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

[MrBirdman]

3 hours ago, El Presidente said:

The Habanos strategy is to lose 30% of you. 

Then they’ve overshot the mark methinks 😉

[El Presidente]

22 minutes ago, SCgarman said:

Just curious. What's the point of fully stocked shelves in Cuba with absolutely zero tourism?

Cigar tourism is a fraction of what it was. 

General tourism is slowly clawing back. 

In terms of cigars within Cuba, they will redistribute supply in future. Step 1 is get a handle on internal demand given the new paradigm.

 

[ayedfy]

Petit Corona is the new Robusto

This is it for me. I’ll buy something bigger in a small sample as a treat (love those quarter box offers!) but in terms of boxes, it’s PCs from here on out. If I want something larger it’s NC.

Suits me better anyway with two under 5, sometimes a minuto is too long to escape interruption!

[Pharmacovigilant]

I priced out of CCs with this latest HSA price hike. Likely out for good unless things drastically change. Last month I bought a box of NC’s (Illusione Epernay) and they are fantastic!

[BrightonCorgi]

2 hours ago, SCgarman said:

Just curious. What's the point of fully stocked shelves in Cuba with absolutely zero tourism?

They have an obligation to franchise owners to provide a viable franchise.

[GoodStix]

9 hours ago, Nevrknow said:

Even when I can again, I'm thinking only Esmeralda and Fundi and Sir Winnie. The 3 must tries I haven't gotten to try. Yet.

Yep, with you on must try the Fundi and Sir Winnie one day.  Elusive.  PM me if you like, I can send you an Esmeralda.

[djrey]

I was lucky to visit Cuba in 2013 and loved it. Was planning on returning before covid hit. The cigar hobby is a large aspect of my desire to return to the country. With the recent increases I cant say that I am in any rush to go back now. Sure there are others like me but not sure how much of an impact that will have on the country. Issue is, it's the hard-working citizens who will suffer, not the govt. 

[ha_banos]

9 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

They have an obligation to franchise owners to provide a viable franchise.

What about the overseas franchises? Lots of LCDH shelves empty. Airports they probably care least about. All the exclusive LCDH will be stocking other product now, no?

Regular boxes are hitting 5-600$ now. Thats me on the edge of interest. MC DE 900$.

I mean I get it this was one of the only luxury goods im interested in. And it was not out of reach. I just registered with BR. I'll try to shift the few high price boxes and replace with the regular production I know and love. CoRo has appeared at £1,999 here now  Down a tad from £2,049.

[MrBirdman]

13 minutes ago, ha_banos said:

CoRo has appeared at £1,999 here now  Down a tad from £2,049.

CC going down?! A Christmas miracle!

[BrightonCorgi]

8 minutes ago, ha_banos said:

What about the overseas franchises? Lots of LCDH shelves empty. Airports they probably care least about. All the exclusive LCDH will be stocking other product now, no?

Habanos has an obligation to ensure all LCDH's are appropriately stocked (IMO).  If McDonald's is out of beef and fries; it's not much of a franchise is it?  Then again a barren LCDH could be the perfect metaphor or representation of Cuba today which is partially a function of LCDH's (promotion of Cuba).

Habanos cares more about Duty Free from my estimation because they promoted along side with other world class items Habanos aspires to be associated with to much larger audience than those walking into a B&M.

[SCgarman]

10 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

They have an obligation to franchise owners to provide a viable franchise.

So do the other franchise owners throughout the world. You can't sell empty shelves, and those optics just look bad. Add to that the ridiculous high pricing. Not a winning business model.

[Lewberry]

GF just spent $300 at BBBY on candles, so I guess the door is back open!  Except 🚦=☠️.

[GaryK 54]

Fortunately, I went deep in 2019-2021. So, like many on here, my collection will probably outlast me. I've never connected with Cohiba, so the price increase on those sticks didn't hurt. But damn, I do like Trinidad... that one hurt a lot. I still buy the occasional box of my go-to Marca on 24:24... RASS, PSD4, BBF, and HU Mag 46. But that is mostly to experience the 'Christmas morning' feeling of receiving that package AusPost in the mail. Nothing beats opening a box of freshies and smelling that aroma!

Thank God for Nudies; the new answer to my addiction. Can't get enough of the N1 Maduro. As an added bonus, I have yet to find one with poor construction, burn issues or plugged. Good on ya, Rob.

[djrey]

1 hour ago, Lewberry said:

GF just spent $300 at BBBY on candles, so I guess the door is back open!  Except 🚦=☠️.

Hope she got the $10 3 wick deal my wife keeps talking about 🤣🙄

[Arabian]

speaking of Cuban 'Cigar' tourism, a family who came back from Cuba a few weeks ago summed up their trip in:

- The food is awful, they spent their days eating eggs and sea food (which made them feel kinda sick), poor hotel service and the Cuban vibe is gone.

- loads of Cohiba at the shelves at high prices, hard to get other marcas.

- the island is crumbling, once things get damaged its hard to fix.

- it's not worth the visit, boring (3 days are enough), limited options and expensive cigars.

- better to spend the holiday in other countries (Portugal/ Spain/ Italy...) the price of tickets, duration and expensive cigars killed the whole idea of visiting Cuba.

[djrey]

42 minutes ago, Arabian said:

speaking of Cuban 'Cigar' tourism, a family who came back from Cuba a few weeks ago summed up their trip in:

- The food is awful, they spent their days eating eggs and sea food (which made them feel kinda sick), poor hotel service and the Cuban vibe is gone.

- loads of Cohiba at the shelves at high prices, hard to get other marcas.

- the island is crumbling, once things get damaged its hard to fix.

- it's not worth the visit, boring (3 days are enough), limited options and expensive cigars.

- better to spend the holiday in other countries (Portugal/ Spain/ Italy...) the price of tickets, duration and expensive cigars killed the whole idea of visiting Cuba.

Thanks for the insight. Thats sad to hear. Well they are working on destroying the cigar industry, now tourism. Dark times ahead. Time to come up with a new theory of how the US did them wrong. 

[dowjr1]

14 hours ago, Pharmacovigilant said:

I priced out of CCs with this latest HSA price hike. Likely out for good unless things drastically change. Last month I bought a box of NC’s (Illusione Epernay) and they are fantastic!

Yes I am an Illusione fan as well.  They have a number of good blends.

[JoshD]

Disclaimer- CC noob here, I don't have any aged stock so maybe my mind will change if I can spare the couple boxes I do have for a few years.

With that said, its increasingly hard for me to justify buying a small format CC when a high quality NC lancero is less expensive.  Plus, the $ is just one factor.  Went through a recent box of HUHC, and I'd say 5 were awesome, 15 were average to good, and had to toss 5.  I've given a lot of these away to friends that only burn one occasionally, and it doesn't sit well with me that there is a 20% chance it won't even be enjoyable for them. 

On the plus side, you can buy N3's for the same price, and every single one will be spot on in every aspect.  Everything about them is awesome.  I'm not a gambler, so I'll trade a 10% chance at a 95pt for a 100% chance at a 92pt any day of the week. 

[shokao]

Some cigars and marcas that were dream smokes for me became impossible:

Trinidad La Trova, Trinidad Esmeralda, Cohiba Siglo VI, Cohiba Lancero, Sir Winston, Partagas 8-9-8, Bolivar Libertadores.

Either price or availability I can’t get them. 

[vladdraq]

2 hours ago, Arabian said:

speaking of Cuban 'Cigar' tourism, a family who came back from Cuba a few weeks ago summed up their trip in:

- The food is awful, they spent their days eating eggs and sea food (which made them feel kinda sick), poor hotel service and the Cuban vibe is gone.

- loads of Cohiba at the shelves at high prices, hard to get other marcas.

- the island is crumbling, once things get damaged its hard to fix.

- it's not worth the visit, boring (3 days are enough), limited options and expensive cigars.

- better to spend the holiday in other countries (Portugal/ Spain/ Italy...) the price of tickets, duration and expensive cigars killed the whole idea of visiting Cuba.

well, i could upload some pictures with awesome beaches, turquoise see and palm trees, but i get your point. 

[cigaraholic]

I doubt I’ll stop buying CC’s, but I have a price point for every cigar that I won’t go over. And there are very few right now that haven’t already exceeded my happy place. It I’ll be interesting to see if production and supply come back to some sort of normal levels what happens. It’s a sellers market now, but what happens when Monte 4’s and Partagas Shorts start pilling up on shelves. And how do you attract young cigar lovers to an unaffordable hobby? They’ve killed cigar tourism in Cuba, maybe they just like looking at full shelves, or is it they like all the thank you letters they get from new world cigar makers.

[porkchop]

2 hours ago, Arabian said:

speaking of Cuban 'Cigar' tourism, a family who came back from Cuba a few weeks ago summed up their trip in:

- The food is awful, they spent their days eating eggs and sea food (which made them feel kinda sick), poor hotel service and the Cuban vibe is gone.

- loads of Cohiba at the shelves at high prices, hard to get other marcas.

- the island is crumbling, once things get damaged its hard to fix.

- it's not worth the visit, boring (3 days are enough), limited options and expensive cigars.

- better to spend the holiday in other countries (Portugal/ Spain/ Italy...) the price of tickets, duration and expensive cigars killed the whole idea of visiting Cuba.

Do agree on a few of your points. That said, was it ever a "family vacation" spot? Better to go with a buddy, smoke and relax for a handful of days. There is fun to be had. 

Maybe buy a box here and there of regular production. The issue is the price plus everything else. If the sticks were sitting on a shelf at the local lounge, paying a premium for an enjoyable smoke is semi-palatable. That unfortunately is not the reality. Thankfully, custom rolls have filled the void nicely. 

[Tradesman]

On 12/2/2022 at 10:51 AM, Pharmacovigilant said:

I priced out of CCs with this latest HSA price hike. Likely out for good unless things drastically change. Last month I bought a box of NC’s (Illusione Epernay) and they are fantastic!

Just bought a box of Epernay D’Aosta as well, can vouch that it’s good stuff! 

[TR]

GF just spent $300 at BBBY on candles, so I guess the door is back open!  Except =.

And saved $900.

[Greenhorn2]

On 12/1/2022 at 6:47 PM, dominattorney said:

The death of cigar tourism is likely to be a significant problem in the long run. The cheaper cigars in Cuba thing was a great idea. Short sighted to look only to profits brought from the sale itself. The tourists coming to buy cigars spent money elsewhere and the lack of that influx of cash will surely hurt the economy as well as the people who relied on the tourist industry in general to earn an extra buck. 

I wonder if the Cuban government ever cared about the people who relied on the tourism dollar?