What motivates your cigar acquisitions

[Peter11216]

I'd like to find out a little about why FoH'ers buy (or otherwise acquire) cigars. It occurred to me that I'm not entirely sure why I do. I think I'm more or less looking for a small number of cigars that suit me "just right." Once I find these, I'll stick with them, if possible, ignoring others I haven't tried.

The poll is a little messy. Suggestions of refinements would be appreciated.

Best,

Pete

[ramon_cojones]

Your last question is a little flawed, but to answer I buy more than I can smoke while sticking to a core group of smokes sprinkling in some non-core choices here and there so I can age a portion of my stock. An option you didn't provide that applies to me is that I like a variety because my smoking is mood dependent. I have no idea what I'll be in the mood for up until the time I want to smoke most of the time, sometimes I do. I can't smoke my favorite stick 4 days in a row like some people, for me cigars are like food (and women LOL!!). I need my variety but have no desire to keep buying new boxes of stuff I haven't tried. This is why I have a wide rotation.

[BobKincaid]

For me, I'm operating fairly slowly but trying to obtain more than I can quickly smoke. I make up for the daily shortfall with NCs that I genuinely enjoy.

On other threads, I've noted that I have absolutely ZERO patience with aging. I'm trying to combat that by smoking any given box down to ten or so cigars and then walking away.

I will, on the other hand, always be a ROTT guy. Why not? Early advice was smoke-em-if-ya-got-em. Life is, after all, short. Socking away cigars strikes me as almost being an offense against the deity-of-choice (or no deity at all).

A for instance: at some point, I'm going to buy a cab of PLPCs. I will smoke a good number of them, even though the received wisdom here is that if you let them lay for five years (no, really, FIVE years), then they turn into something that gives honeybees the green-envies. Screw a honey bee. It would be nice to have that kind of disposable income, but I don't see it happening any time soon. Fire up!

Nice series of questions!

[anacostiakat]

Well, I enjoy diversity but when I find cigars that I like it is then a matter of acquiring enough to smoke and sample while putting some away. That is why I believe in the 2 box rule whenever possible.

Now that being said, I am still buying things that I have not tried in an attempt to determine what cigars (marca and vitola) that I prefer.

What makes this somewhat difficult is the ever changing tobacco crop. Making year to year changes, in addition to the blending.

Determining what suits your tastes is an informative, if sometimes frustrating, task. I love it!

[fred170]

For starters, I enjoy buying CC's just to have and to enjoy like I did at 3AM. I also have had friends that never tried a CC and I introduce them to the world of Habanos. .

For me personally I love Cuba and it is "blocked" economically by trade restrictions and having been in Cuba, I feel that by purchasing cuban goods, albiet Habanos, Havana Club rum, or Cubita coffee, I am giving a hand to a country that so needs the help and at least they can stay afloat by my purchses and by everone else that enjoys Cuban products. I hope this makes sense....

[Peter11216]

Thanks. You are right. That is a good option.

Your last question is a little flawed, but to answer I buy more than I can smoke while sticking to a core group of smokes sprinkling in some non-core choices here and there so I can age a portion of my stock. An option you didn't provide that applies to me is that I like a variety because my smoking is mood dependent. I have no idea what I'll be in the mood for up until the time I want to smoke most of the time, sometimes I do. I can't smoke my favorite stick 4 days in a row like some people, for me cigars are like food (and women LOL!!). I need my variety but have no desire to keep buying new boxes of stuff I haven't tried. This is why I have a wide rotation.

[Peter11216]

That makes a lot of sense, and I share the sentiment. I suspect, that construed fairly, the embargo is illegal under international law, by the way. The US negotiated very special "outs" into the GATT, which, at least under that treaty, allow the embargo. Nonetheless, it is kind of like a bill of attainder . . .

Thanks for the response,

Pete

For starters, I enjoy buying CC's just to have and to enjoy like I did at 3AM. I also have had friends that never tried a CC and I introduce them to the world of Habanos. .

For me personally I love Cuba and it is "blocked" economically by trade restrictions and having been in Cuba, I feel that by purchasing cuban goods, albiet Habanos, Havana Club rum, or Cubita coffee, I am giving a hand to a country that so needs the help and at least they can stay afloat by my purchses and by everone else that enjoys Cuban products. I hope this makes sense....

[bassman]

I buy my facorites to excess so they can age- not an option in your pole. I also buy extra boxes of change of pace cigars for the same reason. don't like Punch or Hoyo so don't buy any. Cuban cigars are the best in the world. Cuban rum & coffee, more of a forbidden fruit". There's some good Cuban rum, but plenty as good or better elsewhere. As for Cuban coffee, IMHO, by the time it arrives it's stale barely worth drinking.

[cigarroverzulu]

OCD???

[cigarroverzulu]

For starters, I enjoy buying CC's just to have and to enjoy like I did at 3AM. I also have had friends that never tried a CC and I introduce them to the world of Habanos. .

For me personally I love Cuba and it is "blocked" economically by trade restrictions and having been in Cuba, I feel that by purchasing cuban goods, albiet Habanos, Havana Club rum, or Cubita coffee, I am giving a hand to a country that so needs the help and at least they can stay afloat by my purchses and by everone else that enjoys Cuban products. I hope this makes sense....

Thats a very good point...

[fred170]

I buy my facorites to excess so they can age- not an option in your pole. I also buy extra boxes of change of pace cigars for the same reason. don't like Punch or Hoyo so don't buy any. Cuban cigars are the best in the world. Cuban rum & coffee, more of a forbidden fruit". There's some good Cuban rum, but plenty as good or better elsewhere. As for Cuban coffee, IMHO, by the time it arrives it's stale barely worth drinking.

Once I get a box I plan to age them for 6 months to a year. The problem, which is actually a good problem, is that I usually pick away at them and gift some to close friends. Shortly afterwards the email goes out to Queen Lisa for a reorder (which I don't mind at all)

Cheers,

[cigcars]

I thought your query poll was excellent and very on-target for the bulk of us, and it wouldn't have occurred to me to think of putting the question out to us! Also, the rest of the respondents are correct and do give welcome support to my habit too of wanting variety*variety*VARIETY!!! To date I have found many Partagas, Montecristo and Punch Black Prince excellence par excellance` for my taste...but I would die and call it an end of life if I couldn't continuously collect ever more varieties and selections. I NEVER want to make due with only one or two types of cigars only. Excellent post

[Dbone]

Well, I enjoy diversity but when I find cigars that I like it is then a matter of acquiring enough to smoke and sample while putting some away. That is why I believe in the 2 box rule whenever possible.

Now that being said, I am still buying things that I have not tried in an attempt to determine what cigars (marca and vitola) that I prefer.

What makes this somewhat difficult is the ever changing tobacco crop. Making year to year changes, in addition to the blending.

Determining what suits your tastes is an informative, if sometimes frustrating, task. I love it!

This is the same road I'm currently going down. Well said.

[Colt45]

Flavor and enjoyment - regardless of band, box, or country of origin.

[aes8]

Great question. My reasoning is based on a few factors: time, money, variety, liquidity, and the nature of Habanos.

1. Time - It is a widely believed, by me anyway, that Habanos improve in taste over time. When I say time I mean in terms of 5-10 year increments. By purchasing multiple boxes I can sample what are good again candidates now and stock away the winners and ditch the losers.

Another factor of time is that as I age and near retirement I will have more time on my hands. I will expect my cigar consumption to increase, possibly dramatically. By slowly building and aging an inventory of my favorites I won't be caught "cigar poor" in my golden years when I will want to be doing video reviews and peeing off the balcony

2. Money - I have a steady income now. I expect my income to gradually increase as I near retirement (I'm 44 now) but then almost come to a halt when I retire. Therefore I expect to have less capital to spend on discretionary items such as cigars. So I stock up now while I can afford it.

3. Variety - I love having multiple boxes I will be able to choose from. I love gifting cigars also. I want to have the ability to choose from a PLPC to a Lusi to des Dieux.

4. Liquidity - You can always sell a box of premium cigars if your initial purchase is sound. Some marca/vitola will always be in demand i.e. PLPC, SW, P898,etc. When you buy multiple boxes you have a known good quantity you can sell. I would state here that I never buy multiple boxes with the INTENTION of reselling. I'm just stating that this is one aspect of my reasoning behind multiple box purchases.

5. Nature of Habanos and Habanos S.A - Let's put it this way "What is good today might not be good tomorrow" I buy multiple boxes of only what's smoking good now. The Lusi of 00-07 are crap, the Fundadores right now are crap, and the P898 are fantastic as are the H. Upmann No. 2. It’s not a viable strategy to just think that you can pick up a box of any year cigar and expect it to be consistent. I try to lock into a good position when I find it.

With the Habanos S.A. market machine at the redline who knows what will be discontinued next. Who wants to wake up and find out the Partagas Coronas got the ax but the Partagas Serie D No.5 is now a regular production cigar, at twice the costs, oh wait, bad example that DID happen. Does anybody else wonder where the regular production tobacco of the RA898, RA Coronas, ERDR Tanios, ERDM GdE, Partagas SdC1/2/3 is going? Cuban tobaco is a finite product. Habanos S.A. can only make more money if; a. they sell a higher volume of the same cigars, (not happening, look at the numbers) or b. they sell less of a higher margin product. [step off soapbox here].

I buy multiple boxes of regular production so I don't have to buy new, unaged, single boxes of LE and RE. Although some, but very few, are quite good and worth aging, such as the 2008 Mexican RE 109.

[fred170]

Great question. My reasoning is based on a few factors: time, money, variety, liquidity, and the nature of Habanos.

1. Time - It is a widely believed, by me anyway, that Habanos improve in taste over time. When I say time I mean in terms of 5-10 year increments. By purchasing multiple boxes I can sample what are good again candidates now and stock away the winners and ditch the losers.

Another factor of time is that as I age and near retirement I will have more time on my hands. I will expect my cigar consumption to increase, possibly dramatically. By slowly building and aging an inventory of my favorites I won't be caught "cigar poor" in my golden years when I will want to be doing video reviews and peeing off the balcony

2. Money - I have a steady income now. I expect my income to gradually increase as I near retirement (I'm 44 now) but then almost come to a halt when I retire. Therefore I expect to have less capital to spend on discretionary items such as cigars. So I stock up now while I can afford it.

3. Variety - I love having multiple boxes I will be able to choose from. I love gifting cigars also. I want to have the ability to choose from a PLPC to a Lusi to des Dieux.

4. Liquidity - You can always sell a box of premium cigars if your initial purchase is sound. Some marca/vitola will always be in demand i.e. PLPC, SW, P898,etc. When you buy multiple boxes you have a known good quantity you can sell. I would state here that I never buy multiple boxes with the INTENTION of reselling. I'm just stating that this is one aspect of my reasoning behind multiple box purchases.

5. Nature of Habanos and Habanos S.A - Let's put it this way "What is good today might not be good tomorrow" I buy multiple boxes of only what's smoking good now. The Lusi of 00-07 are crap, the Fundadores right now are crap, and the P898 are fantastic as are the H. Upmann No. 2. It’s not a viable strategy to just think that you can pick up a box of any year cigar and expect it to be consistent. I try to lock into a good position when I find it.

With the Habanos S.A. market machine at the redline who knows what will be discontinued next. Who wants to wake up and find out the Partagas Coronas got the ax but the Partagas Serie D No.5 is now a regular production cigar, at twice the costs, oh wait, bad example that DID happen. Does anybody else wonder where the regular production tobacco of the RA898, RA Coronas, ERDR Tanios, ERDM GdE, Partagas SdC1/2/3 is going?

I buy multiple boxes for regular production so I don't have to buy new, unaged, single boxes of LE and RE.

If you want, you can gift me a few of the LE's....lol

[ramon_cojones]

Excellent post aes, anywhere in pasadena one can smoke (I believe there is an ordinance). I'm there once a month or visiting a friend.

[oliverchang514]

OCD???

You rang??

As a few others have stated.. The excess is so that I have enough in rotation. Also, I would have enough so that some can be aged. If you can call a few months to a year, aging.

[aes8]

Excellent post aes, anywhere in pasadena one can smoke (I believe there is an ordinance). I'm there once a month or visiting a friend.

Its called the Peppermint Hippo - West or my patio.

Shoot me a PM and let me know when you are coming into town. We can meet up at Fair Oaks which is a great B&M and then head on over to my place.

[LeafLover]

I never buy to age.

I follow one simple rule:

If there is room, buy some more.

[hsmunoz]

for me , I find a smoke I really like, (by that i mean specific box and date code) and then I ask myself how many do I need to keep me for the XX yrs. do that a few times, and that's how my "collection" came to be. Probably will not smoke them all, but my grandkids will light one up and remember ol grandpa.

[cigarroverzulu]

You rang??

As a few others have stated.. The excess is so that I have enough in rotation. Also, I would have enough so that some can be aged. If you can call a few months to a year, aging.

It's good these things age well!!! Buy more!!!

[nick17]

Vary nice I collect to make sure i always have something to smoke that fits my mood and tastes that moment as well as to just collect

[mm12]

I keep a very wide variety of cigars. I like to smoke cigars with different flavor profiles according to the particular mood I'm in.

I have marcas that I like more than others; Ramon Allones, Por Larranaga, Partagas, Upmann, and Trinidad are my top 5. But sometimes I feel like smoking a Quay D'Orsay, or a San Cristobal, or an LGC, or a Cohiba.

The concept of having a "desert island" selection of cigars makes no sense to me. I want variety more than anything else. I want as many different flavor profiles as possible at as high a quality as possible. As long as I don't actually dislike a particular flavor profile, I want the cigar in my collection (as long as the requisite quality is there, of course).

[frenchkiwi]

Lust.