Cost vis-a-vis Disappointment

[Wailbait]

As I learn and meet new people in this wonderful hobby, I figure I might as well ask the group some of the larger questions that lie in my mind.  There's another nagging one I think about a lot.  We have all had cigars that fail to deliver what we were hoping they would (If you haven't, well I'm jealous of your luck . . .)  When you have a bad Siglo VI are you more disappointed than, say, if you had a bad PLPC?  Or is a disappointment a disappointment?  Or perhaps there are degrees of disappointment, but they are predicated more on expectation as opposed to money spent.  For example, I had a bad Por Laranaga Belicosos Extra a few months back.  I didn't even pay for it but boy was I bummed out.  I guess I was hoping it would be superb and its failing was noteworthy.  But then I think about it - I wasn't out any cash.  I hadn't ever had one before.  I didn't really know what to expect.  What was it that I was so disappointed about?  Secondary band hopes?  I wonder what I pinned my hopes to.  

[Puros Y Vino]

It always hurts more when the cigar in question has a high retail price. I've had from the same box of SIglo VI's either the best Sig6 or "meh" Sig6. It varies.  My very first, and only VR Don Alejandro was absolutely putrid and disappointing. I never bothered trying another.  Monte 2's go either way for me. Of the 15'ish I've smoked it's a 50/50 split on enjoyment. Therefore, I've never bought a full box yet.  But on the flipside, I've gone deep on some cigars only after a few positive samples.  There's always a runt in any litter whether you spent wisely or broke the bank. 

[BrightonCorgi]

I was disappointed with Cohiba Sublimes when they first came out.  Was early on in buy habanos online and actually thought they may be fake...  6 years later those same boxes were magic.  It depends on where the disappointment falls.  Is it poor construction, lack of or poor flavor, not looking as nice as promised???  Flavor issues could turn themselves around with time, but a tent peg will always be a tent peg with some exception...  I have a "now wonderful" box of Partagas 898 Unvarnished.  The first 3-4 cigars were all tight and I thought it was down to just being beat and that's it.  Like 6-7 years later I figure "why not just try one for the heck of it".  It was hitting on all cylinders, so you never know.  Glad I did not dump that box!  I would never offer a box of tent pegs without a disclaimer on the cigars I had smoked previously from the box.

[Islandboy]

In general, the higher my expectations are, the larger the disappointment is if a cigar turns out to be horrible. Sometimes my expectations are cost-based, sometimes not. But on the flip side, I find there are far more surprisingly “wow” cigars to be had than bad ones, so it’s all part of a larger experience.

[Guest Nekhyludov]

20 minutes ago, jdouglas said:

I think the biggest disappointment is always the loss of the time. 

I completely agree with this. I've reached a point at which money isn't the biggest constraint - it's time. My greatest disappointment would be finding two quiet, uninterrupted hours on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, settling in with a good book, a Cubita, and a double corona, only to have the experience spoiled by a lousy cigar. Whether it was a $5 cigar or a $50 cigar wouldn't matter the slightest bit to me. 

[HarveyBoulevard]

33 minutes ago, jdouglas said:

I think the biggest disappointment is always the loss of the time.  Let's face it, if you're smoking it you paid for it.  That money is gone and crying about it is a pointless exercise.  But the time available to smoke is finite.  You only get so much, so I'm always thankful when I enjoy a smoke regardless of price tag..  Old guy thoughts I know, lol, but the experience needs to trump the money when deciding if you're satisfied or not.  Regards, John

This sums it up for me pretty well. I don't really think about the cost when I'm disappointed by a cigar, but I do regret the time I lost on a disappointing cigar. I have actually gotten to the point where if I get an inch or so into a cigar and it is crap, I don't care what it is it's getting tossed and I will find another cigar to smoke. Sweet Jesus let those Talisman not be bad an inch in...

[ErikB]

Learnt the hard way not to expect too much . Just buy what you know you will enjoy and take good care of it , more often than not a petit corona will outperform that super premium limited edition maduro anejados gran reserva


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[CaptainQuintero]

When a cigar goes into the humidor it loses its value to me in terms of when i should smoke it, I don't hold cigars off for a celebration or special occasion etc.

But I do hold more expensive cigars to account more. They simply have to be worth the extra coin when you can get similar experiences for sometimes significantly less outlay

[David88]

With high price premium cigars I don’t get bummed out because of the price when they’re poor. I would say I get more annoyed by it. If you are buying a premium, LE or RE cigar then it’s not unreasonable to have expected slightly more care to be put into its construction and to assume it’s going to be a well performing cigar, which isn’t necessarily what happens.

I personally only buy cigars within my means and won’t overstretch my budget to get the latest ‘must-have’ cigars or pay over the odds for hard to get cigars. So when I come across a dud (which isn’t too often thankfully) its not a big issue. 

I think if you have saved for or spent your whole budget on a premium cigar (like the Talisman) and it needs to be pitched after an inch then it’s going to hurt more than tossing a rubbish party short.

[Philc2001]

 

6 hours ago, jdouglas said:

I think the biggest disappointment is always the loss of the time.  Let's face it, if you're smoking it you paid for it.  That money is gone and crying about it is a pointless exercise.  But the time available to smoke is finite.  You only get so much, so I'm always thankful when I enjoy a smoke regardless of price tag..  Old guy thoughts I know, lol, but the experience needs to trump the money when deciding if you're satisfied or not.  Regards, John

I totally agree. Smoking time is finite for me, and I seldom have time for more than one cigar at a sitting, so I want to be satisfied with my cigar choice.

The more expensive, the more I expect, after all the premium price should equate to a premium experience, plain and simple. Whether I paid out of my own pocket or not is immaterial, I know what they are worth, but more importantly I know what a good smoking experience is and what it should cost me.

 

[Hammer Smokin']

6 hours ago, jdouglas said:

I think the biggest disappointment is always the loss of the time.  Let's face it, if you're smoking it you paid for it.  That money is gone and crying about it is a pointless exercise.  But the time available to smoke is finite.  You only get so much, so I'm always thankful when I enjoy a smoke regardless of price tag..  Old guy thoughts I know, lol, but the experience needs to trump the money when deciding if you're satisfied or not.  Regards, John

Excellent post!

[Wailbait]

This is incredible information.  I hadn't really considered whether a bad cigar represented anything more than dollars lost.  For most people here, since cigars are such a pleasurable activity, the greatest loss is not wasted $ but rather wasted time.  It's a really beautiful way of looking at this hobby.  The time spent is the joy itself.  

For me, I tend to hold more expensive items to higher standards.  Thus their failure represents a greater fall from grace but I'm delighted to know that many folks view things differently and with completely different schemas of measurement.  

I wonder if purchase vs. gift makes a difference.  If a person gave you an 85 Romanee-Conti, would you be more or less likely to consume it than if you had purchased it yourself with your own money?

 

[Ken Gargett]

10 hours ago, jdouglas said:

I think the biggest disappointment is always the loss of the time.  Let's face it, if you're smoking it you paid for it.  That money is gone and crying about it is a pointless exercise.  But the time available to smoke is finite.  You only get so much, so I'm always thankful when I enjoy a smoke regardless of price tag..  Old guy thoughts I know, lol, but the experience needs to trump the money when deciding if you're satisfied or not.  Regards, John

a famous aussie wine man, len evans, always used to say that life was too short to drink bad wine. effectively the same thing. 

[gweilgi]

Another point to consider is that a failure to perform to expectations is relative.  A cigar is a living, breathing product.  You can smoke a cigar from the same box kept in the same humidor at three-month intervals, and chances are good that you will have a different experience every time because they keep on changing and maturing as they lie there.  Hell, I have even had that with the same cigar on consecutive days -- simply because the mood was different, or the weather, or the drink, or the company.  Price does not even enter into it.

[Ken Gargett]

2 hours ago, Wailbait said:

This is incredible information.  I hadn't really considered whether a bad cigar represented anything more than dollars lost.  For most people here, since cigars are such a pleasurable activity, the greatest loss is not wasted $ but rather wasted time.  It's a really beautiful way of looking at this hobby.  The time spent is the joy itself.  

For me, I tend to hold more expensive items to higher standards.  Thus their failure represents a greater fall from grace but I'm delighted to know that many folks view things differently and with completely different schemas of measurement.  

I wonder if purchase vs. gift makes a difference.  If a person gave you an 85 Romanee-Conti, would you be more or less likely to consume it than if you had purchased it yourself with your own money?

 

nice timing - just finished a piece on romanee-conti this morning.

i'd argue a smidge different in that there are not a lot of cigars out there worth $20,000 to $30,000. 

if someone gave me that particular bottle, my view would be that i would be drinking it at some stage with that person. 

if i purchased it myself, becomes harder. i did buy an 85 la tache back at release, but that cost me $500 at the time. a fortune for me at the time but what a wine. now, if i still had it (spoilers), it is worth perhaps 10-12 times that. do i sell it and buy what i would like (or pay debts) or do i drink it? tough question. personally, i have never bought a wine with the intention of re-selling. that does not mean i haven't. a lot of the tastings i go to with friends are where we each bring something special. or follow a theme. so if someone was having a la tache tasting and i wanted to attend, perhaps i'd dig it out. if i still could. 

there are a lot more factors than simply drinking the wine. 

 

[canadianbeaver]

Great read. Thanks guys!

My only comment is if it is not wonderful, Mr Beaver says it best. "What else ya got?".

CB

[IanMcLean68]

Being a handmade, living breathing product, I believe having too high expectations is like setting yourself up for disappointment. If it isn't smoking well, grab another.  For me, it is purely about age, not cost. I am fairly disciplined, in that I don't touch most of my new boxes, especially HQ or PSP grade, until they hit the 3 or 5 year mark, depending on marca and cigar. It's about maximising enjoyment and making the most of my time.

[YOM'$]

at my my bias let’s play “which cigar” as i look right next to a box of pale wrapped second BRCs. My best experience this year.  Now I feel like a fool timing the market.  The best experience is 90% being able to relax and the cigar often takes care of the rest. 

[MrGlass]

I have higher expectations of more expensive cigars, but I try my best to keep this in check as all this ever led to was more average performances.  I wasn't giving them the chance they deserved, leading to situations where a good cigar was percieved as disappointing because I expected greatness.  The only one this hurt was me.

Now I try to consider the performance and value as two separate factors: Firstly and simply, did I enjoy it?  And secondly, comparing the performance to the cost, is there value in that cigar?  If the value is there, I'll look at buying more, but if not, I just focus on the first half and leave it at that.

[El Presidente]

I look at them like I look at a bottle of wine. 

Is a $130 bottle of wine twice as good as a $65 bottle of wine?............rarely. I am not even sure how one can comparably rate a subjective experience in a linear manner. 

I know it is worth it when I "re-buy" the $130 bottle. It is then "to me" worth paying double. That doesn't mean however that it is twice + as good. 

What about compared to my $15 bottle of quaffing wine?  The $130 bottle of wine should be in a different universe and it almost always is.  9 times better? Wrong question (for me) as it is about the personal utility it delivers. 

Depending on what study you read, there are either 4, 5, 8 or 16 personality types.  Each would interpret the above differently. They may come to the same conclusion but it wouldn't necessarily be via the same reasoning. 

[ayepatz]

I’ve been fortunate, through the kindness of friends, to sample many rare/expensive/aged singles which I would not have been in a position to purchase, be it through scarcity, geography, or simply monetary considerations.

Most of these treats I have greatly enjoyed, but, as I am not a wealthy man, I have been forced to pick my battles, and only seek to purchase boxes of those I feel I can justify.

I am looking forward immensely to sampling the Talisman, for instance, but I know that I will simply never be able to justify purchasing a box, when that same money will go many times further with other cigars (and other goods) I greatly enjoy.

I’m rarely disappointed, as I get to try “special” cigars, and my humidor is full of cigars I know I love. Obviously, I reciprocate as often as I am able.

Good friends are, indeed, the very heart of the cigar world.

[PigFish]

This is likely going to go over like a lead balloon but here goes.

I understand Cuban cigars. I have been smoking them for a long time. Disappointments are a part of the landscape. They happen!

What bothers me most is when I know better. I know better than to pay a bundle for a single (or box of) wunderkind cigars. A cigar is a cigar! I know what I like. I know what the Cubans make that is more than likely my taste. I stray. I know better. I get nicked, I get pissed (off and on), and I have no one to blame but myself...

I mean if you hit s patch of ice and end up in a ditch it is a bummer. If it happens to you at the same place more than once there should be a bell going off in your head... If you pay stupid prices for cigars and they suck, learn your lesson!

Cheers! -Piggy

[5thStarChicago]

This is a very interesting topic & great comments by all.

Regarding the actual cost relation to disappointment aspect of the original question, I think the reason it's disappointing plays a huge factor.  For instance, you buy something pricey but have never had before and then save it for a special occasion since it's pricey and thus "special".  When the time finally comes and the cigar lets you down because it's an overpriced dog rocket,  it can terribly impact the the occasion and the price only adds to the disappointment.  So, when you really want to take time with something exceptional, go with what you know and love, who cares the cost and hope like hell it isn't plugged.  

When I buy an expensive cigar I've never had, I smoke it at any random time like any other new cigar (I'm spoiled and get to smoke pretty much any time).  If it's disappointing, the thought is "I won't pay for that nonsense again" and usually fire up something else.  If it does smoke well, and I appreciate the reason it's expensive (totally unique and memorable), then more are bought.  The spend is mentally justified and the price aspect won't play into potential future disappointment. 

I smoke a lot of cigars and there are plenty of fantastic cigars out there at all price points.  I don't smoke super expensive cigars very often and they are usually reserved for more special occasions.  That said, I don't only smoke super expensive cigars on special occasions, either.   For those special moments when I really want to focus on the cigar or round out an exceptional occasion, the only times I'm disappointed in the cigar is due to either bad construction (hand made product, there's always a potential for flaws) or my bad choice of cigar for the circumstance.  Price is irrelevant at that point.

I guess to simplify my points, 1. don't smoke blind on special occasions and be aware of / confident in your choice for the moment, regardless of the price and 2. never go anywhere with just one cigar.  You at least give yourself a chance to redeem the experience, be it a special occasion or the drive to work. 

[MrGlass]

57 minutes ago, PigFish said:

What bothers me most is when I know better. I know better than to pay a bundle for a single (or box of) wunderkind cigars. A cigar is a cigar! I know what I like. I know what the Cubans make that is more than likely my taste. I stray. I know better. I get nicked, I get pissed (off and on), and I have no one to blame but myself...

I get where you're coming from with this, but straying can also lead to new favourites as well and you have to take the good with the bad here.  Like you said, disappointment is part of the landscape, even with the cigars you know and love.  I know there are people out there who have one cigar they love and that is all they smoke.  And that's fine - to each their own.  But for me, part of the enjoyment of this world comes from trying new things regardless of the risk of disappointment.  But you still have to avoid the ice patches (for me it's Bolivar).  

[Hotboxx]

Hard for me to be upset at the cigar when the vast majority of the time it is one of 2 things. Mostly  the condition of the cigar is not quite right because of travel, temperature, humidity etc or sometimes its where I'm at , or not feeling good ( i.e. seasonal allergies )even something i ate can throw things off. If I'm not happy after the first third, l let if go out and get something  I know is smoking good. Insta happy.  Prob Happens once in a hundred smokes(somethings gotta be mega wrong)..... also a cigar fight is not always a bad thing cuz the beer and scotch remedies issues.