Since I’ve started the site, and even more so since I stopped reviews, I have mostly smoked my personal stash down to only a handful of cigars that is pretty much made up of samples, gifts, and a few splits on harder to find stuff. I can’t really remember the last time I bought cigars from another shop - probably when I stopped at a B&M to meet up with friends back in the summer. I bring this up because this month it looks like I’ll pivot to repeatedly smoking a few cigars I don’t carry.
I am a member of an awesome online cigar community and someone is running a contest this month that centered around smoking certain cigars selected by each team. The more of them you smoke, the more points your team earns. I figured I might as well join in the fun. I didn’t have any involvement in what was selected by the teams, and of course it’s nothing I carry.
Fortunately, there is another retailer on there that has a good bit off the lists. It hurts me to order cigars from a shop when I could just bring the brands in to offer myself, but they don’t fit with my plan (and a couple I can’t get). At least I will feel good about supporting this shop!
When it comes to your spending habits, do you go where the prices are cheapest, or do you spend a little more to shop with companies you want to support? When it comes to cigar purchases, I’m all about supporting the shops that I appreciate and respect.
As for today’s smoke, I went with a Fosforo Connecticut Corona Gorda. As with the other couple Fosforos, this is a super solid cigar at a competitive price. I don’t think that this will blow anyone away as much as the Habano or Limitada, but I know that most smokers will enjoy it and can’t argue that it's a bang-for-your-buck stick!
-Trevor