What makes a great smoke?

Having just reviewed our favorite smokes of 2009, the questions begs; how do you rate a great cigar? Is a great cigar a cigar that is expensive, rare or produced in very limited quantities? Does it's intended status of rare or limited guarantee it to be a great cigar? My personal belief is no. I have smoked many cigars that were produced in very limited series or were only produced for one specific event (Dinner of the Century, Habanos Festival, etc..) and they have not been great smokes and in many cases, these tended to be pretty average smokes. Does a properly aged cigar guarantee a great smoke? Again, difficult to say yes or no. The positive side is that when you smoke an aged cigar you will get the bouquet intended by the blend master when the blend was developed. But most people palates are not tuned to the subtlety of aged blends and find them light and lacking in depth. An aged cigar can be frustrating as they often suffer from draw problems. The criteria we used for classifying a great smoke is simple; Was it a memorable smoking occasion? I believe that the cigar itself is one aspect of this experience and it is the environmental influences that make the smoke great or not. I have smoked many regular production cigars that have been memorable experiences because of whom I smoked with and where and why I was smoking. On the other hand I have smoked special cigars (limited lines or aged) that have given me the ultimate 'Cigar smoke'. My belief is that there are special cigars and that there are special smokes. Both bring different pleasures and both could qualify as being great. Your memory will dictate which of the above ticks the boxes for your idea of great. Give us your thoughts.