It has to do with this (cigars that is.) All tobacco has alkaloids in it that are bitter when smoked. Aging tobacco (i.e. curing) tames the alkaloids by either volatilizing them or chemically transforming them into a less bitter component. The rate of improvement decreases exponentially with time, not linearly. Consequently, much is gained in the first three years of aging and less in the next three, etc. Thus after about five years of aging one sees very little improvement over time, and to get a noticeable improvement the aging has to be doubled from say five years to ten years, and doubled again to saw twenty years to get a detectable improvement over a tobacco aged ten years, etc. Consequently one must pay a great deal more for a cigar with say twenty years of aging then one with 10 years of aging, for almost a negligible improvement. Thus the law of diminishing returns takes affect. That's why you won't find a sixteen dollar cigar to be that much smoother than say an 8 dollar cigar. If you buy your cigars mail order by the box, there is hardly any point in paying more than about 4-5$/cigar. For that price you will get a very fine cigar. Of course, the quality and rarity of the tobacco to start with and the skill of the manufacturer is a factor as well as brand reputation. It is possible to obtain a quite nice cigar for 2-3$ if bought mail order by the box.
