Not long ago, I reviewed what I considered fifty of the best cigars available anywhere. For better or for worse, as very few us would care to drink only great wines, few of us want (or can afford) to smoke great cigars every day. Thus, in order to put aside the snobbish belief that all good cigars need be expensive, I recently sampled 16 other cigars, none of which comes from Cuba, not one of which could be categorized as "great" but all of which make for very good to excellent smoking. The dollar prices given in the reviews are based on an average from four shops in New York, Boston and Atlanta. All are worth trying for everyday smoking pleasure.

5 Vegas - Nicaragua

Panatela: Young, smooth and with lots of flavors of nuts cinnamon and spices. A lovely cigar. $3.50.

Robusto: Well balanced, rich and smooth, with lots of herbs and a nice feeling of leather as the cigar reaches the end. $4.00

May Rosa - U.S.A.

Churchills: Like all May Rosa cigars, these are hand made in New York City from Central American tobacco. Smooth, well balanced, with spices, wild berries and chocolate in its flavors, a delightful smoke. $4.00

Panatelas: Easy to draw, smooth and well balanced, with clean tobacco flavors and lots of spices. A delightful cigar. $3.75.

Bering - Honduras

Barons (Lonsdale): With sweet spices, lots of wood and earth this is a simple but delightful before dinner smoke. $2.25.

Corona Royale: Light to medium bodied, spicy, with lots of wood and pleasing tobacco flavors. Simple but fun and excellent value for money. $1.35.

Coronados: Mild, perfumed and with light spices, another very good smoke and excellent value for money. $1.50.

Hispanos (Corona Gorda): Earthiness, a nice feeling of fresh wood and light spices make this a rewarding cigar. $1.85.

Imperial (Corona): Nice overlays of herbs and earthiness come together in a smooth smoking, nicely toasty cigar. $1.35.

Plaza Honduras (Lonsdale): Medium bodied, rich flavors, lots of pepper and a comfortable draw. $1.00

Cuesta-Rey - Dominican Republic

Cabinet 8-9-8 (Churchill): Medium bodied, with a smooth draw and nice nutty flavors. $2.50.

Cabinet No. 1884 (Maduro): Rustic looking but remarkably smooth, with nice chocolate flavors. $1.75

No. 2 (Panatela): Light in body but with nice mild spice, cocoa and vanilla flavors to add great charm. $2.00

Centennial No 60 (Corona): Medium bodied, rich tobacco and nutty flavors, and a good draw. $4.00.

Dominican No 2 (Madurao): Cocoa, coffee beans and leather are a few of the flavors you will find in this very well balanced mild cigar. $3.50.

Dominican No 5 (Corona): Smooth, medium bodied and well balanced, with spices, leather and vanilla in its flavors. $2.75.

© Daniel Rogov