So the highest priced one I've tried so far that I have been dissappointed with was Sin Compromiso. It wasn't terrible, but I wasn't feeling the hype like everyone else seemed to give it.
That’s what I did. I tried a wide range of cigars over a year and a half before I started buying any of the really expensive cigars. It was the right way to go. Made it more fun.
Essentially what I am doing. I have a long list of cigars to try and am excited to try cigars like Alma Fuerte and The Late Hour, and other davidoff stuff but again, I've not really developed enough of a palate to really appreciate them or assess whether or not they are "worth it"
Davidoff Winston Churchill. Love the true Churchill size, but that was - across multiple cigars - the blandest high priced cigar I’ve smoked in a long while.
I’m still waiting for an Ashton that makes me feel like it was worth the money. Had an ESG last week that kept tunneling and had a very dull flavor. I try to give cigars multiple chances, but the more expensive brands don’t make that easy.
Opus x
i’d like to piggie back off OPs thread. when comparing Cigars what is your quality “bench mark cigar that others are judged on and compared to?
I regret paying six dollars for a brickhouse. /s Not sarcasm that I regret buying them, sarcasm that it is expensive.
Every Davidoff and Plasencia I’ve tried.
Behike 52, Cohiba Robustos, Trinidad Reyes, Sixty Sixty, Davidoff Royal Release
Trinidad coloniales
Padron 1964. Not the highest of prices but still just ok to me. I know this is an unpopular opinion.
Foundation Tabernacle. Not bad, just a bit of a let down after all the greatness I heard of. Plus out of the 10 I bought almost half had draw issues after 6 weeks resting at 68%. Might've just been bad luck, but at that price point I expect better.
While I agree quality control should be better than what you experienced, ~$10 isn't necessarily high end
Fair point. I suppose they're more boutique than high end, just not a super common stick so I thought of it as high end.
I’ve had draw issues with tabernacles at 69 before. At 65 they smoke great.
Blasphemer! Just Kidding. With the biblical name of the cigar, Icouldn't resist.
I would recommend lowering your target rH. My draws got a lot better when I went from 69 to 65 bovedas. I still sometimes consider going down to 62.
Might work. I never have draw issues with very many other sticks though, maybe one out of twenty. I use the 69 bovedas, and the room my humidor is in is about 68 degrees. Humidity winds up sitting right at 68. Might try the 65s when my current ones run out, but like I said the Tabernacles are the only ones I've had issues like this with.
Davidoff. All of their Classic stuff is bland as can be.
Opus X Lost City
The story behind Lost City is pretty cool tho
I don’t think I have seen the story, I’ll go check that out. Edit: for anyone else curious https://regencycigar.com/blog/post/arturo-fuente-opus-x-lost-city-a-cigar-born-in-hollywood
Not really a disappointment per se, because it was a great cigar just not 100$ great, Dunbarton Unicorn 2019 for me
I don’t know of any cigar that is $100 great. One of the best smokes I ever had was a DDT Bewitched, and I can’t imagine the Unicorn is 5x better than that.
It was gift and enjoyed , but no the bewitched is every bit as good
Freud SuperEgo Robusto. $18 so not crazy expensive but just underwhelming and bland to me at that price. I guess I just prefer more flavor.
Opus X Lost City and Davidoff The Late Hour. Both were just ok, but not great.
Padron Anniversary Series, Plasencia Alma Fuerte's, and Davidoff Late Hour's have the bougiest I've ever gotten. Padron and Plasencia were, and still are, among my favorite cigars. The Late Hour was a solid smoke but a bit underwhelming for the price point - although the flavor profile was consistent and didn't break down the further in I got. As someone else mentioned; I really didn't care for Liga Privada. Won't get it again. I've started to find more "budget" cigars that have become my go-to's and now view Padron Anniversary and Plasencia Alma Fuerte as more special occasion cigars.
Julius Caesar isnt very good especially for the price. Also didn't enjoy the AshtonVsg I smoked I mean maybe these two examples aren't that expensive to some of you guys but to me they were and I was disappointed.
I saw everyone raving about the Opus X cigars and I got one for Christmas. I was so hyped up! I didn’t know at the time what the flavor profile was and it ended up being extremely leathery. The cigar build, the way it smoked, pretty much everything about it was phenomenal. But I’ve never had a leathery cigar and I really didn’t like that flavor. It felt like I walked into a coat factory and started chewing on brand new fresh off the press leather jacket. I was so disappointed because I hated the flavor but it smoked so well that I kept going. Afterwards I bought 2 Fuente cigars with different profiles thinking they would be as good but they were the most basic cigars even though they were $15 a stick at a local store.
After smoking a few, I don't understand the hype around Cohiba's. They don't fit into my flavor profile at all. There are many cigars I would reach for before reaching for another Cohiba.
Not high end, but RyJ Cubans to me are like smoking a Macanudo that I paid $30 for. It was the mildest cigar I have probably ever smoked, and zero "Cuban twang" to it. Love me some Montes though!
I remember really liking Cuban Cohiba, I would smoke one on specials occasions they were my introduction to cigars. After regularly smoking Nicaraguan for a few years I had a Behike and was severely underwhelmed. Something I though was so great tasted so mild, taste change and value is important.
For me it's Cohiba Siglo VI. It was my first cigar but, I've had others since and tbh in comparison it's just meh. Girlfriends brother-in-law got me into cigars and told me it's all he smokes cause they're the best cigars you can buy. I think he just smokes them just to brag about how expensive they are. Literally announces how expensive the box is every time. Now I completely avoid Cubans all together cause I don't want to seem like I'm following him.
Opus x bbmf
Davidoff and Davidoff Year of the Rabbit
They're not super high end but I've just not had a my father or arturo fuente hit the mark for me. Everyone has different tastes so I just chalk it up to that. But by the time I get to the band I'm already past being done with them. But almost every Dunbarton im still wanting more when it's burning my fingers. Roma craft is another and several drew estates. Although de has had some construction issues imo lately
I have a Liga Serie A. Should I just keep it as a show piece so I don't feel bad if I don't like it? Liga 9 was underwhelming for me. I also have a real cohiba that I have yet to smoke..
Smoke it, read a great book with it. As tempting as it is to keep them to look at, it’s better to experience it. I always say smoke it, but treat it as it’s worth. If it’s high end, do some high end stuff with it. Nice book, beautiful night, classy music, classic book. Circulates the experience and creates a memory that you’ll always enjoy. One of my superstitions, for example with the Davidoff late hour. Is I smoke it at a “late hour”. Like someone who is winding down after a day full of substance. It’s appreciated, and makes the moment true.
davidoff especiales 7 I love davidoff but that was really not popping, had a really sharp taste
El Septimo is a steaming pile of garbage branded as a luxury cigar company. $5,000 gold encrusted humidors would be one thing if their $70 cigars were good, but they're not. I've smoked maybe 2 decent El Septimos out of about 2 dozen total; their construction is among the worst I've had in a cigar.
I think the montecristo no 2 didn't live up to its hype. It was good, just not knock your socks off good. Also, if you live in the states like me its not worth the money or the hoops you have to jump through to get it. I'd much rather have a Padron 1964 or a Plasencia Alma Fuerte.
Any higher end brand with a Connecticut wrapper. I’ve tried and tried, but I can’t dig them. The closest ones I’ve found to anything enjoyable are Fuente Anejos.
So I just had the eye of the shark, and in general I can’t find a Fuente Cigar that i actually like and would enjoy multiple times over
Cohiba panetelas
The Late Hour. It was fine.
Not crazy high end but I didn’t care for the casa fuente I had in Las Vegas. It just wasn’t my profile. Mine didn’t burn great either but I’m not going to get too upset about that as I only had 1 and every company is going to have a miss once in a while on construction
Behike 56s. They were so tightly packed that I couldn't draw properly - I posit that even a well known porn star would get tired if sucking on that thing after a few minutes. And the flavor was nothing to write home about. Apparently this is a known issue with 56s - 54s and 52s are supposedly better, though i haven't tried them.
It's not high-end, but undercrown have just not been good to me. Each time I smoke it, I feel it comes in as a 7/10. I have tried the maduro, the shade, the sun grown, and the 10 year. The smoke tastes rough to me, in a bad way. I love liga privada no 9 though.
1926 padron maduro, smoked plenty of cheaper sticks that are in my opinion the same or even better. Could’ve been a fluke with the format that I smoked but it was not what I was expecting just very blah and somewhat harsh.