Aaron Adams’s Blowhard Blog

Pursuant to a previous post here, I just finished the last of 20 Mr. B double claro Magnums. I’d describe them as mediocre. I attempted to take the band off the first five or six, and each time the glue tore the wrapper. I left the band on the remainder, and by the time the cigar had burned down to the finish, the wrapper on each one had cracked and made the cigar hard to draw through. They didn’t taste funny or anything, they just weren’t very well constructed. That’s a little odd because the Mr. B maduros I’ve had in the past didn’t have the same problem. Perhaps double claro wrappers, because of their fast curing process under intense heat, are naturally more fragile. I don’t know.

I don’t think I’ll order another bundle, however. The JR Famous maduro Churchills I usually smoke are much better made, and remain my favorites. The JR Famous cigars also come in a double claro wrapper, and I think I’ll try them sometime in the future, but for now I’m going to order another box of maduros to take with me to Connecticut next week.

If there’s anything I’ve learned from the JR Cigar catalog, it’s that you can’t judge a cigar by its price. The JR Famous cigars are 50 cents each, while the Mr. B’s are 75 cents each. Yeah, thats right - my favorite smokes are super cheap. Cigar pricing is somewhat of a scam. Ok, not in a literal sense, but these manufacturers know that if they ask $7 apiece for a cigar and you’re willing to pay it, then their cigars are worth $7, maybe more. That’s capitalism in action, and I say, good for them. All kinds of different cigars come from the same factories, and while each may have different blends of tobacco, the tobaccos used across brands are the same. Construction quality, as demonstrated, may differ, but the single data point I’ve presented here doesn’t show that more expensive cigars are better constructed (although I suspect that’s generally true).

Don’t be afraid of inexpensive cigars! Make sure what you’re getting is a real cigar made from all tobacco and you’ll eventually find something you like to smoke that won’t break the bank.