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A newb gets thoughtful..

D

DePixeler

New Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Messages
18
Location
North Central Florida
My humi is getting full of stuff I've ordered. Mostly samplers from all over, and lots from Cbid. The samplers tend toward the high end and the CBid is more the bargain to mid level stuff. I kinda consider all this expense to be my "tuition" to a more refined appreciation of cigars and cigar culture. My homework lately has been to sit down each evening and do my lab work....i.e. smoke my stogie on the patio.

Man, stuff gets in the way of my homework though. Wife, kids, rain, issues..... so at first I started out looking for a low(er) cost everyday stick, that I wouldn't feel bad about having to put out or ignore. That was/is an interesting lesson. But now I'm thinking that maybe the best strategy for my cigar enjoyment (your mileage may vary) is to eliminate the cheap sticks / trying to "get in" a smoke each day, and instead buy better stuff and save it for the moments I can give them quality time. In other words, more quality with fewer encounters vs cheaper but more frequent smokes.

I know I'm overthinking this. It's all good regardless. And probably there's a middle ground somewhere. But I only got so much space in the humi and need to pick a direction (sigh - or add another cooler).
 
Remember the CP mantra - 'Buy a bigger humi'.

Oh, and send me your excess cigars. :D
 
What you're suggesting is something that it took me a few years to learn.

I've come to prefer smoking really good cigars two or three times a week to one (or more) ok ones per day. One of the benefits of this is that my palate is reasonably fresh each time I smoke.
 
DePixeler said:
My humi is getting full of stuff I've ordered. Mostly samplers from all over, and lots from Cbid. The samplers tend toward the high end and the CBid is more the bargain to mid level stuff. I kinda consider all this expense to be my "tuition" to a more refined appreciation of cigars and cigar culture. My homework lately has been to sit down each evening and do my lab work....i.e. smoke my stogie on the patio.

Man, stuff gets in the way of my homework though. Wife, kids, rain, issues..... so at first I started out looking for a low(er) cost everyday stick, that I wouldn't feel bad about having to put out or ignore. That was/is an interesting lesson. But now I'm thinking that maybe the best strategy for my cigar enjoyment (your mileage may vary) is to eliminate the cheap sticks / trying to "get in" a smoke each day, and instead buy better stuff and save it for the moments I can give them quality time. In other words, more quality with fewer encounters vs cheaper but more frequent smokes.

I know I'm overthinking this. It's all good regardless. And probably there's a middle ground somewhere. But I only got so much space in the humi and need to pick a direction (sigh - or add another cooler).
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Yep, on the slope indeed......the new cooler is the way to go imho. Even as your tastes refine, you will still have a need for the "yard-gar", so I don't think you can go wrong with loading up on samplers and mixing big $ sticks with the cheapies. There are a heck of alot of very good inexpensive cigars.

Your overall collection will find its own mix over time as you find what you like and start buying boxes along with your samplers, at least that's what has happened to my stash.
 
I was just pondering the same thing...I want to get some high quality smokes to age, and also have some to smoke now. I don't mind having many "cooler"idors, but what should I focus on first. My other problem has a chicken or egg solution. I don't have a lot to spend on my vice, so if I buy a humidor, it'll be a couple months before I can put anything in it, but I want one for the "cool" factor. GAHHHHH!!!!!
 
I went through the same evolution, and it's still an ongoing process. I don't buy a lot of cheap sticks anymore, but I chose not to weed them out, opting for buying cheap storage containers.
I too have to make sure I keep up with family time, a wife in college, and a hectic work schedule. So when I do get to sit down, it's usually a premium smoke that I know will not let me down. When I say "sit down", I mean a moment where I know that it's my moment, and no one will interrupt me.
However, I sometimes I get the moment where I'm tooling around in the garage or, doing something where I can't give my complete attention. That's where I like to light up the C-Bid smokes. It's always good to have those on hand for such moments. You also never know when your next fave will come out of what you thought was going to stay in the yard gar pile.
Last year, someone gifted me a cigar that I thought was in the above catagorey. At the time little was known about them by me. That cigar is now one of my faves, and I now have two boxes of the Oliva V Lanceros resting in my humi.

The other thing you need to consider is that you are the only person that knows exactly what the budget will allow for the expensive sticks. Go from there and see if you can find that happy medium. No sense comprimising and smoking cigars you really don't like, but no sense slacking on financial responsibilites either.
 
DePixeler said:
My humi is getting full of stuff I've ordered. Mostly samplers from all over, and lots from Cbid. The samplers tend toward the high end and the CBid is more the bargain to mid level stuff. I kinda consider all this expense to be my "tuition" to a more refined appreciation of cigars and cigar culture. My homework lately has been to sit down each evening and do my lab work....i.e. smoke my stogie on the patio.

Man, stuff gets in the way of my homework though. Wife, kids, rain, issues..... so at first I started out looking for a low(er) cost everyday stick, that I wouldn't feel bad about having to put out or ignore. That was/is an interesting lesson. But now I'm thinking that maybe the best strategy for my cigar enjoyment (your mileage may vary) is to eliminate the cheap sticks / trying to "get in" a smoke each day, and instead buy better stuff and save it for the moments I can give them quality time. In other words, more quality with fewer encounters vs cheaper but more frequent smokes.

I know I'm overthinking this. It's all good regardless. And probably there's a middle ground somewhere. But I only got so much space in the humi and need to pick a direction (sigh - or add another cooler).
Click to expand...

I was pondering the same thing this past week. I felt like I was rushing through a cigar rather than enjoying it when I was smoking one every evening.

I decided to go with quality time spent smoking less cigars instead of a larger quantity of smokes per week. :thumbs:
 
Always remember that one can smoke one premium/superpremium per week for the same cost of 5-7 CBid cigars/week.

Consider this: I'm sure that you have more than enough smokes to last you for a good while. Cut CBid off completely; the deals will still be there later. Allow your tastes to evolve. Eventually, if you decide to go for the quality rather than quantity route, you'll find that CBid doesn't have all that much to offer, and you will be glad that you didn't accumulate tons of smokes that don't really fit the "one or two really nice smokes per week" quality level.
 
That is one reason I have started smoking a pipe. Pipe costs nothing to smoke compared to cigars. Saving me money for great cigars when I have the time to just sit and enjoy a nice long smoke. Pipe can be a long or short smoke hell you can put it down and pick it up later and just relight it. Try that with a cigar.
 
De - this is the crux of THE discussion of this community. It is the raison d'etre! The cigar lifestyle is a constant pursuit of the highest value smoke; in other words which cigar provides the higest reward in relation to time and money. What is often lost is that time & money are not constants, nor does the quality of cigar brands remain the same. Try evaluating your smokes in context: when are you smoking, where are you smoking, what are you drinking, why are you smoking, and many other questions. There are many smokes I would never consider "special occasion" sticks, but you never know where that special occasion will pop up. You could be stuck on theside of a desolate road with a flat tire, no cell signal, & no gas, smoking the only stick you have access to, a real yard gar mind you, and a fellow cigar smoker sees you, stopping only because you too are smoking a cigar, this becomes a special occasion ciagr. Enjoy the experience of each and every cigar, evaluate it, and BUY MORE STORAGE SPACE. ;) Just an FYI - if you are smoking a Peach White Owl on the side of the road, as in the above scenario, have a great time 'cause I 'aint stopping for the likes of a Peach WO smoker! :laugh:
 
I'm at the point where I am only buying cigars that I know I enjoy immensely. The cheaper sticks (but still good sticks!) are for friends who come over without cigars in hand, or for days I just want to rip on something.

I figure 10 dollars every time I light up is expensive, but if one cigar can make my whole day a good day, it is worth the price of admission.
 
chainer said:
I'm at the point where I am only buying cigars that I know I enjoy immensely. The cheaper sticks (but still good sticks!) are for friends who come over without cigars in hand, or for days I just want to rip on something.

I figure 10 dollars every time I light up is expensive, but if one cigar can make my whole day a good day, it is worth the price of admission.
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I think this is the approach I will take too...Now I just have to try more so I can find those special ones. Hmm...I wonder if the wife will see it my way and let me buy a bunch of sticks...j/k hehe
 
I used to overthink this. But then again, I had the luxury of time and the peace of mind to do so. Lately, life circumstances have not allowed this and so my philosophy has reverted to one of simple pragmatism. Here are the key elements of my approach to cigars and smoking now:

1. Buy good cigars irrespective of price, as funds permit. "Good" cigars might be a box of $2 sticks or a single $20 cigar or anything in between.

2. Smoke when you want and when you do, smoke whatever fits your mood and desire. Could be three times a day or three times a month.

3. There is no best time to smoke and there is no wrong time to smoke. There is no right cigar and no wrong cigar. No guilt means no regrets and no regrets means whatever you smoke, when you smoke it is the right cigar at the right time.

For me, the common aphorism "smoke what you like, like what you smoke" is even too complicated. Right now, my philosophy is simply "smoke."

Perhaps someday I'll put back on the aficionado's cap and meditate upon every nuance of the experience, but not today. Sometimes I just want to smoke. And that's okay.

Wilkey
 
Ginseng said:
I used to overthink this. But then again, I had the luxury of time and the peace of mind to do so. Lately, life circumstances have not allowed this and so my philosophy has reverted to one of simple pragmatism. Here are the key elements of my approach to cigars and smoking now:

1. Buy good cigars irrespective of price, as funds permit. "Good" cigars might be a box of $2 sticks or a single $20 cigar or anything in between.

2. Smoke when you want and when you do, smoke whatever fits your mood and desire. Could be three times a day or three times a month.

3. There is no best time to smoke and there is no wrong time to smoke. There is no right cigar and no wrong cigar. No guilt means no regrets and no regrets means whatever you smoke, when you smoke it is the right cigar at the right time.

For me, the common aphorism "smoke what you like, like what you smoke" is even too complicated. Right now, my philosophy is simply "smoke."

Perhaps someday I'll put back on the aficionado's cap and meditate upon every nuance of the experience, but not today. Sometimes I just want to smoke. And that's okay.

Wilkey
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You said it Wilkey! I think that's it right there. If it wasn't so long, I'd put it in my sig. tag! :laugh:
 
As someone new to cigars, I am applying my methodology for wine (I have tons of experience here as a Napa Valley native) to cigars. I am not spending a lot of money on the high end cigars yet - but rather am looking for less expensive selections that allow me to "learn" as I go.

But...the bottom line is - if you LIKE it...then it is a GOOD selection (wine or cigar). (IMHO)
 
Wow ... excellent advice from everyone, thanks ... I guess the important thing to remember here is that we are all mortal men, in life you only go around once ... might as well make it the best damn trip possible! ;) :thumbs:

"Don't try to be a great man ... just be a man."
Zefram Cochran, Star Trek: First Contact
 
Well, I got lucky when I first started cigars. (About 5 years ago now, I am 24 currently.) I stumbled up a couple of inexpensive sticks that I have decided to buy boxes of and keep a continuous stock of in my humi.

Carlos Torano Signature Toro $78/box online
Elogio Maduro Consul $78/box online
Partagas Black Magnifico $80/box online
CAO Brazillia Lambada $92/box online

These, I can smoke for about $3-4/stick, and wouldn't mind tossing them if I needed to. I buy singles from $6-16 or so, and wait to go to the cigar bar, or outside at night when I KNOW I have enough time to appreciate them.

The simple theory is that you should find some low-cost cigars that you can keep on hand as a day-in-day-out cigar, and keep the more expensive ones for when you know you have the time.

Oh, and buy as big of a humidor as your wife will allow. You'll eventually, in CP-type-fashion, fill it soon enough.

-Chris
 
Some real good takes on this subject. I've learned to live NOW with cigars.
 
I bought my first-ever humidor about three months ago. Prior to that I kept my gars (never had more than 4 or 5 on-hand) in a zip-lock bag inside my deep freeze (kept at 0 degrees F) and never had one smoke poorly. Now, after such a short time, my humidor is full to capacity (100+ sticks) and to save myself from going overboard, I refuse to buy any more storage capacity. (willpower! Must have willpower!!)

I think the cheapest sticks I have are about $3.00 each and I save those for when I'm playing golf, for clients who enjoy cigars, or for golf buddies who don't (or forget to) bring a gar to the course. The rest I enjoy when I can which is has been 1 or 2 a week lately but that will decline dramatically as the kids return to school and life takes over again.

If I'm going to smoke a cigar outside of the golf course it is going to be when I can enjoy it to the fullest and it will be a quality cigar I fully enjoy. Somehow the thought of buying 100 cigars for $20.00 just turns my taste buds sour.

That said, I've smoked expensive cigars that tasted like crap too ;)
 
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