Are they worth it???

[MoTheMan]

Originally Posted by Lamar

I must admit that I prefer isom's mostly because of price and long term aging potential but out of fairness, I bought my first 1926 today at $30. Price is working against me fully enjoying this cigar though because it is going to have to be some kind of good to outperform the 7 Party Shorts that I could have had instead.

I second that.

[kansashat]

I wasn't debating your opinion IHT. It was just my $0.02 worth.

I agree that there are less expensive cigars out there that have better flavor than many of the more expensive cigars. That's part of the fun of cigar smoking IMHO......finding a good smoke for not a lot of money.

Being out in the middle of nowhere, like I am, I must admit to being eaten up with curiosity about some of the expensive non-Cuban cigars that my local smokeshops just do not carry. To give you a couple of examples; a smokeshop about 30 miles from me has some Ashton (regular line) & that's the best they carry......another one, about 60 miles away, might have a Don Carlos or two, a Hemingway, & some Macanudo Vintage. No PAM, no VSG, no Opus, no Preferido, etc.
My local here in town has some Licenciados, Upmann, etc. Hell, I've got 10 times the smokes as my local smokeshop & IMHO better quality.

One of the reasons I am considering dropping $170 on a box of Principes is that I figure that I'm probably gonna enjoy the PAM....it's almost certain. I could drop $170 on 2 or 3 boxes of less expensive cigars & not be sure I'm gonna like any of them all that much. I've got my collection to the point to where I can buy the more expensive cigars & not risk running out of cigars any time in the next couple of years......soooo, it's time to raise the bar a little & see what all the excitement is all about. Heck, I'm kinda excited about it.

[El Rey del Mundo]

Originally Posted by kansashat

I wasn't debating your opinion IHT. It was just my $0.02 worth.

I agree that there are less expensive cigars out there that have better flavor than many of the more expensive cigars. That's part of the fun of cigar smoking IMHO......finding a good smoke for not a lot of money.

Being out in the middle of nowhere, like I am, I must admit to being eaten up with curiosity about some of the expensive non-Cuban cigars that my local smokeshops just do not carry. To give you a couple of examples; a smokeshop about 30 miles from me has some Ashton (regular line) & that's the best they carry......another one, about 60 miles away, might have a Don Carlos or two, a Hemingway, & some Macanudo Vintage. No PAM, no VSG, no Opus, no Preferido, etc.
My local here in town has some Licenciados, Upmann, etc. Hell, I've got 10 times the smokes as my local smokeshop & IMHO better quality.

One of the reasons I am considering dropping $170 on a box of Principes is that I figure that I'm probably gonna enjoy the PAM....it's almost certain. I could drop $170 on 2 or 3 boxes of less expensive cigars & not be sure I'm gonna like any of them all that much. I've got my collection to the point to where I can buy the more expensive cigars & not risk running out of cigars any time in the next couple of years......soooo, it's time to raise the bar a little & see what all the excitement is all about. Heck, I'm kinda excited about it.

Welcome to the "bright side"! Im very excited too to try some PAM and Opus X, though theyre a bit (you can say that again!) expensive. Hope theyre good, eyh!

[IHT]

Originally Posted by kansashat

I wasn't debating your opinion IHT. It was just my $0.02 worth.

Being out in the middle of nowhere, like I am, I must admit to being eaten up with curiosity about some of the expensive non-Cuban cigars that my local smokeshops just do not carry. To give you a couple of examples; a smokeshop about 30 miles from me has some Ashton (regular line) & that's the best they carry......another one, about 60 miles away, might have a Don Carlos or two, a Hemingway, & some Macanudo Vintage. No PAM, no VSG, no Opus, no Preferido, etc.
My local here in town has some Licenciados, Upmann, etc. Hell, I've got 10 times the smokes as my local smokeshop & IMHO better quality.

One of the reasons I am considering dropping $170 on a box of Principes is that I figure that I'm probably gonna enjoy the PAM....it's almost certain.

i didn't direct mine to you, but i guess to everyone that's responding to me that didn't seem to understand what i was saying.

to your last post.
i live just outside of KC (leavenworth county), and even the shops in KC DO NOT have padron 1926s, and very few 1964s, and even fewer VSGs and Opus'. so, it's not just living out in the middle of kansas... it's all over. here in Savannah, where i'm at for a month, they didn't have jack squat either.....

i also have no doubt that you'll like those Padron 1964 Principes.. i've had some myself, they were good.

[txmatt]

PAM Principe's are the only PAM I can justify the cost of buying a box. Well maybe the Exclusivo . I am sure you will enjoy them kansashat.

What struck me most about the Principe is how well the thing smoked itself.. I was about 1/2 an inch into one when my son woke up early from his nap. I placed the cigar on the brick ledge outside the patio window and went inside to get him. Of course he had crapped in his diaper and sat in it a dozen times so it was smeared everywhere. Once he was changed he was yelling for a bottle. I place the clean diapered boy in the playpen and turn on Blue's clues for him to watch. I run downstairs, make a bottle, bring it back up to him. I move the monitor transmitter into the TV room with him and then dash back downstairs and out to the patio to find what I suspected would be a burnt out expensive cigar. The Principe was still slowly releasing light trails of smoke though. I got to enjoy it for 20 more minutes before my son started yelling because the show had ended.

I can get 4 or 5 of the Sancho Panza Double Maduro Quixote cigars for the price of one Principe. I can get 3 boxes of the Padron 2000 for that price as well. Except for really special occasions I will stick with the less expensive almost as good cigars. At the same time though I would really enjoy having a full box of Principe's to pull out when a BOTL visits or something like that.

Matt

[SilvrBck]

Maybe I should clarify why I posted this. When I noticed the top 5 of the top 25 were Padron Annis I thought that maybe I should buy some to see what all the hype was about. I go through this dilmena every now and then. Price vs. availablity/quality/flavor. I did a search and found the Padron 24's for close to $30/cigar at a shop online. That pissed me off. I mean, $30 could buy me a lot of other excellent cigars. Instead of paying top dollar for the Padron, I could buy a few Cuban cigars instead. Or, even further, I could buy 10 Brazilia piranhas!!! If I go into a shop and see a cigar for $25 per I think that they must be good. WRONG! All I can assume is that they're overpriced.

I'm lucky. I live in San Diego with a La Casa del Habanos about 1 hour from my house. I guess I'm just looking for justification to max out my credit cards down there with the justification that I'm saving money by not buying overpriced domestincs!!!

SB

[kamikaiguy]

It all depends. I personally Like the PAM '64's and the 26 as well. I usually pay $15.00 a stick for the PAM 64 torpedo's and $16.00 for the 26 torpedo's.

They are good cigars. I don't smoke them everyday just on occation. I think they are worth a try. There are definitely better cubans out there for less money. I personally like Monte #2 that are about $10.00 a stick and they in my opinion not beter but different. You see I don't look at cubans as being better that non cuban. I look at the as different.

[El Rey del Mundo]

Originally Posted by kamikaiguy

You see I don't look at cubans as being better that non cuban. I look at the as different.

Thats how I see them too...

[SeanGAR]

Originally Posted by kamikaiguy

You see I don't look at cubans as being better that non cuban. I look at the as different.

Coming from the nuder runner champ, this is valuable advise.

[kamikaiguy]

Hey it take a lot of guts to play that game at work.

[One Lonely Smoker]

Originally Posted by SeanGAR

I think the fact that habanos are not available in the US allows the crazy demand and high prices for high end NCs. If habanos were allowed to compete, the high end NCs would have to drop their prices to make sales, because when more US consumers try habanos, they more they'll want them. In fact I think if habanos were legal we'd be looking at a serious price increase due to supply and demand issues. I'm quite content with the current situation.

BAM...did Seangar hit it on the head or what??? The more I read of his handiwork, the more I like him. Even his ridiculous fables are priceless. Or maybe they're fractured fairy tales. The situation would definitely change fast if that scenario were to manifest itself on the marketplace. But of course, like he said, try to get a good havana after the embargo lifts. The best part is, those of us who know would NEVER buy a cuban cigar in a store after that day. It would be criminally insane. Those of us who have good connections now would never miss a beat. I'll let the others trample each other trying to get into a smoke shop for a cuban. Cause if Fidel and his cronies have their way, and they have said this directly, they will never take ONE cigar out of the pipeline to Europe and Asia to meet US demand. And I don't blame them. No, I'll stick with my man overseas.

[Franksmith]

Some mighty good answers here but to keep it simple with my own

Definitely NO, they are not. ISOM's ROCK!

[One Lonely Smoker]

Originally Posted by SilvrBck

overpriced domestincs!!!

SB

Freudian slip...or Fidellian

----------------Edit--------
BTW, sorry to dredge this up out of a thread from last year...Silly ass CS put it in the "other posts like this" area, and I took the bait without looking.

[punch]

Interestingly, Theo Rudman (who lives in South Africa and can smoke whatever he wants) rates a BUNCH of non-Cuban cigars with the same 5 star ratings that he rates the best Cuban cigars. "Different" is not always "better". Anyway, to me a cigar (or any other item) is worth whatever you want to pay for it. I know guys who's income level would make $20.00 chump change. For them, the cost of the cigar does not even factor into the "worth it" category. They smoke what they like. One of the top attorneys in my community (who can certainly afford anything he wants) seems to be partial to the DR Montecristos. In fact, he is the one that turned me on to them. I was rather pissed, however, when the last remaining box of Hemmingway Signatures on the shelf at a local shop had his name on it!

The real question "Are they worth it" can only be answered by you. I used to get involved in discussions like this on several music sites. Anything that pertains to the senses has a very large personal component to it. Music, Art, Food, Drink . . . in the end, only YOU can decide for yourself.

[Blueface]

I have smoked ISOMs for years.
My dad has for the past 55.
Both of us born and raised there for years.
Anyone that thinks that ISOMs are better than the Padron Anniversary 64, '26 or 40th really has questionable taste.
By far, the Padron Anniversary line is the finest in the world.
Jose Padron and his sons are Cubans that came to America clearly seeking to make the best possible cigar and they have suceeded. Cigar Aficionado and Cigar Insider agree. No ISOM brand can boast so many cigars consistently rated over 90.
I would trade any of my high end ISOMs (Siglo VI, Sublimes, RA Belicosos, etc) anyday for any anniversary.
As a matter of fact, send me anniversaries and will send you any ISOM you want.
Forget the price. If you can handle it, enjoy the finest available to man.