....all good reasons I won't "chase" HTF Fuente stuff anymore. I have a couple of good friends that are B&M's and I manage to get a few Opies and Anejo's here and there, but I pay retail or very close to retail for the smokes.
Consider the Padron family for a second. You can usually buy all the 80ths / 40ths / '26s / '64s your pocket book will tolerate. Rarely gouged. Easily available. Different, sure, but IMHO every bit as fine a smoke as the Fuente stuff. This Christmas, my neighbor and I retired to the back deck to watch the snow melt and we had 80ths with our evening beverage. As fine a smoke as you can imagine. I'm happy to patronizee the Padron family and have representitives of most every line of cigar they make in the cabinet. Can't say that about the Fuente products, not that they would care anyway...
One guys opinion - B.B.S.