Cigar Prices: How Much Do Cigars Cost?
“How much do cigars cost?” is a question we hear from new cigar connoisseurs and gift buyers all the time. Fine cigars cost anywhere from around $2 to over $50 apiece. That’s a wide margin. They can’t all be of equal quality, right? There’s a difference between premium handmade cigars and the cheap machine-made brands you’ll find at gas stations. Many factors influence the price of a cigar. The cost of raw materials, climate, labor, packaging, marketing, rarity, demand, and, of course, taxes, are all part of the equation. Are you buying cigars online or in a retail shop? Regardless, you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a great cigar. Let’s look at how much cigars cost and what are the best cigars to smoke based on your budget.
PREMIUM CIGAR PRICES
Most premium handmade cigars range in price from $4 or $5 to $25 and up. The dollars and cents that go into making a great cigar are spent carefully by the best cigar-makers. Guiding a tobacco plant from seed to smoke requires much patience, expertise, and the cooperation of Mother Nature. With so many brands to choose from today, cigar companies are competitive. They want you to buy their cigars because you love the taste, aroma, and quality – and also because you’re satisfied with the value. A big price tag doesn’t automatically make a cigar great. And, no matter how cheap a cigar is, it isn’t worth your money if you don’t enjoy it.
CIGARS UNDER $2: BUDGET CIGARS
When you’re buying cigars under $2, you’re likely buying a bundle. Cigars that come in bundles are economical because the packaging is less expensive – no boxes. Some bundle cigars are also packaged without cigar bands to save even more. A lot of “factory seconds” wind up in bundles – cigars that may exhibit a cosmetic imperfection or two. Other bundle cigars are mixed-filler, or Cuban-sandwich, cigars. Many of the biggest top-shelf brands also produce the best cigars when you’re on a budget.
Many Cuban-sandwich cigars are still made by hand, but the tobaccos inside the wrapper leaf include long-filler leaves as well as scraps of tobacco used to make other cigars. No tobacco goes to waste thanks to mixed-filler cigars. They’re a way for cigar-makers to process the leftover tobacco scraps from long-filler blends and they can offer a great value for cigar smokers who like to buy in quantity and stick to a budget. Bundle cigars are often called yard ‘gars or utility smokes. If you’re smoking a cigar outside while you’re mowing the grass and you drop it, you’re not going to get upset if you only spent a buck or two on it.
As bona fide value hounds, your pals at Holt’s love to cater to our price-conscious audience whom we affectionately call “curmudgeonly connoisseurs.” We boast a tremendous selection of inexpensive cigars from brands like Argyle and Quorum, as well as our bestselling Cuban-legacy bundle, Bella Cuba. We’ve also cornered the market for Rocky Patel fans who’ve come to rate his golf-themed Mulligans franchise among their favorite brands thanks to the complex, consistent flavor they deliver with a huge discount built into the everyday selling price.
Always check the clearance section for the biggest sales on cigars. You can find cigars that were originally priced at $10 apiece marked down to $2, including premium name brand boxes.
CIGARS for $2 - $5: GET THE BEST DEALS
When you spend between $2 and $5 per cigar, you’ve got a wide range of options. A lot of value buyers stick to this price range. You can shop high-quality bundles, closeouts, and recognizable boxes from hundreds of brands. New cigar lovers should experiment here. Popular brands like Arturo Fuente, La Aroma de Cuba, Oliva, Padron and Perdomo produce cigars that start under $5 apiece. You can get acquainted with the different flavor profiles that come from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Honduras. When top-rated brands like Oliva Master Blends 3 go on sale, the prices drop from just under $15 per cigar to under $5, which equals huge savings when you buy box.
CIGARS for $5 - $10: CLASSIC CIGARS
Not only do you have access to classic cigars from Ashton, Fuente, Padron, and La Aroma de Cuba, you’ll also find many Cuban-legacy brands like Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta. When your budget is $5 to $10 per cigar, you don’t have to wait for the brands you want to go on sale because the every-day selling prices for many cigars land in this range. La Aroma de Cuba Edicion Especial is a 94-rated cigar blended by Pepin Garcia for under $10. Consider several blends in the San Cristobal and My Father portfolios. Because the lion’s share of all premium cigars cost between $5 and $10 apiece, this is an excellent price range for building a budget.
CIGARS for $10 - $20: TOP-SHELF CIGARS
When you spend between $10 and $20 on a cigar, you can afford to be fussy. You’re buying cigars that are handmade with the finest premium tobaccos. Expect superior taste and aroma, flawless construction, and unquestioned consistency. You’ll find many of Cigar Aficionado’s highest-rated and top-ranked cigars in this price range. Only the makers of the most in-demand cigars can sustain prices north of $10. And it took them decades to build an audience for their most sophisticated blends. Iconic cigars like Ashton VSG, Padron 1964 Anniversary, and Arturo Fuente Hemingway represent top-shelf choices between $10 and $20 per cigar.
CIGARS OVER $20: RARE & LIMITED EDITION CIGARS
Once you cross the $20 threshold, you’re likely buying a cigar that is rare and made exclusively from tobaccos that have been fermented and aged for several years. Ashton ESG, Arturo Fuente Opus X, and Padron Family Reserve fit into this category. Unusual or difficult-to-role shapes like Figurados and Perfectos cost more because the rollers who roll them are more experienced. They’re also not cranking out them out as fast. When you want to impress a cigar aficionado with a gift he or she will appreciate, cigars that cost more than $20 should easily achieve your objective. When you buy cigars from Holt’s, know that you’re getting the best deal even when you buy cigars that are more expensive. We offer the best cigar prices for every budget.
BEWARE OF GIMMICKS
When a cigar seems exorbitantly overpriced proceed with caution. While there are cigars that fetch several hundred dollars or more apiece, stop and ask yourself if you think you will enjoy it that much more than a $30 cigar, for example. Cigar collectors age and auction off cigars like wine. They’re essentially investing in cigars, which requires knowledge and research. It’s common for certain Cuban cigars to sell for ridiculously high prices, but many connoisseurs will tell you they’re not worth it.
The average consumer will buy a more expensive cigar for a special occasion, but within reason. Not long ago Cohiba released a $90 cigar called the Spectre. The packaging is eye-catching and the bend is supposedly rolled from 23-year-old tobaccos aged in Sherry barrels. Sounds intriguing, but that’s a lot of cash to part with for one cigar. Smoking a cigar that doesn’t live up to the money you spent on it is a cigar you’ll never smoke again.
