• Hi Guest - Come check out all of the new CP Merch Shop! Now you can support CigarPass buy purchasing hats, apparel, and more...
    Click here to visit! here...

El Cheapo Smoke of the Day - 2024

A one dollar Oro Cubano (Cuban Gold) - Churchill. About a buck and a half, everyday online price.
A mellow/medium Dominican with an Indonesian wrapper.

This one has been hibernating at 68% since May 2023, I think. The construction is a bit wonky, but it smoked well. Good burn line and no touch-ups.

Overall, it was a decent smoke - - more like a two-dollar cigar ! 😜😜😜

Puffy rating: ⭐⭐⭐ and 7/16ths

Oro Cubana.jpg
 
< $2.50 Arturo Fuente Especiales 5.5 x 56. About $5 everyday online.

"Arturo Fuente Especiales are drafted from a premium Cuban-sandwich blend of aged Dominican tobaccos beneath a reddish-brown Ecuador Habano wrapper leaf. "

This one is from March '23. Nice smoke with a nice draw and an even burn - no touch ups.


Puffy rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

AF Especiales.jpg
 
$1.87 Victor Sinclair Primero 6 x 60 - from a large sampler pack of VS cigars.
Everyday sampler 40 cigars/$110. ($2.75/ea) - March 2023.

Mellow Dominican, with Dominican long leaf fillers and a Connecticut wrapper.

Nice construction and a good burn.

Puffy rating: ⭐⭐⭐ and 13/16ths

Victor Sinclair Primers 60.jpg
 
5 Vegas Gold @ $2.30 ea/delivered, box of 20. Typical everyday online price - $4.

Honduran, with Honduran & Nicaraguan fillers and an Ecuador Connecticut wrapper.

It's not like I burnt this one right off of the truck - it's been in the humidor @68% for a solid ten days. ;)

It's a mellow stick with good construction, a good draw, and an even burn. Your basic well-behaved cigar. If you like a mellow cigar with a bit of spice in the morning, then this one is for you.


Puffy rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

mrning smoke.jpg
5 vegas gold box.jpg
5 vegas gold.jpg
 
$1.60 La Perla Habana Black Pearl Morado
$80/box of 20 everyday online.

Nicaraguan fillers and binder and a nice Cameroon wrapper. Medium.

This one is from mid-Nov 2023, and it smoked well.

Puffy rating: ⭐⭐⭐ and 3/4ths

1000008054.jpg
 
I found this one in the desk drawer this morning, and no band. I suspect that it's a Swisher Sweet - the last of my birthday cigars. It smoked remarkably well.

It paired well with some el cheapo instant coffee, with a glug of Kahlua.

Puffy rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

swisher sweet.jpg
 
I traded for this Villager "Gold Tube". Couldn't find much on it, except that the tube says "Special Edition Cuban Filler".

It had a funky wrapper and sorta squishy construction, but it smoked perfectly, all the way to the nub. And, it was actually a pretty decent smoke.

Puffy rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ and 7/8ths

villager2.jpg
villager1.jpg
 
I traded for this Villager "Gold Tube". Couldn't find much on it, except that the tube says "Special Edition Cuban Filler".

It had a funky wrapper and sorta squishy construction, but it smoked perfectly, all the way to the nub. And, it was actually a pretty decent smoke.

Puffy rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ and 7/8ths

View attachment 78791
View attachment 78792
I got some of those on a JR Deal like 15-20 years ago except they were in glass tubes. I think the ones I had were called casinos or something. Long & skinny like those. I enjoyed each more than I expected — sometimes wonky burn and kinda squishy like you said but overall, tasty.
 
Duque (pronounced "du-kay") 7 x 50.

These are online everyday at 50 sticks/$64.99. This one came from an El Cheap sampler pack in Aug '23.

This is your typical budget Dominican, with Dominican Cuban-sandwich style filler, and a Sumatra wrapper.
The wrapper is thin and the construction is a bit squishy, but It smoked well and stayed lit.

Mellow+

Puffy rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2

Duque Cigar Churchill.jpg
 
Last edited:
Sweet Jane cigarillo 4 x 32.

I think that these were originally made by the Deadwood Tobacco Company, and maybe later by Drew Estates. Or both ???
They smell a little like coffee and maybe a bit of chocolate, and they have a sweet tip.

While I'm not a fan of flavored cigars, this little guy wasn't all that bad. It burned well and stayed lit.

Puffy rating: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half

sweet jane.jpg
 
$1.87 Victor Sinclair Vintage Select 6 x 60 - from a large sampler pack of VS cigars in July '23. I think the everyday online price of these is $3-ish.

Medium Dominican, with Dominican long leaf fillers and an Brazilian Maduro wrapper.

All of these Victor Sinclair sticks have had a very good construction/draw/burn. My favorite in this line.

Puffy rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Victor Sinclair Vintage.jpg
 
Last edited:
$1.08 Odyssey Maduro - 5.5 x 43. Medium Nicaraguan. Maduro wrapper.

These have been at 68% since October, and have improved.

Good construction/draw/burn. Pretty decent el cheapo smoke at this price range.

Puffy rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

odyssey maduro.jpg
 
< $3 Cult Maduro - Toro

Medium/full Nicaraguan, with an Maduro wrapper.
I got two 5-packs in October, and now I can't find anymore online.
If anyone finds these, please to let me know. I need some more.

These are very nice for budget smoke.

Puffy rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

cult maduro.jpg
 
< $3 Cult Maduro - Toro

Medium/full Nicaraguan, with an Maduro wrapper.
I got two 5-packs in October, and now I can't find anymore online.
If anyone finds these, please to let me know. I need some more.

These are very nice for budget smoke.

Puffy rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

View attachment 79069
I agree... however I have only smoke the little doods 4.7x42 that come in a 5 ct. box. And those were the Habano ones. But the flavor was memorable. I might grab some for the hot weather days that will be here soon. A buck fiddy for about a half our and then back in the AC. If I can't last the whole 30... leave it in the ash tray.
 
Don Lugo - in the handy Churchill size.

This is one of Thompson's house brand generic Dominican cigars with an Indonesion wrapper.
Mellow+, with just a bit of spice.

VERY thin wrapper that unraveled almost immediately. Still, it continued to smoke OK.

The smoke was about a 3 1/2, but the construction was a 1 1/2.

Puffy rating (overall): ⭐ ⭐

thompson2.jpg
thompson1.jpg
 
$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: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

1000008400.jpg
1000008403.jpg
 
$0.71 Double Happiness. These toros hail from the Philippines, and are available in the budget-friendly 50-cigar bundle.

Nicaraguan filler, Habano binder, Connecticut wrapper.

This latest batch (Nov '23) has a much improved wrapper from the previous batch. All of them have burned well and stayed lit.

Mellow+

Puffy rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ and 5/16ths

double happiness.jpg
 
Top