how to create a "rotation"

[habanosspecialist]

hi guys,

I hear you guys on the reviews talking about rotation. how many boxes do you need to start with to create a "rotation".

in other words how can i create a collection of cigars where i constantly have a variety of different smokes to choose from without running out or constantly replenishing and having to smoke fresh cigars? what is the method, taking into consideration that i want a rotation where i always have aged (6-12 months) cigars on hand to smoke while having staggered my future purchases to age/climatize in my humidor by the time the boxes im smoking out of run out.

Does it take many boxes to create a good rotation?

[CaptainQuintero]

I think it's something that just develops to your tastes and smoking habits over the years. Eg you find a cigar you like so buy a couple of boxes and so on. Eventually you have half a dozen different cigars that you keep going back to, if certain ones need more age then you end up having more boxes of those to give them time while ones that need minimal time you can essentially just buy a box as you finish your last one.

[investandprosper]

Does anyone really have a set rotation that they stick to? I keep several boxes on hand, but I don't stick to a specific rotation.

[frenchkiwi]

ehhhh... buy lots of cigars. and then buy some more.

some are best smoked immediately, wait a year, and they'll be worse for it. many will need some time in the humidor ... no hard and fast rule though, got to sample the box to find out.

so to start out you need some cigars which are aged (old boxes, or... ELs or maduro 5s i suppose) or young cigars which don't need age (a lot of the PCs/small cigars can be in this category). and as many boxes of cigars as you can manage to put away and sample. if you are like me and you want a different cigar every time you hit the shed then ... half a dozen, or better, a dozen boxes??? depends how often you smoke!

[money is generally an issue... so buy when you can, when you see an interesting box, and fit it into the equation above...]

my 2c...

[Scdalak]

Three things required to create a rotation..

[canadianbeaver]

1. Find a bunch of guys in your city who smoke cigars.

2. Organize herfs every once in a while and bring a pile of good cigars to gift and trade.

3. Drink, eat, gift and trade - and smoke your brains out.

Voila, you will have an ongoing rotation.

[Smallclub]

Three things required to create a rotation..

That's for a decent rotation. For a good rotation, you must spend twice that.

[android]

I let the cigars speak to me

[Rushman]

Buy a cigar shop, smoke off the shelves, keep wife happy to minimize unhappiness with smoking off the shelves and most importantly, sell more than you smoke.

---

I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=20.630176,-87.069852

[Ghabanos]

Buy a cigar shop, smoke off the shelves, keep wife happy to minimize unhappiness with smoking off the shelves and most importantly, sell more than you smoke.

---

I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=20.630176,-87.069852

Thats a plan

[Wicky]

That's for a decent rotation. For a good rotation, you must spend twice that.

Truth.

[PigFish]

I let the cigars speak to me

... that is a damn good answer!

A lot of us have a bunch of singles in a singles area. I have probably a couple hundred orphan cigars. I go to those occasionally.

I am unconventional here. I am not interested in smoking different cigars. There is enough variance in cigars out of the same box to satisfy variation. I am interested in only smoking excellent cigars. I call this up-averaging. I would rather not smoke from a box of dud cigars as a matter of seeing if they are duds or not. When I open a box of cigars and they are excellent I smoke them... All of them!

Since I have more cigars than I can smoke in one day I have cigars for tomorrow. But saving cigars for someday, a day that may never come, is a crime. Smoke your good cigars now and enjoy them. You could be dead tomorrow. I think if you could ask a dead member here that is what he would tell you.

I am a heart attack survivor. I know what I am talking about. If you are enjoying a good box of cigars, why pass them up for a below average one? I won't!

-Piggy

[lostsoulcamero]

... that is a damn good answer!

A lot of us have a bunch of singles in a singles area. I have probably a couple hundred orphan cigars. I go to those occasionally.

I am unconventional here. I am not interested in smoking different cigars. There is enough variance in cigars out of the same box to satisfy variation. I am interested in only smoking excellent cigars. I call this up-averaging. I would rather not smoke from a box of dud cigars as a matter of seeing if they are duds or not. When I open a box of cigars and they are excellent I smoke them... All of them!

Since I have more cigars than I can smoke in one day I have cigars for tomorrow. But saving cigars for someday, a day that may never come, is a crime. Smoke your good cigars now and enjoy them. You could be dead tomorrow. I think if you could ask a dead member here that is what he would tell you.

I am a heart attack survivor. I know what I am talking about. If you are enjoying a good box of cigars, why pass them up for a below average one? I won't!

-Piggy

well put have had a couple of close calls .... Enjoy life to the fullest

[DrunkenMonkey]

... that is a damn good answer!

A lot of us have a bunch of singles in a singles area. I have probably a couple hundred orphan cigars. I go to those occasionally.

I am unconventional here. I am not interested in smoking different cigars. There is enough variance in cigars out of the same box to satisfy variation. I am interested in only smoking excellent cigars. I call this up-averaging. I would rather not smoke from a box of dud cigars as a matter of seeing if they are duds or not. When I open a box of cigars and they are excellent I smoke them... All of them!

Since I have more cigars than I can smoke in one day I have cigars for tomorrow. But saving cigars for someday, a day that may never come, is a crime. Smoke your good cigars now and enjoy them. You could be dead tomorrow. I think if you could ask a dead member here that is what he would tell you.

I am a heart attack survivor. I know what I am talking about. If you are enjoying a good box of cigars, why pass them up for a below average one? I won't!

-Piggy

Talk about a damn good answer! Thanks, Piggy, for continuing to bless us all with your wisdom.

[BatFastard]

Well said Mr. PigFish!

No set rotation here... I like to try new cigars all the time. But that being said, if I find a smoke that I really like, I'll stock up. If I have a box that is smoking really well, I'll smoke em all instead of aging.

You have to find what works for you. If you want to have a set rotation, all the power to ya.

[CanuckSARTech]

Here here, to Piggy's answer. Wholeheartedly agree - live life to the fullest. Buy more than you smoke to start, and smoke it when ready.

[Rushman]

Here here piggy.....smoke em if you got em.....good cigars that is.

I've never been much or a buy and hold guy, so this works well for me.

[Wicky]

... that is a damn good answer!

A lot of us have a bunch of singles in a singles area. I have probably a couple hundred orphan cigars. I go to those occasionally.

I am unconventional here. I am not interested in smoking different cigars. There is enough variance in cigars out of the same box to satisfy variation. I am interested in only smoking excellent cigars. I call this up-averaging. I would rather not smoke from a box of dud cigars as a matter of seeing if they are duds or not. When I open a box of cigars and they are excellent I smoke them... All of them!

Since I have more cigars than I can smoke in one day I have cigars for tomorrow. But saving cigars for someday, a day that may never come, is a crime. Smoke your good cigars now and enjoy them. You could be dead tomorrow. I think if you could ask a dead member here that is what he would tell you.

I am a heart attack survivor. I know what I am talking about. If you are enjoying a good box of cigars, why pass them up for a below average one? I won't!

-Piggy

Yes Ray.

But you surely must have tried,and spent,and tried again, many different cigars before you settled on what suits you. As I hope we all try to do.

If you dig it, dig the hell out of it. But you gotta find it first.

[PigFish]

Yes Ray.

But you surely must have tried,and spent,and tried again, many different cigars before you settled on what suits you. As I hope we all try to do.

If you dig it, dig the hell out of it. But you gotta find it first.

This is very true! Wisdom is acquired by experience.

Without intentionally sounding pompous, it is why I am so outspoken with my opinions. I have wasted a lot of time and dollars on lesser cigars, more popular cigars because none would mentor me in my humble beginnings. I followed trends and wished to sample the entire catalogue. There was no FoH when I started. But this is not what this thread is about.

I cannot fault those, less mature in experience for doing the same. But as H SA strips the catalogue of what I consider the best of the best I would be ashamed to think that I hoarded my own experience which could assist those willing to take a faster path and sample cigars that may be here for only a short time longer. I am proud to say that I have introduced 100's of smokers to cigars that they may have never tried, thin ring cigars, coronas, lonsdales, secondary brand names, most gone for good now.

Many choices have been taken from the seasoned smoker and more will likely follow. The Monte Especial, the Lanceros, the QdO coronas... which will be next? Who knows?

Lastly I am not saying "follow me, don't live your own life." I made no specific cigar recommendations in this thread. I suggest that you smoke what you like, not what I like. Your smoking time is precious, enjoy it, more good cigars can be bought. Find what you like and smoke them often. If you wish to have more, then buy more of what you like and not what everyone else likes. If you like what is trendy and popular, then smoke the hell out of those!

I am just a guy who likes a great cigar... every time I sit down to smoke! I am also a guy with some end of life experience, some close encounters that not all people have. Find what you like and don't be forced by trend or fad. Let your palate tell you what to smoke and when you find what you like, common or uncommon, don't save them for your own funeral.

The guy who dies with the most cigars does not win. He is just dead! Thanks for reading.

-Piggy

[khomeinist]

Haha. Sometimes you make sense. Cheers.

[dB69]

The formula of rotation as simply as it is:

x = "Number of cigars smoked in a year"

y = "Required age of cigars in years"

z = "Required amount of cigars in stock"

x * y = z

z / x = y

z / y = x

When starting to create a rotation you must buy more than you smoke, naturally. The more you buy, the faster you reach your required values.

My personal values are:

x = 250

y = 4.5 (would be 5, but in practice you are not able to buy younger than half years old cigars, at least not very often)

z = 1125 (currently more than this, but I'm not complaining...)

Ageing cigars is part of the hobby IMO. And also, aged cigars usually taste much better than young ones. But after all, each to his own.

Mr PigFish,

How about a hypothetical question, because I'm just interested. If you die tomorrow, how many cigars will be left after you?

[winelover]

Just buy lots of cigars and smoke them in rotation, simple!

[Pilgrims]

Piggy is on form today!! All I do to end up with what you could call a rotation is balance buying stuff for now with stuff for the future, no great complications. I try to mix up the sizes of what I buy as there are always different lengths of time available so I don't want everything in one size....

I take the exact same attitude with the wine I buy and it seems to work...

[canadianbeaver]

Great answer Pigfish... would love to meet up with you and have a smoke sometime. I quoted your sig on a thread here, with your name, just the other day!

Lisa

[CanuckSARTech]

The formula of rotation as simply as it is:

x = "Number of cigars smoked in a year"

y = "Required age of cigars in years"

z = "Required amount of cigars in stock"

x * y = z

z / x = y

z / y = x

When starting to create a rotation you must buy more than you smoke, naturally. The more you buy, the faster you reach your required values.

My personal values are:

x = 250

y = 4.5 (would be 5, but in practice you are not able to buy younger than half years old cigars, at least not very often)

z = 1125 (currently more than this, but I'm not complaining...)

Ageing cigars is part of the hobby IMO. And also, aged cigars usually taste much better than young ones. But after all, each to his own.

Mr PigFish,

How about a hypothetical question, because I'm just interested. If you die tomorrow, how many cigars will be left after you?

Man, this is a great way of putting it too! Well done all.

The way I look at it, as long as I keep things within a 5-year age average, and at least a dozen different varieties, how ever many boxes it takes me to hit this number works good. But that said, similar to Piggy's thoughts, I'll smoke it immediately if it's great, age or not. And likewise, somethings need to sit for 7 to 10 or more years.