Okay guys and gals I've been out of the game for a couple of years now. I have no idea what's been happening in the NC cigars world. I would like your personal recommendations of the newer brands out there that you've personally really enjoyed. Keep in mind I am on a limited budget so please no more than a top 5 at best. I'll go to my local B&M to pick up a few and post reviews as I go through them. Thank you for your help and recommendations and hopefully it'll help me get up to date on some of the newer stuff out there.


I don't care how experienced or new you are to cigars. If you like or love it please let me know. I hope this'll be fun for everyone. :-)
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First thing that comes to mind in the budget category is Genesis The Project. The original is best. Then, they started adding different versions with less success.
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Alec Bradley "Prensados"
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Leccia Black (Not sure how old these are but interesting none the less)
LFD La Nox
Oliva V Series Melanio (particularly the maduro)
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Welcome back Jason. Some of my favorite and non-expensive smokes are rolled right in your home state. Miami, Tampa, even Tarpon Springs have little shops that roll some fine smokes. Yeah, they usually need some aging, but I've always found the construction to be excellent. There are so many new smokes with fancy stories along with nutty prices, you can't go wrong with an old favorite or a local rolled. I've been so disappointed with the fancy new blends. Shame for sure.

If you remember an older brand that you enjoyed, search online. With so many new blends out many tried and true smokes have gone way down in price.:-)
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Frutello cigars
Illusione Rothchilde
L'Atelier Special Select
Casa Fernandez Aganorsa
AJ Fernandez anything
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Avo Syncro Fogata
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Joya De Nicaragua Cabinetta - mild
COA Pilon - medium
H Upmann Vintage Cameroon - mild
COA Osa Sol - medium/full
Aston Cabinet - mild/medium

These are cheap sticks, except for the Aston and I like mild stuff. Like the AVO's but have not tried the new one mentioned above, good reviews on it
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Any thing AJ Fernandez.
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LFD Coronado
Liga Privada t52 (if you can find cheap)
LFD Airbender
Genesis (original)
Oliva Serie G double robusto (my go to)
Fuente short story (always welcome)
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Thank you so much guys for your recommendations so far! I'm gonna hit my local B&M http://www.smokeinnportstlucie.com/?ref=smokeinn.com this weekend. I'm getting pretty excited because I really haven't been by there in a couple of years now. Thanks to you all I'll be armed with a list. I'm only "planning" on picking up a fiver but you know how these things go. I'll post a review on every cigar from this pack. Please keep recommending if you think of anything else. Thanks again guys for helping me get back into the swing of things. :-)
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The New world by AJ Fernandez is a nice budget smoke!
I generally grab a hand full of the connecticut's
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You could do worse than their weekly sampler deal ($30)
1- King is Dead Broken Sword
1- Aging room f55 Vibrato
1- Ortega Wild Bunch Warrior Joe
1- Perdomo Habano Maduro Gordo
1- Prensado Robusto
2- Aurora Cameroon Robusto
1- Romeo Habano Toro
1- Rocky Patel Edge Habano Toro
1- La Jugada Habano Ancho
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Welcome back Jason and good to hear from you again. As far as a new cigar goes, I'd recommend the following (if your B&M carries it):

Casa Fernandez Master Mason 5 x 56, Mexican San Andres wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and filler. A great tasting stick!

A couple of old favorites:

Padron 5000 Maduro and the Padron 1926 Anniversary #9 Maduro.

You can't go wrong with these 3 cigars to help you get back into the game:-)
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