Just wondering everyones overall impression of Thompson cigars I read some of the reviews and must say it is a mixed bag. I just got 4 Different Thompson Brands with a humidor set and will let them settle a bit then smoke and review them here.
I must say as I took them out of the cellophane and put them in the new now stabilized humidore I was impressed with the feel, smell, construction, etc. It was far better then I had expected.
Yea I just tried a Robusto and I think Rest may be the key. The construction is great on them, they taste good, but they did not draw well or burn well for the first half. I think aged for a few weeks to months they may be really good.
Perhaps as a cheapo no one ever ages them and hence the poor opinion. I don't think they rate up with real primos but I will bet aged a bit in a good humidor they will go toe to toe with a lot of 2-3 dollar sticks and for something you can pick up for under a buck any day of the week what more could you ask for?
Their customer service is poor. I moved and let them know new address. However, they sent stuff to my old address. Called again with new address and no shipments since then. A few months now, so I have to check my credit bill again to see if they are still shipping to my old address.
I just dealt with their customer support and found them to be very responsive. Maybe they were having a bad day. I just recently ordered two of their "samplers". Not being and expert in cigars, I like to try them out without spending a fortune. I find the Thompsons I've tried so far to be pretty good to fair, depending on the "make".
I also received 3 bundles with a humidor (in December).
Bagatelle and Socorro Robustos- I like the Bagatelle as a daily smoke. The Socorro is OK.
Also got Dominican Real Churchills- ready to toss them. No flavor, brittle.
The humidor is real nice tho!
I like the Thompson company, I've ordered from the 6 times in the past 3 months. I've only smoked their premium and fine brands ( La Paloma, Barlovento, Belmondo, Tusker and Flor de Jalapa.) So far I've been very pleased on a 1 to 10 scale I'll give them an 8. The only cigar Iwas disappointed with was the La Paloma; both the Connecticut and corojo wrappers they were both a bit too bland for me. The barlovento is one of my favorites it starts of light but gets nice and spicy with a really long finish.
If you compare Thompson's prices to other vendors, you will see they are MUCH more expensive. I'll admit I got my start (with cigars) by buying one of their samplers (Silver Medallion Sampler?) about 20 years ago. At the time, I thought they tasted pretty good. Of course I was comparing them to the only other cigar I had smoked before: Swisher Sweets.
I have had a few of their "house" cigars and they were (just) O.K. Nothing I would go out and buy.
The only time I buy cigars from them is when they have those specials (usually in the back of national magazines) to "reel in" new customers. But beware! They want your home phone number so they can find out "how many boxes you's like to buy"....
First time dealing with Thompson was last week 3/25/05. Bought a Boutique cigar sampler of 10 cigars. One I really wanted to try was the CAO Brazilia. When I received the sampler they had substituted two of the cigars - one being the Brazilia - with a cheap poor review cigar. For the other sub they gave a generic thompson cigar to replace a boutique cigar. When dealing with their customer service dept. about this they made me feel like they didn't have the time of day for me. Once was more than enough with Thompson for me. I'll go elsewhere for now on.
I smoked the Iguana Robosto with the candal wrapper made by Thompson.
Not the best by any mean the taste is very mild and the construction is a b-. Since they are alittle over a $1 a stick its not bad. I found that they are good for giving to people that don't usually smoke cigars and they find them to be good.
When I started smoking cigars Fuente Signatures were $44.95 plus tax at the local Tinderbox(R). This was abox of 50. I now spend my time in search of decent cigars for a good price. So what does this have to do with Thompson? In the case of most catalog retailers you need to be extremely careful about what their advertising says and does not say. I have gotten some bad cigars from Thompson, but on the other hand I have also found some decent ones. The problem with Thompson is that if you research and compare their prices you can usually find as good or better smoke (On the unknown brands) at other online stores. On the second tier known brands Thompson has always been higher in my price comparisons, and I have also found that they do not arrive as fresh as other companies.
Hope this word of advice helps.
One thing I can say for Thomspon is that they have some VERY nice humidors, however the cigars that they include in those bundles with the humidor are, well for lack of a better word, crap. The Barrel Humidor I bought from them was of great quality but the socorro toros and the rest of the 125 cigars that came with it were given away VERY quickly. Also, I bought a box of Fuentes from them and they were not in the least bit fresh. In the future I will spend the $15 extra dollars I saved and go to my local dealer where I can see and smell what I buy.
Thompson's is somewhat looked down upon by people on a lot of boards. Before listening to anyone regarding them, you have to try them for yourself. For me, I guess that there are some good diamonds in the rough. I in particular love their Iguana maduro cigars. These have excellent draws, some really good woodsy flavor, as well as a nice, lush wrapper. A lot of the other cigars I wouldn't touch, but I really do enjoy the Iguanas.
They do charge way too much for the premium cigars. CI has them beat by twenty to thirty dollars when it comes to those kinds of cigars, but their housebrand cigars are just as good as CI's.
I have never bought from Thompson. Their catalog is way too confusing to go through, and prices are too high (on most of my preferred brands). The catalog needs to be organized better. There is no rhyme, or reason to it. Their humidor/cigar combos seem like a good deal as gifts or for new smokers. I probably would never buy from them. Too many better deal out there online (auctions are addictive).
All good points on Thompson. I was buying from them regularly for about a year. Then I found Cigars International and JRs. They both have Thompson beat on name brands that I like. I've tried Thompson house brand and find most of them very smokable. The Iguana is a good, mild cigar. Navarros are also good. However, the Belmondo in any size of model is empty and very unsatisfying to me.
I haven't needed customer service but their order line is always helpful and will steer you toward better deals when they are around. I have only received one "sales" call from Thompsons and they were very polite and helpful.
I would like to be able to buy from my local tobaccinist but, prices out here in SoCal are ridiculous so I save them for the occasional pricey stick here and there. The most important thing, as someone has already said, is to smoke what you like.
I used to order from Thompsons many years ago but their cigars arrived late and more so than not, arrived in poor condition.
I have not found a better supplier than Cigars International. The cigars are shipped quickly and they always arrive very fast and in perfect condition. Their prices can't be beat and the samplers are a great way to try new cigars without having to buy a whole box.
You can also try CigarBid.com to pick up some great deals.
Like most retailers, Thompson has some good qualities/products and some not so good qualities/products. I haven't bought from Thompson in a while, but I still get their catalogs. The best deals seem to be the Thompson exclusives made by Perdomo, Rocky Patel, A. Fuente, etc. My humidors are Thomson as well - glad to hear they still sell good ones for relatively cheap costs. Their customer service is, let's just say, not the best I've seen, but I have returned products to them for credit (they tack on a $7.50 restocking fee on all returns).
Personally, when I'm ready to purchase cigars (or anything else) I check around. I do 90% of my shopping on the internet.
Lately I've been buying from:
* Famous (buy 2 5PK's, get 1 5PK free, Buy 5 assorted Perdomo, for $39 and get Perdomo logo table lighter free, a box of Rocky Patel 1999 Vintage for $54 and some other odds and ends from their Cigar Auctioneer section. I also like how the Famous Smoke Shop website is set up.
* Cuban Crafters (La Carolina cigars, a Beck sampler, plus a cigar cutter). Their products have always been a good value and usually a bargain. The customer service is personal, efficient and terrific and they always include free cigar samples with every order. Hell, they even included a free cigar when they mailed me a replacement for my $15 cutter that is guaranteed for life.
* Lil Brown - Got a couple boxes of Fonseca Triangulars for under $42/box. Took forever to get them delivered and shipping charge was a bit high ($9 or so), but the price was 20%-30% less than anyone else and the cigars arrived in perfect condition.
Ordered a box of Gurkas that came with a 5 pack of grand Reserve in the crystal tubos...they came in the same box with only one of the packing pillows. Well...the box smashed one of the tubos - suprisingly. When i called them they said they can't just send one tubo...so they sent me another 5 pack. That was great.
I joined their 250 club where they want to send you an order once a month...of the same cigars. That was sent with a humidor and a 10 cigar sampler in the same box, the same one packing pillow and with the cigars at an angle and slightly bent. i sent it back and canceled my membership.
My biggest complaint...they cheap out on packing big time causing damaged cigars. I only order from them if it's a killer deal and only cigars. My latest order has been backordered for 3 months...can you say...we sold more than we had in stock!!!
DO NOT BUY FROM THOMPSON!!! I just had a humidor stock ruined from Thomspon's poor quality. I received a shipment from Thompson about 10 days ago. Tonight I went to have a cigar and found one of thier cigars with worms. Not minor either, big holes and actual adult worms visible in the cigar!
Never seen Customer Service as bad as Thompson Cigar customer service. Tried to cancel their cigar club and it toke 5 months for them to quit charging my bank account after I called them 4 or 5 times telling them to take me out of the club. Each time they said it was done but give it a month and then there were charges on hold in my bank account that toke them a week to give my money back. They even hung up on me after I called in the morning to cancel and that night they called asking if I was ready for my new shipment of cigars as part of the club order. They will not let you even speak to a manager at all. No matter who you ask or how many times. They are a very shady company, so watch your bank account for unauthorized charges if you buy from them.
Their reputation is pretty soiled amid quite a few cigar enthusiasts and some of it is reliable. I have dealt with them a few times and I walked away with a very low opinion of how they do business. Yes, they do have their specials like most businesses but they cater to the new cigar smoker who really isn't aware of how business is done and they tend to trap them into their club and send out house brand cigars that are not worth the price. As with all things people need to check them out and see for themselves...buyer beware.
I never had a problem with their cigars or their customer service. As with most, you get what you pay for and some of their house brands have been real gems. Their prices on make brands are not usually the best. I tend to shop around when I'm restocking the humidor and I still shop Thompson once in awhile.
Reply
Back to top
Quote