Saturday, June 04 2011
By Gary Korb
IN MY RECENT ARTICLE "Anatomy of a Favorite Cigar," I wrote: "Experienced cigar smokers tend to find their favorites by seeking out brands that are similar to cigars they've enjoyed in the past." So, for the purposes of this article, let's assume that you've found a few nationally recognized brands and have been smoking them on a regular basis for a while. One day, your colorful new Famous Smoke Shop catalog arrives in the mail and you read the description of a relatively unknown brand that's very similar in blend and body to one of your favorites. You also notice that the price is considerably less than your regular "go-to" stick.
The first thing you think is, "Eh, how good could it be if it's an unknown and that much lower in price?" Actually, that's perfectly understandable. Most experienced cigar smokers tend to be cynical shoppers. After all, how many times have you been sucked into a deal that seemed too good to be true and was?
Getting back to that "relatively unknown" brand that's got your curiosity stirred-up, a lot of cigar smokers are usually willing to try something that's at least familiar, so they roll the dice and hope for the best. The most practical way to hedge your bet is by ordering a 5-Pack and comparing the cigars one-to-one with your regular favorites of similar makeup. You can find some good examples of this "one-to-one" cigar match-up on Famous Smoke Shop's Wise Buys page. Let's take a closer look at two cigars that happen to be personal favorites of mine.
The "Abbadabba" matches five Perdomo 10th Anniversary Criollo Robusto (5 x 54) with five Alabao by Perdomo Robusto (5" x 54). The sizes, blends and body are virtually identical, so we're talking apples to apples. But a box of 20 Alabao is $79.99 whereas a box of 25 10th Anniversary Criollo Robusto are $129.99. Though you do get five more cigars in the box of 10th Anniversary, by doing the math, the Alabao is still $1 less/cigar. Maybe that's not such a big factor to some, but if Alabao becomes a regular favorite the savings add up quickly. That said, I don't necessarily believe in changing brands simply over price, especially if the prices are relatively close. True, the idea here is to save money, but more importantly, it's to find something "new" that will serve, if not as a replacement, then (assuming you enjoyed the Alabao) as an alternative into which you can put some faith.
Let's take a more interesting example like the "Nicky Nails." This sampler is more of an apples to oranges match-up that pits five of the high-profile CAO Brazilia GOL! (5 x 56), against five private label Final Blend Robusto (5 x 50). Though the ring sizes differ significantly, both cigars are full-bodied and feature high-grade Brazilian-grown wrappers. The other difference is the blends. The more fashionable GOL! has an all-Nicaraguan leaf core, whereas the Final Blend uses Dominican, Colombian and Indonesian tobaccos. The GOL! is $75.99/box of 20 ($3.80/stick), while a box of 20 Final Blend is $83.99 ($4.20/stick). So, the curiosity factor here lies mainly in the blends themselves, and it's fair to assume that the Final Blend Robusto may be more complex than the GOL! But unless the extra-wide 56 ring is a deal-breaker, the only way you'll know is by comparing them. This is a match-up that offers two quite different cigars in terms of make-up, but are essentially in the same flavor/strength camp.
Let's take one more example, the "Sonny Red," which matches-up two very well-known brands: The pack includes five Rocky Patel Sun Grown Robusto (5½ x 50) and five Alec Bradley Sun Grown Robusto (5 x 50). Both cigars have Sun Grown wrappers, but the Rocky Patel uses an Ecuadorian sun-grown leaf, whereas the Alec Bradley uses a Brazilian sun-grown leaf. Both cigars are full-bodied, but here again, the interior blends differ as well. The AB Sun Grown is rolled with Nicaraguan, Colombian, and Honduran tobaccos. The Rocky Sun Grown is rolled with Brazilian, Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos. Both cigars share some similar leaves, but the comparison may be closer to Red Delicious apples & Fuji apples rather than apples & oranges. Moreover, a box of Rocky Patel Sun Grown Robusto goes for $116.99/box of 20 ($5.85/stick), while 20 Alec Bradley Sun Grown are $95.99/box ($4.80/stick). Here again, about a buck per cigar difference, but the extra half inch on the Rocky adds a little more cost to the box. So, all things being equal, these cigars would effectively be about the same price per stick. Are the cigars interchangeable? Perhaps, but only YOU can be the judge. This is one of the reasons I wrote the following in my previous article: "When you choose a particular brand, pay close attention to the blend."
These comparison tests are most likely why in our survey, How did you discover your favorite cigar?, the vast majority (over 61%) chose "Experimentation." Suffice it to say, the best way to find new cigars is to try blends that are "in the ballpark" of your favorites. For one, you have some idea of what the "character" of the smoke will be. But whether it’s a private label or another nationally-known brand, at least you can say you gave the cigars a shot; at most you may find another great cigar and save a few bucks in the long run, too. Happy experimenting amigos!
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