Uwiik

No, I don’t think the problem in Cuba was caused by US. China is always out there ready to eat whatever the US puked out, why aren’t they all over Cuba right now? Because there is NO value in helping Cuba. However, yes I think the embargo is dumb, there is nothing to be gained for all side over something that happened way too long ago, we all know it’s not about democracy. We also need to acknowledge that most of us mentioned Cuba just because we smoke CC, nothing less and nothing more. My native country and Cuba is somewhat similar in corruption level. There is a saying that a population always deserves their government and I 1000% believe in this. Granted that Cuba is communist but no bad government can survive that long without the support of the majority of its population, democracy or dictatorship. Just look at Iran, Afghanistan, Palestine and many others. Whether this support was garnered through false promises, intimidation or pure stupidity is another matter. I understand this because I live in the most beautiful but also one of the world’s most corrupted countries (slightly better than Cuba) where the average IQ of the population is 78 (just slightly above chimpanzees) and we tend to pick the most corrupt candidate on every single quasi democratic election, as long as the candidate is religious, can recite the right prayer and don’t mind spewing empty promises of freebies for the poor population, same old tactics for decades always resulted in guaranteed win. It is mind boggling. The population is just blinded by religion, it is so ingrained for centuries there is no possibility that it will ever change ever. There is a reason I never use my right to vote, it’s hopeless. It is a fact that a screwed up country always benefits tremendously a small population (5-15%) of the lucky ones, where their support has massive multiplier effects on the uneducated population who will just parrot whatever the richer elites says, thinking that their fate will change eventually if they follow. What you see on the news or limited experience are always very narrow reflection of the country and there are a lot more the eyes have yet to see. Myself, who belong to the wrong race with the wrong religion and stuck as a bottom feeder on the top 1 percent earner of the population (read...I am well off but not rich) cannot even do anything at all, if I don’t play the games I cannot even get a right to live here, I have to bribe just to get a government ID, I have to bribe to get my passport but I get it in one day and the rest of the population will get theirs in 7 days (massively better than 6 months wait for Canadian passport), heck I even have to bribe to get my tax ID but it will be hand delivered to my door by a person in uniform. It was all simple choice for us, use your brain to play along with the games of corruptions or suffer the consequences. It is what it is… On the flip side, I have travelled the world enough to see that common population in poor countries, especially in Asian countries, are a lot more nicer and happier (mentally not physically), friends and family is everything for them, they are not too busy chasing the latest iPhone and iPad when all they care is maintaining food, accommodation and education. Try to ask the Koreans if they are happier now after they got so rich and advanced, or happier a few decades ago when things are a bit messier. The birth rate shows, animals won’t breed if they are stressed beyond limit, it is a scientific fact, and we are animal. I think chasing basic human needs is healthier on your soul than chasing a iPhone. Heck, at least here in mine we truly don’t even have hunger or homeless problem because it’s just so damn fertile and everyone just takes care of their neighbors/families. On the other hand, whenever I stay or travel to first world countries I always face hostility, impatience and aggression, it is a clear sign of angry/sick population. I got assaulted three times (one really bad) for no reason whatsoever in the Melbourne CBD during my 6 years stay there, got threatened once with a knife in Vancouver city during my stay there, the level of shouting is another level when you make small mistake anywhere in the US it is scary, nobody would be anywhere near you if you don’t look the same or speak the language in EU it’s depressing, my whole family was thrown out of a cafe like stray cats in Korea because my toddler kids got a little too loud twice. All the while I never got assaulted once in my native banana republic country and there were 6 people who abandoned their rides to help me when I got into accident on a crossroads and I wasn’t even hurt. Everything led me to appreciate my corrupt country and its people more. I ditched my Australian residency after living there for 6 years and compounded 25k in parking and speeding fines (all over 1-5 kmh above limit or 2-5 minutes over time, hasty but tend to follow the rule), I don’t intend to continue my Canadian residency which was granted to me few years ago. I tried living in Vancouver for a while and found out that the school teacher tried to convince my daughter that being a queer is way better than being straight and my daughter was still 11 yo when that happened, tried to sue but who am I to challenge that huge and thick liberal fortress? Of course, in the end it was me who got stuffed with lawyer’s bill. I left these first world countries while still able to maintain my lifestyle, so the reason to go back to my native country (I am Dutch-Chinese-Native mix, not a native race) wasn’t economic reasons. I will take a banana republic any day when the other choice is violence and LGBTQ ideology being shoved down my kids’ throat. I have no problem with LGBTQ, have 3 gay and trans cousins with intact brains who never supported the movement (the modern purple haired extremist version). At least in a banana republic a nobody like me can make a real difference to a small community of my countrymen/women of 130 people earning decent to high living wage where on the other hand I am completely useless except to myself/family if we are living in a first world country. Just offering you folks a different perspective. All I am trying to say is ‘Let Cuba be Cuba’, and welcome those who want to leave ONLY through proper way, it’s just impossible to make everyone happy, even God ain’t doing it. I am sure not everyone wants to leave anyway. There is a lot of benefits and charms of both sides of situations for a country. Sometimes these benefits applies unfairly to certain groups of people but I don’t see anything different to what’s happening to first world countries nowadays, just look at Europe and US in the past few decades where ALL the benefits are bestowed to alien foreigners and purple/rainbow haired populations when the local population, XY chromosome who identify as such and the old schooler getting the middle finger, that ain’t right either and I am saying this as an ex immigrant to the West who entered lawfully years ago but left due to the hypocrisy. Lately, when I see how EU mighty infallible government treats their own native citizens and beginning to xerox the dictators they shunned by silencing differing opinions, made me wonder if the West’s much more advance status was only pure luck because Caucasians completed the evolution much sooner than the other races?? And no, I am not parroting JD Vance, my Danes manager is fed up with his native country Denmark and getting a citizenship here after 21 years. No offense to anyone and let’s all relax. After all, it’s just the same shit different smell…✌️ peace

I thought I was too late for starting to collect CC only in late 2022, now I am glad I did.

Don’t do it. I have a PLC controlled walk in with rock solid 1% RH - 1C daily fluctuations with 0 outside air exchange (when closed) and I can definitely smell the difference on the air aroma whenever my wife or I put several bags inside the walk in.

I have used desiccants extensively whenever I bought several very humid boxes at once, thawing frozen cigars or whenever I need to drop RH inside a well worn wooden desktop humidor with cigar in it. Never a single problem with lost oil or flavor reduction, a small packet of desiccant will do nothing as it will quickly be full of water. I used about 1/4lbs oven dried desiccant to drop RH inside the 110-150 capacity Elie Bleu desktop humidor from 68-69% to 58-61%.

Pound per pound best value for me is the Partagas Lusitania.

INPO 1. Lusitania 2. D4 3. CoRO 4. Epicure No.2 5. Reyes

Just for giggles, keeping the discussions interesting. How slow are you in smoking your cigar? I just realised that I am an extremely slow smoker. I average 3 hrs on a Lusitania, 2 hr 30 mins on Fundadores and 1 hr 15 mins on Montecristo no.4. It's funny because I usually always rush when eating, drinking or whatever.

I used to keep my stash at 19C/66.2F @ 61-63%, although I somehow liked the result (no plugged sticks at all from any box), at times I can feel some of my sticks are burning hot or harsh and have a duller looking wrapper. Thanks to the wealth of information provided by fellow BOTL here, these past few months I began experimenting with colder temperatures while maintaining similar humidity 17C/62.6F @ 62-64%. With the colder setting, I can definitely say that I experienced a HUGE improvements, my sticks are shiny again and definitely a lot more aromatic/sweet to smoke, some suspect boxes (mainly Monte 4) became totally/partly plugged up again but there is a drier spot on the very top rack which always registers 60-61% rh and that is where I put all of my opened boxes with a plugged up tendency. It seems to help. As for the rest of the unopened boxes for long term aging, they all vacuum sealed at same temperature with higher humidity at 65-66% and all are resting peacefully inside the same walk-in. Please share your experience fellow BOTL...

Again, a testament to the durability of Partagas. Assuming all are original sticks that came with the humidor only, the Partagas out of all the drawers being shown still show reasonable wrapper color.

Never knew this question would invite so many responses. I have no other hobby right now other than work, renovating my house and smoking cigars. Nothing else. I used to have a lot of other hobbies but right now I am just focusing on building the future for my 3 kids as they all grow at an unbelievable pace and I fear for their future in this crazier by the day world. SO yes, FOMO in a hobby is real and right now I have no other venue to satisfy it other than cigars, hence the hoarding habit. That's my excuse 🫣 I missed on the Linea 1935, just 2 hours after I made this thread I confirmed the order only to be told all Leyenda and Maltes are sold. I managed to snatch 2 boxes of Linea 1935 Dumas, 2 boxes of HdM Monterreyes No.4 and 2 Boxes of HdM DC cab of '50, not bad for the week. Now I need to take a rest from buying just like @Li Bai kindly advised. I need spare money to pay for those windows! 😜

I have a habit of chucking whatever sticks/whole content of box which I've judged as sub-optimal into my Elie Bleu 150's box and I tend to forget about it. The box is now almost full to the brim, sitting inside my walk-in so it gets the exact same parameters as the rest of my sticks. These past few weeks, I have been randomly picking a stick every weekend from that box and I was pleasantly surprised by how the flavor hit me, I even began to think that the sticks from that Elie Bleu box are a lot tastier than the sticks from the original boxes. Is my mind playing tricks on me? What is your take?

Absolutely Lusitania for me. Fundy is awesome, but I find myself giggling in extreme satisfaction every time I light up a proper Lusi and the same doesn't happen when I light up a Fundy. Coincidentally, I am smoking a 2016 Fundy right now as I am typing this. 😄

Have you guys noticed on the video that only the Partagas still retained a dark shiny hue on the wrapper? The rest, including the Cohiba, are looking papery dull, typical of very old cigars.

My dealer offered me a new list, he always sells out quickly so I need to be quick too... 1. HDM Monterreyes 2. HDM Double Corona cab of 50 3. Montecristo Linea Leyenda 4. Montecristo Linea Maltes 5. Montecristo Linea Dumas Never tried any of the above, I like the flavor profile of both marcas. HDM typically have the edge over Montecristo for me but I never ever tried the Montecristo Linea lines. Which one to hoard first?

I am convinced. Now back to hoarding boxes before price increase again. 🤪

It’s crazy, just last year $100 a stick sounded very rich, today it is almost the norm.

With how absurd cigar prices have gotten in the past few years, what do you guys think will happen in the future? With the current economic slowdown, most 'first world' toys such as exotic cars, Swiss watches, designer bags, etc. has corrected itself except for cigars. This makes me wonder how resilient the current cigar price trend would be? I only collect and smoke cigars with no intention to sell, but I started to wonder if I should put a brake on my acquisitions and wait for the cigar price to correct itself or it is just a wishful thinking? I have been UN-pleasantly surprised by how much dealers are selling D4 now compared to 6 months ago, with more and more smokers realizing how good and consistent D4 is, at least here D4 is not an affordable hidden treasure anymore. I regret I only bought 4 X 25' SLBs when the price still made sense and recently paid stupid money for a couple more boxes (50% increase compared to 6 months ago). Now I am afraid that PLPC will follow the same fate and thinking about stocking up on a cab of 50' PLPC but I am also weary about the potential of prices dropping like a rock just like what is happening to Swiss watches right now.

I like fresh RASS. I am quite surprised by how my 2023 box has been smoking right now.

For $66.000 I would buy a Dupont Paladium Ligne 2 and an Audemars Piguet 15400. I would have a better watch and still have some cash leftover! 😆

It’s quite common with cigar from Hong Kong, I know my dealer is getting his stock from HK and Spain. It wasn’t scratched off, there used to be a price and store code label right where the seal is and when that label is peeled off by the importer here, the print on the seal always comes off too

Thank you, I will smoke one when the house renovation is done, hopefully in exactly 6 months from now.

Too late, I just unsealed it, dusted off some mold on two sticks and off they go to rest for 6 months. What I smelt just now was the most aromatic thing I ever experienced. I have a good feeling about this.

Amen to that!!

I still have obligations with the other special boxes, smoking too many special sticks in a year will make the experience somewhat ‘less’ special.

Not specific to the vitola but I have the exact same question on my mind. I don't have the experience to say anything and don't want to be called an overthinker. 😜