I dont know about you but when I first started smoking cigars,the B&M had all their boxes open so that took out any marketing strategies from the selection. What I looked for was prices; I didnt even look at the sticks. You get what you pay for right? Well little did I know, this is only about 50% right in the cigar game and in the NC world, those prices are highly influenced by the box its shipped in aka Ghurka. You cant go wrong with a top dollar Patron on the other hand though.
The best advice I can give to a newb is go to a B&M. They are some of the most honest salespersons in any business. When you shop online (FOR NCs), the marketing team spams you with whatever makes them the most money and then proceeds to rate these sticks in the mid 90s. Its pathetic IMO...