Can You Taste a Cigar’s Price? A Blind Test at Creekside

From Creekside Podcast Ep. 044: Can You Taste The Price of A Cigar + Horror Stories, aired Mar 06, 2026. Recorded at Creekside Cigar Co. in Maineville, Ohio.

Tyler, known around the lounge as T-Money, joins Dave and Conner for his first Creekside Podcast appearance. The crew puts different-price cigars to a blind test, trades stories about memorable cigar mishaps, and compares favorite pairings. The tasting offers a useful reminder: price can shape expectations, but it does not guarantee which cigar someone will enjoy most.

Can you taste the price of a cigar?

The blind tasting put cigars at sharply different price points side by side. In one comparison, Dave and Tyler both favored the more expensive cigar: the Davidoff Royal Robusto, listed at a $125 MSRP. They described it as cleaner and more refined, with a complex mix of flavors and strong smoke output. Tyler enjoyed it enough to say he would keep smoking and buying it.

The other cigar in that comparison was a Toro priced at about $17. The crew thought it performed well, but found it lighter and more straightforward beside the Royal Robusto. Dave also noted that smoking one cigar after another could affect how the second one tasted. The order of a blind tasting, and what a smoker has just finished, can influence the comparison.

A separate blind pairing produced a less predictable result. Conner identified a $60 My Father cigar as the one he liked less, while the $10 Robusto reminded him of Wayfair. The reveal supported the episode’s central point: a high price may coincide with a more appealing cigar for one smoker, but price alone does not decide the experience. The crew also acknowledged that a cigar someone dislikes in a side-by-side test might have landed differently when smoked on its own.

What makes a cigar experience go wrong?

The horror stories ranged from amusing to uncomfortable. Tyler recalled smoking a Deadwood cigar when he was still learning to identify flavors. He was pleased to notice chocolate-like notes, then checked a cigar listing and learned that it was a chocolate-flavored cigar. The story became a funny lesson in how an infused cigar can make flavor identification a little less mysterious.

Conner described trying a Plasencia Reserva Original and finding its flavor so unpleasant that he stopped after a few puffs. On another occasion, his friend’s first cigar was a Perdomo Champagne. The friend began feeling unwell, took a break, and later tried to continue smoking before deciding the experience was not for him. The crew shared the story with empathy, noting how important context and pacing can be to a newcomer’s first impression.

Dave’s lounge story was less about a cigar’s flavor and more about service. After buying a cigar and using a lounge, he was asked to clear his own ashtray. The moment helped explain why he dislikes a tip screen when it is unclear what the tip covers. It also sparked a conversation about how small details of hospitality shape the overall visit.

What drinks pair well with cigars?

The crew’s reliable choices included coffee and sparkling water. Tyler likes Dr Pepper Zero with a cigar, and mentioned enjoying coffee with the Corto X54. He also said he generally avoids sweet pairings because they can make a cigar’s less-sweet flavors stand out by contrast. Dave likewise described sparkling water as an easy way to enjoy a cigar without adding another strong flavor.

Coffee was a favorite for several people, though they agreed it can overpower some cigars. A creamy Connecticut or a Corto Maduro can work well with coffee, according to Dave. Bourbon is another option, especially with a full-bodied cigar, but he noted that the drink can take attention away from the cigar’s finer details. In that pairing, he is more interested in how the cigar complements the bourbon than in tasting every nuance of the smoke.

How did Tyler get into cigars?

Tyler said his interest began with pipes in early 2025, which led him to cigar videos and eventually to Creekside. He first visited the shop after watching its online content and stopped in with a friend. A Plasencia Reserva cigar made a strong enough impression that the visit helped turn occasional curiosity into regular visits. He became a member, got to know the lounge regulars, and later joined the Creekside team.

His path into cigars also prompted a broader point: cigar culture has room for different styles of learning and enjoyment. A newcomer can find useful information from polished cigar content, casual lounge conversations, or simply trying a cigar and deciding what works for them. The episode’s blind tasting gave that idea a practical twist by showing that both preferences and expectations are personal.

Key takeaways

• Price is not a guarantee: blind comparisons can reveal preferences, but enjoyment remains personal.
• Order matters: smoking one cigar before another may affect how the next one comes across.
• Pairings are individual: coffee, sparkling water, Dr Pepper Zero and bourbon all came up as options.
• First impressions stick: a cigar, the setting and the company can all shape a memorable experience.

Cigars from this episode

• Davidoff Royal Robusto: The crew identified it as the $125 cigar in one blind comparison and praised its refinement, complexity and smoke output.
• Matilde Toro (exact line spelling uncertain): Identified as the roughly $17 cigar paired against the Davidoff; the crew described it as lighter and more straightforward.
• My Father La Union (exact line spelling uncertain): The $60 cigar in Conner’s blind comparison; he found it heavier and less enjoyable than the other cigar.
• Serino Wayfair Robusto (name uncertain): Identified as the $10 cigar; Conner said it reminded him of Wayfair.
• Drew Estate Deadwood: Tyler recalled mistaking its chocolate flavor for a tasting note he had independently identified.
• Plasencia Reserva Original: Conner recalled disliking its flavor and stopping after a few puffs.
• Perdomo Champagne: Conner’s friend smoked it as his first cigar; the experience became one of Conner’s cigar horror stories.
• Sombremesa Brûlée (name uncertain): Dave recalled a memorable experience with this cigar as one of his cigar horror stories.

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