Up averaging cigars.

[PigFish]

The genesis for this thread came from Rob's recent topic about the value of aged cigars and the quality of the cigars that you smoke. This is a topic I call up-averaging.

What does up averaging mean? It means controlling your cigar inventory and the behavioral discipline necessary to increase the quality of your daily, weekly or periodic smoking experience. The major point being beyond inventory control itself and understanding that up-averaging is all about a mindset.

Lets say that you smoke daily. Everyday, day in and day out, you go to your humidor for a cigar to smoke. If you own 10 cigars then your choice is limited to one of the 10. Now if all 10 of those cigars are superb then your average smoking experience will be superb. There is not much thought required for this scenario.

But what if you bought a box of cigars that is not ready to smoke today? Beyond the question of whether this box of cigars will ever be any better than they are today; what are you to do if you want to smoke a cigar? You either pull from the box or buy something else from the corner store to smoke today instead. If your cigars are not smoking well, or you have few choices and you smoke them anyway then your average cigar smoking experience is reduced. This would be down-averaging; and I think it is a costly mistake.

The point is this and there is more to it than the obvious answer which is the more you buy the more you have to choose from. The goal of the topic is to encourage you to keep an inventory of good cigars that you are willing to smoke everyday.

I deserve a good cigar at the end of the day and so do you. I would encourage you to think that you are deserving of your best cigars everyday of your life. I mean what are you saving them for? I strive to buy cigars of known quality that are ready to smoke today. I deserve a good cigar every time I sit down to smoke; do you? If the box I buy today is not fitting that bill I open anther and so on. I won't settle for smoking cigars that are not ready to be smoked today and are not promoting an "up-averaging" of my smoking life as a whole. I would rather not smoke then have a negative smoking experience.

Here is the gist of it. By buying good quality, reasonably priced, regular production cigars you allow yourself the ability to buy some cigars that are not ready to be smoked whether it be by accident or design. When you buy reasonably priced high quality cigars you have kept your powder dry to buy additional cigars to consume while your others are acclimatizing.

The next facet of the principle postulates that good, even great cigars are not rare. You must accept this postulate to grant yourself true smoking freedom. Our friends on the Isle Cuba are rolling fine cigars everyday, perhaps better than those you are smoking today. Why not smoke the good or great cigar today and enjoy it? You can always buy another box. If on the other hand you focus on special addition or rare cigars thinking you guarantee yourself of taste performance, you take the same chance for getting less than good cigars but may have limited your future opportunities in process by spending most of your budget on fewer cigars. Special edition cigars being more expensive eat up more of your available smoking budget and if you are forced to smoke them as a result your limited inventory, your smoking average is reduced and your money is wasted.

My goal is to get a good or great cigar every time I go to smoke. I am constantly striving to make my "average" cigar better than it was yesterday. I more often than not achieve that goal. My average cigar is often a great cigar. Yes, I have a few cigars to choose from but it is the mindset that keeps me smoking the good ones now and keeps me buying the good ones from retailers regardless the hype surrounding new and expensive cigars competing for my cigar budget. Thanks for reading. -Piggy

[Guest rob]

Good stuff Piggy!

That is precisely my philosophy with respect to my cigars purchased for immediate smoking.

Life is to short for mediocre experiences - it is exactly why I drink the tastiest wines, spirits, beers and coffees.

I try and do the same with my cigars as well.

[Colt45]

I would rather not smoke then have a negative smoking experience.

On the money - at least for me. I think the above especially holds true for those with limited budgets, and who must pick and choose carefully.

I'd rather smoke less and enjoy each experience, rather than smoke more often - just to smoke.

Now please excuse me while I pick out something from my humidor of rare exclusives, to go with my bowl of shark fin soup.......

[ARRV]

Couldn't agree more.

The next question surely is - what cigars do you classify as falling into the category of reasonably priced regular production cigars?

What cigars do you buy that fulfill this philosophy?

For me here are a couple (I prefer smaller cigars as they are tasty and also for time reasons):

Por Larrañaga Panetela. I know it's tripa corta, i know it's machine bunched [but hand finished ], but I love the flavour and a mighty fine price. Without doubt the best value for money cigar. And it has a shiny golden band. Goddam it - there should be more shiny bands on cigars.

RASC - needs no further introduction - generally speaking a forum favourite

Only recently met the HDM line -mighty impressed with the HDM le Hoyo du Prince.

[jevb]

Now please excuse me while I pick out something from my humidor of rare exclusives, to go with my bowl of shark fin soup.......

LOL!

I totally agree with you Piggy but here is a question that is perhaps not often addressed here and for obvious reasons. I am a relatively new member so forgive me if I have overlooked a recent discussion. As you might expect being a pretty new member I am also pretty new to cigars. I have been sampling cigars since about august last year and I must say since then I have had some fantastic experiences.

My question is this. I have a relatively small budget and an inventory which comprises of 4 remaining monte 2s, 14 coros from my first ever box and a limited edition Monte which was gifted and will be smoked in a couple months at my graduation... I have been smoking lots of singles over the last few months but where do I start?

Buy a box, save it and continue smoking singles? Buy a box and smoke it, saving pretty much none? Buy two boxes and start on one, saving the other (fair stretch of budget)? I find that with my current budget it is quite hard to build my inventory with while continuing to enjoy a regular smoke :s

Could be that I just have to be patient.... *shudder* so many great smokes out there! I am actually trying to save for a box of RASS because I have quite enjoyed a couple of the singles

That said I think your concept of "up-averaging" is often overlooked and something I will try to always keep in mind! Thanks Piggy

[Guest rob]

G'day Jevb,

I know your question was directed towards Piggy, but here's my 2 cents on the matter (as it pertains to your situation).

Here are the 2 things I have considered for your situation -

1) you are relatively new to cigars.

2) in general, the recent years of production have been awesome.

My advice is to buy as many singles (or 3 / 5 packs), of as many different types, brands and sizes that you can afford.

Even today, you can readily purchase 2006, 07, 08 stock of some amazing cigars. Most of these cigars are going to be ready to go right away. Some may get a little better with age... but many are great right now, today!

By diversifying your purchases you will have more exposure to lots of different flavours and profiles.

My advice on how best to proceed would be to speak to your retailer (in the case of many on this forum, that will be Rob or Smithy) and they will guide you towards the cream of their crop... focusing on your tastes, budget and criteria.

[gerem]

I totally agree with you Piggy!!! For me it's for everything I buy. Anytime I spent money on something I always expect the best.

Life is too short...

[semery74]

Is this what you are trying to say?

average up - to purchase more of a security or commodity at a higher price to take advantage of a contemplated further rise in prices.

It would definitely be in our best interest to buy cigars that have great aging potential and smoke well young. These usually command a higher premium, but pale in comparison to vintage stock prices. A few that smoke well young and have excellent age potential in my opinion would be Punch SS#1, Romeo Cazadores, Partagas Lusitanias, Bolivar Coronas Gigantes, the list goes on and on. But it still comes down to one constraining factor and that is how much you can afford.

One thing will always be true no matter how much you can afford to stock away, every day that ends with a cigar, whether it be pretentious, elegant, or provident, will be a great day.

[Colt45]

Could be that I just have to be patient....

Just to add a little to what's already been said, I think you're on the right track. I believe a little patience now will be rewarded in the long run.

Try a few each of a number of different cigars. Be open minded when it comes to sizes you may not normally lean toward. When you have

smoked a bit, and find a cigar(s) you really enjoy, go for a box - two if possible. You can put one aside to gain a little age, and smoke from

the other.

Tampa and others have espoused this for some time. This way, you'll slowly build up a supply you know you'll enjoy, rather than rushing in and

ending up with boxes that you really don't. Even if you can only purchase one box at a time, here and there, it makes sense to me to acquire

cigars that you'll look forward to smoking.

It may seem early on to be a slow process, and I suppose it is, but you'll be surprised how quickly you end up with a nice supply. Personally,

I've found the learning process a fun part of smoking cigars.

[bigfunkyg]

Very interesting topic. I have only been a relatively serious cigar smoker for 5 or 6 years now but have begun to experiece this problem. I have had a few boxed of good quality Cubans that were disapointing even though the should have been. I continued to smoke them until they were gone hoping they would improve but they didn't. Partucilarly I have a box of Cohiba Maduro 5 Genios in the humi right now that despite spending really good money on the box, have really disapointed.

Here is my take on the subject. Between me and my smoking buddy (because I rarely smoke alone), we consume 5 to 6 boxes of cigars per year. Living in the climate I do my consumption increases in the summer months (June, July, August, and September) and drastically decreases in Winter (November, December, January, February). I very much enjoy going to the humidor to select my smoke and having a wide selection to choose from, however my cigar budget is only so large. Therefore I try and purchase 3 - 4 boxes more than I know I am going to smoke in a given calender year. Gradually I will build up a aged stock but will continue to have a supply of staples that will smoke well regardless of age. This way if I do acquire a box of a cigar that can benefit from some additional aging, I don't feel compelled to smoke the whole box right away for lack of other options.

This all said, I would be curious to hear some other opinions of some cigars that are "ready to go" smokes regardless of age. Some of my suggestions would be:

Cohina Robustos

Montecristo #4

I'm sure there are others but I can think of them off the top of my head.

bigfunkyg

[perfectform]

Great discussion guys, very interesting stuff. I've only recently bought into this up-averaging deal. When I first got into CC's I was starry-eyed at all the LE and RE out there, and I focused more of my attention on those types of cigars. It turned out to be a mistake.

I found I enjoyed regular production so much more, especially value-wise. Sure there may have been a few great limited cigars here and there, but for the most part, I was disappointed. My last 5-6 box purchases have been regular production and cigars that I enjoy immensely because I tried them as singles. Now, I have a wine fridge full of boxes of tried and true cigars that I enjoy, whether they technically be ready to smoke or not.

To quote Max Guttman "Start with one box, then buy another; increase your pleasure little by little."

There are many cigars out there that are good when fresh, my favorites being the PSD4, 898V, Bolivar CG and ERDM CS.

Cheers! All hail Cuban cigars!

[aavkk]

Wow Piggy, really well thought out post. Thanks. I jumped into this hobby right away buying boxes of cigars that the senior members of the forum seemed to endorse as excellent. Over time I have somewhat narrowed my particular tastes and through the use of the trading room here and elsewhere I can honestly say that I enjoy every single box of cigars I own. RE's and EL's comprise about 10% of my stock and while I have been very selective in those puchases I have to say that they have paid off quite well thus far and worth the premium. There is only one box of cigars I own that is deemed "special occasion only" and the rest I smoke whenever I feel like it regardless of purhchase price or rarity, etc...

[El Presidente]

RE's and EL's comprise about 10% of my stock

...and that is where abouts it should be. Nicely done.

Just when you think Piggy is muttering away in the dark recesses of his house planning revolution and cleaning his weapons.......he comes out with gems of posts like these

[PigFish]

...and that is where abouts it should be. Nicely done.

Just when you think Piggy is muttering away in the dark recesses of his house planning revolution and cleaning his weapons.......he comes out with gems of posts like these

...just when I was resisting the temptation to make cracks about the "Mon-tosser" the man strikes out with a low blow!!! -LOL

I once asked a renowned pistolsmith (inventor of the 40 S&W) who just completed a competition handgun for me, "what should I know about cleaning this?" He replied, "why clean it... it is just going to get dirty again? If it had to be kept clean that would mean that it would not be reliable when dirty wouldn't it?"

Food for thought!

[mbrody]

Great topic and one that I am experiencing now. The biggest obstacle, aside from budget, appears to be time. Time to acquire a variety and time to allow stabilization. If you don't have a store around the corner, time becomes more of a factor. So without the years invested in my stock, I find myself attempting to up-average by consuming lack luster sticks...basically, down-averaging my available stock to ultimately up-average. It's unlikely that everyone has 100% great boxes, so what do you do with the dogs?

Another solution for a beginner, IME, is to collect lower cost value smokes that can be really fulfilling like PC's and half coronas. Catch em on sale, and you can amass a good amount to leverage your stock and achieve this illustrious up-averaging experience faster...

[bolivr]

Thank you Piggy. You have put into words what I struggled to explain even though this is exactly what I am trying to do with my stock too. Great stuff

[smll2]

Pig,

I have always enjoyed your posts and insights. This one is exceptional...and you have me thinking.

Thanks Tom

[jevb]

Thanks rob and colt! great advice. I'll be having a chat with rob or smithy in the not too distant future i think

once again great post piggy!

[PigFish]

Couldn't agree more.

The next question surely is - what cigars do you classify as falling into the category of reasonably priced regular production cigars?

What cigars do you buy that fulfill this philosophy?

For me here are a couple (I prefer smaller cigars as they are tasty and also for time reasons):

Por Larrañaga Panetela. I know it's tripa corta, i know it's machine bunched [but hand finished ], but I love the flavour and a mighty fine price. Without doubt the best value for money cigar. And it has a shiny golden band. Goddam it - there should be more shiny bands on cigars.

RASC - needs no further introduction - generally speaking a forum favourite

Only recently met the HDM line -mighty impressed with the HDM le Hoyo du Prince.

The thread is not about specific cigars and my tastes, it is about yours and an opinion of a mindset. I opine cigars here like the rest of us, my tastes work for me and for some who trust my palate and believe it is similar to their own. I reject the theory of golden tongued gurus and because I like a cigar does not mean that everyone will like a cigar. Our tastes are different. I like to opine cigars and read the opinions of others. I like to present ideas to ponder and if they make sense then you may wish to act upon them, debate them or simply reject them. Not that I wish to stop others for discussing individual cigars on the thread; the thread, any thread is designed to provoke thought and conversation, it was just not my intention to opine individual cigars here. We have a review section for that.

I ask what is wrong with the Coronas size? Why is a robusto better; is it? When a better smoking experience is had from a Marevas than a Heromos 4 then why choose a Hermosos 4; because you think is should be better? Because it cost more?

Why are certain cigars more popular with certain groups. If I blindfolded you and used a cigar tip so that you could not recognize the size, shape and brand of the cigar could you open your mind enough to find out that a $5 dollar cigar tastes better than a $20 cigar? Is your mind open enough to accept the consequences regardless of the results? I know what my tastes tell me and that guides my purchases. Do you buy your tastes or the tastes of another? If your tastes agree with your model then you are lucky.

The premise of the thread was to close your eyes and judge a cigar on taste only. Choose taste, your taste, not status. Buy and save cigars to smoke and smoke them deservingly when the time is right. Don't mourn the empty box. If you smoked them and you up averaged your smoking life as a result they were not wasted; their life purpose was fulfilled.

A great cigar is a memory. To deliberately smoke a lesser cigar to save a better cigar for another day is a crime!

Sir you are finding your niche. You are well on your way. -Ray

[mbrody]

Ray,

If you start a cult, religion, legion, faction, fraternity, whatever...I am in.

[PigFish]

Ray,

If you start a cult, religion, legion, faction, fraternity, whatever...I am in.

Kool-aid spill on aisle 5! -LOL

Thank you Amigo... You found this place and that makes you a member, like it or not!!! -Ray

[Colt45]

Kool-aid spill on aisle 5! -LOL

[Ken Gargett]

Interesting thread and I should say that I have penned this without reading the responses. I shall be very interested to see what others thought.

I'm largely in agreement but from a slightly different perspective. I am finding more and more that, for me, aged cigars, and whether that be three or four years or ten plus is perhaps another issue, are in general, more enjoyable than youngsters. Not always but often enough to make a significant difference to me. Hence, for me, averaging up involves not only specific quality but also trying to develop a stock of aged and ageing. I can't afford to buy endless boxes of old cigars – may be an occasional one here and there – and nor can I afford to buy endless young boxes, but as I became more and more interested in cigars over the last decade and more, I have spent more than I should have (can see Rob's grin from here) with the intention of basically, having more than I smoke so I can get some age on some/enough and then start working through them more on a rotational basis knowing that whatever I am smoking will usually have some age and be a cigar that is more preferable and enjoyable to me. I accept that this is not the way many members of the forum will go.

I don't smoke every day so that assists, but when I do I want a combo of faves and some experimentation, though nothing worse than forking out for a box and finding them absolute duds (come on down, Monte 'C's). Still, a risk we all take.

The cost factor is important. I agree that smoking the top stuff every day should be an aim but realistically, I could not afford to do so, hence one needs to find a number of cigars for the humidor that one enjoys but that doesn't break the budget. Realistically, I am not going to enjoy – or at least usually – a good Mag 46 as much as a good SLR DC. But the costs of each are a key reason why I am ageing some Mag 46's as well as SLR DC's.

I have splurged on a number of the 'fabbo' boxes such as LE (often well rewarded though not always – cf, Monte C's with Cohiba Sublimes and DC's), RR (similar, though I'm not seeing quite the heights with these – that said, love the Boli Simones and the Home Allones Estupendo's – but perhaps as many lows), single releases though I have been less involved, etc. Keeping hands off some of these is hard but I think a lot of these – the Estupendo's and the Cohiba LE DC's etc – have time to go before they are really spectacular.

So, I guess all of that means simply that I agree with averaging up but for me, it has a lot more to do with ensuring I can provide myself, over time, with a steady supply of well aged smokes.

[lordlister]

Excellent post and quite a discussion. Sadly, I think the perfect cigar buying strategy will be just as difficult to come up with as a strategy to beat the house at black jack. If you started your strategy 5 years ago, you would have missed out on some of the best Havanna has to offer (think VR Jubes, sobresalientes, all the cohiba and Partagas EL's). However, if you took all that money and invested in OR sig VI's, you'd be one happy man...

[ARRV]

A great cigar is a memory. To deliberately smoke a lesser cigar to save a better cigar for another day is a crime!

Agreed - something that has been learned the hard way.