Saturday, November 05 2011
By Gary Korb
It's been an often debated topic among cigar smokers for years. Are name brand cigars really better than no-name brands? Do you feel better buying an "original" Rocky Patel cigar or a lower cost "house brand" cigar made by Rocky Patel...or Nick Perdomo, or Pepin Garcia, among others, for that matter?
Chances are, when in doubt, most folks will go with the "original." Why? Because house brands are an unknown entity. But when you think about it, a cigar made by any of the top manufacturers is still an original blend. It should still have that manufacturer's signature on it in terms of flavor profile, character, and bouquet.
Of course, you have to be pretty good to tell who made a particular cigar. At the ProCigar Festival, held annually in the Dominican Republic, one of the things you get is a pack of cigars with phony names and a worksheet. The worksheet has the phony names along with the respective Dominican manufacturers on it. Your job is to try to figure out which cigar came from what factory. It ain't easy, but it’s a lot of fun.
Before I get off-track, let's get back to what's so great about name brand cigars. You have your classics like Arturo Fuente Hemingway, Padron 1964 Anniversary, Ashton Virgin Sun Grown, and the like. These cigars are very hard to imitate, and most educated cigar smokers would turn a cynical eye toward any cigar that claimed to be an "alternative" to the aforementioned cigars. Maybe this begs the question, "What defines an alternative cigar?" for a future article.
What I'm getting at are the cigars that have no "name brand" attached to them, yet are made by some of the best manufacturers out there. Now, I can only speak for Famous Smoke Shop, but Famous will often tell you who made a particular cigar, be it a value priced bundle or a boxed house brand. The reason this is mentioned is obvious. If you like cigars by Tabacalera So-And-So, then you'll probably like this selection? made in the same factory -- and look at the money you'll save!
Whether it's a bundle or a boxed brand made only for a given cigar retailer, it's apples and oranges. Although there are some rare instances where you are getting the identical blend under another name, in most cases you're not necessarily getting the same cigar or blend.
Take the Famous Nicaraguan 3000 bundles for example. Though the manufacturer is not named, they are one of hottest selling cigars Famous sells. Then there's the Rocky Patel Cuban Blend. You have the name right on the box, and they sell like hot dogs at the ballpark. Another example is Bayamo, an exclusive house brand made by Raices Cubanas, who have made several 90-plus-rated cigars for Alec Bradley. They also make the Value Line Honduran #400, which also does pretty well. 
On the other hand, there are those who stay only with the name brands; perhaps it makes them feel better. Why buy a box of Perdomo Alabao (made for Famous), when you can buy a Perdomo2, Gran Cru, Lot 23, 10th Anniversary, etc.? Because the Alabao is made every bit as well as every other Perdomo cigar, and has its own unique qualities. The same can be said for just about all no-name brand cigars. And how often have you bought a top name brand and had to return it? I interact a lot with Customer Service and you'd be very surprised. Some customers even believe the original name brand cigar's blend was changed.
Without a doubt, there are many cigars that just do it better in the original blend. We all have our favorites in just about every name brand cigar out there. That said, cigar smokers like to save money, and that's where the no-name brands really shine. It all comes down to a matter of taste, your budget, and a willingness to take a chance on something usually only backed by the factory name. Think about it: A BMW may be a "classier" ride than a Honda Accord LX, but they'll both get you from point A to point B in comfort and style. If no-name brands were so inferior to name brands, they wouldn't sell at all. Fortunately, a lot of no-name brand cigars have a pretty decent following.
So, in closing, I surmise that if a cigar is made well and tastes good enough, nobody seems to care who makes it. Isn't that ironic.
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