Brand qualities/properties (RyJ, 5 Vegas, RP etc)

[cigar no baka]

I have found, through vast trial and error, there are three categories of cigar manufacturers.'

First, there are those committed to excellence and it shows in so many ways. Avo, Davidoff, Zino, Griffin, Don Pepin Garcia, Ahston, La Aurora and many others offer excellent construction, consistent taste and quality, with draw and burn being consistent and usually perfect.

Second, there are companies that are consistently good, but occasionally have a bad cigar. For example, I love Carlos Torano, La Flor Dominica, Fonseca, Camacho and Joya de Nicarauga cigars, but they do not have the near-spotless record of the the superior lines I listed above.

Third, there are cigars I smoke that are less than stellar in construction and quality, but their price makes them affordable, I do enjoy them, and since I smoke once per day, I need to smoke some lower priced cigars to stay within budget. Examples are Alec Bradley, Rocky Patel, Gran Habano and Gran Cubita.

Keep in mind the only way I came to these conclusions is by smoking dozens of cigars in each line before I made up my mind. That's what made it so much fun, I got to find out by trying lots and lots of cigars.

There is not always a direct correlation between price and quality. Graycliff is a good example. Very expensive and unimpressive cigars. I've had some 5-7 dollar Carlos Toranos that were better than Graycliffs I have tried.

Best of luck, try some of these and see what you think.

[ashauler]

Excellent points CNB. I have found the same to be true within a certain manufacturers lines as well. For me, Oliva is a good example. There is a significant difference between the Fdo line, the various serie lines ( O-S-Special S), and the Master Blends. IMHO, the quality of construction and consistency improves as you move up the line......just like the price.

I smoke quite a few FdO maduros, @ $2/stick......but I also have the $11 MasterBlends and the $6 Series O and S in the cooler.

[DeeDubya]

I've smoked a couple Oliva Serie V, one was great the other no so. For a quick smoke I love the little "Special G" in either maduro or camaroon. IMO they are very close to the Hemingway Short Story, for half the price. I have smoked a few different Olivas and for the price they are pretty consistant in construction, even draw and burn. Like Ashauler said, consistancy improves with the price.

[cigar no baka]

I've smoked a couple Oliva Serie V, one was great the other no so. For a quick smoke I love the little "Special G" in either maduro or camaroon. IMO they are very close to the Hemingway Short Story, for half the price. I have smoked a few different Olivas and for the price they are pretty consistant in construction, even draw and burn. Like Ashauler said, consistancy improves with the price.

Exactly. In general, excellence improves with price, but not always.

[nhcigarfan]

I have found certain manufacturers do have some flavor trends. I think the most apparent is Perdomo. Their construction is above average. I put it at the top with the others CNB mentioned. Most, if not all, of their cigars flavor profiles are grounded in "earthy" profiles.

That being said, a lot of their cigars don't develop, flavor-wise, past the earthy profile, or that profile overpowers the rest.

I think their newest line, the habano is a bit different from the others. I like the flavor, strong yet not as earthy, with some spice up front and the construction is far superior than a high 4 to low 5 priced cigar.