50 year cigar smoker here. Premium cigars can be some of the worse. New cigar smokers love to spend money. But, as the article states, not much data on the subject, just a passionate group of people that ain’t talking.
I am an occasional cigar smoker. I only smoke them outside when the weather is cool. Here in Texas, that means the season is pretty much over for the next 6 months (though I may be able to smoke a final one today; it is surprisingly cool and dry). Since I smoke so few these days, I get brands I trust, like CAO, Alec Bradley, Drew Estate, etc.