Do you keep a Cigar Dossier ?

[CanuckSARTech]

i did keep thorough records on computer for a while but it all got a bit out of hand and now i have piles of pages of notes that i promise myself i will detail at some time. but i'm not hopeful. i have enough trouble keeping track of what i have and what i've smoked.

Ken, from the pictures that we've seen of your kitchen, I can't believe, AT ALL, that you wouldn't be organized!

Just kiddin', senor.

[rdb6]

Outstanding dossier. Publish it, it could be a best seller.

[partagasd4]

I wish I had started doing something like this when I started smoking cigars. I do keep all my bands though.

[godfathermint]

Woah! Dude I WANT your dossier!!! That's actually a beautiful idea! I might do the same =)

[LeafLover]

Guy, if you publish it, I'll buy it. Just don't price it like MRN's.

[MIKA27]

It is indeed a great idea Guy, I never thought about keeping one however I do have boxes of cigar bands I've kept as I smoke my cigars.

I should start a Dossier, I would love to flick back sometime in future and read back on thought I had on certain Vitolas etc.

[CanuckSARTech]

It is indeed a great idea Guy, I never thought about keeping one however I do have boxes of cigar bands I've kept as I smoke my cigars.

I should start a Dossier, I would love to flick back sometime in future and read back on thought I had on certain Vitolas etc.

And therein lies the extreme usefulness of it.

I get what laficion is saying, about for him, it only being for special cigars, and Habanakane saying that it was great for a couple of years to just help him sort out his likes, but after that he had no real need for it.

But I think it's much more than that.

I think Mika hit the nail on the head - it's about reflecting back, and checking out your notes about a similar cigar that you smoked 1, 2, 5, or 10 years before. Personal tastes change, memories fade, and blends unfortunately do not stay 100% the same. This thing can help you look at the differences you've experienced with the same cigar over the years. Hey, if you smoke a Monte #4 weekly (or daily for that matter), you don't necessarily need to put that in here, unless it's a humdinger of a cigar. But I think that even putting a note in there for a Monte #4 once every month or two will help you out down the line.

Also, it's a great way to organize and keep your bands, as well as the other applicable info (box code/date, price, supplier, etc.).

Again, just my babbling thoughts. Take 'em for what they're worth.

[JasonInChiTown]

And therein lies the extreme usefulness of it.

I get what laficion is saying, about for him, it only being for special cigars, and Habanakane saying that it was great for a couple of years to just help him sort out his likes, but after that he had no real need for it.

But I think it's much more than that.

I think Mika hit the nail on the head - it's about reflecting back, and checking out your notes about a similar cigar that you smoked 1, 2, 5, or 10 years before. Personal tastes change, memories fade, and blends unfortunately do not stay 100% the same. This thing can help you look at the differences you've experienced with the same cigar over the years. Hey, if you smoke a Monte #4 weekly (or daily for that matter), you don't necessarily need to put that in here, unless it's a humdinger of a cigar. But I think that even putting a note in there for a Monte #4 once every month or two will help you out down the line.

Also, it's a great way to organize and keep your bands, as well as the other applicable info (box code/date, price, supplier, etc.).

Again, just my babbling thoughts. Take 'em for what they're worth.

Agree - I have a similar journal that I created from a simple moleskin notebook and use it more to reflect on what I was doing while smoking. I am not an everyday smoker, so typically reserve cigar occasions for quiet moments, celebrations or other significant events. While it does come in handy for tasting notes and scoring, I enjoy it more to see what was going through my mind while smoking

[cigaraholic]

I'm afraid if I started a dossier I'd never get anything else done...............maybe I'll start today!

[Puros Y Vino]

In the book...ahem..."The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cigars" there's a really detailed cigar rating sheet on pg 289. I've recently started a handwritten dossier in a small hardcover "notes" book. I glue in the bands, write down date smoked, measurements, appearance and tasting notes in thirds. I really like some of the examples in this thread.

[Wicky]

I think I'll start with this one.

[BlackFriar]

Afraid not on the question of keeping a cigar journal, much to my chagrin Guy. Too lazy to do so in all honesty. I'm pretty critical of each cigar but my thoughts tend to be a a fleeting thing; if I do not write my thoughts down I have a hard time remembering them. Over time I guess I vaguely remember I don't care for a particular cigar but that is about it.

I smoke cigars because I want to relax and not think (well not heavily anyhow). Don't get me wrong, I think hard upon occasion and when I really put my mind to it I end up writing a review, which are probably too flowery by far.

Lovely journal though Guy. I wish I had the discipline to create such a labor of love. Sadly, I only seem to put such effort into my work.

Chris

P.S. Guy, I always assumed your mother tongue was French. Is there any reason why you write in English? I ask because when it comes to wine words like terrior just don't translate into English well yet sum up an idea rather eloquently. Do you ever find that one language expresses ideas of taste or expression better than another? Wish I had the talent to be a polyglot!

[laficion]

P.S. Guy, I always assumed your mother tongue was French. Is there any reason why you write in English?

I write in English because first ,I grew up in the states from when I was 2 years old until the age of 22 thus all of my

education was in English, of course I read and write French too but it was more a family tongue at home.

Second, other then some notes or small writings like the Dossier or my time here on the forum, the rest is in french.

When you have two language you try hard to keep both alive.

Plus ,I don't want anyone else to read my thoughts on the cigars I smoke

However, the biggest reason being that with my buddy in the states, we compare notes

every 2 years and he doesn't read french

[LeafLover]

I'm afraid if I started a dossier I'd never get anything else done...............maybe I'll start today!

LOL. I have a stash of bands that looks exactly like that. My wife doesn't understand it.

[LeafLover]

Guy, I'm so impressionable. You got me looking on Amazon for this dossier. LOL.

[CanuckSARTech]

Guy, I'm so impressionable. You got me looking on Amazon for this dossier. LOL.

I can give you a great seller on eBay for it, if you want - if you can't find one through Amazon or whatnot. PM me.

I deal with someone out of California for a lot of my cigar-related accessories.

[Leopolis Semper Fidelis]

I can't be bothered with keeping a dossier because I regard my appreciation of Havanas as a very personal thing, not for non-initiates to to try to understand; I rely instead on my memory, and it seldom lets me down.

[MrGlass]

That sounds like a great thing to do. And I'm equally impressed that you managed to get that many bands off cleanly!

If I was going to maintain something like that, the cigar would have to pass an initial test - if I could get the band off without tearing it to bits, then it would get an entry. Or maybe it's just me with this problem....

[CanuckSARTech]

That sounds like a great thing to do. And I'm equally impressed that you managed to get that many bands off cleanly!

If I was going to maintain something like that, the cigar would have to pass an initial test - if I could get the band off without tearing it to bits, then it would get an entry. Or maybe it's just me with this problem....

I only get the odd one that's a problem (that one Cohiba one shown I destroyed, but my fingers were wet from my drink, too).

Usually I have no probems. By the time I'm taking them off when the burn gets to them, I find the moisture and heat from smoking the cigar helps loosen up the glue on the bands. Or, I can just easily slip them off and rip them open later.

[groza]

I don't keep a written journal because my handwriting is ugly as sin but I use the online cigar journal service of a vendor. I rate my cigars according to strength, quality and bang for your buck but I don't write a short review unless they're particularly good or bad. The good thing about this system is that it helps other customers who are unfamiliar with a certain cigar.

[Leopolis Semper Fidelis]

I don't keep a written journal because my handwriting is ugly as sin

That's one of the reasons why I don't compile a dossier!

[jsd]

A friend and I just started keeping a record this year. We each have a small notebook and use double-sided tape for the bands and write down a few notes. Very brief. We decided to do it to keep track of the great cigars we smoked, the bad ones, and a total number for the year. I would like to upgrade to the Dossier for next year.

Great post!

[CBL]

I LOVE this!! Always wanted to start one, but I've been smoking for two years now and I always like things to be complete and I'd miss A LOT of cigars if I started now. I've smoked some of the best cigars in my starting years and I'm worried I won't top half of them

But I'm gonna order a Cigar Dossier soon and maybe just start from that point and keep the previously smoked cigars for my mental dossier.

I'd love to browse through a book like this in 10 years and see what I tasted in those days compared to a more experienced palate.

Great idea!

[joeypots]

I have a pocket spiral ring note book with a list of my inventory.

Box, box date, received date, and where it came from.

I do an update and count how many are left in open boxes once or twice a year.

[dcse]

I don't have the dicipline or the time for a dossier. I don't even have an inventory list. The FOH locker and online order history with trusted retailers are as close as I will ever get a dossier. I envy the dicipline of those that actually manage to establish and maintain a dossier though.