At what price would you quit? (One year later)

[Lfhard]

I have been phased out of buying CC. Fortunately I have built up a nice stash. I have reduced my smoking and have maybe bought a couple boxes since the last price increase. There are a few boxes of cigars I’m still looking for but it’s hard to buy with current prices. So for me I’m done buying unless I find the specific box/cigar I’m looking for and the price is right. 

[Blakes]

On 12/2/2022 at 5:43 PM, JoshD said:

I'd say 5 were awesome, 15 were average to good, and had to toss 5.  

THIS!!

This is why these prices won't hold long term. Eventually even the super-rich will get fed up of being shafted.
After over a decade of smoking 100's of boxes of CC's, the above is the typical experience. The price used to reflect 1. their youth, and 2. All those crap to mediocre to average/pleasant to good smokes, and from time to time you would be rewarded with those magical smokes where everything aligns, Cuban tobacco at its best. It made sense.

To even begin to justify these ridiculous prices EVERY single cigar in EVERY box would have to be hitting a 96 point + smoke, and that is impossible for them to achieve. The CC world is now clown world. 🤡
 

 

[Bri Fi]

I think the last box I purchased was HUHC in June. It was the only box I purchased in 2022. I joined FOH in 2018 and bought cigars like a degenerate for the last few years. But now, I cannot justify paying 400+ for a box of everyday smokes. I know FOH has the best price for quality out there right now. And my heart goes out to those in the business cause it’s gotta be scary right now. Glad my smoking has gone significantly down so I can age my stock. I miss the excitement of waiting for my package to arrive from the outback. Maybe one day prices will go down but I doubt it. Demand would need to disappear. 

[Notsocleaver]

Habanos are just as good as they have always been, if not better. But I used to get PSD4 cheaper than a Tat J21. That was a no-brainer. Now I can get two j21s for the price of a PSD4, or one Padron family reserve 45. Thats a no brainer too. Past the point for me to move on.

[dageshi]

Moved on. I have a substantial collection that I bought at really good prices. I bought low, I've no plans on selling high but I can't bring myself to buy high either.

[Capn_Jackson]

I’m fortunate to have attained the CC stock I now have, through the generosity of FOH, some vendors, and a whole bunch of great but fair trades. I still haven’t had a Cohiba in about 20 years, and I’m okay with that. I have a nice amount of the smokes I want, and I don’t usually smoke more than 3 times a week. More here lately because I’m a professor and my Fall semester just ended (Hallelujah!!) I’ve got a good stock of Padróns and other NC’s I enjoy too, so I’m not going to be hurting for the next five years or so. After that, I might just have to miss the flavors of Puro Habanos. Luckily, there are Nudies. “Nudies for all!”

[Rhinoww]

Quit, no. 
Sit on sidelines for a while, yes. Frankly my last box was in sept from FOH. Hard to see myself buying again until prices stop rising so quickly (and fall some). Plenty on hand and will reassess in six months and again in a year. Just don’t see production getting normalized for a few years. 
Crazy that $400/box doesn’t seem that bad. Not too long ago that was a box of coro. Oh well, that’s why I built a stash. 

[Midas]

I’m on the edge of being priced out of boxes of a lot of stuff now. Can I afford a $400 box, yes but I want variety and I can’t afford multiple $400 boxes at a time.

I don’t smoke a lot compared to a lot on here, 1-3 a week depending on work and weather in the UK so I have enough of a stash to keep me going for maybe 10 years. When I go away now I grab a couple of boxes of something “cheap” like Mille Fleurs and grab 25 or so higher end singles/doubles etc.


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[ndhaon91]

I actually took advantage of the market to sell off a ton of aged stock. I brought in about $8k USD from the most over-inflated CC market in history and put into the massively discounted crypto market. It was hard enough smoking a cigar I paid $12 for knowing I could sell it for $24. But when I started thinking about the inevitable bare minimum 10x that will happen in the next crypto bull run, it was like every stick I lit up was burning $240. Just couldn't keep doing it. As others have said, it's one thing when the quality is there. But even with aged stock, it's a 50/50 crap shoot if I'd rather be smoking a dependable NC. 

[RDB]

To the original question: assuming my income remains broadly stable, I would say something like:

- I’ll spring up to say USD50 per stick for something really special. I can imagine buying a few more DCs or specialties around that level. Once in a blue moon.

- I can live with USD10 petit coronas and proportionately priced minutos. After all a good one gives you 90% of what is possible with great tobacco. But USD20? No.

- It’s the midrange staples that I’m worried about. PSD4s are moving towards 500/box. At that price they become an occasional luxury. 
 

Overall I’ll buy less, smoke a bit less, smoke smaller formats, and dabble with non-Cubans.

[ndhaon91]

27 minutes ago, therealrsr said:

@ndhaon91Bitcoin, as an example, at $170,000 is a bold prediction let alone an inevitable bare minimum.  I understand your sell high/buy low logic and best of luck!

Yeah I don't own any BTC. I do think it will hit that number at some point in the next bull run, but I'm more into utility tokens. There's some pretty ingenious solutions for everyday problems being built on web3. But, if it doesn't work out, I'm only down some tobacco.

[ha_banos]

As things are now, I guess if D4's go over £500 (around 610 U$) a box i'm out. Here they are already from 500 up to almost £700. As a benchmark.

[Bijan]

7 hours ago, RDB said:

- I’ll spring up to say USD50 per stick for something really special. I can imagine buying a few more DCs or specialties around that level. Once in a blue moon.

This has generally been my limit per stick..

Part of why I've never bought a Behike (I got in too late and they were $100+).

[nKostyan]

No need to quit
If you want to smoke expensive CCs, but don't have enough budget, buy singles instead of boxes. Alternate with NC, there are also a lot of decent blends.
If we don't support NCs, Habanos will continue to dictate its terms.

[ha_banos]

Hmm https://www.cigar-keep.com/en/articles/thegreatcubanpricehike

 

 

[Cairo]

1 hour ago, ha_banos said:

Hmm https://www.cigar-keep.com/en/articles/thegreatcubanpricehike

They plan is to improve the quality--according to the article that is the reason for the price hikes.

Is there anybody on this or any other planet who believes that?

 

[Arabian]

1 hour ago, Cairo said:

They plan is to improve the quality--according to the article that is the reason for the price hikes.

Is there anybody on this or any other planet who believes that?

of course, its Cuba, they never lie to us and always been transparent. 

"it is important to remember that the higher prices reflect the quality and craftsmanship that goes into producing these premium cigars."

they increased the price twice in less than a year, does that mean Habanos didn't care about the quality they keep mentioning before the price increase and produced a mediocre product? more importantly, how much of the price increase will go to the labor and the people who are responsible for QC?.

 

 

[SCgarman]

On 12/12/2022 at 11:08 AM, ha_banos said:

As things are now, I guess if D4's go over £500 (around 610 U$) a box i'm out. Here they are already from 500 up to almost £700. As a benchmark.

If PSD4 were to hit $600usd/box or more, there is no doubt they will pile up and collect dust. That is 3X what they were as little as 5 years ago. Perhaps Schwarzenegger will keep buying them up. That is his stick of choice.

[asudevil08]

2 hours ago, Cairo said:

Is there anybody on this or any other planet who believes that?

The entire time I was reading this puff piece, I kept thinking to myself if it was financed by the Cuban government.  What a crock of shit. 

[Corylax18]

4 minutes ago, asudevil08 said:

The entire time I was reading this puff piece, I kept thinking to myself if it was financed by the Cuban government.  What a crock of shit. 

Haha. It was. Tabacuba is 100% owned by the government. Almost every business in Cuba is. HSA is just the name of the 50/50 Joint venture for worldwide distribution. 

[ha_banos]

Cigar keep is a new 'community' project. Their view differs somewhat from the recent LL podcast info and what I'm reading here about Cuba. Worrying what their connections and agenda is.

1 hour ago, SCgarman said:

If PSD4 were to hit $600usd/box or more, there is no doubt they will pile up and collect dust. That is 3X what they were as little as 5 years ago. Perhaps Schwarzenegger will keep buying them up. That is his stick of choice.

You're just seeing the start of getting close to prices over this side of the pond. I've not been buying locally because it's priced me out. It's happening brother. Let's see if the market truly is big enough at that level.

Good job there's other options is all. 

 

[SCgarman]

2 hours ago, ha_banos said:

Cigar keep is a new 'community' project. Their view differs somewhat from the recent LL podcast info and what I'm reading here about Cuba. Worrying what their connections and agenda is.

You're just seeing the start of getting close to prices over this side of the pond. I've not been buying locally because it's priced me out. It's happening brother. Let's see if the market truly is big enough at that level.

Good job there's other options is all. 

 

Rob is expanding his Nudies line. And the price of Padron 1964's don't seem too bad now! There are always other options

[Blakes]

On 12/12/2022 at 4:32 PM, Bijan said:

This has generally been my limit per stick..

Part of why I've never bought a Behike (I got in too late and they were $100+).

After a few years of avoiding them on principle I reluctantly bought a couple of boxes of Behike 52 back in 2015/2016. The boxes in stock had three years of age on them which is what finally persuaded me. I paid $267 for each box (full price was $314 before discount) and I still remember complaining about the price then! 😂😂😂

My mind boggles when I see the prices now, it makes me laugh. 🤡

 

 

[ha_banos]

6 hours ago, Blakes said:

After a few years of avoiding them on principle I reluctantly bought a couple of boxes of Behike 52 back in 2015/2016. The boxes in stock had three years of age on them which is what finally persuaded me. I paid $267 for each box (full price was $314 before discount) and I still remember complaining about the price then! 😂😂😂

My mind boggles when I see the prices now, it makes me laugh. 🤡

 

 

Does it also make you not smoke them?

[Notsocleaver]

I smoked my one and only Behike 52 a few years back to celebrate getting my dream job. It was a generous prize for placing in the old fantasy baseball league here. It was a great and memorable cigar. But at today's prices, I couldn't have enjoyed it. Maybe its too much Scottish blood, but I'd spend the whole time thinking 'this could be an entire bottle of octomore'.