Consistency...

[MMAB]

sort of like wine.

One year's crop will be different from the next. Also, inexpensive cigars will have serious inconsistencies as opposed to higher end cigars which will have less. You get what you pay for to a degree.

I have experienced the same thing with many brands. The best cigar I have smoked to date was a Perdomo Estate Seleccion Prestigio, 4th of July, 2000. It was phenominal, I was thrilled to have found such a great cigar. The next day I went to the local shop to buy a few to share with my buddy, knowing that he would go nuts over this cigar. I was somewhat disappointed when it wasn't quite what the one I had smoked the night before was. Oh they were good, damn good, but not what I had previously.

Now of course you can get a box of a particular cigar and they're all great with little fluctuation. But the next box you buy may not be exactly the same. Blenders constantly struggle trying to keep similar flavors from year to year's batches. It's difficult, but they do it as best they can.

A cheaper cigar is just that. A cheaper cigar. Very little care is put into blending and rolling. More expensive cigars are made with more care and attention.

Lew Rothman of JR Cigar once said something like "The best cigar you'll ever smoke is sitting in a box right now right next to one of the worst you'll ever smoke". He's right.

Oops! I forgot! Cigar smoking also depends greatly on your physical and mental state. What you've eaten and drank during the day. How well hydrated you are. Are you sick? Are you depressed? Etcetera. There are many variables both on the cigar's end and your end. The weather also affects how your cigar will taste. Raining? Very humid? Cold? All can cause changes in the cigars flavor.