What Are the Differences Between Value Cigars and Premium Cigars?

When shopping for cigars, you’ll find selections ranging from around a dollar each to cigars that cost $20 or more. So what’s the difference between value cigars and premium cigars and how do those difference affect the price?

It isn’t simply a matter of good versus bad. Value cigars are designed to provide an enjoyable, affordable smoke, while premium cigars typically use more expensive tobacco and require more time and labor to produce.

Here’s what you need to know.

Value Cigars vs. Premium Cigars

These are general characteristics, not hard rules. There are handmade value cigars and affordable premium cigars.

1. Bundle vs. Box: Where the Price Difference Starts

One of the easiest differences to see is how cigars are packaged and sold.

Value cigars are frequently sold in bundles or larger packs, which helps keep packaging and overall costs down.

For example, Luis Martinez No. 611 Factory Throwouts are sold in 20-count bundles at an extremely affordable price. Trader Jack’s comes in bags and jars, while Black & Mild is available in large multi-packs.

Premium cigars are more commonly sold in boxes, often featuring more expensive packaging and presentation. While you can purchase an entire box, it is far easier to buy premium cigars as individual items, rather than value cigars that are sold by the bundle

The result? You can stock up on dozens of value cigars for the price of a handful of premium cigars.

2. Machine-Made vs. Hand-Rolled

Machine-made cigars after often associated with value cigars. They are produced using machinery that allows manufacturers to produce large quantities quickly and consistently.

That lower labor cost is one reason machine-made cigars can be so affordable. Black & Mild is a familiar example of a machine-made cigar. Factory Throwouts are another value option produced using efficient machine manufacturing.

This is not always the case – Quorum cigars, for instance, are hand-rolled rather than machine-produced.

Premium cigars, however, are almost exclusively hand-rolled by skilled cigar makers. Hand rolling takes considerably more time and labor, which contributes to the higher price.

The chart above is illustrative rather than a measurement of actual production costs.

3. Short Filler vs. Long Filler Tobacco

What’s inside the cigar matters, too, when we are comparing Value and Premium cigars.

Short filler tobacco consists of smaller pieces of tobacco leaf packed inside the cigar. It is commonly used in value and machine-made cigars because it can be produced efficiently and economically. 

Long filler tobacco uses longer pieces of tobacco leaf that run through much of the cigar. Long filler is the traditional construction found in most premium handmade cigars.

This doesn’t mean short filler is bad. A well-made short-filler cigar can be an excellent everyday smoke.For example, Luis Martinez No. 611 Factory Throwouts use short filler while still featuring an Ecuadorian Sungrown wrapper and Dominican tobacco. 

Value cigars also occasionally feature mixed filler – long and short filler tobaccos combined.

4. Tobacco and Wrapper Selection

Premium cigars often command higher prices because manufacturers can be more selective about the tobacco they use.

Premium cigars may feature carefully aged filler and binder tobacco along with attractive, highly graded wrapper leaves which are free from blemishes, holes, or overly thick veins.

Value cigars can use the same general types of tobacco but may utilize more economical grades or leaves with cosmetic imperfections.

It’s important to remember: a small wrapper blemish doesn’t necessarily affect the smoking experience.

Which Cigars Should You Buy? Value Cigars or Premium Cigars?

The answer depends on what you’re looking for.

Choose value cigars when you want:

→ Affordable everyday smokes
→ Large quantities for less money
→ A reliable, straightforward smoking experience
→ Cigars for golf, the garage, the backyard, or watching the game

Choose premium cigars when you want:

→ More complex blends
→ Long-filler construction
→ Hand-rolled craftsmanship
→ Carefully selected tobacco
→ A cigar for a celebration or special occasion

And you don’t have to choose one or the other.

Many cigar smokers keep both value cigars and premium cigars in their humidors for different occasions.

The Bottom Line

The difference between a value cigar and a premium cigar comes down to more than price.

Value cigars can use efficient production, short filler, economical tobacco grades, and bundle packaging to deliver an affordable everyday smoke.

Premium cigars generally involve more expensive tobacco, long filler, hand rolling, careful blending, and more labor.

The best cigar isn’t always the most expensive one.

It’s the one you enjoy smoking.