Joe Average Cigar Ratings

Licenciados Segundos Don't Live Up to Reputation

2008-03-22T10:52:00.000-07:00

Licenciados Segundos, 6 x 50 Toro, Dominican Republic $1.54

Construction: Solid construction, though not beautiful. Smooth Connecticut wrapper with a good crown. Very good tightness. Mild aroma. 4

Lighting: Cut and lit with no problems. Burned evenly, developing a medium gray ash of over one inch. Perfect draw. 5

Flavor: Mild flavors of cedar and other wood, with a moderate herbal quality. OK, but nothing to excite the palate here. 3

Comments: When the Licenciados line was first introduced through Mike’s cigars of Miami (early 80s ?), they rated a 93 (if memory serves) by Cigar Aficionado. At that time I bought a box of Toros, and they were superb. Later I bought some segundos, and they were pretty good, as well. But, then later the quality seemed to drop a bit, as (I presume) they raced to keep up with the demand created by the C.A. publicity. I bought a box of Wavells a couple years later and they were nice, but not a 93.

These segundos are not in the same class as those Licenciados from the 1980s. Pleasant, but not great. I will order a box of the Toros or Wavells in the not too distant future, and give you a report on those. I’d really like to see how they compare to these segundos, and the original Licenciados.

Overall: 87
Value Rating: 87-2= 85
Recommendation: Recommended

Joe Average

Cuban Crafters Continues Quality

2008-02-29T10:41:00.000-08:00

Cuban Crafters, Vegas 5x52 Robusto $2.28

Construction: A rich brown criollo wrapper smells rich under the nose from this stogie. It is slightly veiny, but has a lovely, soft sheen to it that makes it a very attractive cigar. Very good shape and tightness, and the crown was invisible on the head. 4

Lighting: Cut nicely, and lit like a good cigar should- smoothly and evenly. Burned perfectly concentric, and held a lovely white ash to 1 ½ inches. Perfect draw. 5

Flavor: Very enjoyable, mildly sweet cocoa and leather. It maintained this lovely taste to the end. Never a distracting or distasteful flavor. Thorough pleasure. 5

Comments:

Overall: 90
Value Rating: 90-2= 88
Recommendation: Highly Recommended

Joe Average

Holt Classic is a Classic

2008-02-28T20:11:00.000-08:00

Holt Classics 5 1/2x55 Pyramid, Dominican $4.79

Construction: Very good looking pyramid, perfect symmetry. Nice medium brown Ecuadoran wrapper had a pleasant though not very strong smell. 4

Lighting: Cut and lit perfectly. Burned absolutely evenly all the way to about 1 ½ inch before I put it out. The light gray ash grew to about 1 ½ inches before I regrettably had to flick it, as I was holding the cigar over myself, while I leaned back in my chair with my newly sprained ankle raised on the edge of the table before me. 5

Flavor: Lovely complex flavors of coffee, tea, nuts, and a hint of leather. This is a medium strength cigar, but full of flavor. Holt’s says it’s “creamy and smooth”, and I’d have to agree. 5

Comments: “Classic” is the perfect name for this cigar, as its flavor reminds me of the cigars I used to smoke years ago. It is really a very good cigar. It’s a little expensive (though not much) compared to some other cigars we’ve rated, but you can get them as rothchilds and coronas for just over $3.00 a pop, which is pretty good.

Overall: 91
Value Rating: 91-5= 86
Recommendation: Highly Recommended

Joe Average

First JR Entry Pretty Darn Good

2008-02-28T15:43:00.000-08:00

JRs Consuegra 6x54 Parejo, Honduras $1.20

Construction: Good tightness in the wrap, a dark brown maduro wrapper that was a little veiny, but had a nice sheen to it. The aroma of the wrapper was pungent, but not entirely pleasant. Good overall. 4

Lighting: I may have cut this too low, as the wrapper came undone a bit, but never unraveled, so it wasn’t a problem. It lit well, and burned evenly to the end. Developed a 1 1/4 inch medium grey ash. 5

Flavor: Peppery at first, then mellowed out to strong espresso with a mildly sweet hint of some flavor I couldn’t quite describe, pecan or apricot came to mind, but not strong like a flavored cigar- just right. Very nice and stayed that way until I decided to put it out with about 1 ½ inched remaining. Also, a perfect draw. 4

Comments: The Consuegra is a Honduran segundo from the makers of Punch, Hoyo de Monterrey, Excalibur, El Rey del Mundo, JR Ultimates, etc. One of our raters told me he liked them, so I expected it to be pretty good, and it was. JRs also has a Dominican Consuegra that you might like, and we'll try them when we can.

Overall: 89
Value Rating: 89-1= 88
Recommendation: Well Recommended

Joe Average

Another Good, Though Not Great, Cigar from Thompson

2008-02-24T18:47:00.000-08:00

Thompson Vintage Especiale 6x52 Torpedo, Honduras $1.56

Construction: Well made torpedo with a twisted crown. Smooth, lovely, dark brown maduro wrapper with a nice sheen to it. Had a perfect feel of tightness in it. 5

Lighting: Cut and lit well, with a very good draw. Developed a 1 ¼ inch gray ash that looked lighter against the dark maduro. Burned slightly unevenly, requiring a bit of re-firing to even it out. 4

Flavor: Started off with rich leather, dark chocolate, and espresso flavors, but not strong or harsh. This was consistent for over half of the cigar, during which time it was very enjoyable. However, after passing the halfway point it began to develop harsh flavors, and I decided not to smoke it to a stub. 3

Comments: I wish this cigar had kept its nice flavors to the end. I would have rated it an 89 or 90, it was quite good. I have plenty of them, and I’m going to have my “staff” rate them, so we’ll see how they fare in future ratings.

Overall: 88
Value Rating: 88-2= 86
Recommendation: Recommended

Joe Average

Blind Ratings and FAQ to Come

2008-02-23T10:33:00.000-08:00

I am in the process of arranging some blind ratings of some new cigars and also some of the ones on the Top Ten Value list. It will be a few weeks, but it's in the works. I believe it will make our ratings more accurate to get some more opinions on all these stogies.

In addition, I am preparing a FAQ page at the website, to help cigar smokers learn how and where to get good cigars at good prices. I have been doing a lot of research, along with buying and smoking stogies, so I have a lot of info to share in that regard. I'll let you know when the FAQ is open.

Joe Average

Can't Fairly Rate Don Kiki Brown Label

2008-02-20T17:41:00.000-08:00

I had promised I would provide a rating of the Cuban Crafters Don Kiki Brown Label, but I don't think I can fairly do that because of the strange experience I had when I tried to smoke it.

It looked beautiful when it came out of the box- a smooth shiny wrapper, and the torpedo rolled to perfection. I would have given it a 5 for construction. It cut and lit perfectly, then I smoked a wonderful first 3/4 inches of the cigar. I was thinking of all the great flavor- a 4 or 5 at that point- and the lovely grey-white ash, when all of a sudden it started to taste like turpentine and ammonia, I couldn't draw properly, and it began to burn a tunnel straight down the middle. I figured there was some anomaly in the wrap, put it out, and cut an inch off to get past the problem. But, when I lit it again, it did the same thing. I had to put it out, and I am sorry to say it was the only Brown Label I had.

Because of the fact that the cigar started out so wonderfully, I had to assume that this problem was not indicative of the line in general, so I will wait and try another and report at that time. Does anyone think this unfair?

Joe Average

Holt Cigars and Mike's Cigars Next On the List

2008-02-17T19:35:00.001-08:00

I have ordered some cigars from Holt and Mike's to rate here. Holt has only two samplers of their house brands, so I'll start with those. I am working with them to see if I can get some of their other brands, so I'll let you know when and if that happens. One thing I learn from asking these companies for assistance is what kind of business they are to work with- important if you're sending them a bunch of your money. In the future we'll report on that aspect of the cigar vendors, among other things.

From Mike's I will rate their Licenciados segundos. The Licenciados are great cigars (already at a good price- which we'll report on), so I believe their segundos will be a bargain.

Cuban Crafters' Red Label- A Good, Though Not Glorious, Smoke

2008-02-11T13:32:00.000-08:00

I've been gone on vacation for a few days, so here's my latest rating, with the Don Kiki Brown Label to follow by tomorrow!

Cuban Crafters Don Kiki Red Label 7x50 Churchill $2.00

Construction: Nothing remarkable about this cigar’s construction. It was well shaped and wrapped to perfect tightness but, though not ugly, was not beautiful either. Its medium brown wrapper was a little veiny, and gave off a pleasant, if not pungent or fragrant, aroma. 3

Lighting: Cut and lit well, with a good draw. It developed a 1 ¼ inch gray-white ash. Burned slightly unevenly, requiring a bit of re-firing to even it out. 3

Flavor: This cigar was good, and pleasant to smoke, but offered simple leather flavors adding coffee as it burned down. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it. 4

Comments: I had to give this a 4 because it had good, though uncomplicated flavors. However, I believe some of the other Cuban Crafters would be more likely to be included in my humidor.

Overall: 88
Value Rating: 88-2= 86
Recommendation: Recommended

Joe Average

Romeo Y Julieta- Love at First Sight?

2008-02-06T17:50:00.000-08:00

RomeoY Julieta Reserve Maduro 5 x 50 Robusto $4.00

Construction: Usually the Romeo Y Julietta's are impeccably made but this last sample had a hollow core, less than 1mm in diameter. Additionally, it was a little mushy. Definitely not their best effort, I cannot recall ever having any issues with this brand in the past. The wrapper was nearly perfect and stayed intact for the duration of the burn.
Multiple Line Textbox 2

Lighting: This lit fairly easily but due to the construction, it tended to burn down the center of the cigar more than normal. 3

Flavor: Exceptional taste and smoothness. I was really surprised how good this tasted given that it was a little mushy. The flavor was earthy like other Maduro's that I've had but it also had a subtle hint of carmel. 4

Comments: I am only giving this a 90 because of the construction issues discussed above. It was otherwise one of the best tasting cigars I have ever had. I am not sure of the real price of this cigar because it was part of a premium sampler pack that was offered as part of a large order. I suspect that this was really a $8-$12 cigar if purchased individually.

Overall: 90
Value Rating: 90-4=86
Recommendation: Highly Recommended

Randy

Hey! I'm no Engineer!

2008-02-03T10:42:00.001-08:00

My thanks to Randy for notifying me that my 75 to 100 scale for ratings was not mathematically balanced! I have corrected it, so that there is now a five point range in each category, except the highest which has 6 points going from 95 through 100. But, I'm probably never gonna smoke a 95 cigar anyway, so what? And besides, we're trying to quantify a subjective quality, which is a futile task in itself- kinda like trying to catch and bottle all the smoke that comes out of your favorite cigars. So, that one point in the highest range won't matter. But, the other categories were really messed up, so thanks again Randy for your tip. Your Joe Average Cigar Ratings Decoder Ring is in the mail!

NOT!!

Joe Average

Welcome to Heaven. Proceed to the First Humidor on the Left.

2008-02-02T21:43:00.000-08:00

Cuban Crafters, Cameroon, 6x52 Toro, Nicaragua $4.00

Construction: Perfect shape with very smooth, clean, lovely Cameroon wrapper. Crown was invisible, and when squeezed gently, the cigar felt exquisite between my fingers! Soft, pleasant, mildly sweet aroma under my nose. Wow! I almost hated to burn this beautiful thing…..but, I did. 5

Lighting: The cigar cut cleanly and evenly. It lit easily and burned perfectly, forming a 1 ¼ inch light gray-white ash. Its draw was easy, providing exactly the right amount of smoke for my pleasure. 5

Flavor: Enthralling (I didn’t even know I knew that word,….but this cigar reminded me) flavors of mildly sweet wood and roasted nuts, adding slight leather as it burned. These flavors remained consistent and smooth throughout the smoke, never lending any harshness at any time. Absolutely wonderful. 5

Comments: I am going to tell you something. This is one of the best cigars I’ve ever smoked. About twelve years ago, I was in Venice, Italy visiting my in-laws when I asked my brother-in-law if he knew where I could get some Cuban cigars. He doesn’t know much about cigars (being Italian, he chain smokes cigarettes) so he took me to a little tabaccheria on a small side street where the owner had only one box of Cubans. They were Romeo y Julieta- I don’t remember exactly which, but about 7x50. I bought six cigars: two for my brother, two for friends, and two for myself. When I sat out on the balcony of my family’s apartment overlooking the streets below, smoking the first of those Cubans, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I finally understood what the fuss was all about. Those cigars were absolutely delicious. As I sat smoking this Cuban Crafters Cameroon, I was thrust back to that little balcony with every wonderful draw of exquisite smoke. The word smoke defiles what I was tasting- it transcended smoke. It was divine breath! I kid you not when I tell you that I said a little prayer at that moment, thanking and asking blessing for the person, wherever he or she may be, that made that Cuban Crafters Cameroon that was giving me a moment of smoking pleasure that I would not soon forget. I’m dead serious.

Also, though the Toro lists at $4.00, right now Cuban Crafters has the 6x54 Torpedos on sale for $3.40 ($84.99 a box of 25) and the Cameroon Sampler for only $19.99, or $3.33 a pop. That's a bagain!

Overall: 94
Value Rating: 94-4= 90
Recommendation: Highly Recommended

Joe Average

Cuban Crafters Enters the Fray with a Great Dbl Corona

2008-02-01T18:27:00.000-08:00

Cuban Crafters, Don Kiki Green Label Dbl Corona, Nicaragua 6x48 Toro $1.48

Construction: Well made. Slightly veiny, but had a nice slight sheen. Perfect crown. Wrapped to perfect tightness- felt great in my hands. This cigar had a strong and wonderful leathery aroma under the nose, totally unexpected from a buck-fifty cigar 4

Lighting: Crown cut perfectly and cleanly. Lit quickly and smoothly. Burned evenly and developed a very expensive looking 1 inch white ash- lovely against the medium-dark brown wrapper. A perfect draw added to the nice smoking pleasure of this cigar, which burned evenly all the way down. 5

Flavor: Cuban crafters list the Don Kiki Green Label cigars as “Mild”. Maybe for a Nicaraguan, but I would say it’s on the medium side if, for no other reason, it is very flavorful. It started spicy and leathery (why does it seem to me that all good cigars start spicy?), then added nutty flavors. These flavors remained consistent throughout the smoke. 4

Comments: I was sorely tempted to give this cigar a 5 for flavor but, though the flavors were very nice, a little more complexity would have put it over the top. This was my first Cuban Crafters, and I am seriously looking forward to all the others I have recently added to my humidor.

Overall: 89
Value Rating: 89-1= 88
Recommendation: Well Recommended

Joe Average

Now the Tough Job Begins- Smoking Lots of Cigars!

2008-01-31T13:44:00.000-08:00

As you have noticed, I have spent recent weeks smoking Thompson cigars, to see where they stand in the panoply of bargain price stogiedom. Some of the Thompsons are pretty good. That’s great, but I (as I’m sure you do) would like to learn about some of the other brands out there. As such, I have obtained a nice selection of cigars from Cuban Crafters, and have already begun the arduous but necessary task of sampling them, in order to bring you the info you need to buy great cigars at great prices. Just prior to now putting pen to paper (figuratively speaking, of course) I smoked the first one, and by the time you read this may have already posted my rating. Just to clue you in, it was very good- and at a great price, too. Competition! Just what we need to find cigars that Average Guys like you and I can afford. Later.

Joe Average

p.s. sign up for my Joe Average Internet Newsletter where I periodically bring you updates on everything you need to know (OK, that's a bit of a stretch) to find good cigars at decent prices. Just click on the Red title

Daniel Not Impressed with this Cuesta Rey

2008-01-31T13:25:00.000-08:00

Cuesta Rey No. 11 Belicoso 4.9x50 Centro Fino $4.00

Construction: Wrapped nicely, with no real looseness in it. The wrapper was a very pleasing medium coffee brown, but unfortunately was slightly veiny. I thought it was a good looking cigar with a nice clean crown. I give it a 4

Lighting: The crown cut fairly well, but did flake a little bit. Lit easily and burned well. Ash was a dirty grey color...Not too good there. Built up over one inch of ash with no problem. Burned nice and smooth through the whole cigar. I say a 3

Flavor: Mild cigar with herbal and slightly leatherish taste. And speaking of flavor, there wasn’t much unfortunately. Only good note on flavor is that it was consistent throughout 2

Comments: Well, I was a little disappointed. A great looking cigar that did nothing for me once I lit it up.

Overall: 79
Value Rating: 75
Recommendation: DFY

Daniel

Flor de Oliva Torpedo.... Inexpensive, Nondescript

2008-01-21T18:06:00.000-08:00

Flor de Oliva 6x52 Curojo Torpedo Nicaragua $1.50

Construction: Well made cigar, nice crown. Good aroma under the nose from the Curojo wrapper. Correct tightness in the wrap. Smooth, attractive appearance. 5

Lighting: Crown cut nicely, and the cigar lit perfectly. It burned evenly and developed a light gray ash to almost 2 inches. The only problem this cigar had was a slightly hard draw which prevented me from getting the mouthful of smoke I like for full flavor. 4

Flavor: This is a mild cigar. It started with a mildly sweet flavor as I lit the stogie. This sweetness blended with mild herbal flavors and stayed as such until about half way when it added some light leather tones. Certainly not an unpleasant smoke, but the herbal flavors were a little too much for my taste. 3

Comments: Some may find this cigar just their cup of tea for a light smoke, but again I was not thrilled with it because of my personal tastes. Still, a decent smoke that rates an 86.

Overall: 86
Value Rating: 86-2= 84
Recommendation: Recommended

Joe Average

La Gloria Cubana Serie R...... Seriously Robust!

2008-01-21T17:56:00.000-08:00

La Gloria Cubana Serie R No. 4 Maduro 4 3/4x52 Dominican Republic $5.00

Construction: Felt too firm to the touch- almost rock-like. Attractive Ecuador-Sumatra maduro wrapper released a potent aroma under the nose. 4

Lighting: Cut well, though cigar was very hard, as stated above. Lit well. Burned slightly crooked, and needed to have a bit of wrapper/binder burned away to continue smoking. Then, whilst left in the ashtray for a few moments, the cigar actually went out and I had to relight it. Wrapped too tight, perhaps? Draw was acceptable, however. 3

Flavor: Strong pepper and leather flavors dominated this potent cigar, not for the weak or wobbly kneed! Hints of citrus added as it smoked. Overall, a good flavored cigar. 4

Comments: The Serie R Gloria Cubanas are their line of strong, old Cuba style smokes, more powerful than their other lines. It goes without saying- though, I guess I’m about to- that those who like strong cigars will have a greater appreciation for this cigar’s flavors.

Overall: 88
Value Rating: 88-5= 83
Recommendation: Recommended

Joe Average

Terrific Thompson Tusker Too Tantalizingly Alliterative

2008-01-16T18:09:00.000-08:00

Thompson Tusker Robusto Connecticut-Ecuador 5x50 $2.00

Construction: Quite good. Smooth, attractive Connecticut-Ecuador wrapper. Cigar was wrapped perfectly. Nice gentle aroma under the nose. 5

Lighting: Cut well, burned evenly and did not go out until I was ready to put it down for good. Developed a somewhat dirty grey ash that refused to drop off until it reached almost 2 inches! 5

Flavor: Can you say Macanudo? This cigar reminded me strongly of a similar sized Macanudo- smooth, mild herbs and leather. Very nice. Mild, but nice flavor. Maintained that same flavor to it’s nub. 4

Comments: Very good cigar. I was tempted to give it a 90, but maybe it was just too mild for my tastes. However, I will definitely add some of these to my humidor. Thompson has provided us with a very nice cigar here.

Overall: 89
Value Rating: 89-2=87
Recommendation: Well Recommended

Joe Average

Gurkha Shaggy Impresses

2008-01-16T18:05:00.000-08:00

Gurkha Estate Selection Shaggy Maduro Toro 6x50 Dominican Rep. $8.00

Construction: Very well made. Wrapper had a slight sheen, and was slightly veiny. Crown was well made. The interesting shaggy foot was neither a plus nor a minus to construction (see lighting below). A slight fault in wrapper near crown caused the cigar to unwrap a tiny bit whilst smoking, but was not a problem 4

Lighting: Cut neatly, though unwrapped a tiny bit. The shaggy end seemed to make it easier to light, which I liked. The cigar burned evenly for first half and developed a medium gray ash of about 1 inch. In the second half of the smoke, the cigar burned a little unevenly, and I finally burned away a bit of wrapper/binder once. After that it was fine. A good draw to this cigar, as well. 4

Flavor: Peppery flavors when first lit, followed by the addition of coffee and cocoa. As it burned it added leather hints. Never a trace of herbal flavors. I found this cigar quite enjoyable. 5

Comments: I stopped by a local cigar shop to see their wares, when a young customer recommended this cigar to me as his current favorite. I can see why- it was very good. When I have a few extra bucks for boutique cigars, I might buy a couple more for my humidor.

Overall: 90
Value Rating: 90-8= 82
Recommendation: Well Recommended

Joe Average

A Good Maduro at a Great Price

2008-01-15T18:58:00.000-08:00

Thompson Toro Toro Churchill 7x50 Toro Dominican $1.45

Construction: Attractive, smooth Maduro wrapper, perfect crown, and mild leathery aroma under the nose. Wrapped perfectly. 5

Lighting: Cut perfectly and stayed wrapped nicely through the entire smoke. Lit well, but burned too rapidly on one side. However, it evened out after about two inches of burn, so I didn’t have to burn any wrapper/binder away. Developed a 1 ¾ inch, grey white ash- very attractive against the maduro wrapper. The cigar had a perfect draw throughout the smoke. 4

Flavor: Started with a mildly sweet coffee flavor which grew to added leather hints as it burned down. This was very nice, but somewhat interrupted by an herbal flavor that detracted from the overall flavor. 4

Comments: This was a very good cigar that I enjoyed and would buy more of. I was considering a 90 for it, but the herbal qualities kept getting in the way. However, at a price of a buck-45 a stick (and you can get them for almost ONE buck in quantities of 75) this is a great value cigar.

Overall: 89
Value Rating: 89-1= 88
Recommendation: Well Recommended

A Maduro in the Top Ten

2008-01-15T18:52:00.000-08:00

Don Tomas Clasico Robusto Maduro 5 1/2x50 $2.80

Construction: Very well made, attractive cigar with slight sheen. Wonderful aroma from this cigar. I almost hated to burn it! I cut the crown as I always do- high enough not to cause the wrapper to unravel, but this did anyway. However, while smoking, it never came unwrapped. 4

Lighting: Lit perfectly and stayed lit. Burned perfectly even; never needed relighting. Developed a medium gray ash of 1 inch before it dropped. 5

Flavor: I was struck by the flavor of espresso and leather. If you want to know what this cigar tastes like go to Starbuck’s, buy a double espresso and sip it slowly while chewing on some expensive Italian leather (throw on a little English Leather cologne before you go.) I mean this in the most positive way. I really liked the flavors of this cigar. Overall it was on the strong side of medium or, if you prefer, on the medium side of strong. 4

Comments: I was very tempted to rate this cigar a 90, but it’s flavors dropped off a little as it smoked. The Don Tomas Cetro #2 was my first “favorite” cigar back in the early ‘80s, so this cigar has sentimental value to me, as well. I’ll have to rate the #2 soon, as I haven’t smoked one in years.

Overall: 89
Value Rating: 89-3= 86
Recommendation: Well Recommended

Joe Average

Good, But Somewhat Disappointing Hoyo De Monterrey

2008-01-14T18:00:00.000-08:00

Hoyo De Monterrey 6 3/4x48 Double Corona Honduras $4.40

Construction: Slightly veiny, but lovely wrapper with slight sheen that I like. One little flaw, or hole, in wrapper probably should have made this a Segundo, but it was otherwise fine. Good tightness in the wrap, and mild but pleasant aroma under the nose. 4

Lighting: Lit well, burned evenly, developing dark grey ash of ¾ inch. Draw was perfect. Great to smoke. 5

Flavor: The cigar is listed as “Medium”, but I would be hard pressed to say it was anything other than “Mild”. Started, maintained, and finished with light leather and coffee flavors. Consistent, at least. Enjoyable, but I couldn’t help but wish the nice flavors were a little stronger. 4

Comments: A pleasant smoke when you are not focusing on the flavors, when you have your mind on something else (like work) and don’t want the distraction of a beautiful cigar that begs for more attention. But, there are less expensive cigars we have rated that will serve the same purpose.

Overall: 88
Value Rating: 88-4= 84
Recommendation: Recommended

Joe Average

Are Thompson Cigars THAT Good?!

2008-01-13T17:22:00.000-08:00

Well, some of their house brands ARE pretty good cigars, but are they really good enough to hold the top THREE places on the Top Ten Value Cigars list? Well, maybe. I have a bunch of Thompson cigars right now that I'm rating, however I am soon to acquire cigars from other national retailers which I will rate as well. That should even things out a bit, and then we'll really know which are the best house brand cigar deals in America! So check back periodically to see how we're progressing.

Joe Average

Another Excellent Site

2008-01-12T18:43:00.000-08:00

We are here to help you find good cigars, so here is a very good site that is the first site added to our Links List. Cigar Beat Blog is a very informative site, run by great people, so I suggest you check it out. They also rate some lower priced cigars, and you might find something good to smoke recommended in their pages.

Joe Average

A Great (though pricey) Cigar!

2008-01-09T19:30:00.000-08:00

Acid Blue Kuba Kuba Natural 5x54 $8.00

Construction: Excellent. Firm, smooth, attractive. The crown was so well mated to the cigar I couldn’t even see it. Beautiful, smooth, natural brown wrapper- flawless. 5

Lighting: Slightly fat for my double guillotine cutter, the crown still sliced nicely, and the cigar remained wrapped perfectly. Lit perfectly, stayed lit perfectly to the end. Beautiful, thick, white grey ash insisted on falling off at ¾ inch, but otherwise this cigar burned and drew superbly. 5

Flavor: The beautiful aroma of sweet clove (see comments about Acid cigars) hit me before I could even light the cigar, then while smoking slowly gave way to dark chocolate/coffee. This cigar taste great to a nub. I hated to let it go. 5

Comments: Acid cigars are famous for their use of herbs, oils, and botanicals to flavor their cigars. I wasn’t sure I’d like that,…but, I did. A wonderful cigar. Unfortunately, it’s so pricey I won’t smoke one often, but I will be back for more eventually.

Overall: 91
Value Rating: 91-8=83
Recommendation: Highly Recommended

A Rating to Get Things Going

2008-01-06T19:56:00.000-08:00

Here's a typical house brand cigar that I like. (In fact, it's Number 1 on the Top Ten List right now- I know there's only 2 cigars on the list!...I'm working on it.)

Thompson Corojo Cubano 6x52 Torpedo $2.00

Construction: Wrapped just about right- maybe slightly loose. The Honduran Corojo wrapper is almost maduro brown, slightly veiny, no sheen. Well made crown. Average over-all in appearance. 3

Lighting: The crown cuts nicely, no unwrapping. Lights easily and perfect burn. Ash is very attractive slightly grayish white- looks great against the Curojo wrapper. Developed one inch ash easily. Burns perfectly for entire length of cigar. 5

Flavor: Medium cigar, nice chocolate/coffee taste, slightly herbal, but not unpleasant. Thouroughly enjoyed the cigar, though I’m not ecstatic. Smoked it to a stub with perfectly consistent flavors! Very good cigar. 4

Comments: I’ve smoked three of these now, and they were consistently good. Right now it’s one of my favorite cigars. When I bought these from Thompson's in 12/07, I got two bundles of 25 for $49, so actually paid under $1 a piece! I plan to age them awhile in my humidor to see how they taste in a few months. Looking forward to some good summer afternoon smokes!

Overall: 89
Value Rating: 89-2=87
Recommendation: Well Recommended

Whatever Happened to the Good Nickel Cigar?!

2008-01-06T19:15:00.000-08:00

OK, I know. Inflation.

My name really is Joe, and I welcome you to ANOTHER freakin’ cigar blog/site! Why another?

Well, I’ve been smoking cigars since 1976 and in all that time- from the time of print dominated media into the internet age, and through “The Boom” in both cigar and cyberspace, I have yet to see any source of cigar information for average guys like you and me. I want to know how I can get good cigars at a good price. Anybody can find great cigars for $20 a pop, but how about a really good cigar for $1 to $3? They’re out there and my mission is to find them, and let you know about them. There are many house brand cigars, most of which are not worth your money. But, some... a few, are quite good. Together, we can find them.

And, how about the perspective of the current crop of cigar magazines, websites, and blogs? They all assume we make $200,000 a year and spend every other weekend playing golf in Florida or the Caribbean! I can’t relate to them, and they sure don’t relate to me. They do a good job of rating cigars, but include few lower priced cigars, and refuse to rate the house brands.

The plan for this blog is to invite you to share your great cigar finds with the rest of us, for me to share mine, and together maybe have some fun along the way. Some time in the coming year I’d like to have some of you help me do a blind test of some of the good value cigars we discover. I will also rate some of the expensive cigars when I receive them as gifts, or the occasional one I can afford to buy for myself. However, my focus will be on finding those good cigar bargains.

I have no objection to anyone who wants to spend whatever they want on any great cigars that strike their fancy. I admire people who work hard enough to succeed financially, and can afford expensive cigars. But you and I work hard, too; we just don’t make the money to buy a $15.00 cigar very often- no matter how great it may be.

In summary our mission will include the following:

1. Have fun using this blog to share info on good cigars.

2. When rating cigars try not to use descriptive terms that nobody understands like “undertones of Genovese balsamic gingernut leaf”, or “reminiscent of great northern black oak, recently extracted from Napa cabernet barrels”- like, what the hell does that kinda crap mean?! (OK, I made those up, but you know what I’m talkin’ about.)

3. Compile two ratings lists: One of all the “Official” ratings of this blog, and one of all your ratings (see Rating Cigars tab for requirements)

4. Create a Joe Average’s Top Ten List of great cigar values.

5. Sort through the many "house" brands of cigars to find the ones that actually are good- so you don't waste your money on the ones that taste like lawn clippings rolled in a grocery bag. God knows I've wasted enough money on those!

The bad news is that not all of this is ready, yet. I am compiling some ratings now (and enjoying the smoking good cigars part!) and building the blog so it will be easy to use. I plan to have the first few ratings in the next couple weeks, followed by building the two ratings lists (probably early Feb ’08 timeframe), then a Top Ten list as soon as we have ten cigars worthy of inclusion.

I am looking forward to hearing from some of you, and what you think of my plans for this blog. Hopefully, you will have some other great ideas, or you can share some of your great cigar finds with the rest of us. I am looking forward to this.

Yours,

Joe Average

p.s you'll notice there are not 10 cigars on our Top Ten list. There will be as soon as we smoke 10 good value cigars!