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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

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< $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: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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$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

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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: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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$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

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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

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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

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PuffTheMagicDragon said:
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

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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

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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

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$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: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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$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

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< $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: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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PuffTheMagicDragon said:
< $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: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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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): ⭐ ⭐

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$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: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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$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

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