What makes a good cigar a good cigar?

[shilala]

I've had this discussion before, and just recently with Todd (Revsmoke) and wanted to see what you guys thought.
What we're considering here is an nc cigar, a cigar that would be considered a 4 on a scale of five, with a five being those few that you've experienced that were just off the charts phenomenal.
"I expect a good cigar to present a number of flavors throughout the experience, and somewhere near the end of the smoke, I expect those flavors to culminate into a whole that's greater than any of the parts. Complexity finishing with a pleasant brilliance."
I don't care it it looks like a turd, has sticks and twigs in it, goes out occasionally, runs or tunnels, so long as those defects don't negatively effect the flavors or enjoyment of the cigar. I don't mind if a cigar is finished after two thirds, so long as it's shown me those aspects I mentioned earlier. I could care less if the ash stays on or does special stunts. I don't care if it makes voluminous plumes of smoke.
To further consider the italics, I don't have to necessarily care for those flavors. I once smoked a cigar that changed from grass to hay to green spray paint, with hints of astroturf, then came together in a way that was incredibly interesting. Others really liked this cigar, I did not. (It was an Original Release Padilla something that Ted Rogers loved. He'd have to remember the name for me.) Thing is, I considered it good because it did those things italicized, and I could appreciate the talent that went into the blending. It just wasn't to my taste at all.

Don't get me wrong, if a cigar looks great, feels great in my hand, and does all the other things I don't necessarily care about, that's great. It's a bonus. If it falls apart and is just plain junk, it's junk. If it's unsmokable, it sure can't meet the italicized criteria I look for.

What I really, really, really dislike in a cigar is soulless singularity. So many of the boutique blends today taste great. After ten minutes they taste great. An hour in, they're the same great taste. Two hours in, they've never faltered and not changed one iota from when I sparked up, they still taste great, and maybe if I'm lucky, they got a bit stronger. To me, that's mediocrity, whether it's 2 bucks or 30 bucks. I don't mean that in a disparaging way, I mean it's a nice cigar for when I can't give a good cigar the attention it deserves. It can certainly be enjoyed, and that's wonderful. It certainly has it's place.

I'm finding it harder and harder to find any real talent in nc's so far as the art of blending goes. Not so long ago it seemed that everyone was intent on producing a gem. Something that wowed, something that showed off a man's lifetime of experience. A man like Don Pepin can make tobacco dance if he cares to, and his work can truly captivate, so much like the men who work their entire lives in Cuba to produce cigars that pronounce the spirit of their artwork against such incredible odds.

On the other hand, maybe I'm not finding what I'm looking for because I've had really poor luck, and my desire to search has waned after the umpteenth failure, so I've stopped experimenting and stick with the many tried and trues.

So, if you're still reading, there's a part two there. You've got "what makes a good cigar a good cigar?" and "where have you recently found the kind of thing I've been going on about among nc boutique blends?"
I want to hear what you guys think, not affirmation or argument on what I think, unless that's how you want to go.