I hope everyone has had a nice Winter Holiday, whatever it is you celebrate. The trend around the United States right now is that the temperature has dropped, in some places significantly. However, there is likely something else that is felt right now that most of us can relate to: A lighter bank account. While I’m sure most enjoy the act of giving, it does come at a cost and sometimes takes time to “get back into the black”.
With that in mind, I wanted to offer up a few value and/or bundle suggestions to fill the humidor with. While the vast majority of these will not win any awards for flavor complexity or looks, they will likely keep you smoking decent cigars and bring you some happiness in the interim.
In my house, this is the go-to inexpensive cigar. It will not win any beauty contests or stand up to any premium cigars but it’s a good enough medium body cigar that will met the requiremenet. Did I mention the price? $25 for a bundle of 20. For further details on it, I reviewed the Dark Shark near the end of 2013. I’ll likely be smoking one of these when I finish off this review (assuming my son goes to bed on time).
I honestly think that these were one of the first bundle cigars we ever bought. I’m a fan of Oliva cigars and I know I’ve smoked boxes worth of the Serie V…but I can’t always afford a quantity of them. For around $40 for a bundle of 20, you can get a smooth medium body smoke from a great company.
Another one that we have enjoyed in the past, although I remember being a little bit cheaper and they used to offer a Maduro version which I preferred. These are very similar to the Flor de Oliva but the price has gone up in recent years. Still, they are worth a mention.
I have a few of these left in the humidor and both my wife and I enjoy them…and they seem to smoke a little longer than the Dark Sharks. I can also hand these out to once-in-awhile cigar smokers and not get bothered if they smoke half of it. 15 cigars for around $20 is always good for me. Good balance of flavor for a milder smoke.
Another choice for a mild-to-medium smoke, although the last bundle I bought of these a few years ago, it seemed like every third one was blowing up on me. Still, they will get you by. There was actually a time about three or four years ago where my best friend was filling his humidor with it seemed like all the Bahia line and never had a bad smoke.
About a month after our son was born, my wife tried having her first cigar and she was high as a kite in about 15 minutes and had to put it down. Subsequent attempts after this resulted in the same experience for awhile until she tried one of these lurking in the humidor. This was her staple until her nicotine tolerance was built back up. Another milder smoke but pleasant enough. And for $30-40 a bundle, the price is right.
Final Thoughts
While I would love to smoke boxes of premium cigars, there are times where the bank account doesn’t necessarily agree with my sentiment. I would be interested to hear from readers what some of their favorite value smokes are and where to get them.
As always, thank you very much for reading and I look forward to the next time I can share my thoughts with you.
I was always concerned with the quality of smoke from these $1 – $2 cigars. But since you provided a list, I will at least check out one of them and go from there. Thanks for the list!
I think this summer I’ll have to get at least one value bundle since I have party’s and everyone seems to want to join in on the smoking crowd as I shared many good sticks that I wouldn’t have if I knew that many of them were just a “once in a blue moon I’ll have one” I don’t mind sharing but this seems to be the best idea in those type of situation’s. Thanks for sharing your go to bundles Jon.
Thanks, have not tried any of them but might try a bundle to see..
I need to get a bundle of something. Like Tim said, I had people this summer who “never” have a cigar want to try one & I don’t have many multiples or ones I don’t mind giving away.
My first bundle I bought was a Drew Estates La Vieja Habana bundle of 20 for $20. Those were my favorite go to morning cigars with coffee. Not bad for $1 per cigar.
Nice list and I agree, its nice to have some decent everyday cigars. Some others to check out are the Est 1844 and some of the Man O War lines. Nice list and look forward to trying a few.
I don’t typically buy cigars by the bundle or box, but I have smoked the RP R4 and the Flor de Oliva, which I thought were ok.
Thanks for the list! I haven’t tried any of these but I am always looking for those lunchtime smokes, basically a cigar that is not going to bother me if I don’t get to finish it.
Thank you, because I often find myself searching for a fine cigar at a decent price that I can use as my “kickin’ it” stick. At this point I’m not willing to get some $2 “bargain” cigars that end up disappointing, but can’t afford to have a “premium” stick every time I light up. It’s a delicate balancing game that can get a bit frustrating!!!
Famous has a Blend with a Green Label called Nicaragua 4000? Maybe not sure its a dark cigar comes in a bundle and it is pretty tasty to say the least.
Great artice, appreciate the advice.
I’m not much a bundle cigar smoker, I don’t smoke often enough but I do have a few bundles. I had a Flor de Oliva Corojo and you could have fooled me with it. I honestly thought it wad a superb smoke and that’s not factoring in price. Maya Selva Cigars also has the Villa Zamorano which is a bundle smoke but has gotten a good bit of praise.
Thanks for this piece. Discovering value cigars is always a treat.
– Palma Real Paradisus
– Flor De Oliva
– Flor De Oliva Gold
– Flor De Oliva Maduro
– Pirate’s Gold Maduro
– Pioneer Valley Maduro
– Victor Sinclair Triple Corojo
– Don Rafael Maduro
– La Aurora Leoninos Corojito
– C’est La Vie
– Foundry Chillin’ Moose
– 1876 Reserve Maduro
* Many different brands sell “overruns” or “seconds” that are quality sticks, but need a few months of aging (minimum) usually.