Confessions of a bargain cigar lover

[jacksfull]

Hi, my name is "jacksfull" and I am a cheap cigar lover...

Three cheers for the new forum section where I don't have to be ashamed of my dirty little secret.

Don't get me wrong, I like the high-end stuff too. But, I've always loved finding a really good cigar at a bargain price. Partially it's about smoking great cigars on the cheap... and part of it is the thrill of the hunt, the challenge of identifying cigars that that are under-priced (and often under-appreciated).

I am most particularly fond of Partagas Petit Corona Especiales... (the current long-filler, handmade version). For me this is absolutely the best value out there, with an outstanding balance of quality, flavor and price... and they smoke well young, which seems pretty important on an everyday sort of cigar like this that doesn't often get much time in the humidor before they have gone up in smoke (only to be replaced with another box of the same... and another... and another...)

I've also had good luck with other previously machine-made selections from Partagas & RyJ (and guessing same would be true of some of the 2nd tier H.Upmanns and HdM's).

I'll smoke the occasional JLP and other such TC types... though, even at about half the price of the Partagas PCE, I don't think they represent quite as much of a bargain in terms of value.

I have not found many NC's at any price that can stand up to the PCE, and especially for under $3 (though I have found a few in this range that blow away most much more expensive NC's). I think my best buy ever on an NC was a close-out deal on some Columbus Brevas I bought some years back. If you didn't know better, you'd swear you were smoking a CC Montecristo #4. Not bad for 60 cents a piece! That was a lucky catch and a one-time deal. Nevertheless, too many of those catalog close-outs and bundle-bargains have been a complete waste of money. So, I'm extremely pleased to have found reliable CC's like the PCE at an affordable, everyday price.

[MontrealRon]

Many thanks for your great post, Jacksfull.

Welcome to the cheapie forum.

As more of us come out of hiding,

we can help each other out in our hunt for the great bargains,

and gain some general respect for this neglected aspect of our hobby.

Yes, the PCEs are among the best of the best in this category.

My experience with them has been much like yours;

never had one I didn't like, young or with a little age.

Consistant and always tasty.

[laficion]

Hi jacksfull,

Great post and again, another fine little cigar. The

Paragas Petit Corona Especiales is one of those cigars

that you can smoke right out of the box with no complex or guilt.

A very straightforward cigar that brings out a lot of animal and earthy flavours plus,

a cigar that is indeed, very consistant. The Partagas Petit Corona Especiales

Is a cigar that can be enjoyed the whole day long.

[axmncg]

Great post! It does seem like enjoying cheaper, less sophisticated cubans is a dirty little secret. Until now. FOH is the perfect place to come out of the closet, so to speak. We love to smoke flavorful cigars. We want to as often as we can. And C&C's allow us to do so. I, too, went through my share of budget NC's. Scored 5 boxes of El Dorado at $18.99 each on a blowout back in '94. While most others were uninteresting, the search for tasty, budget cubans goes on. Guys, the recent creation of this forum has actually been a big deal for me. Trying to learn about C&C's, not to mention finding people to talk with about them, has been a slow, solitary journey. I showed my girlfriend the video review of the JLP petite cazadore. She has a great "nose" for detecting various aromas (better than mine) and likes to smell my cigars before I light up (nowhere near her). She enjoys the aroma at cold of JLP's and thought the review was brutal and that they "just didn't get it." I said we were lucky they even took the time.

Guess I just needed to share some of my story. My name is bukowski, and I'm a C&C addict.

[jquest63]

Hi jacksfull,

Great post and again, another fine little cigar. The

Paragas Petit Corona Especiales is one of those cigars

that you can smoke right out of the box with no complex or guilt.

A very straightforward cigar that brings out a lot of animal and earthy flavours plus,

a cigar that is indeed, very consistant. The Partagas Petit Corona Especiales

Is a cigar that can be enjoyed the whole day long.

Well said, I couldn't agree more!

[stargazer14]

I will chime in and agree these are a very nice cheap smoke. I'm letting half a box age and see what happens but they are very enjoyable right now.

[demiurgic]

I love it! This section of the forum rocks.

Not having tried and C & C's in Habanos, have smoked these in NC's for quite a while since they are found aplenty

However, as Jacksfull mentioned, most catalog coseouts and most C & C in the NC category are just plain garbage in, garbage out.

However, one does find gems, and I feel these gems are from Cbuban Crafters down in Miami. They have an assortment of great value and pretty decent flavor at that!

Really glad more people are sharing their 'dirty little secret' on this end of the forum!

As one would hear in Pidgin here in Hawaii, "No need be shame brah"

[eber]

Hey all I am new to FOH and am also happy to see the C&C forum. I am in college and for the most part I am restricted to more budget smokes. I am new to to the Cuban cigar scene but I am loving the slide down the slope. I am eyeing some PCEs JLPs RyJ tubos, I think I will be ordering some of these with my tax return

[ksblazer]

Hey all I am new to FOH and am also happy to see the C&C forum. I am in college and for the most part I am restricted to more budget smokes. I am new to to the Cuban cigar scene but I am loving the slide down the slope. I am eyeing some PCEs JLPs RyJ tubos, I think I will be ordering some of these with my tax return

Welcome to the FoH forum Erik. Glad to have you hear.

I would highly recomend that you give the PCE's a try.

[B.HOBS]

I am a huge fan of Fonseca. They have some really decent cheap smokes for the price and the flavor profile for me is pretty spot on.

[cigcars]

Great post! It does seem like enjoying cheaper, less sophisticated cubans is a dirty little secret. Until now. FOH is the perfect place to come out of the closet, so to speak. We love to smoke flavorful cigars. We want to as often as we can. And C&C's allow us to do so. I, too, went through my share of budget NC's. Scored 5 boxes of El Dorado at $18.99 each on a blowout back in '94. While most others were uninteresting, the search for tasty, budget cubans goes on. Guys, the recent creation of this forum has actually been a big deal for me. Trying to learn about C&C's, not to mention finding people to talk with about them, has been a slow, solitary journey. I showed my girlfriend the video review of the JLP petite cazadore. She has a great "nose" for detecting various aromas (better than mine) and likes to smell my cigars before I light up (nowhere near her). She enjoys the aroma at cold of JLP's and thought the review was brutal and that they "just didn't get it." I said we were lucky they even took the time.

Guess I just needed to share some of my story. My name is bukowski, and I'm a C&C addict.

THANK YOU! I am a great fan of Jose' L. Piedras! Affordable AND flavorful for the price...yes it is!

[tucomapache]

I am a huge fan of Fonseca. They have some really decent cheap smokes for the price and the flavor profile for me is pretty spot on.

I agree 100% Fonsecas have been good smokes for quite a few years...