When to go deep or keep buying blind ?

[lovethehaze]

I am looking for a little advice or maybe just peoples experience with buying cc’s and creating ones stock. I have been at this only about 11 months and have about 37 boxes so far, plus some odds and ends. 

My question is now that I am definitely developing certain likes and dislikes I am starting to go deep or think this is what I should do for what I know I like rather than just keep adding sticks I haven’t tried. I have tried many 6’ers and singles and this is always an option but I just prefer buying boxes. I have also done some trades but there are just so many to try. 
 

How did some of you build your stock and inventory ? Just kept buying blind or kept adding what you liked ?

I have only one maybe two boxes I missed on for my tastes but I def prefer certain sizes and marcas. Am I thinking about going deep too soon or does this line of thinking make sense ? 
 

any ideas are helpful just looking for ideas and examples of how the bets did it ?

 

thanks in advance 

[havanaclub]

37 boxes in 11 months... first advice. Slow down
Buy what you like. I like variety too, but will buy multiples (or go deep) on stuff I really enjoy.


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[lovethehaze]

9 minutes ago, havanaclub said:

37 boxes in 11 months... first advice. Slow down
Buy what you like. I like variety too, but will buy multiples (or go deep) on stuff I really enjoy.


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Plenty of 10 boxes too .... 

[Puros Y Vino]

I've done a mix of both.  After doing samplers and trades, etc. I knew what boxes I wanted to go deep on.  I've also bought blind.  Even if I didn't care for a particular box, I know it'd be good trade bait for something else.  My approach has been to buy what I can when I can.  That's partly due to whether or not getting cigars past our postal service (Canada) without too much of a tax hit worked to my advantage. I started this hobby back in 2009.  For many years, I've had a good track record.  FWIW, I couldn't buy how I used to then, now.  So, it was good that I "overdid" it back then.  If you have the budget and your spending isn't keeping you from making mortgage payments and keeping the kids clothed and fed; take a chance on blind boxes now and then.   

[SmokyFontaine]

I've also launched faster than is probably rational. 13 boxes since April or so. I basically purchased off of growing consensus on these forums, then adding in what I've found I liked. To be honest, I probably would have just started with the big names. Cohiba, Romeo, Montecristo. I wouldn't have thought to pick up PLPC's, RASS, JL2, and several different Upmanns, which have become my favorite marca. 

For me, I haven't done any quarter boxes or singles in large part because I still feel like the Cuban cigar experience is so grounded in inconsistency, plus you don't always know the dates of singles. If I wrote off a cigar based on one bad stick, I would be leaving a lot behind. In large part because I'm a packaging whore, I do boxes, almost exclusively. Throw in the idea that generally people strongly recommend aging versus smoking young, and my thought on blind box buying is that I'll have enough to try a few young, then start the journey with years of additional age. 

The one thing I feel like has been proving time and time again for me is that ROTT is a guaranteed failure, and even 30 days rest is also flirting with disaster. Anything I've really enjoyed has been in the humidor for 3 months minimum, and has well over a year on the box too. At 2.5-3yrs of age, I'm starting to really enjoy a higher percentage of my cigars. 

[Fugu]

2 hours ago, lovethehaze said:

How did some of you build your stock and inventory ?

"Stock building" has never been an end in itself for me.

Buy what you like, then buy more of what you like. But always do try before stocking up, perhaps, if you have the chance, also with some age on it. Try singles / samplers / 6ers (yes, do keep to it, take full advantage of Rob's service there! even if you prefer the look of an untouched box!). Add new stuff, try and select, try again, select. Buy thoughtful. Stock is building faster than you might wish for.

I'd say - and without knowing your actual smoking habits - accumulating 37 boxes at under a year in the hobby is certainly on the upper end of what appears sensible (for a novice smoker - I am not talking to a hoarder or flipper). Unless there's a stick you love and its bound to be cut, then go deep. But really, don't rush it. Preferences develop slowly, as should do your inventory. Good cigars, perhaps even better ones, will still be there tomorrow.

[Baccy]

I only buy "blind" if it's something affordable like a 12 pack of Reyes or something of the like. I recently picked up a few Anajados singles because Ive heard many negative reviews on these and I would never "go deep" on these...

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[anjimj]

Agree with everyone here. Take your time its a journey of enjoyment.  Ive been at it for 9 year's and i have been able to narrow it down to a few cigars where i will go deep. It took me awhile to get there though because i needed to find my wheelhouse. 

[Edward7]

You're buying too quickly IMO, but not a huge deal. Inside 11 months, your palate won't develop no matter how many you smoke per week, and your preferences will change.

I'm all for building up stock so you will always have a selection, especially for those who are stateside and can't walk into a B&M. I suppose, as long as you're buying a variety, with 30+ boxes, you probably can't go too wrong unless they are all robustos or something. That would be boring.

[Philc2001]

2 hours ago, havanaclub said:

37 boxes in 11 months... first advice. Slow down
Buy what you like. I like variety too, but will buy multiples (or go deep) on stuff I really enjoy.


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^^THIS^^

There is no established method, just whatever feels right to you and suits your budget.

The one observation I would share from experience is palate evolution; my palate evolved over time and my tastes shifted somewhat. In my initial over exuberance I acquired a lot of boxes that I later regretted due to limited storage space. Some of those cigars sat in my humidor for years competing for space with cigars I would have preferred to collect and age. Eventually, I ended up giving many cigars away, sold off a bunch (at discounts in some cases), and traded a bunch. I still have cigars I'm not crazy about, but have trimmed way back on the cigars I don't expect to smoke.

Two key lessons I learned;

- Give yourself time to experience and explore each marquee with small samples or quarter boxes before you do a big buy. Then when you find a truly excellent vitola that really shines for your buds, then go deep. 

- Pace your buying to your smoking rate. Nowadays I smoke 3-4 cigars/week on average, so my pace is about 200 cigars/year, and I keep my humidors near capacity, so any more than about 8 boxes per year overflows my storage and I am reminded to stop buying. This enables me to age cigars for 3-4 years before I smoke, keeps my collection manageable.  

 

[Rhinoww]

I’m relatively new to CC but smoking quality NC for a while. I have had the benefit of a member here who assembled a tasting collection for me of many different cigars in my preferred profile plus some wild cards. Smoking these singles (almost done) has helped me hone in on what I like. 

Some things I have tried, liked, got a box, and then ordered more to age when they were on special from another respected CC website. Ultimately though I gravitate towards our hosts offerings as they are graded usually and high quality. Buying here, even on clearance isn’t really that blind and usually worth whatever small premium there might (or might not) be.  

I will admit that I have ordered or split about 14 boxes since late July. My wish list is now complete for now and I have a variety of Marc’s and Vitolas that I like. I am going to spend the winter digging into these boxes to see if there is much variation and to further hone what it is I like about these cigars. I will try to limit my 24:24 purchases to pairs of six packs to get just over the $100 for free shipping until 1/1 (wish me luck there)  

At this point I have enough sticks and enough variety for two years. A pause of collecting until after the holidays will give me a little time to regroup and see how my tastes evolve. 

 

[Ritch]

I went deep on JL2's. Ten boxes deep. I have boxes of most other cigars but always tend to gravitate to the JL2. I'm 90 percent sure to get a decent smoke. 5 percent guaranteed to get an amazing smoke and 5 percent guaranteed to get a lopsided burn sub average smoke.

But hey ho at 169 a box it's not the end of the world of that happens.

Yesterdays was decent. Day before possibly the best I have ever had. Today meh. Could have been worse.

Now compare that to the cohiba especiales that were twice as much for half as much tobacco and... well... I'm yet to have one that blew me away.

I smoked a 2017 talisman, it was alright  but I would rather if time permits have a cohiba pyramid. 

One I would recommend going deep on currently is the San Juan. Cracking big boy smoke. Not had a bad one yet.

[El Presidente]

Everyone has a different strategy and none are necessarily wrong.  Everyone has a different risk tolerance. Each of you have different tastes.

Step 1 is to understand what you like. That will take a few years.  As a guide, 3 -5 years. 

I wouldn't be in any hurry to "going deep" in Step 1. 

When you truly understand what you like you can do worse than to run the 80:20 rule. 

Let 80% of your humidor be what you love and 20% be continued experimentation. 

[medzikone]

This year I bought around 30 boxes. A lot of singles as well. If I feel that some box is not in my taste I just split them with botl. 

But I love variety and I would not buy more than 3 boxes of one specific cigar. 

I smoke around 150-170 a year so 3-5 sticks from one box means they will last at least for 5 years. 

Oh I am going deep on PLP but only because they were discontinued 

[Jbhunter223]

I do this dumb thing where I try discontinued stuff and end up loving it..... then I spend too much time and money trying to find and stock up on those!  

[Sir Sooty]

I’ve ended up focusing mainly on regular production cigars, and getting a cross between going wide vs deep in fits and starts.

In terms of width I’ve focused mainly on 6 houses (in order of volume Partagas, RA, Bolivar, PL, Cohiba, Trinidad) that account for 75% of my inventory. 

In terms of depth it’s just matter of finances, I try to have 2-4 boxes of each cigar. The most I’ve got is 7 deep in BRC, RASS and PSD4, so not outrageous

My philosophy is to experiment widely then go deeper when you identified something worth buying multiple boxes of. Not every cigar you come across will fall into that category. 

[SigmundChurchill]

When I started smoking Cubans regularly back in the early 90s, I would buy a box of everything I could afford at the time.  

After a few years of that, I realized that there are 4 categories in which I place my cigars.

1.  Regular production cigars that I love.  These are my staple cigars that I want to smoke regularly.  I go deep on these.

2.  Regular production cigars that I like.  I basically use these as “fillers” to smoke in between the cigars that I love, just so I have a little more variety.  Plus, I will smoke these on the golf course or other places where my concentration isn’t fully on the cigar.  I keep 1 or 2 boxes of these, but I don't go deep.  

3.  Regular production cigars that I don't like.  I end up giving these to friends that dont normally smoke cigars, but want to try a Cuban cigar.  Clearly, after that first box, I dont buy another.

4. Limited release cigars, which follow the same pattern as the 1st 3 categories.  When I find one that I love, I go deep because when they are gone, they are gone.  Sometimes these are price prohibitive, so I cant go deep without risking the much higher price of divorce, so these turn into my special occasion cigars.

I typically dont buy regular production cigars that are unknown to me anymore.  If someone recommends one to me, I will see if there is a way I can try a single before buying a box.  More often than not, a regular production cigar that is unknown to me becomes a waste of money.

[Wookie]

I pretty much agree with Sigmund Churchill except that I don't buy Limited Release cigars because I don't see the value in them (taste-wise).  I am gifted plenty LE/Regionals and that is good enough for me and they are fun to try.  Buying blind is not a great idea unless you want to have a full representation of what's available.  Then there is the consideration of how deep to go on a certain vintage.  E.g. - do I go deep on the vintage or "time-average" my buys to end up with multiple vintages with less depth per vintage.  Probably smooths out the quality issues this way.  For example, RyJ Churchills were my favorites in the mid-1990s and then they fell on hard times after 2000.  Now they appear to be "back" again beginning around the 2017 vintage. 

[PrairieSmoke]

Lots of good advice here!

Just to make figuring out what to go deep even more complicated... take a look at the Blind Tasting Competition where most seasoned smokers can't tell one cigar of the same vitola from another with the band off! ?

[Booyaa]

I think there was a question about the cigar bubble earlier in the week or last week. I think posts like this prove that there is a bubble and it is not likely to burst any time soon!

[SigmundChurchill]

1 hour ago, PrairieSmoke said:

Lots of good advice here!

Just to make figuring out what to go deep even more complicated... take a look at the Blind Tasting Competition where most seasoned smokers can't tell one cigar of the same vitola from another with the band off! ?

This is why I don't do these blind tastings.  LOL

I know, that there are only a few cigars I would know immediately, and with my luck, none of them would be in the tasting.  But not coincidentally, those few cigars, are the same cigars I go deep on.

[foursite12]

I've been at this for a long time, yet this question remains an ongoing challenge.

I say that primarily because I have found that one of the main unknowns in the equation is me--we all change over time in terms of what we like from year to year, or even month to month. Some of this is physiological due to aging and how that affects our ability to taste and our preferences; some is circumstantial--cigar smoking is in large part an emotional activity, highly dependent on where we are in life at any given point in time, plus micro factors of mood, season, location, available time and others. Cigars do change over time but I think we and our preferences may change even more.

Nonetheless, some predictability does come through for a limited number of cigars that are, for me at least, reliably going to remain of interest over enough time to allow for going deep. I stress the word "limited" and it does take a few years, as Rob said.  Not just to give you enough time to establish your own preferences and predict which of those preferences will stand the test of time, but you also need enough time to be able to have a general idea of where a given cigar is going to be down the road and make a reasonable determination that you will like what it is going to taste like then.

Time will also teach that not all cigars deliver the same pleasure down the road as they do when young.  You don't age Beaujolais. As just one example, I have no need to go deep on Parti Shorts--to me, over time they lose the "wham bam thank you ma'am" slap in the face that they deliver when fresh, and that is what I buy them for.

The increased ability to trade in and out of things has reduced the risk to a degree so have fun with it!