Expert: James Yee - 9/27/2007

Question
I like cigars, but never got educated in them, but have had some nice ones; cuban, philipino, domincan.

Hoping that you can suggest a smooth cigar at a good price to buy in bulk and give away to my friends.
Many thanks.

Answer
Hi Vicente,

When handing out cigars to celebrate the birth of a child, it’s always important to hand out cigars that are wrapped in cellophane or packaged in a cigar tube.  Not everyone may own a humidor so by handing out individually-wrapped/sealed cigars, your friends can stow the cigars in their pockets and not worry about them drying out too quickly.  Also be sure to hand out smooth, mild cigars as not everyone may have a strong stomach for cigar smoke.

If you would like to hand out non-Cuban cigars, Padron, Arturo Fuente, Sancho Panza, Punch and Hoyo de Monterrey all make smooth, mild-to-medium cigars available in cellophane wrappers.  Wrapped cigars are typically medium to low-end cigars that cost anywhere from $4-$10 each.  You may be able to find a good price if you shop around.  Some brands such as Arturo Fuente even package inexpensive “It’s a boy!/It’s a girl!” cigars just for this occasion.

If you prefer to hand out Cuban cigars, Romeo y Julieta, H. Upmann, Bolivar, Partagas and Ramon Allones have affordable cigars that are individually wrapped.  However, these cigars are also stronger than my non-Cuban suggestions.  Guantanamera, La Flor de Cano, Cabanas and Gispert are low-end Cuban brands both inexpensive and mild.

As for price, spend whatever you feel comfortable spending when buying cigars.  On average, people spend around $5 per cigar and usually buy two boxes (20-25 cigars per box; depending on brand) to hand out to friends, family and coworkers.  Many people just like to buy one box and only hand out to immediate family and close friends/coworkers.

What you should do is visit your local cigar shop/tobacconist and give the staff your ideal spending limit and I’m sure the store staff would be more than happy to make some more brand suggestions.  Figure out how many people you would like to give cigars out to first as this will definitely help you when shopping for cigars.  Remember that most boxes will have 25 cigars so if you need to buy a little more than 25, just buy one box and a few singles of the same cigar.

Hope this answers your question. If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I’ll be happy to help.  Congratulations on having a baby!

Regards,
James