Hey there everybody. I’m hoping some cigar veteran out there can give me some advice. I’m looking for a mid-range cigar (by mid-range I mean not a gas station cigar but also not a wallet-buster) for someone who has never had a decent cigar. My favorite pipe tobacco blends contain cigar leaf so I know I will enjoy at least a few types of cigar. I’m not a nicotine or a tobacco flavor lightweight so I’m not really concerned about getting something too strong/flavorful. I’m really curious about Havana leaf due to it’s obvious fame. I’m thinking about getting one of the “Factory Throwaway” bundles from pipesandcigars.com to sample some different brands on the cheap. Is this a bad idea? Will I end up with crappy cigars that ruin my interest in cigars? I’ve also been looking at a lot of different samplers on pipesandcigars.com and am curious if anyone here has tried any. I’m pretty set on purchasing from pipesandcigars since they’ve always given me great service with my pipe tobacco purchases and I want to support them. Thanks in advance for the advice.
go for it!
A good ‘proper’ cigar for someone who wants to move from the supermarket brand level is Seurdieck from Brazil. They were off the market for a while but are now available again, mild enough to be non challenging but good enough to savour and get an idea of how real cigars taste. Slightly up from that would be something like Punch - Cuban but not insane in price at about £10 - they also have the advantage of being sold in a lot of supermarket tobacco kiosks so you shouldn’t have to go online to obtain.
I couldn’t find Seurdieck on pipesandcigars or jrcigars… did you spell it right? Also, I’m in the states so I can’t get Cubans the normal way (of going to the store).
Punch also sells I think dominican in america. And their pretty awesome. Though they don’t make the panatellas I love so much. 
I’m probably lower than the desired range, but Garcia Y Vega is a machine made cigar from the Dominican Republic. Both wrapper and filler is natural leaf. Not prize winning, but a decent smoke.
I highly recommend la Invicta. They are hand made in Honduras. cheap and very tasty. http://www.mysmokingshop.co.uk/index2.php?mod=category&man=416&cat=106
^ 5 pounds for a single cigar? NO THANKS!
I am also somewhat of a cigar newb and I really enjoyed La Flor Dominica. (I think. That’s what the band says.) It was about $9-$12, but tobacco is expensive where I live. It’s in the premium line. looking at the website, I think it might have been An Insurrectos.
I just looked at Pipes and Cigars .com’s selection of cigars and boy, the choices are bit overwhelming. I personally would (and did) find a cigar shop and try a few shapes, sizes, and colors to find out what I liked. A plus is that there will be someone there who may be able to answer a few questions. The Dominican Punch that was mentioned would likely be in any store that has a humidor. My favorite size on those is the robusto. In a search for a decent low priced cigar you will need some luck. They are not consistently available so even if you find some it may be impossible to find some more. I would suggest looking for a cigar made in Mexico being sold in the U.S… I got lucky with that a few times myself a few years ago.
I’ve selected the following to (maybe) try: Don Diego Babies Maria Mancini Robusto Larga El Rey Del Mundo Rothschilde (5 of each) for a grand total of $40 (after shipping).
@NelsonPipeClub a newb smoking La Flors Dominicana? They are regarded as one of the strongest cigars you can get your hands on, if you can smoke one of those then you sir are no newb.
I liked the Guantanamera, its cheap but not that bad. I think I got one from my tobacconist for around$10. Best cigar I ever got was a Limited Edition 2011 Cohiba Pyramid. Mmmmmm tasty.
@n9inchnails: I told the tobacconist I liked strong, Latakia heavy pipe tobacco but was new to cigars and wanted something easy. He gave me an LFD and said it was “mild and creamy”. It sure was a good smoke, though!
I just looked at Pipes and Cigars .com’s selection of cigars and boy, the choices are bit overwhelming. I personally would (and did) find a cigar shop and try a few shapes, sizes, and colors to find out what I liked. A plus is that there will be someone there who may be able to answer a few questions. The Dominican Punch that was mentioned would be a great choice.
So I picked up the cheapest hand-rolled cigar I could find at my local B&M (just under $4) and looked it up online and it appears to be a decent cigar. It’s a Punch London Club, 5.0x40. It smells lovely.
not bad
The new B&M with cigars and pipe stuff in my town is a small chain so the cigar prices are actually pretty competitive (not that there’s any competition). The Punch cigar was only 50-75 cents above what a single costs on the internet.
Just smoked the Punch London Club. For a relatively small cigar, it was a long smoke! Probably about 35-45 minutes. Had a hard taste to pin down since I have no reference point of other cigars. All things considered, I think I’m going to order some more cigars in the near future.