EAR: Building your starting 12 for under $200?

[El Presidente]

EAR = Email Assistance Required. 

This came in to the team the other day. 

I did best when I thought of it this way. 

• Assume you are building a cigar football squad and you have to choose 12 players to build your francise on and your salary cap is $200 USD. 
• 80% of your selections need to be in the 42-52 ring gauge. 
• DEI is apparently still alive in this game. 50% Cuban if possible....if not, don't sweat it. 

 

"I usually light up a cigar two or three times a week. I work in mining engineering, which means I end up in some pretty remote corners of the world, and a good cigar helps me unwind better than just about anything.

I’m in my late 20s, saving for a house back home and planning to marry my partner come fall of ’26, so as much as I love cigars, I’ve got to keep myself on a budget.

Here’s what I’m thinking, and I’d really appreciate some help from Rob and the rest of the FOH crew:

• Top price for a single stick: around $25 USD

• Hoping for a mix that’s roughly 50% Cuban and 50% Non-Cuban. However as long as they are great, I am happy. 

• About 80% in the 42–52 ring gauge range

If you all could help me plan out a 12-cigar lineup that keeps me under about $200 total, what would you recommend? I’d love to hear your suggestions."

 

 

Have a crack at it form me. List your starting 12 within the budget. 

[El Presidente]

 

1. Partagas Serie D4                    $25 
2. Juan Lopez 2                            $19
3. Punch Punch                            $24 
4. Por larranaga Petit Corona       $12 
5. N5 Queen Corona                     $ 9 
6. N9 Ninfa                                    $ 7.5 
7. N8 Churchill                              $ 12.5 
8. Padron 1964 Principe maduro  $  13 
9. Bolivar Belicoso Finos               $24 
10. Sancho Panza Belicoso             $20
11. Rafael Gonzales Perla               $10 
12. BR 109                                       $21 

                                                     _________

                                                             $197

 

[Gubbins]

1. Churchill N8                          $12.5

2. N5 Queen Corona                 $9

3. Oliva V Lancero                     $11

4. PSD4                                     $25 

5. JL2                                        $19

6. Illusion Epernay le Ferme      $12.5

7. Quai Dorsay 50 / HDM PR    $14.5

8. PLPC                                     $12

9.  Upmann Majestic                 $13

10. Vegafina Coronita                $5

11. RASCC                                $11

12.  Sovereign Suns.                  $7

total : $150

Apologies, I must be frugal at heart and only realised when it was too late, so a $50 dollar bottle or Bolivar gold medal or something to top up. Although if it were me, I would be loading up on 2 or 3 of each the cheaper ones to spread the occasion.

[ElLoboLoco]

The big issue here is, it’s pretty much impossible to buy singles of the cigars I would pick. 

But it would look like this. It would be quite different not picking Habanos. They would be all replaced with Fab5.

Boli BBF $24

Boli CJ $16

Monte Petite #2 $22

Party Short $11

RG Perla $10

Upmann HC $15

Warped La Colmena  $19

Gellis Family Mareava  $12

Aladino Robusto Cameroon $9

Nudie Churchill $12

Mofo Trinity $10

BR Petite 109 $16

 

$176 ish

[DiscoverCigars]

RASS $23

JL2 $19 

Padron 2000 $9

Charter oak $6

BBF $24

PLPC $11

Hot Cake Broadleaf Half Corona $5

Cavalier White Series Lancero $12

HDM Elegantes $26 

QdO 52 26$

Foundation Tabernacle Havana Seed Lancero $15

Padron 1926 no.6 $21

[TheFez]

JLS2 $20

Mag 46 $24

PSP2 $27

Partagas Shorts $12

Hdm Hoyo de depute $12

SLR Regios $20

Casdagli Daughters of the wind pony express $20

Foundation Tabernacle havana seed CT 142 lancero $18

Crux du connoisseur no 4 $9 (I smoke a lot of these in all 4 vitolas and love them all regardless of excellent price point)

Dtt umbagog bronzeback $10

Liga privada t52 toro $20

Tatuaje Pork tenderloin $15

[my happy place]

I don't have the exact pricing, but am confident this list is around that dollar amount, and these are the cigars in my regular rotation.

Bolivar Belicoso Finos
Por Larranaga Petite Corona
Juan Lopez Selección no 1
Romeo y Julieta Cazadores
Partagas Mille Fleurs 
Fabrica5 Nudie N1 Lancero
Fabrica5 Nudie N5 Queen Corona
Bond Roberts 109
Warped La Colmena Amado no 44
Padron 3000 Maduro
Arturo Fuente Don Carlos (any size)
Arturo Fuente Hemingway (any leaf/size)

[Montezüma]

Fun exercise, could buy another Cazadores with the leftover.

[Superhans]

1. RASS $20

2. JL2 $19

3. PSD4 $25

4. HUHC $8

5. Oliva Serie V Double Robusto $10

6. Fuente Don Carlos no 3 $12

7. Padron 1926 no 6 natural $17

8. Padron 1926 no 6 maduro $17

9. Montecristo no 4 $18?

10. Bond Roberts 109 $21

11. San Cristobal El Principe $10

12. Punch SdP $20?

 

$197

[zacca]

Partagas Shorts: $15

PLPC: $12

HUHC: $9

HU Mag 46: $25

Bolivar Coronas Junior: $13

Monte 4: $18

Trinidad Media Luna: $40

Short de Punch: $22

Aladino 85th anniversary robusto: $15

Linea D No 6 Petit 109: $15

MOFOH Sovereign Suns: $7

Desnudo Queen Corona: $9

———————————————

Total: $200 

[smashed]

The major issue with this is you guys are pretty much just taking box prices and divided by 25 or 10. Heck some of you are pricing them even cheaper than 24:24, which already has some of the cheapest prices from a reputable dealer. and that's *before* their current 10% up charge for US customers. It's just not being honest with the guy....... Not to mention, he is gonna be hard pressed to find somebody nice enough to split off a single stick for the same price they paid for the entire box. *Especially* when it comes to CC.

This isn't a rain on his parade, at all. Unfortunately just the reality of present day market and think it's good to also be honest. As this isn't a 'dreamer' list but something he's wanting to realistically purchase. Now if one of our amazing members so chose to give him a sampler for discounted prices, then above logic obviously doesn't apply.

Anyhow just food for thought when he views this thread as I would hate for him to get bummed out when he goes searching and realizes he can't actually buy whats being suggested.

[Gubbins]

9 hours ago, smashed said:

The major issue with this is you guys are pretty much just taking box prices and divided by 25 or 10. Heck some of you are pricing them even cheaper than 24:24, which already has some of the cheapest prices from a reputable dealer. It's just not being honest with the guy....... Not to mention, he is gonna be hard pressed to find somebody nice enough to split off a single stick for the same price they paid for the entire box. *Especially* when it comes to CC.

This isn't a rain on his parade, at all. Unfortunately just the reality of present day market and think it's good to also be honest in that point as it's not a 'dreamer' list but something he's actually wanting to purchase. Now if one of our amazing members so chose to give him a sampler for discounted prices, then above logic obviously doesn't apply.

Not sure how it works elsewhere, but in Europe the box price is just the stick price multiplied by the amount of cigars.

Granted, some of the prices might be slightly off in some of the above posts, but prices will vary across the globe and it’s fair enough to go off ‘there-or-thereabouts.’ Not to mention; that if he’s American he will have a tough job getting hold of any Cubans to begin with.

[smashed]

9 hours ago, Gubbins said:

Not sure how it works elsewhere, but in Europe the box price is just the stick price multiplied by the amount of cigars.

Granted, some of the prices might be slightly off in some of the above posts, but prices will vary across the globe and it’s fair enough to go off ‘there-or-theresbouts.’ Not to mention; that if he’s American he will have a tough job getting hold of any Cubans to begin with.

*I was indeed assuming he was in the states with my comment, where he can't just waltz in a dealer to grab sticks. If not, I retract my previous statement!

Although I will say, in my experience, outside of LCDH locations, dealers will up charge on sticks compared to box price. This has been my experience worldwide. This applies to practically all goods in any sector, more volume = more discount. So most expensive 1 stick, slight discount 5 pack, best price full box.

[Gubbins]

9 hours ago, smashed said:

*I was indeed assuming he was in the states with my comment, where he can't just waltz in a dealer to grab sticks. If not, I retract my previous statement!

Although I will say, in my experience, outside of LCDH locations, dealers will up charge on sticks compared to box price. This has been my experience worldwide. This applies to practically all goods in any sector, more volume = more discount. So most expensive 1 stick, slight discount 5 pack, best price full box. 

Most people I know in the UK won’t pay our prices and will pick up sticks on travels, primarily Spain, Italy etc, which have government listed prices. The single sticks lined up in the humis always match the box prices.

This is my experience. In the U.S or elsewhere, I don’t doubt that the economics is different, but that’s not to say it’s like that everywhere.

[smashed]

9 hours ago, Gubbins said:

Most people I know in the UK won’t pay our prices and will pick up sticks on travels, primarily Spain, Italy etc, which have government listed prices. The single sticks lined up in the humis always match the box prices.

This is my experience. In the U.S or elsewhere, I don’t doubt that the economics is different, but that’s not to say it’s like that everywhere. 

Gotta be a EU authorized dealer thing (I see EU greys online who also up charge sticks). Asian dealers also up charge sticks, can see at COH's HK site for example.

That's definitely a huge perk with the EU, fantastic you can try sticks for same as box price.

[Ford2112]

I am pretty much gonna say, 5 pack each of:

Ninfa

Fat Fundy

Queen Corona 

Robusto Trinity.

[zacca]

9 hours ago, smashed said:

The major issue with this is you guys are pretty much just taking box prices and divided by 25 or 10. Heck some of you are pricing them even cheaper than 24:24, which already has some of the cheapest prices from a reputable dealer. and that's *before* their current 10% up charge for US customers. It's just not being honest with the guy....... Not to mention, he is gonna be hard pressed to find somebody nice enough to split off a single stick for the same price they paid for the entire box. *Especially* when it comes to CC.

This isn't a rain on his parade, at all. Unfortunately just the reality of present day market and think it's good to also be honest. As this isn't a 'dreamer' list but something he's wanting to realistically purchase. Now if one of our amazing members so chose to give him a sampler for discounted prices, then above logic obviously doesn't apply.

Anyhow just food for thought when he views this thread as I would hate for him to get bummed out when he goes searching and realizes he can't actually buy whats being suggested.

Great points - I’ll admit by the time I posted mine I totally forgot it was an EAR thread and I was treating it as a hypothetical and even going off the top of my head on prices. If the guy is genuinely asking for advice, then all of your points are valid. I know I wouldn’t be able to acquire my 12 pack for $200.

[Gubbins]

9 hours ago, smashed said:

Gotta be a EU authorized dealer thing (I see EU greys online who also up charge sticks). Asian dealers also up charge sticks, can see at COH's HK site for example.

That's definitely a huge perk with the EU, fantastic you can try sticks for same as box price.

Fair enough. In that case.

- Ten box of Punch short de Punch and a couple of Illusione Epernays 

[smashed]

9 hours ago, Gubbins said:

Fair enough. In that case.

- Ten box of Punch short de Punch and a couple of Illusione Epernays 

Honestly, if he liked the flavor, its really not a bad list, haha!

9 hours ago, zacca said:

Great points - I’ll admit by the time I posted mine I totally forgot it was an EAR thread and I was treating it as a hypothetical and even going off the top of my head on prices. If the guy is genuinely asking for advice, then all of your points are valid. I know I wouldn’t be able to acquire my 12 pack for $200.

Yeah its why I mentioned it, I think most were pitching ideas as a hypothetical. I was truly not being rude, just wanting to steer the guy in the right direction before he starts hunting HUHC for $8 and SLR Regios for $20 and gets shocked, haha.