Budget Cigars

[Pandora]

Okay gents. We all know that there is a premium on buying cigars in the UK and we all have an opinion on it. My question to you is what are your best budget cigars that are available here in the UK?

I've complied my list over on my website and split it into three categories. £8 and under, £10 and under and £12 and under (links are below). Please feel free to comment either here or on my website.

https://www.pandorascigarbox.com/202...rs-under-8gbp/
https://www.pandorascigarbox.com/202...s-under-10gbp/
https://www.pandorascigarbox.com/202...s-under-12gbp/

[AlexD4]

Casa turrent 1973 robusto - just under 12 and a brilliant cigar.

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[Horsebox]

Great post Pandora a very useful guide to UK budget sticks 👍

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[Hookmaker]

Great website there Pandora, never knew you had one. I’ll have to take some time to crawl through it 😎


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[Pandora]

Casa turrent 1973 robusto - just under 12 and a brilliant cigar.

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I shall have to check that one out 👍🏻💨 Thanks for the recommendation

[ha_banos]

All but given up on cheap cigars in the UK to be honest. I've still got a few from BS to try though.

These are some great albeit little cigars. Not great size for your buck. But as you've mentioned some other smallies.

San Cristobal El Principe
El Rey del Mundo Demi Tasse
Bolivar Tubos No. 3

[simwells]

Interesting options I’d given up on cheap NCs after being unimpressed with a lot.

List seems good and the JLPs are always solid options. No El Principe or Party Short on there? I’d imagine they’re still under £12. Coronitas en Cedro should be on there too but I think they’re too cheap for U.K. retailers to sell or something


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[Dorsetman]

Absolute novice question here, about a subject that has been asked many times before no doubt.

With my personal premise that you 'get what you pay for', I found both article and reviews very informative and entertaining, but it left me considering the following:

Choosing the very clumsy analogy of Skoda cars. Years ago the Skoda car was a brunt of great humour with the motoring public, it was cheap motoring and undoubtably got you from point A to B. By and large it was less refined than other marques but it did have it's supporters, but by no stretch of the imagination, certainly in the vehicles early days, could it be compared to the more luxurious cars available in terms of refinement and reliability.

Whilst fully appreciating that cost is not everything and that desirability of a particular brand or/and the provenance(Cuba) does impact, should I be open to the fact that cigars can be obtained at a 1/3rd or 1/4 of the price of the leading brands and still have the 'refinement and reliability' and most importantly enjoyment? I am mindful that tobacco is a natural product and that the main variables are more climatic conditions and soil type, (presuming the husbandry is fairly standard)

So I suppose my question is Rolls Royce or Skoda - is there a difference (apart from cost)?

[oskihen]

Jlps hard to beat imo

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[Pandora]

Thank you to everyone so far for taking your time to read and make suggestions. I've done a bit more hunting and found the cigars you have mentioned. The reason they didn't make my list is, aside from the Bolivar 3 for which my notes were "nice", I haven't had any of them.

- El Rey del Mundo Demi Tasse under £8
- Romeo y Julieta Petit Julieta Cigar under £8
- San Cristobal El Principe Cigar just under £12
- Bolivar Tubos No. 3 under £12
- Partagas short just over £12
- Casa Turrent 1973 Robusto cheapest I can find is just over £12

I couldn't find Coronitas en Cedro in the UK

There is definitely scope for a follow-up article later in the year. More suggestions are gratefully received 👍🏻❤

Dorsetman I think it comes down to personal taste at the end of the day. There is definitely a lot more prestige to Cubans and you pay for that, but I think that this can lead to greater disappointment when you get a bad cigar. Personally I've not had a lot of bad cigars over the years, but the most disappointing ones had been a handful of Cubans and the Davidoffs I've had. There is nothing quite like a good Cuban, but there are some amazing NCs that can give them a run for their money at half the price.

My philosophy is I'll try anything once, often twice to make sure, but at least then I can speak from experience.

[Adamsmokes]

I’ve enjoyed a few of the stocks on boutique smokes. The lancero I had was very good, sweet and well built. Lasted me nearly 2 hours!A steel at £8 ish (I think). Tried one of their robostos, which was rubbish though


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[Hookmaker]

Absolute novice question here, about a subject that has been asked many times before no doubt.

With my personal premise that you 'get what you pay for', I found both article and reviews very informative and entertaining, but it left me considering the following:

Choosing the very clumsy analogy of Skoda cars. Years ago the Skoda car was a brunt of great humour with the motoring public, it was cheap motoring and undoubtably got you from point A to B. By and large it was less refined than other marques but it did have it's supporters, but by no stretch of the imagination, certainly in the vehicles early days, could it be compared to the more luxurious cars available in terms of refinement and reliability.

Whilst fully appreciating that cost is not everything and that desirability of a particular brand or/and the provenance(Cuba) does impact, should I be open to the fact that cigars can be obtained at a 1/3rd or 1/4 of the price of the leading brands and still have the 'refinement and reliability' and most importantly enjoyment? I am mindful that tobacco is a natural product and that the main variables are more climatic conditions and soil type, (presuming the husbandry is fairly standard)

So I suppose my question is Rolls Royce or Skoda - is there a difference (apart from cost)?

There are three golden rules of cigar smoking:
1. It’s all about taste
2. It’s all about taste
3. It’s all about taste
😎😎😎

You may find yourself craving to try a Cohiba Esplendido from 2005, - which if you could find it would probably set you back +100£.
Once you find it you’ll be severely disappointed because it was far from that Tatuaje toro you smoked the other day.
Consider yourself lucky then, because you have stepped onto the non-expensive non-posh path.
It’s all about taste you see, your taste.
Years ago I stopped purchasing Bordeaux wines (claret) and moved to new world wines, I’ve never looked back. The wines are backed by more pationate makers, they’re much more consistent, good to excellent and yessss - they’re cheaper.

I believe you can draw a parallel to cigars.

Stick to cuba and believe all the hypers, pay up AND be disappointed from time to time. Look over the hedge at your neighbour and envy his smile when he smokes that Tatuaje.
There’s so much going on in the NC world that it could just be you hit the sweetest spot in some little cheap stick.

BUT having said that - there IS some “you get what you pay for”. Real Cameroon wrappers that are used by Fuente don’t come cheap, so doesn’t some San Andres or equador wrappers. Most NC producers age their tobacco for 2-10 years before rolling - you won’t find that tobacco in bundle deal smokes.


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[PeeJay]

There are three golden rules of cigar smoking:
1. It’s all about taste
2. It’s all about taste
3. It’s all about taste
😎😎😎

You may find yourself craving to try a Cohiba Esplendido from 2005, - which if you could find it would probably set you back +100£.
Once you find it you’ll be severely disappointed because it was far from that Tatuaje toro you smoked the other day.
Consider yourself lucky then, because you have stepped onto the non-expensive non-posh path.
It’s all about taste you see, your taste.
Years ago I stopped purchasing Bordeaux wines (claret) and moved to new world wines, I’ve never looked back. The wines are backed by more pationate makers, they’re much more consistent, good to excellent and yessss - they’re cheaper.

I believe you can draw a parallel to cigars.

Stick to cuba and believe all the hypers, pay up AND be disappointed from time to time. Look over the hedge at your neighbour and envy his smile when he smokes that Tatuaje.
There’s so much going on in the NC world that it could just be you hit the sweetest spot in some little cheap stick.

BUT having said that - there IS some “you get what you pay for”. Real Cameroon wrappers that are used by Fuente don’t come cheap, so doesn’t some San Andres or equador wrappers. Most NC producers age their tobacco for 2-10 years before rolling - you won’t find that tobacco in bundle deal smokes.


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Well said!

[Pandora]

There are three golden rules of cigar smoking:
1. It’s all about taste
2. It’s all about taste
3. It’s all about taste
😎😎😎

You may find yourself craving to try a Cohiba Esplendido from 2005, - which if you could find it would probably set you back +100£.
Once you find it you’ll be severely disappointed because it was far from that Tatuaje toro you smoked the other day.
Consider yourself lucky then, because you have stepped onto the non-expensive non-posh path.
It’s all about taste you see, your taste.
Years ago I stopped purchasing Bordeaux wines (claret) and moved to new world wines, I’ve never looked back. The wines are backed by more pationate makers, they’re much more consistent, good to excellent and yessss - they’re cheaper.

I believe you can draw a parallel to cigars.

Stick to cuba and believe all the hypers, pay up AND be disappointed from time to time. Look over the hedge at your neighbour and envy his smile when he smokes that Tatuaje.
There’s so much going on in the NC world that it could just be you hit the sweetest spot in some little cheap stick.

BUT having said that - there IS some “you get what you pay for”. Real Cameroon wrappers that are used by Fuente don’t come cheap, so doesn’t some San Andres or equador wrappers. Most NC producers age their tobacco for 2-10 years before rolling - you won’t find that tobacco in bundle deal smokes.


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Amen to that ❤🙏🏻

If we all liked and smoked the same cigars there would be nothing to talk about. With all the new brands, blends, etc coming out, you never know when you might discover your new favourite, and if you just stick exclusively to your tried and tested smokes, you would miss out. I've definitely become a convert to boutique brands over the last year which do tend to offer a lot more cigar for your money than bigger brands. That being said, I never say no to the occasional Cuban treat 👍🏻😎💨

[potpest]

The PL montecarlos is one if the best cheap smokes IMO, my favourite of the brand and exceptional value.