Was away for a bit. Disability, retired, now a widower. I'm kinda lost here.

[tntclip01]

I'd like a short education on what's happening here now. 5 big surgeries, 5-6 years gone. My humidors are a collection worthy of a lesser king. Oldest CC's 1904 (authenticated). Huge amounts from 2000 to 2021 with some clears 80's,90's. Very little new stuff$$$,ridiculous. 5000ish. 

 

[westg]

Stick around brother!

Stay on board an contribute. It doesn't have to be a lot, just pop in and say hi and respond to a thread or two. Or as you have done start your own. 

Plenty has changed. Firstly, you should be made aware of the fact that Rob is now partly heathen and has ventured into non-Cuban cigars. I pray for him every day.  🙏 ❤️ 

As always you will find plenty of friends here. Knowledge...tonnes and tonnes of it, there is some absolute superstars here. Rob and Ken are still going strong with reviews.

FOH CIGAR LOUNGE ON DISCORD 24/7. Bond Roberts [email protected]'s all here and much more. 

Plenty here to keep you occupied and you will find your way soon enough. Stacks  of reviews to look at Rob and Ken, JohnS, member deep dives etc.

You really don't need a mass inventory of cigars. So long as you have enough to get you by. My advice - smoke that aged stock you have! 

Keep well and I hope to see around in FOH land 😎🌴

[SUP8333]

8 hours ago, tntclip01 said:

I'd like a short education on what's happening here now. 5 big surgeries, 5-6 years gone. My humidors are a collection worthy of a lesser king. Oldest CC's 1904 (authenticated). Huge amounts from 2000 to 2021 with some clears 80's,90's. Very little new stuff$$$,ridiculous. 5000ish. 

The good news is your humidor is now worth 5x as much between the last 5 years you were away. 

[CaptainQuintero]

Pull up a chair bro! There's never any pressure to post a lot, interact as much or as little as feels right. I'm sure the members would love to see your collection and tasting notes of some of your sticks too.

[benfica_77]

Welcome! This a great community and a great distraction if needed.

[Greenhorn2]

Welcome back, sorry to hear about the bad run of luck. It's hell getting old.

[svivo]

Welcome back, another “old” hat here and slowly reading through the forum catching up on all the craziness.

TLDR (last 5 years): Habanos SA sold out, new partner wants more money, prices are crazy and quality is still “Cuba is Cuba”.

[ha_banos]

This is exactly what cigars are for. Welcome back.

[GVan]

So sorry for the way life has treated you. You're not alone - lost Dad a few weeks back, still handling the estate - understand the lost comment. Find some friends and find your way back to a life that's meaningful for you. Fellow cigar smokers are always willing to lend an ear. Besides, sharing great cigars and talking with friends over an hour plus smoke is one of the reasons we all enjoy this hobby.

Like you, I have an amply stocked humidor. One of the joys in life is sharing a good cigar with another cigar smoker that can appreciate it. There is nothing better than handing someone a cigar, having them tell you it's one of the best cigars they've ever smoked -- and then watching their reaction when you tell them it's an eleven year-old Cuban that you paid $7 in acquiring! That'll start a conversation going well into the night. What really blows people away is when I tell them what I paid for my Cuban collection many years ago and what they go for now. I still keep track of everything that I have in my collection and take solace in that when I pull a cigar -- it's at an average cost per cigar of $8.89 (amortized over the entire collection) !!!  Admittedly, the cost per cigar is going up when adding even good NC's now costing $10 to $16 per cigar. Your CC collection is one of your best assets with new ones well north of $20 / cigar.  

As has been said above, a lot has changed in the hobby. In the late 90's through 2020, less than 4% of my collection was non-Cubans. Now, 25% of my collection is non-Cubans (currently stands at ~ 880 NC's). I haven't bought a CC since the second round of price increases we all dubbed Cigar-Armageddon. I cherish the CC's that are still aging away in the humidor and will probably never sell a box at even today's greatly inflated secondary prices. I likely will someday buy another box of a favorite whenever I run out. However, just like the "old-days" when we searched for just the right box code of a certain CC -- it's now a fun part pf the hobby searching for the NC that fits my taste profiles. NC's get better with age just like CC's and often the search for the 90+ pointer is even more elusive (but can be found).

Hopefully life will be kinder in the future and you can make it what you want it to be going forward -- there's a lot out there to explore, to still do, or at least to still "bitch" about with friends. All meant in good fun, there is no shortage of that last category but, cigars and friends make everything just a little bit better.  

All my best!

[tntclip01]

Thanks everyone for making me feel welcome again. Captain Quintero I remember you from Cig.ar.com

Svivo, I'm having flashbacks of you but can't really remember. As far as my cigars, I'm SSOO glad I bought MULTIPLE  boxes every time from 1990s to 2020. My collections unreal. Yes it's worth a lot. I overbought, every time...so lucky. For instance, I bought 8 boxes of 2012 Montecristo 520, and at least 20 cabs of 50s. Prices were great compared to today's absolute ridiculous numbers. Every size Behikes x2, HDM, STILL 3X Boxes of Boli Gold medal...way to much to say. All aging to perfection. As far as NC (yes, I'm a CC snob but) there's a TON of awesomeness in the NC world. I'm currently smoking CC's 2008 back. I don't smoke like I use to so, 3 to 5 a month...less. If I live to 100 (I just turned 62) I will never smoke what I have.  Ken.

[Chas.Alpha]

1 hour ago, tntclip01 said:

Thanks everyone for making me feel welcome again. Captain Quintero I remember you from Cig.ar.com

Svivo, I'm having flashbacks of you but can't really remember. As far as my cigars, I'm SSOO glad I bought MULTIPLE  boxes every time from 1990s to 2020. My collections unreal. Yes it's worth a lot. I overbought, every time...so lucky. For instance, I bought 8 boxes of 2012 Montecristo 520, and at least 20 cabs of 50s. Prices were great compared to today's absolute ridiculous numbers. Every size Behikes x2, HDM, STILL 3X Boxes of Boli Gold medal...way to much to say. All aging to perfection. As far as NC (yes, I'm a CC snob but) there's a TON of awesomeness in the NC world. I'm currently smoking CC's 2008 back. I don't smoke like I use to so, 3 to 5 a month...less. If I live to 100 (I just turned 62) I will never smoke what I have.  Ken.

Bond Roberts has gained some serious traction in the last 5 years. Food for thought.

[tntclip01]

You're right. It's just hard to sell a single stick I've aged 10 or more years.  Lol

[SUP8333]

28 minutes ago, tntclip01 said:

You're right. It's just hard to sell a single stick I've aged 10 or more years.  Lol

It's ok, I take donations. 😁

[BlueWS]

Any grandkids that enjoy cigars? Some of you guys could open a store front with your collections! I can't imagine having that many. I'd worry they would age out, get old musty and dusty before I could enjoy them.