Why the Deals Page Has Rules
The deals page is self-serving. I built it because I wanted to know what the real deals were without reading every cigar email ever sent. Since I was already doing the work, I put it where anyone else could use it. The rules are what make it worth looking at.
Why I wanted it in the first place
If I'm looking for a box or a five-pack of something, I'd rather get a good deal on it than pay retail every time. I'm not opposed to supporting a shop at full retail. I just want to know what's out there so I have the option.
The emails I got tired of
Everybody who buys cigars online knows these. The ad that says 150 brands, as low as $1.29 a cigar. The $1.29 is real... on a brand nobody has heard of, a crappy cigar on closeout that you're never going to see again. Everything else in the email is basically retail. I got tired of those fast.
I also got tired of the job itself: reading every single email from every single retailer, forever, to catch the days when the deals were actually good.
The rule
It has to be a legitimate deal. If I can go to that store or that site and get the same price any day of the week, all year long, that's not a deal. That's the price. It doesn't go on the page.
What the page is for
Glance at the top deals right now. Decide whether I'm willing to spend money. When I've got cash set aside, watch it for a couple of days and pull the trigger on something real. One spot, all of it, quick. That's the entire reason the deals page exists.
More from the Deck
Why There Are No Ads Here
I don't like clutter, I don't look at ads, and I don't want to be beholden to anyone who can pull one. So there will never be ads sold on this site.
The Verdict Distribution, Out Loud
35 cigar reviews: 6 Box Buy, 12 Five-Pack, 11 Hand-Me-One, 6 Not Even Free. The grade curve behind every verdict on this site, published so you can hold me to it.
The Case Against the 100-Point Scale
I scored cigars on 100 points my first year. A cigar I'd never smoke again landed a 78 and a phenomenal one an 87. That's why this site runs four tiers.