Short:

When buying a cigar either repeatedly or in a full box, how willing are you to overlook somewhat consistant (maybe 1/4 or 1/3) mediocre construction quality if the flavor profile is consistant and particularly enjoyable?

Long:

I'm still a fairly new smoker, been lighting up decent handmades for around 2 months now. I find I like heavy amounts of sweet and smooth flavor without a full-body. There are more expensive options that find this balance, but cheaper smokes with this profile are sometimes ahrd to find. I've found one smoke that I particularly like, Baccarat The Game in pretty much every size (haven't tried the Connies), but of the singles I've purchased about 1/4 tends to have a loose draw and loose ash. I still enjoy the flavor and the smoke as a whole, but the loose-draw examples tend to be a bit spongier on initial inspection, produce less smoke on a given draw (which seems counter intuitive, more air should equal more combustion?), and the ash falls off quicker and blows off or scatters more easily. I can't see any visible indicators to know I might be getting a losse example, but it's evident at pre-light draw.

Should I consider buying a box of 25 at roughly 50% below the price I'm paying for singles if 6-7 of the box may have what appears to be sub-par construction? Again, even when I get a "dud" it's still an enjoyable smoke, just not quite as great as the majority with an average draw.

What are your thoughts, either on the general question or this particular stick?
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I can overlook anything except a tight draw, since that tends to trigger a migraine in me. If you can get a good deal on smokes you enjoy I say go for it.
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A lot of times counter-intuitive is spot on.
When a cigar has a rumpled, loose-fitting wrapper or a tiny crack or hole, you would be surprised on what a
severe effect that has on smoke production. It may combust, but something about that irregularity in the
wrapper gives you as much AIR as smoke in the draw, leading to the "illusion" of less smoke production on
a draw that seems fine. If in the end you care less about quirks than you do money, go for the cheaper option.
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I personally don't care if a retarded gorilla builds a cigar with a mallet if it tastes great and does not have a tight draw. I like a loose (free) draw in my cigars.
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I would pay extra for one made by a retarted gorilla.
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I think good construction compliments a great tasting cigar, but if the cigar is delicious I don't care about the construction.
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I'm leaning towards picking up a box. The loose draw duds aren't the end of the world... definitely not something I'd pitch, just a minor ding to the otherwise overall enjoyment. I might try to find a smaller gauge punch to use if I feel a particularly spongy/loose example.

I'm spending $4-$5 each locally for singles of the Baccarat Rothschild Natural and they would be around $2.28 each in a box of 25 purchased from Mike's Cigars.

Maybe they use them as the "machines" that roll Backwoods... it seems like it would actually be harder to roll them all rough-looking than rolling them uniformly.
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Tough call.

Flavor is everything, but I've found that poor construction leads to issues with the smoke, and if that's true I have a problem with it.

I could overlook it in a single stick, but I wouldn't buy boxes of a brand if it couldn't find one torcedor who could roll a cigar properly. In the long run, that speaks volumes about the brand.
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If the construction issues don't cause a problem with smoking the stick, it's not a big issue with me. I've heard guys get all bent out of shape over a vein in their wrapper. I could really care less how it presents itself cosmetically, I understand cigars are a hand-made item.
Usually the tightest, prettiest ones are the ones that cause the most problems.
(Ain't that the truth?)
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Even if 4 of the box are to loose to smoke, you are coming out ahead on price for the rest. I would go for it, for a savings of 50%.
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:-)
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This made me literally laugh out loud...:-)
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watch cbid. these can be had for 1.00 each (or less)
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Draw can actually have an effect on flavor. If its too loose the cigar can quickly get too hot and if its too tight you may not get much taste at all. As far as the appearance and the burn, as long as the burn is not running down the smoke I can deal with some unevenness.

But to actually answer your question, I would definitely choose taste over construction.
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This. What good does good flavor do if you can't get any of it from the cigar. The same holds true if it falls apart entirely. You can't smoke it if it's in pieces.

If the draw is good, but the burn isn't great, minor wrapper problems, aesthetic problems, etc, I don't care. In fact, if I can get it for less, that's a bonus and may even go out of my way to buy more. A good example of this is the Gran Habano Vintage 2002. They are pretty ugly and look fairly sloppy, but taste decent for the price.
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I've been able to smoke the loose sticks to the nub... they get harsher a bit sooner (maybe 1/2" sooner) but not to the point that I wouldn't finish.

I'll keep my eye out. They have some 5 packs of the Churchills and Luchadores right now, but they're going for around $3.50/stick after shipping. The Rothschild and Petite Corona seem to fit me best in terms of gauge preference and smoke length... though I may pick up a box or two of Connies to keep in my desk at work for the random times I want a lunch-break or afternoon smoke.
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Flavor matters much more to me than construction.
If rather smoke a delicious cigar that is falling apart than a beautifully constructed cigar that tastes like ass.
:-)

Side note: I find cigar reviews that give equal points for construction and flavor misleading.
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I wouldn't expect ANYONE to overlook taste in favor of great construction, but I was curious as to how many people would overlook construction flaws (not purely cosmetic, but not falling-apart or too-tight-to-draw either) as long as the taste was there. I'm glad to see the pragmatic approach seems to win-out.
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I really don't see how the taste could be there in the right way if the structural integrity wasn't there. I'm not really an expert (I'm barely a novice frankly) when it comes to the science behind cigar smoking, but it seems to me that since most of the flavor is imparted by the smoke picking up flavor from the oils as it's drawn through the cigar, it would be unlikely that a cigar with weird air pockets, or one that was too tight, would be able to impart flavor in a way that a cigar rolled properly would.

I could be wrong though! Often am!
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Two words, HUpmann Naturals. :-)
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