What are the chances of the perfect box of Cuban Cigars?

[El Presidente]

I will post my answer tomorrow.

By perfect I mean 25 from 25 cigars are spot on in terms of construction with a good wrapper.

Not one cigar is overfilled or underfilled. The wrappers need to be good but we are not concerned here about veins or spots.

Have a think and let us know what your experiences have been

[habanohal]

I am unlike alot here. I dont need my cigars to look pretty. As long as they are Tasty,burn well and consistant, then I am good with them

[LeafLover]

ditto habanohal.

But, if I were to guess, I would say 1 out of 5 boxes are perfect.

[MIKA27]

I say one in 20 boxes are 'PERFECT'.

The only perfect box I have ever received was from Czars, they were a box of Trinidad Reyes not so long ago.

The second closest would have been a box of San Cristobal La Puntas (Box of 25's).

[greenpimp]

In my experience I would say 1 in a 100. Where they all draw spot on, flavor is at least very good, and wrapper is consistent. I know just where those few boxes are, too. Everyone I have is consistently great. A box of SigloIII from 06, a box of Upmann #2s from 04, Partagas SP first release, Punch SS#2 from 02, and a JLO#2 cab from 07. That's all I have right now, and I've got more than I would like to admit.

[jacksfull]

I don't think I've had enough boxes go through my hands to even make a resaonable guess.

I will say, "never" is not correct... not by a longshot. Even in my limited experience, I've had quite a few I consider "perfect"... at least by my standards.

[aavkk]

I've learned to be a more patient buyer. There are certain people who's opinion I trust and so when I get the green light on something then jump on it. I think that and buying from reputable vendors has helped me tremendously in acquiring a good number of "perfect" boxes. I would say 1 in 10 for me are perfect but I'm like others and aren't overly picky on how they look as long as the aren't too tight or loose and burn well.

Several standouts for me have been 4x AGO 02 LGC #1's, 3x MAR 06 PSDC#3's, FEB 06 Party 898V's, LLN AGO 03 Siglo VI's, cab of 02 partagas lonsdale and several others

[thechenman]

Prez would PSP boxes qualify under your description in this thread?

[FlyingGlass]

My understanding is that 5% will make PSP. From what I have seen, this seems like a good start, so I'd be surprised if more than 1 in 20 boxes are perfect.

[asmith]

I was looking for the 1 in 1000 tab but its missing?

[Fuzz AI]

Are we including fakes?

[Ken Gargett]

I will post my answer tomorrow.

By perfect I mean 25 from 25 cigars are spot on in terms of construction with a good wrapper.

Not one cigar is overfilled or underfilled. The wrappers need to be good but we are not concerned here about veins or spots.

Have a think and let us know what your experiences have been

i don't think i've ever seen a perfect box. always some variation, even if just from very good to great.

[Guest rob]

i don't think i've ever seen a perfect box.

I agree with Ken. As many "great" boxes as I have seen... I dont think Ive ever seen a flawless one.

When talking about cigars - its a very subjective definiton imo.

[cigarros]

One in twenty I mean perfect, bur agree with Ken and Rob - it's subjective item))

[laficion]

Perfectly perfect perfectness ?

I would think 1 out of 20

[dcse]

1 out for 50 is so close to perfection that droooling just seems to the appropriate thing to do...

[Rogers72]

I said 1 out of 100. It was between that and "Never". I just don't think it's possible to not have at least one cigar that is a little overfilled or underfilled. Even the NC manufacturers who are known for the consistency are going to have one or two cigars per box that are over or underfilled (usually the latter).

[Mel]

I am less concerned with appearances than with draw. Flavors are so closely assotiated with draw that construction is more important than the blend or leaf quality for that matter. One out of fifty is my count on this issue and that is generous. Two cabs of Partagas Coronas from Czars were damn close with possibly three cigars out of the hundred being snug.

I feel if 22 out of the 25 smoke well I am ok with the puchase.

[Bartolomeo]

I voted Never......cigars are hand made and have flaws, even tiny ones

Doesnt mean they are not tasty though

Bart

[LeafLover]

ditto habanohal.

But, if I were to guess, I would say 1 out of 5 boxes are perfect.

Typo. I meant 50 boxes.

Anyway, I'm not really looking for the perfect cigar as I am a perfect cigar experience.

[BobLobLaw]

Great question. I voted 1 in 100, but after over thinking would like to change to something much less common.

So many variables to consider. How the cigars are stored, weather conditions on smoking, how well one lights/cuts the cigar. Is the entire box smoked/gauged by the same person or a group? Changes in pallet etc . . .

I liken it to a perfect game in baseball. Many pitchers will make a great individual effort, but forces out of their control (fielding error, game ended early due to weather, etc) can end the run at perfection. There have been like what 18 perfect games in the history of baseball? I think the odds of finding a perfect cigar box are about the same.

To continue the analogy there are tons of "quality start" boxes, right now regular production is fantastic maybe as high as 1 in 5 or 2 in 5 from Czar. Not to mention all the complete game shut outs (18 perfect cigars 7 great ones), 1 or 2 hitters, 6-8 inning shutouts, and the rare, but still more common no hitter (23 perfect cigars, 2 great ones). You get the idea. However, none of those is a perfect game. A perfect cigar box would need to have the same ideal mix of quality raw materials and luck to happen. Not impossible, but very rare. Maybe 1 in 10,000? Prob rarer then that.

[purosdave]

I voted never, there is no such thing as a perfect box. There are way too many variables, even if one out of five cigars is perfect (which isn't even close in my experience) the chance of getting 25 or 50 of those without a bad one in a box is near impossible. I think it is possible to get 25 supreme cigars but also just as easy to get 25 poor cigars.

[cigaraholic]

19 perfect games as of last Sunday........go A's

I think perfect wrappers are in the eye of the beholder, construction is not. Of course you'd have to have smoked the entire box to know if they were all perfectly rolled.

Probably favors larger format cigars because of the higher roller grade.

I've had a few in 40 years, but 25 perfectly rolled cigars in a box, maybe 10 out of 1,500.

[El Presidente]

The chances are a lot less than for NC's

Ah yes...but as the old saying goes..."only the mediocre are always at their best"

I have an unfair advantage in that I get to open and inspect some 8,000 boxes a year. Now I know "perfection" is subjective and I probably am a harder marker than most.

To get 25 perfectly constructed cigars in a box combined with a good wrapper is something I would see only in one in 100 boxes. Now I don't smoke each and every one of those cigars so I would have a construction failure rate (of at least one cigar) in 50% of those. it is not difficult...a twisted leaf in the filler is all it takes.

So the chances of getting perfection in a box is close to winning a significant prize in a lottery.

The good news is that the second half of 09 stock that we are beginning to see is the best construction wise since 2006. lower production volumes must have a significant part to play. lets hope it continues.

[LeafLover]

Ah yes...but as the old saying goes..."only the mediocre are always at their best"

I have an unfair advantage in that I get to open and inspect some 8,000 boxes a year. Now I know "perfection" is subjective and I probably am a harder marker than most.

To get 25 perfectly constructed cigars in a box combined with a good wrapper is something I would see only in one in 100 boxes. Now I don't smoke each and every one of those cigars so I would have a construction failure rate (of at least one cigar) in 50% of those. it is not difficult...a twisted leaf in the filler is all it takes.

So the chances of getting perfection in a box is close to winning a significant prize in a lottery.

The good news is that the second half of 09 stock that we are beginning to see is the best construction wise since 2006. lower production volumes must have a significant part to play. lets hope it continues.

Opening up 8k boxes a year?!!! I want your job! Hell, I'll do it for free! Like a janitor position at a strip club. You are a lucky man. And I'm willing to wager that I have at least 6,675 gents who will agree with me.