I'm a sucker for a pretty band!

[Snake Hips]

I'm the exact opposite. I will never buy a cigar for the band, but I won't buy one because of it. There are cigars I pretty much refuse to buy because the band is either not creative or traditional, or because it's ugly or cheesy or gaudy. I like old-school band designs.

[Sirhuffsalot]

LOL. Yap, Marketing mostly.

But you gotta admit that giant X (Never had one) is just so cool laid out like xXx.
Gets my attention,

My currant pretty is the 5 vegas gold, looks like pressed gold every time I slide one off.

Better band then gar =
"El Major Yukko", LOL.

[Shaz]

Although we all know that a pretty band has nothing to do with the actual taste of a cigar, we are dealing with very sensory based hobby here. We look at, feel, smell and ultimately, taste the cigars. (I swear that when I put my ear to my humidor, I can hear them breathing). Each sense adds something to the overall experience, much like how food can be so elegantly presented at a fine restaurant.
The presentation doesn't get much better than when you open up a box of beautiful cigars with a ribbon tied around it, gorgeous labels and maybe a nice cap at the foot. The box itself looks amazing. It really all comes together when a fabulous looking cigar tastes as good as it looks. I love the look of a dark maduro wrapper with a firm pure white ash on the end and a great looking band as it's smoking real good.
Yes, I know it's all fluff, marketing, or whatever you want to call it.
Don't get me wrong, I also like simple labels as well, and ultimately, if the cigar sucks, there's no packaging that will make me buy it again.

[holmes711]

Well said Shaz. I agree with what your saying.

[Shaz]

Originally Posted by holmes711

Well said Shaz. I agree with what your saying.

Thanks brother

[teoulennon]

I don't choose my cigars based on the label, although you can't argue against the fact that a label improves the aesthetics of a cigar. One of my favorites is the DPG My Father. I'd have to say the opposite for flor de olivas

[tzaddi]

Not so much a sucker but an admirer of a well designed and executed cigar band. Here are a few I have admired and consumed.

[Shaz]

Wow!!!
My point exactly. But with beautiful pictures as an exclaimation point.

[MrMusicMan1]

I like a lot of the CAO bands. Clean, catchy, and simple.

[Carpe Diem]

Nice cigar bands are certainly a good way to help sell the cigar, and they also add to the variety and enjoyment of the smoking experience.

As noted earlier in this thread, though, the cigar still has to be a good cigar to withstand the test of time...nice band notwithstanding.

[Dom]

The only cigar I've ever bought based SOLELY on the band is the La Aurora Cien Anos. But some of my favorite labels are:







and my favorite:

[holmes711]

Those are some sweet bands, Dom!

[PerpetualNoob]

I totally love the bands. Like some of the other BOTLs, a nice band will sell me a cigar, at least once. If the cigar turns out to be poo, I won't buy it again, though. I save all my bands, fancy and plain alike, unless they get totally trashed when I take them off the cigar. After seeing some of the other BOTL's band-art projects, I decided I might as well try my hand at it, too. My first attempt was this little collage (is that the right word?).

Not perfect, but I thought it was OK for a first try. Some of the bands weren't in as good a condition as I might have liked, and I left a few gaps showing. I was trying to get maximum coverage from the limited amount of bands I had, so I had to avoid covering them up any more than I had to. The frame is just a cheap-o maple thing from WalMart. The backer piece is a thin cardboard sheet I got from work, part of the packing for some computer forms that we used to use. I just used standard Elmer's glue stick to stick the bands on it.

I showed it to my brother when he was up here a couple of months ago, and he thought it was really cool, but he's almost as much of a goober as I am, so I took it with a large grain of salt. So now I have this Tupperware bucket of bands saved up, and I'm about ready to make another attempt or two.

I haven't counted them, but I think there may be a couple hundred in there, probably enough for at least two more projects. I'm going to do a few things differently this time. I'm going to be more judicious about trimming off any damaged parts, for one. I'm also going to be able to make everything horizontal, this time, for a couple of reasons. I have many more bands to work with, and I also bought a couple sheets of fancy paper from the artsy-fartsy store.

I will use spray adhesive to attach the paper to the cardboard before I start gluing the bands on it. I not only don't have to try to get 100% coverage, I actually want the paper to show through. I'm thinking about using one for a background, and using the other to cover a narrow matte around the outside, and reverse it for the other one, but I haven't decided for sure.

[nativetexan_1]

Presentation can be a wonderful start.

[teoulennon]

Originally Posted by PerpetualNoob

I totally love the bands. Like some of the other BOTLs, a nice band will sell me a cigar, at least once. If the cigar turns out to be poo, I won't buy it again, though. I save all my bands, fancy and plain alike, unless they get totally trashed when I take them off the cigar. After seeing some of the other BOTL's band-art projects, I decided I might as well try my hand at it, too. My first attempt was this little collage (is that the right word?).

Not perfect, but I thought it was OK for a first try. Some of the bands weren't in as good a condition as I might have liked, and I left a few gaps showing. I was trying to get maximum coverage from the limited amount of bands I had, so I had to avoid covering them up any more than I had to. The frame is just a cheap-o maple thing from WalMart. The backer piece is a thin cardboard sheet I got from work, part of the packing for some computer forms that we used to use. I just used standard Elmer's glue stick to stick the bands on it.

I showed it to my brother when he was up here a couple of months ago, and he thought it was really cool, but he's almost as much of a goober as I am, so I took it with a large grain of salt. So now I have this Tupperware bucket of bands saved up, and I'm about ready to make another attempt or two.

I haven't counted them, but I think there may be a couple hundred in there, probably enough for at least two more projects. I'm going to do a few things differently this time. I'm going to be more judicious about trimming off any damaged parts, for one. I'm also going to be able to make everything horizontal, this time, for a couple of reasons. I have many more bands to work with, and I also bought a couple sheets of fancy paper from the artsy-fartsy store.

I will use spray adhesive to attach the paper to the cardboard before I start gluing the bands on it. I not only don't have to try to get 100% coverage, I actually want the paper to show through. I'm thinking about using one for a background, and using the other to cover a narrow matte around the outside, and reverse it for the other one, but I haven't decided for sure.

Perpetual, may I recommend a product called Mod Podge?
Mod Podge, Glue & Decoupage Products from Plaid Enterprises
It's a liquid kindof like glue that you can use as a glue or (the best part) a kind of sealer. You can put a layer of it on top of that band collage and it will give it an awesome look. It comes in mat or glossy finish. A lot of people brush it on top of their puzzles to hold them in place and make them look better. It's hard to explain, but trust me, you won't be disappointed with the results!! Try it and let us see the finished product!