Out of the Humidor

CA Readers
From the Print Edition:
Matthew McConaughey, March/April 2011

Dear Marvin,

An excellent article on La Gloria Cubana and recognizing their tradition and continued excellence in the cigar marketplace. I have been enjoying the Serie R for years, and while trying other brands on occasion, I always return to La Gloria. Their cigars, along with the relaxation and serenity of enjoying a great product, have the lasting ability to melt away the pressures of the day. Thanks as well for the timely editorials and articles in your magazine. I inhale it as soon as it arrives.

Frank Kohler
Scottsdale, Arizona

Dear Marvin,

I am immensely pleased each and every time I receive your publication. I am a cigar-a-holic, as my wife will grudgingly confirm with a curse word or two to declare her dissatisfaction with my obsession. We won't even go into the dollar aspect of it. I smoke three to four cigars a day and on a leisurely day, five. As one can already see, this eats up lots of moola.

With this being said, I am a bargain shopper doing the specials, house brands, auctions and downright cheapos. I'm not a wealthy man but struggle to survive as I'm a UA Pipefitter/welder, traveling around the country selling my skill (making a living) and turning fellow construction craftsmen on to the pure enjoyment and art of a fine hand-rolled cigar. On one job in particular, I even had a younger man fitting for me go to a local tobacco shop and buy me a couple of Padrón 1964 Anniversary cigars. I wouldn't accept them unless he promised to smoke one of them with me after they rested in my humidor for a week. He did. Two weeks later he laid down his cigarettes and now only smokes cigars. That was nine months ago. He now has a better collection than I do!

There are many stories I could tell, but my whole point aims in a different direction. We, the common men/women, need to know of the highly rated bargains that so many brick-and-mortar retailers offer at a price point that the average-income guy can afford. Bargain cigars that your publication points out at $6 and below are great, but $6 is still pricey to a lot of us. I do realize that the smokes listed in your bargain cigars section of the last issue were shown at suggested retail, though I have gotten many of those same cigars in sampler deals for far cheaper. But what I'm looking for is a standard working man's review-cigars in the neighborhood of $30-$60 per box or bundle. Some are extremely good if not classic. I, for one, should know. I have a rating system somewhat like yours and rate all the ones I purchase. But then there's my wife again: "Are you going to do anything else? Cigars, cigars, cigars. . . You can snuggle up with them tonight."

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