Tuesday, June 15 2010
By Gary Korb
When I sat down to write this article I asked myself, "What is an everyday cigar?" Is it a cigar you smoke everyday regardless of price, or is it a low-priced box or a bundle? From what I've observed during my nine years in the cigar business, the latter appears to be "the norm." Certainly there are cigar smokers who have the means to smoke Davidoff, OpusX, or Padron 1964 Anniversary everyday - and I've even met a few of those guys. Note the word "few," because the majority of cigar smokers who write to me often use the expression, "I'm looking for a cheap everyday cigar."
When you hear the word "cheap" you tend to think of
machine-made cigars - which outsell
handmade premium cigars by light-year figures - or you think of low-priced bundle cigars. If I were to write an article listing all of the great everyday
cigars available, it would rival the number of pages in
War and Peace. So, for the purposes of this article, I'm going touch on some high-quality everyday bundles, and I'll cover boxed everyday cigars in Part 2.
As I see it, the psychology behind seeking a good everyday cigar is something like this: You can't afford to smoke $5 - $10 cigars everyday, but you want your daily fix. It's not unlike finding a good value-priced wine. Think about it. Most wine lovers can't afford to drink Chateau Lafite everyday, but go to your neighborhood wine store, and if you've acquired even a little knowledge about wine, you can find a pretty good-tasting bottle for around $10.
It's the same with everyday cigars. Suffice it to say, you want a cigar that offers good flavor, good construction, and most importantly, good value for your buck. So, here are 7 everyday bundle brands that IMO deliver on all three criteria. Think of it as your June 2010 cigar bundle buying guide.
Flor de Gonzalez Bundles -
Mild to medium in body and very creamy on the palate with an earthy-toasty character. A Dominican/Nicaraguan mixed filler
blend is expertly rolled in flavorful Indonesian wrappers.
Price range: $32.99 - $39.99
Flor de Oliva - A very well-made medium-bodied, full-flavored cigar with an all-Nicaraguan center rolled in Sumatra ("Natural") or toothy Broadleaf Maduro wrappers. The natural has a 
sweetened cap with an earthy caramely and semi-spicy flavor. The Maduro does not have the sweet cap, and is more robust and spicy.
Price range: $27.99 - $45.99 (quantities vary)
GH2 By Gran Habano - 
A medium to full-bodied cigar offering top-notch construction and plenty of flavor for the money. Rolled in dark Habano wrappers, the smoke is exceptionally creamy with dark, earthy flavors and a spicy finish.
Price range: $34.99 - $55.99 (quantities vary)
Famous Nicaraguan 3000 - 
A very full-bodied blend of all-Nicaraguan longfillers and binders rolled in dark Ecuadorian-grown Habano wrappers. Earthy, spicy, ultra-smooth and incredibly complex, these cigars have all the trappings of the highest priced luxury cigars.
Price range: $40.99 - $49.99
Famous Value Line Honduran #400 - 
Another full-bodied stunner made by Raices Cubanas of Alec Bradley and Illusione cigars fame. The pristine Criollo '98 wrappers are one of the highlights of this creamy, complex and perfectly-balanced cigar.
Every bundle - $39.99
La Floridita - 
A mild to medium-bodied, value-priced cigar handmade with Dominican and Nicaraguan longfillers rolled in oily Connecticut-seed natural or Maduro wrappers. A rich-tasting, and very creamy smoke with an appealing earthy-woody character.
Price range: $29.99 - $37.99
No matter what you pay for an everyday ciigar, most importantly, it should be a cigar that you truly enjoy. So, enjoy! And if you happen try any of the cigars listed above, send me an email and let me know what you thought.
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Editor's Note: The prices quoted in this article were active on the date of posting, June 12, 2010, and may not reflect price changes made after the posting date.
