A few months ago I decided to try my luck and buy a cigar sampler from the Thompson Cigar website. I was a little cautious as I wasn't sure what the quality of the cigars would be, and I really didn't want to get up to 16 cigars that I didn't enjoy. But it turns out my worries were moot, and it was a very positive decision.

It is very common for me to have a few quality cigars lying around (Macanudo Majesty and of course, Cohiba Siglo III), but I find that I also like to have a good sample of alternate, more affordable cigars as well. It's also a lot of fun to get the surprise of finding a great smoking cigar that is kind to the wallet. Now, I've spent more money on a single Cuban than the entire sampler I bought, so I was definitely pleased when I found several in the pack to real high quality. My favorite has to be the Toraño, which is bullett-shaped, and very mild.

Over time I've ended up trying several different samplers at Thompson, but I think the Supreme XVI collection is the best value. It also comes with several free gifts: a hat and a carrying case. I don't really care about free gifts that much, but they've worked out as nice little side-gifts to friends of mine when I send them home with some cigars after getting beat at around of golf or poker.

I hope you take a chance like I did and try a sampler. It's a lot of fun to experiment with different cigars, and it's a great way to keep a good stock on hand without buying boxes of expensive cigars at the local smoke shop. The sampler of cigars can be found at thompsoncigar.com.