I went from getting anything I could get my hands on...to becoming extremely selective. It's nice to open up your humi and know that ANY stick you grab is going to be top notch. If you have a small humi or only smoke a couple a month...treat yourself!
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I'm with Tom on this one. Life is too short to smoke crappy sticks.
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I've blind reviewed many cigars that I never tried, raved about them and was quite embarrassed to find out that sticks I poo-pooed because of price won out over more expensive sticks. The 5 Vegas A Alpha belicosos have become quite an enjoyable stick to me, especially if they've sit for about 6 months and I rarely pay more than $50 a box for them. Cheap cigars are not always bad.
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Bueso Genesis the Project is on sale...$60 for a box of robustos. EPIC budget stick.
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I'm a college student and therefore can't afford a Liga Privada or Oliva V or any other excellent cigar for everyday smoking. However, I can afford SLRs or Alec Bradley Easy Fives on a consistant basis. They may not be top notch, but they are definitely economical and enjoyable. There is nothing wrong with smoking "OK" cigars because those are what get me through the day. If you enjoy them, smoke them.
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I think the point that "OK" is one's personal judgement of a cigar and not what someone else thinks or what a review says about it might be getting lost here.
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I have never had an issue with a Padron Londres and they are around $3 if I remember correctly. Great inexpensive cigar.

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I am in the same boat as Tom and Peter. If I light up a cigar and it is not doing it for me in the first inch or it is plugged, I have no issue putting it out and grabbing another one. I have actually put out a cigar after one puff as I just knew it was not for me and I did not want to ruin my palate for the next one. Sometimes you just know.

If I happen to be smoking something "expensive" (obviously a relative term so let's say $15+) and it is not doing it for me I might try to smoke it a little longer to see if it changes or improves, but after 1/3 to 1/2 I will move on.

With that said, I have also had cigars that started out ok and turned great by the time I got to the end, so you just never know.
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I've never had that one. I will have to give it a try. Thanks man.
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Me, I'm not only a poor working stiff, but also have medical bills I'll be paying off for the next few lifetimes. I would love to enjoy "quality" cigars on occasion, yet can only afford what others would consider "OK" . . . if even that. I "splurge" on good little cigars, and grab boxes of JR Ultimate Habanitos ($40/24 sticks) and Consuegra 9s maduro ($35/25) for my everydays. For treats, I'm limited to those times Lew offers me a free 5-pack for ordering those above.

Would I like a stash of VSGs, Oliva Vs, Padrons, whatever? Sure. I'd also like to strap some young hottie around my waist for a few hours, but that ain't a-gonna happen either.
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The regular line of Padron's are pretty good and the 2000s are not too pricey either if I remember correctly.

There are plenty of expensive cigars, DR Cohiba's, DR Montecristo's, Ashton ESGs... that do nothing for me. These cigars are less than OK to me, but to others, these are top shelf cigars.

Smoke what you like and smoke what you can afford.

There are always going to be people who can afford more expensive cigars or have a bigger collection. There is no need to compete. It took me a little while to figure that out. It can be tough when you log onto a forum ten times a day and see what everyone is posting. We are surrounded by people who love cigars, otherwise we would not be here.
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Sage advice. :-)
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I'm struggling for an answer here. I don't really smoke so-so cigars, I smoke cigars that I like. And I completely ignore hype. If I want an opinion, there are many on this forum whose opinions matter to me. But most of my favorite cigars aren't that expensive and fall into the $5-$10 range. Most just aren't available at local B&M's. And I'm pretty much immune to advertising and buzz. If you feel you're being sucked in by marketing, maybe it's time to tune the marketing out.

If you've been smoking cigars 6-7 years, I'd assume you've discovered some favorites by now that are well above so-so, no? I would stick with those, and possibly look at the reviews posted here when it comes to selecting new ones to try.
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It's a balance of pocketbook to quality. There are plenty of decent cigars that don't burst the wallet.
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SHORT ANSWER:

Smoke what you like, like what you smoke. It's really that simple. If a cigar provides you enjoyment then it's an OK cigar for you.


LONG ANSWER:

It all depends on what YOUR definition of an “OK cigar” is. Is it based solely on quality and taste? Price? A combination thereof?

As others have pointed out in this thread there are many great smokes out there that won’t break the bank.

I’m on a budget for my cigars but like to smoke two a day. My target price range for smokes is $2.50 - $4.00 per stick on average throughout the year. Can I get “OK” cigars for that? Some would say “absolutely not!” and LOL’ed at me when they read that. But you be the judge – I have a little less than 200 cigars in my stash, the preponderance of which are the following:

601 Blue
Punch Bareknuckle
La Herencia Cubana CORE
Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro
Genesis the Project
My Father Le Bijou 1922
Padron 4000 Maduro
RyJ 1875
Oliva G Maduro
5 Vegas Serie ‘A’
Tabacas Baez SF (My yard ‘gar)
Gran Habano Corojo #5 and Triple
MOW Puro Authentico Maduro

I got every single one of those cigars except for the Padrons and the MOWs for less than $4 a stick. Some such as the Punch, Genesis, and Gran Habanos I got for less than $3 per. Are they “OK” sticks? I certainly think so, but some would say “Meh, nothing special”. Others would say “:-) NICE! And kudos for scoring them at such a great price point!” What’s important is that I enjoy smoking every one of those cigars.

I also have some Padron 1964 Anny Maduros (my special occasion cigar, worth every penny), Oliva V Maduros, Casa Magna Colorados, Cain Daytonas, MUWAT Baitfish, and Papas Fritas on hand. The Papas Fritas is a short filler cigar that goes for $6 a stick. Is it more than twice as tasty as a Genesis the Project due to it costing over twice as much? IMNSHO, hell no, I prefer a Genesis. But others would just as adamantly say “Hell yes it is!” Tastes vary, and it’s great for those of us that enjoy this hobby that they do; how boring cigars would be if we all liked the exact same thing. Find what you like to smoke and smoke it; if you like it then it's an OK cigar for you and that's all that matters.
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+1 plus those are some damn tasty cigars. I would throw in some Ruinations and Alec Bradley Tempus sticks plus some random Joe Cigar treats like Prensado or DPG Black/Blues and toss anything from Drew Estates away and say we have similar tastes. My specials are Illusione, Casa Fernandez, and Viaje sticks.
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Good List, Porch Dweller is wise.... :-)

The ones I bolded I have all personally had and would consider them all to be good cigars at affordable price points...

I'll have to check out the un-bolded ones for myself... :-)

Thanks PD!!!
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psst... cigar.com has MOW Puro Authentico Habano and Maduro varieties for 39.99/box this week. :-)
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Thanks!
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