But before you buy a box of something you haven't tried, pick up a bunch of singles. Get at least two at a time as you never want to form an opinion based on one cigar.
As for ratings, I never really go by them. But I don't think they're influenced by price. At least not here. Really you should find cigars you like, get the tobacco information and find similar cigars. A lot of the ones on cigar.com give suggestions for similar cigars so that's a place to start.
I ahve been doing this for about a year now, and I have yet to purchase a box of anything. It is just too much fun trying all different kinds of cigars, and then comparing them too each other. That is the neat thing about this hobby, you will never run out of new types to try, and that way it is always fresh.