Tips for Buying Good Cheap Cigars
We all love to get a deal on our favorite cigars. At Holt’s, we live and breathe deep discounts around the clock. But, how do you know you’re getting the best bargain when you’re splurging on a box, for example? Is there a secret to shopping for cigars at the lowest prices? Not really. There are plenty of good cheap cigars available today – more than we can count. Here are some important tips for buying good cigars for a bargain.
What is a Bargain Cigar?
The definition of “bargain cigar” is different for many aficionados. If you’ve got a walk-in humidor in your palatial man cave and it’s loaded from floor to ceiling with Fuente Fuente Opus X, any cigars for under $10 apiece are probably a bargain based on your taste.
For most of us, bargain cigars are cheap – say, between $1 and $5 apiece. But, cheap does not mean poor in quality or bad. Maybe a brand you know and love just hit the blowout bin and you can score them for a huge discount. For many, an inexpensive bundle that burns straight and delivers agreeable flavor represents a great bargain. Are you smoking the cigars yourself, or passing them out? Do you need a decent box for poker night, or utility cigars to smoke while you’re doing yard work? Consider the occasion and how much you’re willing to spend to satisfy your needs.
Buy Cigars Based on Your Palate
You can save all the money in the world buying a cigar that’s on sale, but if you don’t like the way it tastes, it’s a waste of your hard-earned dough. You don’t have to sacrifice taste or quality just because you’re buying bargain cigars. Everyone who loves a good cigar now and then can develop their palate. It’s not rocket science. And when you’re familiar with the reasons you like certain cigars over others, like strength, flavor, and finish, it’s easy to identify multiple of brands at different price points that will meet your criteria for taste.
Shop the Blowout Bin
No brand is immune from the Holt’s Blowout Bin. Well, maybe a few have yet to make an appearance there – but only a few. Another name for the blowout bin is the clearance section. This is where the biggest discounts exist. When you’re buying cigars online versus in the store, you’ll have access to all kinds of blowout bin brands. When the laws of supply and demand fall out of sync, cigars get discounted until the inventory is gone. If a brand you like winds up in the blowout bin, take advantage of the buying opportunity and score a box or two. If you blink twice, somebody else will buy them before you do.
Sign Up for Deals
The fastest shortcut you can take to get a bargain on your favorite brands is to sign up for cigar deals. If you’re not already registered, what are you waiting for? Every day of the week we drop the deepest discounts we can offer directly into your inbox in one of our email specials. Let the deals come to you instead of searching high and low across the entire internet.
Alternatives to Expensive Brands
Pay attention to where your favorite cigars are made. Many factories that produce the top-rated, top-selling brands also crank out less-expensive options. The award-winning Oliva brand is responsible for the 96-rated, former ‘#1 Cigar of the Year,’ Oliva Serie V Melanio and the original 95-rated Serie V. Oliva also produces Nub and Cain at their modern cigar-making facility in Estelí, Nicaragua. You’ll find similar hallmarks for quality, taste, and consistency across the brands Oliva makes.
Celebrated cigar-maker Jose ‘Pepin’ Garcia, the master blender behind My Father, also blends a rich and complex collection of Old Henry cigars for an excellent value. The iconic Rocky Patel brand is behind a sizeable series of bargain cigars that includes Rocky Patel Renaissance and Rocky Patel Mulligans. You can always find affordable alternatives for expensive cigars.
Consider Quantity
Sometimes, when you’re buying in bulk, you can score extra perks like free shipping if you’re purchase is over a certain dollar threshold. Many stores will also offer you a discount if you’re buying multiple boxes. If you know you like a brand enough to buy it by the box, consider buying more than usual and aging them in a coolerdor at home to get the juiciest bargain.
Read Customer Reviews
We’ve published thousands of customer reviews across our inventory of over 550 brands. Read what other customers have to say about the cigars you’re considering buying to decide if they’re a good bargain. We’ve also compiled a deep index of staff reviews from our dedicated team of cigar experts, including yours truly. Read the reviews from our “Certified Value Nut,” Grant T., who specializes in smoking and reviewing bargain cigars.
