El Cheapo Smoke of the Day - 2024

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

* * * * Post up those El Cheapo smokes ! * * * *
- and El Cheapo deals !

Here's one of my favorites.

Graycliff G2. This can be had (on sale) for less than $3.

Nicaraguan, with Dominican & Nicaraguan fillers, and an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper.
A nice mellow smoke.

Puffy rating:

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

< $3 - La Palina Nicaragua Oscuro 6 x 50. About six bucks everyday online.

Nicaraguan with Nicaraguan long fillers and binder, and an Ecuadorian Oscuro wrapper.

Medium stick with good construction and a decent burn. I'm into my second box of these, and they've all been well behaved.
Nice smoke, especially at this price point.

Puffy rating:

 

[JoeMO]

I was hoping with inflation, you might raise El Cheapo to $4, but good on you. Happy New Year!!

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

I was hoping with inflation, you might raise El Cheapo to $4, but good on you. Happy New Year!!

@JoeMO - That's a good idea !
Why not ?
Post away !

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Don Smith Series Dee.

A mellow+ Churchill for under a dollar
Everyday online price $1.50, but wait for a sale.

Dominican, with an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper. Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers.

Decent construction and burn, and generally well behaved.

Puffy rating: 1/2

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

$1.81 Cuban Classics. Neither Cuban, nor classic.
Online, everyday - about $2.50.

Nicaraguan fillers and binder with a barber pole maduro/undisclosed natural wrapper.

A well behaved medium strength cigar that smoked well and stayed lit.
This is an excellent smoke in this price range.

Puffy rating: 3/4

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

$3.71 - The Griffins 5 x 50. A lesser species from those nice folks at Davidoff.
Everyday online price $10.

A mellow and well constructed Dominican with Dominican fillers and an Connecticut wrapper.

When I can get these for under $4 - I buy 'em.

Puffy rating: 1/2

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

This fine cigar was discovered during the 2024 humidor rearrangement incident.

$1.87 Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur.
Online everyday price $7.

A mellow+ Honduran, with Dominican, Honduran, and Nicaraguan fillers - and an Connecticut broadleaf wrapper.

Good construction with a slow, even burn.

Puffy rating: 3/4

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

These just arrived
20 sticks each. $1.50/stick - delivered.
Ya gotta love a good sale.

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

SALE ! And then they threw a 20% discount on top of that. And I had a coupon.

$3.21/delivered - AJ Fernandez La Gran Llave Maduro 5 x 54 box pressed. Medium-full - in a nice wooden box.

Nicaraguan fillers, Habano binder, Mexican San Andrés Maduro wrapper. My second one of these, and the same impression - a bit of black pepper up front, and then a nice smoke. A slow, even burn.

Puffy rating: 3/32


View attachment 77087

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Back to basics.. "Double Happiness", a seventy-one cent cigar from the Philippines. These toro-sized sticks come in the budget friendly 50 cigar bundle.

A mellow, nutty, and sometimes slightly floral cigar with varying construction and a thin wrapper, but all of them have smoked well and stayed lit.

Pairing: House brand instant decaf coffee. Irish cream optional.

Puffy rating :

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Don't Tread On Me - 5 x 54.

"Hailing from the TACASA factory of Esteli, Nicaragua with oily, well-fermented Maduro wrappers and aged Nicaraguan long-fillers. Long on flavor with deep richness and serious complexity with pleasant nuances of chocolate and molasses and a spicy kick. Medium to full in body".

$1.50 ea, on sale (bundle of 20). Free shipping. These arrived on Thursday. Today is Saturday. They're slightly wet, but Ima burn one anyway.

Puffy rating:

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

The fire department responded to an electrical transformer incident at 3am. The power is still out, but the good news is that the generator started on the third pull, and there's coffee. and a nice cigar.

$2.58 Gilberto Oliva Reserva Blanc, from a large Oliva sampler pack that's been resting in the 68% box since May, I think.

Mellow+ Nicaraguan stick with an Habano binder and an Ecuador Connecticut wrapper. About $7.

Puffy rating:

 

[dawgie34203]

Puffy rating: 3/32

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Victor Sinclair Fumas Lonsdale Maduro 6 x 42.
Box of 50 / $54.99 everyday online price. A little less for you coupon shoppers.

These are made with the scrap leaves leftover from rolling the good cigars. They promise no floor sweepings.

This is #22 from a box of 50. This one was a bit squishy, but it had a nice flavor and a good, even burn.

Puffy rating: 1/2

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Old Havana Stogie. "Affordable handmades from Victor Sinclair will keep your humidor stocked and go easy on your wallet in the process. Old school style, with traditional flavor and high quality construction"

A $1.20 mellow Dominican, with a Connecticut wrapper. Sort of a rough, but firm construction. Good burn, and stayed lit.
Quite nice for this price point.

Puffy rating: and a half

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Don't Tread On Me - 5 x 54.

"Hailing from the TACASA factory of Esteli, Nicaragua with oily, well-fermented Maduro wrappers and aged Nicaraguan long-fillers. Long on flavor with deep richness and serious complexity with pleasant nuances of chocolate and molasses and a spicy kick. Medium to full in body".

$1.50 ea, on sale (bundle of 20). Free shipping. These arrived on Thursday. Today is Saturday. They're slightly wet, but Ima burn one anyway.

Puffy rating:

View attachment 77449

Let's have another one.
These smoke way above this price range.

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Oliva Connecticut Reserve 5 x 50. A mellow+ Nicaraguan with Nicaraguan fillers/binder - and a Connecticut wrapper.
$2.67 ea/delivered. I got this box during the after Christmas sales.

These are pretty decent - if you like a mellow stick with your morning coffee.

Well constructed and a good draw. Excellent burn line.

Puffy rating:

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

< $1 - Flor de Filipinas Robusto Natural 5 x 52. Hand rolled in the Philipines.

"Premium, hand rolled, smooth-medium bodied cigar made from the same top notch, imported Cuban-seed tobaccos that you love."

Bought this 25 stick bundle in October. $29.99, minus 20% sale - and free shipping - puts them under a dollar.

Nice mellow smoke. This is #10 from that bundle. Decent construction and an even burn. Every one of them.

Puffy rating:

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Odyssey Connecticut 5 x 50.

This very mild and well constructed Nicaraguan starts with "blended" fillers and gets all wrapped in Connecticut goodness.

Puffy price $1.08 -or- you high rollers can go online right now and pay the everyday low price of $1.75 ea.

After burning about a dozen of these, I can say that the construction, the draw, the burn are consistent and favorable.
Approx three months @68%.

Puffy rating: 1/2