Annual Cigar Budget Poll.

[El Presidente]

This is the second last of the weeks "state of the nation" cigar polls. 

I will write up a summary on the weekend 

[Bagman]

I want to be friends with the person who put 50k+  You are my hero!

[Kaptain Karl]

1 hour ago, Monterey said:

I want to be friends with the person who put 50k+  You are my hero!

I'm friends with someone who's 100% hit that number multiple years. 

 

 

Let's just say it's REALLY fun going to his house! Great guy too! 

[Pharmacovigilant]

To clarify, my overall Cigar budget is not going to change, but the amount I spend on Cuban cigars will be significantly less than it was prior to the price hikes. I park my coin where I see value, and I no longer see value in Cuban cigars. There’s a lot of great New World cigars out there (including Nudies!), and I can actually find them in my favorite vitolas.
I love a Monte 2, but it’s not a $24 stick.

[Bagman]

2 hours ago, Kaptain Karl said:

I'm friends with someone who's 100% hit that number multiple years. 

 

 

Let's just say it's REALLY fun going to his house! Great guy too! 

Gassing up the car now, heading down the 5.  Please have everyone smoke heavily.  I'll head straight for the smoke like a beacon. 

[djrey]

During Covid I was probably $600-800 a month, all of which were CC. Now I am likely around the same for the entire year. None of which are CC. I stocked up back then and am slowly smoking through it while supplementing with heavily discounted new world cigars such as Illusione. I am also down from a cigar a day to a few a week so that helps. 

[Çnote]

5 minutes ago, chasy said:

Does anyone else feel the same way or sympathize? Or am I just a psychopath?

Totally. I learned to let it go and just have a nice bottle regularly regards of the occasion. I treat cigars the same way. 

As for being a psychopath, I'm regularly accused of this by coworkers, managers, vendors, acquaintances and the odd officer of the court. But never by friends.

[Cabbie]

22 hours ago, Kaptain Karl said:

I'm friends with someone who's 100% hit that number multiple years. 

 

 

Let's just say it's REALLY fun going to his house! Great guy too! 

Is he accepting friend applications? 🤣

 

6 hours ago, chasy said:

2022 was a stocking up year for me. Through out the course of the year I added (purchased) far more than I subtracted (smoked). As such, I haven’t figured out my run rate consumption. Being in Chicago and not smoking in my house, my smoking season is essentially 60 degrees and up - which is probably 6 months of the year plus any warm weather vacations during the winter.

Assuming $500 per box, to hit $5,000 a year, that’s 10 boxes or 250 cigars. Which is roughly 10 cigars a week for 25 weeks (~ 6 months smoking season for me referenced above) to break even. I’m not smoking 10 cigars a week…

When factoring in aging of boxes, the math gets too complicated for me to figure out. I’ll keep buying as I see boxes I’m excited about and as room frees up.

The dynamic that’s really tough for me to cope with is the fear that volumes will only go down and prices only go up, thus leading me into a hoarding mentality that I don’t think is very fun - or healthy. It makes it all feel stressful which is the exact opposite of what cigars are meant to be for me.

I went (and am going through) this same process with wine. Buy to stock up, age the wines, feel guilty drinking the expensive / aged stuff because when is it ever the appropriate occasion? “This was an expensive Cab and I should probably let it age for several more years before I drink it.” End up hoarding this stuff for no good reason.

Does anyone else feel the same way or sympathize? Or am I just a psychopath?

Can sympathize 100%. I've FOMO bought a few boxes on sales or from our host, with the mentality of "I may never see this price again." I'm sure glad I got them and they're in the humidor though.

[mdido]

45 minutes ago, chasy said:

I went (and am going through) this same process with wine. Buy to stock up, age the wines, feel guilty drinking the expensive / aged stuff because when is it ever the appropriate occasion? “This was an expensive Cab and I should probably let it age for several more years before I drink it.” End up hoarding this stuff for no good reason.

Does anyone else feel the same way

Very relatable. I’ve hoarded cigars despite smoking less than one per week. But I’m very thankful to have stocked up when I did! As you’ve said some of the nicer sticks, as well as whiskey and wines,  become hard to justify as a fairly extravagant indulgence. 
 

The only solution for this dilemma that I’ve come across is to share as much as I can when the company is right. Of course, you have to maintain a baseline appreciation and interest amongst guests to appreciate the cigar/whiskey/wine!! In my opinion, the resulting memories/ conversations (camaraderie so to speak) multiply the value of the “extravagant indulgence” and make it worthwhile. Of course, celebrations and achievements are perfect occasions as well!

[MrBirdman]

I really want to see the smoking habits of someone who smokes over $50k in cigars a year here. Do you only smoke ultra premiums or do you actually average >5 cigars a day?

[Corylax18]

7 minutes ago, MrBirdman said:

Do you only smoke ultra premiums or do you actually average >5 cigars a day?

My guess, Yes to both.

I've seen people on this forum drop $10k-$12k on special Humidors at the Partagas Festival. That's 20% of the way to $50k, in one night. 

[HarveyBoulevard]

12 minutes ago, MrBirdman said:

I really want to see the smoking habits of someone who smokes over $50k in cigars a year here. Do you only smoke ultra premiums or do you actually average >5 cigars a day?

I don't think they SMOKE 50k a year (although they might).  I think they BUY 50k a year and now have stock for a lifetime...

Just thinking out loud here...

[bmac]

I spend more than ever and only on NC’s just to spite the Cuban Government.

[BlueRidgeFly]

17 hours ago, Pharmacovigilant said:

I love a Monte 2, but it’s not a $24 stick

I agree, especially for a typical example. Chasing the rare outperformers for that price is kind of insane.

[bates40]

The budget would obviously go out the window in the event I went to Havana and/or a country without ridiculous taxes - in which case I would be like a fat kid in a candy store who has not eaten in 2 days. 

[MrBirdman]

43 minutes ago, BlueRidgeFly said:

I agree, especially for a typical example. Chasing the rare outperformers for that price is kind of insane.

Hear hear. 

[Rhinoww]

Thanks for the ranges. I feel much better about what I used to spend a year on cigars.  I can tell my wife I’m on the low end of my peers here 😂

When I think about the costs to replace my existing stash though I get cold sweats. Pretty soon my cigar collection will be worth more than I paid for my first house 30 odd years ago. Hell, I might sell have if my collection in a few years and use it for a down payment for my kids to get their first homes. sad, but as others have said it is hard to just light up a $100 stick everyday.  

[Bijan]

7 hours ago, HarveyBoulevard said:

I don't think they SMOKE 50k a year (although they might).  I think they BUY 50k a year and now have stock for a lifetime...

Just thinking out loud here...

In his book "The connoisseur's book of the cigar" Zino Davidoff describes "The Great Cigar Lover"

(he also describes what he calls the average smoker, the enlightened smoker and the beginner/occasional smoker)

[shokao]

Last year I've achived the $10,000 mark and I'm not proud of it. I did it because I was stocking up knowing that more price hikes were just ahead.

This year I'll probably cut in half and spend most of my cigar budget on NC's (Davidoff, Padrón, Nudies, Illusione Epernay, AFs, etc.).

Someday, I'll look back and miss cuban cigars for sure.

[Rhinoww]

10 hours ago, Bijan said:

In his book "The connoisseur's book of the cigar" Zino Davidoff describes "The Great Cigar Lover"

(he also describes what he calls the average smoker, the enlightened smoker and the beginner/occasional smoker)

This Zino Davidoff quote is awesome. @Bijan strong work - this must have been sitting in your wheelhouse for a while. Among the many reasons why this forum is unique and provides a layered understanding of our obsession (while we take scrupulous care of our ever growing stashes). 
 

well done sir. 

[PigFish]

Buying precious metals makes more sense to me these days. Regarding taste. A coin in the mouth likely taste better as well!

tP

[Bijan]

1 hour ago, Rhinoww said:

This Zino Davidoff quote is awesome. @Bijan strong work - this must have been sitting in your wheelhouse for a while. Among the many reasons why this forum is unique and provides a layered understanding of our obsession (while we take scrupulous care of our ever growing stashes). 
 

well done sir. 

I've always been interested in history. But even though cigars go back a few centuries at least, I didn't manage to find too many historical books about cigars. The Davidoff book was one I did find.

It's available online from the internet archive:

https://archive.org/details/connoisseursbook00davi/page/72/mode/2up

(though you can't download it, but have to borrow it online 1 hour at a time from their lending library)

Paul Garmirian's "The Gourmet Guide to Cigars" was a more recent one, not that old but old enough that he, as an American cigar maker, covers Cuban cigars.

[Ford2112]

I spent 8 grand in 2021. 2022 was a bit less. 2023 I may spend a fair amount on NC and restocking on smaller format CCs and a couple bucket list items.  That's gonna be it pretty much for a while.

[Rhinoww]

1 hour ago, Bijan said:

I've always been interested in history. But even though cigars go back a few centuries at least, I didn't manage to find too many historical books about cigars. The Davidoff book was one I did find.

It's available online from the internet archive:

https://archive.org/details/connoisseursbook00davi/page/72/mode/2up

(though you can't download it, but have to borrow it online 1 hour at a time from their lending library)

Paul Garmirian's "The Gourmet Guide to Cigars" was a more recent one, not that old but old enough that he, as an American cigar maker, covers Cuban cigars.

Thanks for the link. This is perfect as I have some time on planes next week and delta wifi is now complimentary. 
 

 

[joeypots]

I have more cigars than I need and fewer than I want. I’m lucky enough to have always bought more than I smoke so the price increases weren’t much more than disappointment. Not that I have a huge collection, I’m a two a week guy. I did stock up when the warning came in late ’21, but I’m talking like 6 boxes. I also got an offer on a box that I couldn’t refuse so I have funds to pick up a few boxes at current prices. Regular production common vitolas, nothing fancy. And btw, it’s not what you want to buy, it’s now what you can get. 

Cigars will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no cigars.

With appreciation to Freewheelin’ Franklin.