How Many Boxes of RE/LE Do You Buy?

[Hurltim]

So, if you find an RE/LE that you really like, how many boxes do you typically buy and how often do you smoke them? We have quite a few RE/LE collectors here and I was just curious.  

[Puros Y Vino]

For me it varies. I went nuts on the La Escecpion Selectos Finos.  Bought over 10 boxes, probably smoked ~ 75 of them since release.  Went deep on Monte Grand Edmundos.  Maybe 6 boxes.  Love the new Club Allones.  Trying to grab them when I can.  Went deep on the first two Cuban RE's.   Otherwise, when it comes to EL's/RE's,  I either trade for, or buy some with friends to split now and then.  I'm trying to back off on the "double banders" unless I really like the smoke. Otherwise, I'm trying to go deep on the regular production cigars I want to enjoy over the years.  With the exception of the LASF's, I sample RE/LE's from a particular box 1 to 2x a year.

[BuzzArd]

I have half a dozen of the RACA here based purely on everyone's reviews.  Bought one box of Mag56 which I won't see for at least 6months.  Have a couple regionals on the way. Not really much IMO.   Definitely wanted some "special" on hand for occasions, but usually quite satisfied with regular production.  

[PigFish]

... I don't know how to answer this!

-the Pig

[Puros Y Vino]

12 minutes ago, PigFish said:

... I don't know how to answer this!

-the Pig

Sure you do!  This could have been your briefest post ever.

Either "0" or "zero". 

[PigFish]

LOL- I kept attempting to post 'blank space' but the damn software won't allow it!!! -P

[Stogieninja]

None. They're too rich for my blood.

I do have a box of 07 and 08 PL RE Asia regionals, but those were to mark my kids' births.

[Jimmy_jack]

Seems like such mixed opinions on the LE/EL/RE. Other than the RACA most say hitnor miss. So I have non yet. I guess you could say the same for regular cigars too...hit or miss. I will try to get 3 boxes of the RACA when they come up again. Now, I gots nada.

[TheMonk]

I attempt to buy a few singles of most LEs, to assess if they're box worthy for me, and also some REs, when they're either supposedly very good or reasonably priced, and providing I can get my hands on them. I've gone a bit dip on a few, last of them being the RA 898 Germany RE and the Mag56 LE, both of which already tick the right boxes for me, and I foresee they will be even better in a few years.

With the current trend of >52 ring gauges, though, this year I'm tempted to pass on all of them except the Dantes, even though I'm usually a big Trinidad fan.

[Hurltim]

I attempt to buy a few singles of most LEs, to assess if they're box worthy for me, and also some REs, when they're either supposedly very good or reasonably priced, and providing I can get my hands on them. I've gone a bit dip on a few, last of them being the RA 898 Germany RE and the Mag56 LE, both of which already tick the right boxes for me, and I foresee they will be even better in a few years.

With the current trend of >52 ring gauges, though, this year I'm tempted to pass on all of them except the Dantes, even though I'm usually a big Trinidad fan.

How many Mag 56 boxes did you grab?

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[Bohn007]

Tim, it's a simple answer. You buy the cigars you like and if you like them a lot, you buy more. If you don't know how they will taste, it depends on your budget but I would not buy much, if anything, unless you just want to burn money

[zeedubbya]

I tend to buy more LEs because I have really enjoyed some of them.  The Part Sel Privada, the Boli Super Coronas, RACA, and Mag56 are all stellar smokes I think.  Have a few Robo Supremos and 1966s but every time I grab for one a $ pops up over my head and I grab a Party Short or PLPC.  

REs have been here or there.  Not really chasing them just have traded for a few and picked up a few of the more revered ones.  I love the 109 vitola so I have bought as many of these as I could reasonably afford--Bushidos, Eslavos, Classicos, Edmundo Dantes.  Been on hunt for Bolivar 5th Avendia.  So way more LEs I like and REs here and there to answer your question.

[PigFish]

30 minutes ago, Bohn007 said:

Tim, it's a simple answer. You buy the cigars you like and if you like them a lot, you buy more. If you don't know how they will taste, it depends on your budget but I would not buy much, if anything, unless you just want to burn money

... This tests the whole principle of the EL market theory and is redolent of my long standing opinion of the 'temporary' cigar market.

The EL is designed to move (some of) the secondary collector market speculation money to the primary market, capturing the initial profit, plus speculator profit for the producer. Where the collector/speculator generally earned his money by holding cigars, creating a market (even a false one) based on age, bolstered by Tabacubas poor inventory control practices and their penchant for destroying great tasting traditional cigars, supported by the real, uncontrived history of a cigars performance; the producer in this case, has taken it upon themselves to create 'contrived' market value by adding an extra band and shiny box to an untested cigar. This is cigar speculation pure and simple and the cost and risk is high, compared to traditional regular production cigars. The potential for gain or loss is also high, based on what will eventually be the ultimate market outlook for the cigar and that fact that it becomes instantly obsolete. In one selling season it comes full circle, all that took years or decades in the past.

When the commodity is viewed as simply a cigar, you just pay two or three times the amount of any other cigar, who's chance at greatness is no better or no worse. If better, you regret not buying more and potentially make money on your investment. If worse you lose, you lose money, room in your humidor and great smoking time. The whole design is to turn smokers into speculators, and I will have none of it!

I am, and will remain a smoker, not collector nor speculator beyond what has always be the risk of buying a Cuban cigar.

Taking the same leaves and reformatting them makes them very much the same as other cigars. However it does not create a history for them, which it obviously cannot except when judged against other 'temporary' cigars. The rationale to buy them comes in many different forms; a question for others to answer! I simply think that it is nothing more then grown men recapturing the essence of the bygone Easter egg hunt! In my day, in order to hunt Easter eggs, you were invited to a party, or were a member of a church or other group. Today, you open your wallet, stand in line at Black Friday events, wait for a new iPhone, or surf the net to find EL cigars!

MHO, to each his own, no offense intended to those that enjoy the hunt. 

-the Pig

[El Guero]

0 boxes. I've only had 1 single (Encantos). Too cost prohibitive for me.

[perkinke]

Have to agree whole heartedly with pig on this one.

The one EL I bought and loved I have gone through several boxes, but it is one of the less popular releases so I can still get it at about the same price point I would pay for similar regular production lines. I have had one RE I really thought worth purchasing again but the market for it exploded and it's just not worth the extra mark-up to me.

I feel the same way about the Pappy craze. It's good, but not as big a difference from more regular production as the marketing/hype makes it out to be.

I don't blame either Habanos or the distillers for cashing in on fads, it's smart business.

[TheMonk]

3 hours ago, Hurltim said:

How many Mag 56 boxes did you grab?

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3 boxes and some singles (which are already gone ), so probably not as many as I should've, but OTOH I do love some regular production sticks that really are much better value for money.

[BuzzArd]

39 minutes ago, Hutch said:

What I have also stocked deeply in are the "spin offs" that the RE program has spawned. The first that comes to mind are the Picadores, which I feel were spun from the Asian PL Robusto RE. 

 

I'll agree on the Picadores (assume Por larañaga?) I only have one box on hand but love them.   However, I thought that was an old discontinued vitola PL just brought back to market....  Am I wrong...?

[RijkdeGooier]

When I like both the cigar and price I buy them. 

Some are amazing cigars

[losttrailer]

The original Picadores had an 44 RG so it's not exactly an reintroduction, rather an modern interpretation. The Bands used on them are an hommage to pre-embargo PL bands but have not been used on the old Picadores. All in all certainly one of the more interesting releases of the last years.

[BuzzArd]

12 minutes ago, Hutch said:

Brought back the name, but entirely different cigar...partially because of the difference in tobacco strain, but also in size.

Understood.   Well, it's definitely on my radar.  

[Lotusguy]

The highest number of boxes of an LE was 5 and that was the HDM Petit Piramides. Boy did I regret that.

Highest number of boxes of RE was 10 of the RA898 Alemana. Did not regret that.

[Ethernut]

Exactly 0 

 

Hear that huge sucking sound of Habano's SA pulling ya in.... wooooooooosh ?

[Jeremy Festa]

The most I have bought of any RE or LE is 3 boxes.

The minimum of what I have bought, when I did buy them was 1. Because I can't buy 0. 

I go more for the RE's than LE's. 

The best LE from memory, for me, was the Upmann Robusto and the best RE, for me, was the RACF, Bushido, and La Escepcion SF. All of these cigars were and are amazing. Loads more come to mind but they were my favourites. Above 95 pointers. 

As such, what I have to say about the LE/RE programs is completely contradictory to many others here, in that it is pretty awesome. 

I don't believe it is solely produced to maximise profit. A lot of people focus on this. It is also, to a certain degree about marketing. In the form of hype. 

Hype is good. And it makes things "special."

If you read just a touch more into the logic of those that avoid RE/LE's because of the temporary nature of the actual cigar's production, it is counterintuitive to the reason they avoid them. They avoid them out of principle, more so than money.  

Cigars are temporary in nature anyway, if you smoke and enjoy them. 

The only analogy that works best for me is this... I sometimes go to this particular local bottle shop, and they have feature kegs there, and some are collaborative projects and one-off batches. I have had two that spring to memory. One was a mango sour beer. The other was a collab between Brooklyn Brewery and this north Italian pilsner. Both were amazing. And won't be done again. And I am upset about that. But it also makes the experience even sweeter. Because it happened. And I enjoyed it. 

There are so many cigars that are incredible in the limited or regional fashion that people miss out on out of principle. And they will be left wondering.

While we won't. 

And on this point, this guy said it best:-

Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened - Dr. Seuss. 

 

 

 

[Bohn007]

4 hours ago, PigFish said:

I simply think that it is nothing more then grown men recapturing the essence of the bygone Easter egg hunt! In my day, in order to hunt Easter eggs, you were invited to a party, or were a member of a church or other group. Today, you open your wallet, stand in line at Black Friday events, wait for a new iPhone, or surf the net to find EL cigars!

MHO, to each his own, no offense intended to those that enjoy the hunt. 

-the Pig

Mr. Pigfish, you gave me a great laugh on the holiday but I could not have said it better. While I do own some EL's and Regionals, I find more and more that the regular production smokes are some of the best overall and certainly a better gamble for my "investment" in burning a leaf. 

[MrGlass]

1 hour ago, Jeremy Festa said:

There are so many cigars that are incredible in the limited or regional fashion that people miss out on out of principle. And they will be left wondering.

I agree with this.  I tend not to buy boxes of the LE and RE releases based on the price but I will jump at the opportunity for a sampler or a box split so that I at least have the opportunity to experience them.