This is why placebos sometimes work. The power of suggestion is a powerful drug, but it often brings an unwelcome bias when searching for "truth".
Big, cold, unattentive, warehouse cyber store.
or
Small, warm, personable, boutique-like cigar shop.
The cards are kind of stacked in the favor of the B&M when your data is pulled from a polling group of B&M regulars.
To get true data, I'm with the other guys above. You'd have to do a blind tasting, using unbiased cigar smokers without affiliations, and product stored/treated in the exact same conditions for a pre-disposed amount of time. AND not tell the smokers what they should be looking for and let them figure it out themselves.
Conspiracy theorys are fun. It just seems like an awful lot of work for
ALL cigar manufacturers to follow up on when in fact, the secrets between each company could fill the grand canyon.
But hey, I also think my mom's fried chicken is the best in the world too.
