How do you decide...

[smbauerllc]

Just curious how others decide what to smoke when its their time. I imagine most of us have a pretty large selection to choose from, and even with my relatively small one I often have trouble deciding.

 

 

 

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[Kevin48438]

I go down a rough selection process in my mind.

1- size:  how long I have/want to smoke

2- time of day:  I like mild in the morning and generally get stronger later in the day

3- activity:  example is a golf cigar.  I like a bigger ring gauge (stays cooler in the wind), less expensive (higher probability of abuse, get stepped on), durable wrapper for same reason.  This usually correlates with simpler, less complex flavors.  Perfect.   I don’t pay nearly the attention on the golf course.  Good burner is also on the list.  Another example is I dont like flaky ash cigars in the car    Better the ones that come off in a nice solid chunk.

4- decision needed?:  is it a limited availability or on a good sale and i need to decide on box purchase soon?

5- drink accompaniment: I mostly seek to avoid conflict.  I don’t get great bonuses for pairing that some others seem to.  But there is definitely downside to a mismatch.   Coffee is never wrong.

5- mood, occasion, who I’m smoking with:  from there it’s what strikes me.  And/or if I’m passing them out and how many.  I don’t take special cigars to herfs if I only bring for myself.

6- ease of extraction:   With all those boxes checked, the one on top is often the one.

[gojira]

Every 4 to 5 weeks I pull out a selection of 30 or so singles from my stash and take it from there. I was tired to stand in front of the cabinet for 60 or so minutes every time I wanted a cigar and find that it's easier that way. It takes me 90 minutes or so to pick those cigars as it takes a while to decide what to pull. I also have a lot of boxes with different singles in them to save space so it takes a while to find certain cigars. If there are any leftovers from what I pulled they either stay in my selection or go back into my stash. Sometimes I sit in front of 25 cigars and stare at them for 15 minutes until I make up my mind. I'm usually faster when the girlfriend is present because I don't want her to make jokes about me being a nutcase who sits silently staring at a pile of cigars...

[Chibearsv]

6 minutes ago, gojira said:

Every 4 to 5 weeks I pull out a selection of 30 or so singles from my stash and take it from there. I was tired to stand in front of the cabinet for 60 or so minutes every time I wanted a cigar and find that it's easier that way. It takes me 90 minutes or so to pick those cigars as it takes a while to decide what to pull. I also have a lot of boxes with different singles in them to safe space so it takes a while to find certain cigars. If there are any leftovers from what I pulled they either stay in my selection or go back into my stash. Sometimes I sit in front of 25 cigars and stare at them for 15 minutes until I make up my mind. I'm usually faster when the girlfriend is present because I don't want her to make jokes about me being a nutcase who sits silently staring at a pile of cigars...

I see nothing nutty about your process at all.

This is what my wife sees almost every day:

Step 1 - Stare at entire stash with hands on hips

Step 2 - Listen, if any of them talk, they're it

Step 3 - If nothing speaks to me, I start opening containers until one or two of them talk and then they're it

Step 4 - If still nothing, find the Esplendidos, they're it

 

[BrightonCorgi]

Have wife pick it out since she has to live with the smell.

[Bijan]

On 3/13/2021 at 3:58 AM, Chibearsv said:

I see nothing nutty about your process at all.

This is what my wife sees almost every day:

Step 1 - Stare at entire stash with hands on hips

Step 2 - Listen, if any of them talk, they're it

Step 3 - If nothing speaks to me, I start opening containers until one or two of them talk and then they're it

Step 4 - If still nothing, find the Esplendidos, they're it

 

As always I have my spreadsheet. My wife probably thinks I'm busy working 😎

As to my spreadsheet I have it separated into cheaper cigars (generally what I smoke on weekdays) and more premium cigars (weekends). Other than what I'm feeling like, the only two data metrics I take into account are how many I have left of each cigar and what has smoked well recently.

[Meklown]

I keep a box of singles that I allow myself to smoke. Ageing stock will be kept away where it is difficult to reach.

From the box of singles - size, cost, then whatever speaks to me from a taste perspective.

Also I tend to ration my smokes such that I don't smoke too much of one type. I refill my smoking box only once every couple of weeks, so e.g. if I see a low volume of monte 4s in the smoking box, I try to avoid that until the next refill. I fill my box according to the volume of each cigar I allow myself, e.g. 8 monte 4s, 8 PLPCs, 3 siglo2s, 6 HdM2s, 6 RASS, 3 PD4, 3 SP beli .... etc. So by the time I get through 8 monte 4s, I would have only smoked 3 siglo2s (saving cost, as I am still building my stash).

[gojira]

I have everything on CCW but find that it's more pleasant to go through my "smoking" cabinet to pick the cigars out. I like opening my boxes to see, touch and smell my cigars. I also try not to smoke a cigar from the same box more than 4 times a year.

 

On 3/13/2021 at 4:19 AM, Meklown said:

I keep a box of singles that I allow myself to smoke. Ageing stock will be kept away where it is difficult to reach.

From the box of singles - size, cost, then whatever speaks to me from a taste perspective.

Also I tend to ration my smokes such that I don't smoke too much of one type. I refill my smoking box only once every couple of weeks, so e.g. if I see a low volume of monte 4s in the smoking box, I try to avoid that until the next refill. I fill my box according to the volume of each cigar I allow myself, e.g. 8 monte 4s, 8 PLPCs, 3 siglo2s, 6 HdM2s, 6 RASS, 3 PD4, 3 SP beli .... etc. So by the time I get through 8 monte 4s, I would have only smoked 3 siglo2s (saving cost, as I am still building my stash).

I keep my ageing stock separate from my smoking stash to avoid digging into it.

[Corylax18]

Occasionally, I get a hankering for a certain cigar and I'll smoke that cigar the next time I get a chance. 

Usually I just stand there staring at my coolidors and tupperdors, eyes glassed over, trying to make a decision. I usually just end up grabbing one of my go to's. Haha. 

[smbauerllc]

Every 4 to 5 weeks I pull out a selection of 30 or so singles from my stash and take it from there. I was tired to stand in front of the cabinet for 60 or so minutes every time I wanted a cigar and find that it's easier that way. It takes me 90 minutes or so to pick those cigars as it takes a while to decide what to pull. I also have a lot of boxes with different singles in them to save space so it takes a while to find certain cigars. If there are any leftovers from what I pulled they either stay in my selection or go back into my stash. Sometimes I sit in front of 25 cigars and stare at them for 15 minutes until I make up my mind. I'm usually faster when the girlfriend is present because I don't want her to make jokes about me being a nutcase who sits silently staring at a pile of cigars...

Pretty much what I do too.
I smoke 1 cigar a day, so at the beginning of each month I pick out 30 Cigars from the ones I have the most of and put them in my humidors tray to be smoked that month.
Deciding which one to smoke each day is pretty much just picking one at random or I would go nuts trying to decide, lol

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[gojira]

1 minute ago, smbauerllc said:

Pretty much what I do too.
I smoke 1 cigar a day, so at the beginning of each month I pick out 30 Cigars from the ones I have the most of and put them in my humidors tray to be smoked that month.
Deciding which one to smoke each day is pretty much just picking one at random or I would go nuts trying to decide, lol

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Yes, I find that's the best way. But I like to add at least two or three really nice cigars every time.

[LLC]

Depending on the time of the day I have a good idea what size and strength I want. That’s the easy part. From there I stand in front of one of the humidors and stare. On bad days I’ll then go to another humidor and stare. If I really can’t decide I often grab a custom that I’ve picked up in Havana.

Strange how the more cigars and variety you have the harder it is to pick one.


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[gojira]

1 minute ago, LLC said:

Depending on the time of the day I have a good idea what size and strength I want. That’s the easy part. From there I stand in front of one of the humidors and stare. On bad days I’ll then go to another humidor and stare. If I really can’t decide I often grab a custom that I’ve picked up in Havana.

Strange how the more cigars and variety you have the harder it is to pick one.


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This!

[BrightonCorgi]

I don't like inventories or spreadsheets with my cigars or wine.  New box or old, if I want to smoke it I will.  Boxes in my cellar as have shrink wrap on.  I don't bother with those, but they are all dup's of stuff I already have in the cabinet.

Aging cigars is easy for me and no inventory makes discovering a box and semi frequent event.

[RDB]

Smoking time / situation is a big determinant for me. The weather & opportunity to smoke indoors affects this a lot. Then I let myself gravitate towards a marca, and usually cycle between them to keep things fresh. Sometimes I’ll start by thinking ‘would love a [particular marca]’ and then have to find the right one.