In Defense of Discount Cigars

In any industry - not just in the industry for fine tobacco - the words discount, cheap and affordable get lumped together. Sometimes the union is a fair one, and other times, not so much.

For example, in our instance, we’re proud of the claim that we sell discount cigars online. That doesn’t mean that we sell cheap cigars, by any stretch of the imagination. That is unless your only qualifier for cheap was low price.

Let’s clear this up, just to give some frame of reference to the remainder of this article. Typically when people hear the word cheap, they ascribe to it a certain negative connotation. In some situations, this might not be deserved, but considering the fact that for years the word cheap has been associated with low quality, there’s a reason for the supposition.

For the sake of argument, we’ll accept those aforementioned negative connotations and agree that cheap isn’t always a good thing. Do you know what is a good thing? Value is a good thing. The difference between value and price is a critical one to understand.

Value is what you get for any given price amount. If you have two identical cigars and pay three dollars for the one and five dollars for the others, then the three-dollar transaction holds the most value. You got the same item, the same quality, the same experience; but you paid less for it.

Neither of those cigars was cheap in the sense that they could both have exhibited excellent construction, complex taste, and a cool, enjoyable smoking experience. However, one of those cigars was purchased at a discount when compared to the other.

The Difference Between Discount and Cheap

Now let’s say you’re interested in a classic blend, like the Romeo Y Julieta (RYJ) 1875. This is a classic cigar that many cigar smokers around the world have come to love and appreciate for many years. It is a staple of fine tastes among tobacco lovers, and despite the fact that it isn't every smoker’s favorite, it has garnered nearly universal respect.

It needs no introduction, so the quality of its growing, rolling and aging doesn’t need any defense. It is a fine cigar by any metric. We’d even gamble that you, reader, are familiar with the cigar and have had one before.

If that’s the case then you can make your own personal assessment of the cigar. Is it a cheap cigar, in the sense that it’s poorly aged, lacks complexity, and has overall variable quality? Are the tobaccos poorly cured? Is the smoke typically uneven, hot, or dry?

We have to assume you answered (or thought) in the negative, because none of these conditions typically applies to an RYJ, provided it has been stored properly. Now, to provide an illustration, if you had your heart set on one of these cigars, or even a box of them, and you were confident in the abilities of the supplier to store them properly, would you rather pay a higher price or a lower one?

We have to make another assumption here, that you would choose the lower price because that is human nature. We extract the highest level of value from the lowest price when the quality and all other factors are held the same.

That’s the difference between a cheap cigar and a discount cigar. Given two identical cigars, you’d take the lower price asked; you’d get a discount.

When Discount Cigars Are Actually Premium Cigars

The defense of discount cigars doesn’t stop with the illustration that there is a marked difference between cheap and discount. In fact, in some situations, discount cigars are not only not cheap, but they are actually premium cigars.

For example, we sell a wealth of cigar brands here at Rocky’s Cigars, including some of the most highly regarded and rated cigars in the entire industry. In our list of brands you’ll come across Padron and Partagas, Oliva and Perdomo, Montecristo and Arturo Fuente, Macanudos, My Fathers, Cohibas, and countless others. These are some names that have acquired the status of legends among tobacco enthusiasts and cigar around the world.

When the label owns that pride and the quality of the smoke are second to none, what do you care what the price you paid was? What should anyone care about the price? It’s about the quality, and to take a page from the pages of the original Romeo Y Julieta, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” In other words, don’t pay more when you don’t need to do so to secure quality.

When you give precedence to quality and stop worrying about the price, getting a great price becomes a lot easier. You do get what you pay for, sometimes - but not always. In our case, we have made it a point to provide ultra-premium cigars to our customers from the very beginning, over 20 years ago - and we do it at amazingly low prices.

Knowing What to Look for

A part of being able to get a serious deal in quality with a discount cigar is knowing what to look for. A lot of cigar enthusiasts put their trust in a local tobacconist, and there’s still a lot of value to this. After all, tobacconists are the authorities on their stock and are responsible for storing and aging some of their cigars before they get to their final customers.

While you can and should ask questions of your tobacconist, and should expect reasonable, well-informed responses, knowing what to look for on your own will make you a more confident and well-informed shopper. You’ll be able to spot value without asking for help.

For the benefit of our in-store shoppers, here are some of the things to look for in a cigar to assess its level of quality.

• Visual inspection: The color of the wrapper should be uniform. Remember, you can’t assess the cigar just on the color, as the color of the wrapper will vary widely from nearly black to almost green. However, there should be little variation in the hue itself.

• Visual inspection: there should be no large veins in the wrapper as these are a blemish that actually impacts the quality of the smoke. They can also cause the wrapper to tear.

• Visual inspection: The wrapper should not be missing any flakes or chips and it should be free of cracks.

• Visual inspection: The cigar should be evenly rolled and should not show signs of lumps or bulges.

• Tactile inspection: If you are able to, gently handle the cigar. Roll it between your fingers and squeeze it very gingerly. Even through the plastic or cedar that contains it, you should notice that the wrapper leaf has a subtle suppleness. It should not feel dry or brittle, and it should not crackle when you roll or pinch it.

• Tactile inspection: The binder and filler underneath of the wrapper should give slightly and should not feel lumpy or too hard. It should have a springy “give” that resists your fingers slightly and returns to shape.

You’ll notice we didn’t say much about flavor or complexity. There is a specific reason for this. Tastes in cigars, like tastes in literally everything else, vary wildly. Some smokers prefer a simple, light cigar without too much complexity or without an overt density of notes. Other smokers like heavily complex but well-balanced cigars with a vibrant palate of different notes spanning from woods to earth to nuts and spices.

In addition, there are smokers who prefer lighter, airier smokes and others who like espresso-thick, full-bodied cigars with a stout presence and a punch of a room note. Therefore, we didn’t include anything subjective in these criteria.

However, if you can interact with a cigar in a shop and it meets the criteria mentioned above, there’s a high likelihood that you’re working with a cigar that at the very minimum has been rolled, aged, and kept humidified properly. The rest is up to taste. As for the benefit of our online shoppers, we lean on the solid reputation of unflinching customer service that we’ve built up over the last twenty years.

Lean on Our Years of Experience

Lucky for you who are shopping online, you don’t need to actually visit us in-store to take advantage of our amazing deals on discount cigars or cigar samplers. While we’d love to see you in our shop, you can get a real steal just by shopping our online listings.

As for the quality of the cigars we offer, with brands including those listed above and many others, we’re second to none. Our expert staff is composed of individuals with a lifelong love of fine cigars and tobacco and our collection is indicative of our passion. If it isn’t good enough for us, it isn’t good enough for our customers.

We take great pride in the fact that we not only offer some of the best cigars in the industry but that we also make them available to our online shoppers.

Call Us for Recommendations

Satisfied that you can get a good deal on discount cigars? Have you become convinced that there is an appreciable difference between “cheap” and “discount?” Well, there is, and you’ll find it right here.

Whether you’re a seasoned, experienced cigar smoker who has keyed in on your tastes, an absolute newcomer to the enjoyment of fine tobacco, or someone who likes to dabble, our team offers excellent consultative resources for your benefit.

If you’re looking for a recommendation or a review, you’re in just the right place! Our team is always at the service of our customers and we love to hear from you.

Do you have a question about one of our brands? Looking for a review of a popular Rocky Patel? Want to know what our team thinks about the latest and greatest cigars and cigar accessories? We’re never more than a call away - contact us at 888-216-5834.

Really Want to Save? Try a Cigar Bundle

By the way, before you get onto investigating our impressive collection of brands, consider the following opportunities. One of the best ways to get a really good deal on discount cigars is with the purchase of a cigar bundle.

Just like the word “cheap” sometimes there are aspersions unfairly cast on cigar bundles. This is unfortunate and bundles do not deserve any bad hype.

Sometimes, a cigar bundle is just that, a bundle of cigars that you can pick up at a great price simply because you’re willing to buy a larger quantity. Rarely, cigars are bundled simply because they have some happenstance cosmetic defect that slightly alters their appearance but will not affect the quality of the smoke.

If you’re in the habit of enjoying good cigars on a regular basis or you like to stock up on your favorites and age them yourself, cigar bundles present you with a unique opportunity to do so.

Don’t Forget the Essentials!

For those of you who find a bundle or a classic to take home with significant price savings, be sure to check out our collection of cigar accessories before you go. As you know, you can’t enjoy a cigar without some essential accessories, including some of the following that we offer at Rocky’s Cigars:

• Cutters and cigar knives: It’s impossible to enjoy a good cigar without cutting off the cap or removing a plug with a punch. We offer not only cigar cutters here but also Les Fines Lame Cigar Knives!

• Lighters and fuel: Even if you still use a strip of cedar to light your cigar, you need to get that cedar lit somehow. You could do that, or you could use any of the many cigar lighters that are available here on our website!

• Travel humidors: Travel humidors provide not only physical protection for your cigars but also prevent them from loss of moisture that will damage the flavor and the quality of the smoke.

• Let us know what you’re looking for! If you can’t seem to find what you’re looking for, just give us a call today and we’ll help you out.