At the second herf I attended, one of the brothers passed me a box of random NCs and told me to pick something out. Being an utter noob, I recognized most of the names on the bands, but didn't know anything about them. So when a bright shiny band caught my eye, I decided to go with it.

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Yeah, it was the chisel. While it was a delicious tasty smoke, the vitamin N overdose definitely got the better of me. I learned real quick not to pick by just the band. :-)
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Only tried it once and I was quite dissapointed in the cigar.

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Still like the band though
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No
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Sometimes. I'll almost always smoke one of these

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Almost always :-)
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No.
Example, Gurkha.
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I'll try anything once if it has an attractive band on it :-)
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No, surprisingly not - it does seem like I have bought a cigar for just about every other reason though:

- I like other stuff from the same manufacturer
- I wanted to give the manufacturer one last chance
- I was looking for something mild
- I was looking for something full
- It was cheap
- It was expensive
- People selling me the cigar said it was good
- People on a forum said it was good

So, I think it is just a matter of time before I buy a cigar just based on the band.
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I cannot say I've bought a cigar based only on the band. But I have bought cigars just based on the look of their wrapper.
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If the Diamond Crown Maximus didn't have such a beautiful band it would never have caught my eye . I noticed the band and then how nicely rolled the cigar was . Bought it and loved it . I bought the Free Cuba just because I'm a perv , cigar was not memorable . I gave one(Free Cuba) to a friend who was going to a Bachelor Party and he loved it . Of course he did smoke Black n' Milds regularly though . :-)
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We plan to redesign the band as soon as we are done with our current project. We are going to be launching a new website soon! (auction, reviews and more) I agree with you, I think we have a very ugly band. If we held an ugliest band contest, I think we would win.:-)
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no way.... bands/boxes matter not, its about flavor and value.
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I used to pick cigars sometimes by the looks of the band. I've learned my lesson. I usually pick out a cigar b/c I hear good things about it here.
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From a psychology aspect its hard not to say markets and flash don't get the better of you. If you stick to recommendations though you are circumventing the problem.

I'll admit I've seen cigars with some attractive bands that I've found were terrible but I've also came across good and great ones. It doesn't have to be flash and bright. I enjoy more minimalist bands so I tend to gravitate towards them.
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Buying a cigar based on its wrapper is like buying a book based on its cover without doing any previous research on it. I have tried plenty of cigars with nice wrappers that were bad, and those with ugly wrappers that were good.

Example: Jesus Fuego Triple 777 has a wrapper that looks like a print out from a persons computer. Yet, the cigar is very nice.
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I never have.
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No, but I will say that a nice band enhances my enjoyment of the stick.
I've never understood why a cigar maker puts their heart and soul into a stick but as a final touch slaps a crappy generic looking band on it.
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