So I have been reading some reviews and some of the older threads and one thing has come up which really surprises me. That is that CCs are generally less expensive than NCs. To the tune of $4-6 per stick for premium CCs versus $8-12+ for premium NCs. Is this really true? I may be just a bit skeptical, but I have seen it referenced a few times and wanted to check.
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Here we go again...
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Generally speaking, you're correct. But "premium" is relative. What I mean by that is I would say premium CCs are in the $8-$12 range and the premium NCs are in the $16-$20 range. :-)
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premium cc's could be seen as minimum $100+ as well. all depending on perspective my friend

stearns
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taxes .... some cigars bypass taxes ..... ;-)
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Thanks for being clearer about "premium." I have seen the $4-6 vs $8-12 numbers tossed around in other threads that's why I used them.
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That is a huge part of it.
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Very true, although I think "rare, limited, collectable or superpremium" are more apt designations for those sticks.:-)
The bottom line is, when Americans get CCs, it's on the black market, and generally no tax is paid, certainly never to the US government. Since tax is always a significant percentage of the price of a cigar, any cigars obtained tax free on the black market will be cheaper than those obtained through legal channels. So the answer to your question is yes and no. If you look at the prices before taxes, CCs are the just as expensive if not more expensive than equivalent NCs. The cheapness is a product of the embargo.
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Bear in mind that the "premium" term being tossed around in this thread is that of a colloquial definition used to refer to a somewhat arbitrary level of perceived quality or cost that could easily differ from person to person, hence stearns's comment. Which, in turn, introduces more levels such as "Super-Premium".

"Premium", as an industry standard definition simply means handmade, in which regards, there is only "premium" and "machine-made".
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LOL!

This is funny.
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how will a CC hold up to my EDS(every day smoke) Cremosa? it's made or premium Dominican long filler.
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:-)
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I could arrange for you to regularly smoke the Matacan! But you only have two eyes so that wouldnt last long! :-)
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So its better then the cremosa?



Hahah but Bob really besides going blind in one eye it wasn't that bad.
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You can have mine Mike!!! I left it in a small baggie.... although I am concerned for you right eye.
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It depends on many things... if you're buying a box vs. Singles. If you're actually geting REAL Cubans. The potential cost if you get nailed by customs. How many you pitch due to draw problems.

Point being you can find some very nice NC's for about 5-6 bucks a pop, the same as the CC ones. For my taste I prefer many cubans and a few NC's. If you like strong and spicy or Maduro then you may not like the Cubans as much.

Try some and see what the value is to you. If you end up buying a box you really don't like then the price per stick is very high!
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I agree with limited validity. I love me some Padron cigars. Not necessarily the super premium kind,
just the 3-6 dollar kind. For instance, I think they make the best double corona and A size on the
market, bar none. But I love em all. There is just something about the Padron blend...delicious.
But do I buy them, never. No time and no money. I give all my money to the interwebs.
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I'm going to stay away from the discussion of what constitutes a premium cigar, and just address the tax issue, since I believe this is the biggest reason for the price discrepancy between CCs/NCs.

SeanGAR hit the nail on the head. It is not lawful to purchase CCs in the US, so it stands to reason that they would not be taxed either.
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Wait for the day CC's become legal in the US.
Watch what happens to the price, even after the whole demand thing calms down.
Bottom line is tobacco is an easy source of revenue for our government.
If it comes in legally, it is taxed to death and hence the price difference in general.
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Thanks everyone, this has been very informative.
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