A couple of years ago, I wrote a breakdown of my two favorite cigar websites for great cigar deals. Over the years, it’s been one of my most popular posts, so I want to expand on the topic.
In the last few years, a number of newcomers to the online cigar market have emerged, including Cigar Federation, Atlantic Cigar, and more. And of course, you’ve got all of your traditional online retailers like Thompson Cigar, JR Cigar, and Cigars International, which for me are generally a snoozefest, offering samplers that sound great but are ultimately disappointing.
But I know what you’re thinking: “Matthias, hurry up and tell me where to buy cigars online!”
I will. But before I get to my updated list of best places to buy cigars online, something to keep in mind. Price is not the only factor I consider in this list. I’m looking price, selection, online experience, and also what a website brings to the table that is new and fresh.
So without further ado…
The Best Online Cigar Store
Winner: Famous Smoke Shop
I’m a big fan of Famous Smoke Shop. Not just because their website is easy to navigate or because they have great customer service. They have a great selection and, after ordering dozens of times through them, I find all of my cigars are shipped with packaging that preserves the integrity of the cigars. If you are looking to buy cigars for friends, loved ones, or even yourself, start there. Famous also have an innovative take on the “deal a day” fad that happened back in the early 2000’s. Yep, I’m talking about cigarmonster.com, still one of my favorites to buy cigars from.
If you want the best deals on cigarmonster.com, don’t refresh your browser once an hour. Instead, log in every Friday for the Mega Monster Mashup where they feature all of the deals that they ran earlier in the week.
Honorable Mention: Cigarbid.com
That’s right, it made the top of my list once again. Why? A few reasons. First, I’ve ordered many a box of cigars on this website, and I’ve never had any problems with availability, shipping, or cigars being mysteriously substituted for other cigars because “we didn’t have it in stock.” *cough* Thompson Cigars *cough*
Second, I’ve gotten some flat out amazing deals on this website. A few months ago, I ordered a pack of 10 Room 101 Uncle Lee cigars, which I think exemplifies the dried cedar/leather flavor profile better than almost any cigar I’ve smoked. The price? Less than $40 for the box.
So price is one thing. Third, though, this website focuses mostly on packs/boxes of cigars, not samplers. That means you do a lot less wading through crap deals and can focus more on finding awesome lots to bid on. If you find you want a different spin on cigar auctioning, you can also check out Cigar Auctioneer, which offers a similar service.
Honorable Mention: Smoke Inn
Although this website doesn’t get many points in the web design / user experience category, it does get some big points for the sheer breadth of cigar companies that it features, including many great boutiques. Take a look at the Smoke Inn Microblend Series, which is basically a sampler of some of the best boutique releases on the market (ok, ok, some of them aren’t strictly “boutique” companies in the traditional sense, but they aren’t General Cigar co’s either).
The Worst Websites to Buy Cigars
So now that you know my three favorite websites to buy cigars on, here are some scammy cigar websites to avoid.
Thompson Cigars
That’s right folks, one of the world’s largest online cigar retailers is getting dropped on my shit list. Why? Because if you place an order with them, you could expect a call from a pushy sales rep trying to get you to sign up for some ridiculous cigar of the month club. No biggie though, right? Just say no!
Except even when customers say no, Thompson still signs them up. Read here and here. Unfortunately, Thompson Cigars seems to be a sad example of a company getting too big and sacrificing its integrity to maintain sales targets set by higher-ups.
Thompson isn’t the only company involved in these kind of schemes: just the one that’s gotten caught the most often. The take-away here? Be very careful to check with any salesperson on the phone that you aren’t being signed up for any additional services, and check your bank statement at the end of the month to doublecheck. Once you’ve decided a retailer is trustworthy: stick with them!
Solo Cigars
I’ve never purchased through Solo Cigars, but I’ve read on countless internet forums now that, not only do they sell fake Cuban cigars, but they’ve also been involved in creating fake accounts on popular cigar forums to try to get people to change their mind about the retailer. Just google their name and look at result 2 – 10. You’ll get the idea. Key point here is: always check the reputation of any cigar retailer you purchase from. Just google their name and add “reviews”.
Do you have a favorite cigar retailer that should be on this list? Or, if you have a question about a cigar retailer, or a comment (good or bad), drop it in the comments section below.
P.S. Shopping for Christmas? Check out our ultimate cigar gift guide.
Disclaimer: affiliate links may be included in this post at no cost to you. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own!
View Comments (52)
Steer clear of Cigar.com and CigarsIntl.com (sister companies) as they recently had a software problem that prevented them from shipping goods. However, they dishonestly decided NOT to publish this fact on their website and/or before you paid for the goods, and the result was you gave them money, and they could not tell you when or if you would actually get the cigars! They KNEW the would have a problem shipping your order, and they didn't tell you, and just merrily took new orders and the money for the same without telling any clients the truth.
Just wanted to give you a quick update. Cigar International, a site i tried for the first time, spent $180 on my first order, then got a reply they were out of stock on one of my cigars, which reduced my price to $150. As of now, I am at 14 days since I placed my order, and the only response I received from the company, after 2 email complaints, is a auto email saying, we are processing your order.
Horrible experience, will never use them again.
exact same thing happened to me. did u ever receive your cigars
I enjoyed reading your article and was glad to know someone else feels the same about Thompson. I found the tbe cigars I received from Thompson were not always the freshest. Jand R cigars fresh shipping reliable great customer service
You can add Cigars International to that list. still waiting for sence February for an order.
Stay Away From Cigar One. They show a three pack purchase, then tell you the choice is for one, out of a three pack! RIP OFF
AVOID AVOID AVOID !!!!!!!
Hi! I loved your article. I'm getting into cigars and am looking into getting my brother in law some cigars for Christmas, like a nice sampler. I'd love to pick your brain about how to go about this. Like, what is a good assortment, maybe I can also discreetly find out what taste he likes best. Also, how long does a cigar last in an humidor? Will it go bad after a certain point? This way I don't get him too many. I'd really appreciate the help. It seems like you really know what's what and I'd like to get some stuff online so it's different from what we can get around town. Again, I'm new to this completely, so the more info I can get the better.
Hi Eryn!
Luckily enough, I've actually written another article specifically about this! You can check it out here: https://finetobacconyc.com/ultimate-christmas-cigar-gift-guide/
As far as how long the cigar will last in the humidor, it really just depends on the owner keeping enough humidification in the humidor. Otherwise cigars can last for many years.
As far as discovering what his tastes are, the best way is to approximate based on the foods that he likes. For example, if he's a meat and potatos, steak and gravy kind of person, he'll probably do well with more full bodied cigars. If he is a tea drinker or likes lighter foods like salmon, a milder cigar sampler would be better.
Let me know if this answers your question!
Famous Smokes sold me a box of expensive Gurhkas I ordered for my daughter's graduation. I've had better cigars that sat on the shelf of a kroger supermarket for years. They put me in touch with the marketing rep, Christine, from Gurhka who piled the shit higher than cowboy could ever shovel. The farce continued for months. I was out good money and left with an unforgettable taste from both Gurhka and Famous. Sorry....I'm not buying your bull either and neither should your readers.
Hey Jon, thanks for commenting. I've gotta say though, in this case, your problem was that you ordered Gurkhas, a company known for churning out lots of cool looking cigars that don't taste good at all (hence why they are constantly on sale on websites like cigarbid). It doesn't sound in this case like Famous did anything besides fulfilling your order.
Next time, don't order Gurkha. In fact, if you'd like a recommendation, I'd be happy to give you one. Email me at matthias at finetobacconyc.com
Even Mr. Nick Perdomo supports famous. I have been buying from CI for about 15 years.. They are going down hill Fast ! Nick speaks about how well the RH is in Famous. No more CI for me (the last two shipments took 8 DAYS when they are promised in 2 to 6 days. Later Daxe CI ! Plus your $$$ are getting out of control.
Please advoid Thompson Cigar...they did exactly what you said they would do...Back in the summer my boyfriend spoke to them about starting a monthly subscription starting Septmber 11 2017...and told them he would call them first before he wanted his card charged...Well on September 1 2017 they went ahead and charged his card....he immediately called them and told them to cancel it....after all kinds of back and forth they refused to cancel the order and we would have to wait until after he received the cigars then call them back to have a return slip sent to him...2 months later he was still waiting, he finally got it after several months but at that point decided to keep them, which Im sure was done deliberately so he did keep them...well they got $120.00 but he wont ever purchase from them again...Thank you
Hey Erica, thanks for commenting and telling your story! I'm so sorry to hear that you had that experience!
Holts hand down most of time free shipping top shelf cigars and best price im happy beat any one price cao flat head when put on sale
Has anyone every dealt with hit cigars? Or can anyone lead me into the eighth direction of backwoods vanilla or banana I know it may seem funny but it's for a gift for my uncle whom is really trying to find these
Hey Matthias, I'm convinced some of these catalog places sell either knock off cigars and slap a brand name on it, or they just get the rejects from companies and sell those. I got some Macanudos that looked horrible, and I thought there's no way they'd allow that bad of a wrapper to leave their company. Same thing with some Romeo y Julieta cigars where the band wasn't even put on correctly. Thoughts?
Hey Robbie,
Thanks for your comment. Personally, I'm skeptical of that because it just sounds like brand suicide. But you aren't the only person I've heard this from. So it may be best to avoid the online cigar retailers that you've heard do it. My 2 cents!