Benefit of the doubt

[njstone]

I smoked some very nice cigars last week (a couple reviews forthcoming), so this week I'm smoking some cheaper (sub $4) cigars in an attempt to bring balance to the Force.

I'm smoking a 5 Vegas Gold right now, which about 2 years ago was in my Top 10. Since then I've started smoking a lot of more expensive cigars, and like many other cheaper favorites, this stick has fallen by the wayside. I used to wonder if I gave the benefit of the doubt to cheap smokes, like "This is great ... for a $3 cigar." Now I'm wondering if maybe I do the opposite.

So I'm wondering if you guys think you might give certian cigars the benefit of the doubt. I know guys who definitely give Habanos some automatic free points in the ratings. I think I might do it with my favorite brands some times as well "The new Illusione? An LE Viaje? Well sure I'll love it," etc. One of the things I love about Brooks & Steve's site is that they give "no BS" reviews, but honestly that's a lot harder to do that I realized, I think.

So here's a poll, check as many categories as you think you might sometimes give the benefit of the doubt to.

(BTW--this 5 Vegas Gold is great, cheapie or no.)

Caveat Emptor: I'm not making a value judgement on this, just wondering if you guys do this subconsciously like I've realized I do.

 

[thegoldenmackid]

I judge those I'm more friendly with harder. I love finding things like the Nording - unknown, made by someone I normally don't like, etc...

 

[MiamiE]

5 Vegas Miami is my favorite 5 Vegas! Give them a try ASAP!

 

[Jfire]

Honestly Nate for me it's the opposite while they're are several cigars under five bucks or so I enjoy MANY under that I try and just can't get em to them because alot of times it seems like the quality of tobacco used just isn't there. I really do try and keep a open mind. It just isn't as enjoyable more then not with major cheapies. Lhos and 5 Vegas (2 years of age) are great but many others just fail IMO. Price or not I follow the palate. One other thing I found is cheaper CCs w good age can rival expensive non CCs IMO.

 

[njstone]

5 Vegas Miami is my favorite 5 Vegas! Give them a try ASAP!

That was actually the stick that got me back into cigars, when I learned how cheap they were in relation to the level of tastiness.

 

[EricF]

5 Vegas Miami is my favorite 5 Vegas! Give them a try ASAP!

Don't forget the "A" & the "AAA".

 

[Treinenwj]

You're missing a choice: all of the above. I'll give (almost) any cigar a completely open-minded chance.

 

[njstone]

You're missing a choice: all of the above. I'll give (almost) any cigar a completely open-minded chance.

That's cool, but I meant which sticks do you give MORE than that.

 

[WkndSmoker]

Never do.

I have seen some cigars I have smoked become sought after, and I have overlooked just as many sought after cigars. I will give it that reading member reviews will influence me to purchase a cigar I might not have tried yet, even in some cases look for that cigar, yet when I smoke it I do not look for something in it, I treat it just like a random stick I would pick out on my own.

 

[Docbp87]

I would like to say that I am completely objective when smoking a cigar for the first time, but the reality is that if I spend an amount of money on a cigar that I am borderline uncomfortable with for whatever reason (spent way too much on my first Opus X for instance, and certainly far more than I had spent on anything up to that point) I think I am automatically going to want to like it, for the sake of my wallet. Now, knowing that I am influenced that way, I think it is possible to take that into consideration and sort of cancel that effect out, and be objective...

Same goes for bargain smokes. Every once in a while I will be surprised by how good an inexpensive smoke is. I shouldn't necessarily be surprised though, for whatever reason (brand, maker, seed, etc.), but because I didn't pay much for it, I am unconsciously surprised that it is a "good" smoke...

 

[BrandonP]

I will say, I don't give any extra points to Habanos because I am just not a heavy habano smoker. I definitely give more credence to my favorite producer/brand and to the LE stuff. My thought is if you are going to make an LE release, it had better be good enough to warrant an LE tag. I also listen to the BOTL lineup, most guys here have good taste. Except that Rabb guy, he sucks. /wink

I got to say, I have a swayed opinion of anything by Garcia, Litto, Nestor, Leon, or Padron right now.

 

[megladon8]

I'm still such an amateur in this hobby that I can't really give anything the benefit of the doubt because I'm still learning where my tastes lie.

I'd say that if anything, I am a little harder on expensive sticks. If I'm spending $12-$15+ on a single stick, it has to be really, really damn good if I am going to get another one.

 

[mwlabel]

5 Vegas Miami is my favorite 5 Vegas! Give them a try ASAP!

This! Yes! The Miami is what pushed me over the edge and into cigar addiction.

 

[Fourtotheflush]

Im in a similar situation. I used to smoke cheaper stix (never been a fan of 5 vegas, but a huge fan of AJ's stuff.)... Now as Im smoking more $$ stuff I find that I dont like the cheaper stuff. I pretty much always give the benefit of the doubt to a stick that someone gave me as a gift!

 

[iCraig]

I'm still such an amateur in this hobby that I can't really give anything the benefit of the doubt because I'm still learning where my tastes lie.

I'd say that if anything, I am a little harder on expensive sticks. If I'm spending $12-$15+ on a single stick, it has to be really, really damn good if I am going to get another one.

Agreed here. My tastes vary so much right now that I can't really say I give any brand/cigar too much benefit of the doubt.

However, I do notice that if someone recommends something to me, I spent a little more than I usually do on a stick, or based on reviews I'm a bit more excited about a stick, then my expectations tend to be higher than normal and I have to force myself into a reality check before consuming or during consuming said cigar.

I tend to do the same with a lot of things though. Alcohol, restaurants, new brands of hockey sticks....

 

[SergeantStogie]

This thread confused me.

 

[Alwayslit]

I'm prety open minded about most smokes.

 

[ciggy]

I picked Habanos but it could have went a couple different ways. I like to see ratings usually before I buy but sometimes that's not possible and then you have to just roll with it and give it that doubt benafit.

 

[smokinghole]

I give the benefit of the doubt to some expensive/HTF stuff. If they're not particularly good at the time of release I figure some aging will help them improve. Some don't but hey what can you do? I'm not big on new releases and some are eeeh so so. I tend to smoke the tried and true and will try a single here or there of new stuff. Sometimes I smoke it once sometimes it becomes a sort of regular for me.

When it comes to the other end of the spectrum I don't give cheapies any benefit. I feel that if I'm going to essentially burn my money I might as well do it on something I KNOW I like. So trying out a cheapy to find out it sucks balls and wasting $3-$5 annoys me. If I would have spend a little more I could have smoked something that I know I like and is good. You get where I'm going here? I would rather smoke the good stuff once a week rather than smoke 8 cheap cigars through out the week.

 

[dpricenator]

not sure what to pick in the poll, but I give the Benefit of the doubt to cheaper less prestigious cigars. Example. I smoked, ironicly, a 5 Vegas A this past weekend. Flavor was decent, and the burn SUCKED. I figured , screw the burn the smoke was only $3 cigar. Now take a LE Tat like the Drac, and I'm holding it to the highest standards. If it slips in one area, then it's getting a poor review. $13 and a ton of hype, better be a winner. OPUS, better be good after I spend $20 it. Onyx Reserve, if it's not great, well it was only $2 so it is kind of what I expected.