Greycliff Red Label: Good But Not Worth $16

In pursuit of the ever-elusive "perfect cigar" I placed wild-ass bids on three Graycliff Original PGX Toros at cigarbid.com and won them for only 5 bucks each. This made me wary, because these things retail at famous smoke for $335 for a box of 24. Wow! What a bargain, right?

First, you must understand that this is a medium-strength cigar leaning towards the mild side. The appearance, light, draw and burn are impeccable. The taste however is a bit too subtle and soft for my liking. As the cigar burned toward the mid-point, it evidenced an occasional bitter aftertaste which I had to combat by drawing with less strength. This goes against my grain as a lover of rich and full-flavored cigars.

The famous website praises the Original PGX as being able to "hit flavor peaks other brands can only hope to reach." This is hands-down not true. I've smoked plenty of other mild-medium cigars that performed as well and had equally good if not better flavor characteristics.

Final verdict: An excellent mild cigar if you manage to get it for 5 bucks. Not worth much more and certainly not worth paying the standard $81 for a five-pack.