Question on HQ and PSP products

[yossie]

I think the concept is nice at least for Czar. but then I wonder The products tastes nice or normal?

As You people know Habanos cigars have inconsitensy problems not only construction. I dislike to grab bad batches. So, If I can avoid the risk with the premium, I'm willing pay money to those products. Otherwise, I'll purchase from cheraper dealers.

Let me hear your opinion about those products.

[OZCUBAN]

I agree yossie

I guess the HQ program gives you a better chance of getting a good batch

all that needs to be done now if competitive pricing for us LOYAL AUSSIE members

Cheers Oz

[Fuzz]

Not having yet purchased any of the HQ or PSP boxes, I can't give you a personal experience. However, I find both ideas appealing.

Sure, you may find a box here or there cheaper, but as you said there is no guarantee of quality. With the HQ and PSP boxes, Rob has checked every box to his standards before putting any on the list. A lot of us ask Rob to pick a box when we purchase anyway, so this kinda gives us a heads up.

Yeah, you may get a dud somewhere along the line, even with HQ and PSP boxes, but that's life. If Rob picks out a bad box for me and it's marked HQ or PSP, I'll just assume it was originally meant for Ken...

[Habanos2000]

Yossie,

I purchased a box of H Upmann Mag 46 from the PSP list a couple months ago. I've smoked 3-4 so far and they were far better than what I normally expect from a box of Cuban's.

Since I don't smoke 'a lot' of cigars on a weekly basis, I'd rather pay a little more upfront and have better odds of the smoking experience being better than average.

H2k

[Wil]

Since I don't smoke 'a lot' of cigars on a weekly basis, I'd rather pay a little more upfront and have better odds of the smoking experience being better than average.

Ditto.

Plus, you've got someone who knows what to look for choosing your boxes (for us newbs, anyway). Haven't taken advantage of the HQ or PSP program yet, but I will as soon as I've got my wine fridge set up and can store boxes...

[Tampa1257]

Yossie,

If my memory is correct, only the cigars in the PSP program have a premium on them and the HQ cigars are the normal price. The value that we receive from the folks at Cigar Czar is priceless. Please tell me (Privately via PM) what other Vendors provide such quality customer service as Rob & Lisa. Please tell me what other Vendor provides assorted monthly specials that give away several Thousands of Dollars of Oris Watches. (I believe you are wearing one.) While there may be a few Gray Market Vendors with a slightly cheaper prices, It is my belief that Rob & Lisa have earned my business and continue to do so each and every month. Why would I risk buying from a Gray Market Vendor where the distribution trail is questionable? You know for a fact that the stock from Cigar Czar comes from PCC, which in turn is the Authorized Habanos S.A. distributor for Australia. So you have absolutely no question as to what you are buying, the real deal.

Cigars are a handmade product. The past several years of production has seen the construction and quality increase by leaps and bounds from what historically has been the situation.

I believe that when you have a Trusted Vendor such as we have with Cigar Czar, that their Customer Service has a Value. That Value is worth more to me than saving a few dollars from a Gray Market questionable vendor where they do NOT have the level of Customer Service as Cigar Czar. Loyalty means a lot in todays business environment. I am a Loyal Cigar Czar client.

[samb]

Yossie,

If my memory is correct, only the cigars in the PSP program have a premium on them and the HQ cigars are the normal price. The value that we receive from the folks at Cigar Czar is priceless. Please tell me (Privately via PM) what other Vendors provide such quality customer service as Rob & Lisa. Please tell me what other Vendor provides assorted monthly specials that give away several Thousands of Dollars of Oris Watches. (I believe you are wearing one.) While there may be a few Gray Market Vendors with a slightly cheaper prices, It is my belief that Rob & Lisa have earned my business and continue to do so each and every month. Why would I risk buying from a Gray Market Vendor where the distribution trail is questionable? You know for a fact that the stock from Cigar Czar comes from PCC, which in turn is the Authorized Habanos S.A. distributor for Australia. So you have absolutely no question as to what you are buying, the real deal.

Cigars are a handmade product. The past several years of production has seen the construction and quality increase by leaps and bounds from what historically has been the situation.

I believe that when you have a Trusted Vendor such as we have with Cigar Czar, that their Customer Service has a Value. That Value is worth more to me than saving a few dollars from a Gray Market questionable vendor where they do NOT have the level of Customer Service as Cigar Czar. Loyalty means a lot in todays business environment. I am a Loyal Cigar Czar client.

You hit the nail on the head with that!!! I have been gifted several cigars from the PSP program, one of which is a Party Short, and it was outstanding to say the least. It tasted well above what I expected. On my next purchase as well as future purchases, if the HQ has a box that I want in my price range, I will prolly opt to pick it up. Also, when you factor in great customer service and great people, it like giving a good tip in a restaurant... If a get good service, Ill tip more, poor service and I have no shame skipping out on 'em.

[BolivarSmoker]

Yossie,

If my memory is correct, only the cigars in the PSP program have a premium on them and the HQ cigars are the normal price. The value that we receive from the folks at Cigar Czar is priceless. Please tell me (Privately via PM) what other Vendors provide such quality customer service as Rob & Lisa. Please tell me what other Vendor provides assorted monthly specials that give away several Thousands of Dollars of Oris Watches. (I believe you are wearing one.) While there may be a few Gray Market Vendors with a slightly cheaper prices, It is my belief that Rob & Lisa have earned my business and continue to do so each and every month. Why would I risk buying from a Gray Market Vendor where the distribution trail is questionable? You know for a fact that the stock from Cigar Czar comes from PCC, which in turn is the Authorized Habanos S.A. distributor for Australia. So you have absolutely no question as to what you are buying, the real deal.

Cigars are a handmade product. The past several years of production has seen the construction and quality increase by leaps and bounds from what historically has been the situation.

I believe that when you have a Trusted Vendor such as we have with Cigar Czar, that their Customer Service has a Value. That Value is worth more to me than saving a few dollars from a Gray Market questionable vendor where they do NOT have the level of Customer Service as Cigar Czar. Loyalty means a lot in todays business environment. I am a Loyal Cigar Czar client.

Well said, Tampa!!

[Fuzz]

I believe that when you have a Trusted Vendor such as we have with Cigar Czar, that their Customer Service has a Value. That Value is worth more to me than saving a few dollars from a Gray Market questionable vendor where they do NOT have the level of Customer Service as Cigar Czar. Loyalty means a lot in todays business environment. I am a Loyal Cigar Czar client.

My sentiments exactly. Businesses who have customer service as one of their core principles (and actually do it, not just pay lipservice) are far and few inbetween these days.

[yossie]

Tampa, It is/was of course no offence. in my country, There's no tip system.

BTW, What I meant is those products are not discounted on sales. I might say "PSP and HQ products are better than normal products flavor-wisely?"

[OZCUBAN]

Yossie,

If my memory is correct, only the cigars in the PSP program have a premium on them and the HQ cigars are the normal price. The value that we receive from the folks at Cigar Czar is priceless. Please tell me (Privately via PM) what other Vendors provide such quality customer service as Rob & Lisa. Please tell me what other Vendor provides assorted monthly specials that give away several Thousands of Dollars of Oris Watches. (I believe you are wearing one.) While there may be a few Gray Market Vendors with a slightly cheaper prices, It is my belief that Rob & Lisa have earned my business and continue to do so each and every month. Why would I risk buying from a Gray Market Vendor where the distribution trail is questionable? You know for a fact that the stock from Cigar Czar comes from PCC, which in turn is the Authorized Habanos S.A. distributor for Australia. So you have absolutely no question as to what you are buying, the real deal.

Cigars are a handmade product. The past several years of production has seen the construction and quality increase by leaps and bounds from what historically has been the situation.

I believe that when you have a Trusted Vendor such as we have with Cigar Czar, that their Customer Service has a Value. That Value is worth more to me than saving a few dollars from a Gray Market questionable vendor where they do NOT have the level of Customer Service as Cigar Czar. Loyalty means a lot in todays business environment. I am a Loyal Cigar Czar client.

Well said Tampa

I agree with all you have to say ,Loyalty certainly goes along way ,and you will not find a more loyal person than myself.

I try to buy from Czars wherever possible ,if we Aussies were buying in US dollars we would be laughing,but because we have such horrendous taxes over here we are screwed. So for us the Gray Market does not save us a few dollars ,it saves us hundreds,but i guess not all gray vendors are the same.

I will continue to Buy from Czars when ever feasible,as i believe that Rob and the Crew do the Industry a great service with their offbeat humor and Knowledge (and they deserve my loyalty)

But for me Loyalty has and always will be a two way street

Cheers Oz

[Tampa1257]

Yossie,

You may remember that Rob discounted ALL cigars about 2 months ago. That is what is known as an EDLP (Every Day Low Price). This was because the entire Industry was lagging in sales due to the economy. This was Rob's idea to offer everyone a EDLP instead of selected boxes of the month at a 15-20% discount.

Your question about will the PSP and the HQ boxes have better flavors is one that can not be answered specifically. As mentioned before, the cigars we love and buy are Handmade products. With skilled precision, Rob has gone through these boxes to determine in his "expert opinion", which ones he believes are premium boxes and those that are High Quality boxes. He shows the actual boxes so you can make up your own mind if they are something that you want to buy. Either you buy or you pass. Not a problem.

It stands to reason that a box of hand picked Premium or High Quality cigars will perform "Taste" wise better than a run of the mill cigar, but there is no guarantee. They are still great looking hand rolled Cuban cigars. The premium price is for the extra customer service provided by Cigar Czar. That is a value added extra.

Yet your comment about going to a cheaper vendor for daily cigar smoking was answered in my above post. Loyalty means a lot. Even the veiled threat of not being a Loyal Client on our hosts forum is not something to even suggest in my opinion.

[CigarmanTim]

Yossie,

I purchased a box of H Upmann Mag 46 from the PSP list a couple months ago. I've smoked 3-4 so far and they were far better than what I normally expect from a box of Cuban's.

H2k

I have a 50 cab of Mag 46's bought neither on the PSP nor the HQ progaram. The first row of cigars looked great. In the middle are these measley, spotted, nastly looking things. They tast horrible. I took all my cigars out and rated them and then stuck the best looking cigars in the bottom. I figured I'd get the bad ones out of the way sooner rather than later. About half and half on the good v bad. The ones that look great in this cab usually are. The ones that looked diseased, usually taste like dung. IMO the HQ and PSP are more than worth it.

[cigarros]

Approximately one year ago we began to order cigars at PSP, thx Rob! You don't represent what a quality of CC in Russia! Really!! In January I will publish a manual for Russian smokers into my site "how to order cigars at the Rob?" I can tell that the best CC in the world are on sale here! It's truth!

Regards!

[gfoster]

I haven't made my first purchase from Rob yet, but when I do it will be through either the HQ or PSP program. I figure Rob knows what he's doing a lot better than I do, and as my tobacconist I will trust him to do me right

Of course, knowing my luck, buying a nice HQ or PSP box and then it ending up not receiving it for some *ahem* strange reason would really suck...

-- Gary F.

[sloth]

I like the HQ and PSP threads because of the pretty pictures!

[bassman]

I'm waiting on a PSP box of MC#4s. Since this is a notoriously inconsistant cigar, I thought it would be perfect for my first PSP purchase. I love this cigar when it's "on" and will do a little review when I smoke one.

[TrickNick]

I have ordered from all of the programs here, including normal stock. Even with the best vendors I have used to date, I have NEVER had the level of service Rob and Lisa have provided. On top of that, I have rarely received the quality of stock that I have from FOH. There might be a premium on the PSP sticks, but even then, your paying for the best of the best. Its like the choice between USDA Prime Rib and Kobe. You know the Prime will taste good, but you know the Kobe will be great.

I have friends that swear by FOH. I've recently converted. And this isn't even in addition to their giveaways/contests (which are unbelievable!).

[habone]

My day gets a little better everytime I visit this place!

[bassman]

Have to agree we get more personalized service than the average vendor.

My PSP MC#4s arrived & I couldn't ask for a better looking box of cigars. Now for a little research. After this box has settled a while, I plan to smoke one of these & a MC#4 of the same year from a "grab a box from the top of the pile" vendor. I can already see the PSP box looks much better. Stay tuned for the taste test.

[yossie]

well, the thread is going to not my expected way.. I maybe not a loyal customer of czar but beleive It's a great dealer. There're authentic vendors which sometime sell cheaper than Czar though , I merely don't buy from them. because Czar is greater in some points.

What I initially wanted to discuss was "Is there worth for paying premium to PSP and HQ products?". I actually thank for a few of people told their opionion those.

[El Presidente]

There are plenty of good dealers in the world. People who care about what you get. I have never pulled the loyalty card the reality being we could never supply everyones goods even if we wanted to. Pricing can certainly be cheaper elsewhere overseas which makes us have to lift out game elsewhere which is something which we have done and are proud to continue doing so. What we ask in return is not much. Don't mention pricing on forum or other dealers. It still amazes me that some good members can not let that soak in. It particularly annoys me when I am away overseas and a cheap shot reply is made without any chance for me to discuss prior.

Here are a couple of facts. Aussies pay $23.10 max when they order through lise and myself for Bolivar Petit Belicoso LE. $20.25 for mag 48 and $30.70 for the Duke. All of our clients in Oz contact us direct. The website for Aussie prices is there to keep PCC happy (as has been discussed infinitum). Others in this country don't care because they parallel import. I have a relationship with PCC.

The reality is we are the cheapest in Australia and we have done that without putting noses out of joint. All it takes is to be an Australaian FOH member and have the decency to follow rules and contact us direct for pricing. Christ knows over 600 local members have no problems. I have had a shithouse day, my luggage is lost and I have another 15 hours to go. I wasn't epecting this rubbish from people I respect. I have deleted the post because it directly contravenes rules. Unfortunately it is normally Solocigars or Go Cubans we have to delete.

[samb]

There are plenty of good dealers in the world. People who care about what you get. I have never pulled the loyalty card the reality being we could never supply everyones goods even if we wanted to. Pricing can certainly be cheaper elsewhere overseas which makes us have to lift out game elsewhere which is something which we have done and are proud to continue doing so. What we ask in return is not much. Don't mention pricing on forum or other dealers. It still amazes me that some good members can not let that soak in. It particularly annoys me when I am away overseas and a cheap shot reply is made without any chance for me to discuss prior.

Here are a couple of facts. Aussies pay $23.10 max when they order through lise and myself for Bolivar Petit Belicoso LE. $20.25 for mag 48 and $30.70 for the Duke. All of our clients in Oz contact us direct. The website for Aussie prices is there to keep PCC happy (as has been discussed infinitum). Others in this country don't care because they parallel import. I have a relationship with PCC.

The reality is we are the cheapest in Australia and we have done that without putting noses out of joint. All it takes is to be an Australaian FOH member and have the decency to follow rules and contact us direct for pricing. Christ knows over 600 local members have no problems. I have had a shithouse day, my luggage is lost and I have another 15 hours to go. I wasn't epecting this rubbish from people I respect. I have deleted the post because it directly contravenes rules. Unfortunately it is normally Solocigars or Go Cubans we have to delete.

I have looked everywhere for a reputable vendor. Ive done massive internet searches and Ive done my damndest to investigate all sources. I came across FOH in my searches and took great interest in it as I was very pleased with the prices. The respectability of CigarCzar was confirmed to me by a very generous BOTL and since that confirmation and my joining of FOH, I thoroughly believe that I have found in you guys what Ive been looking for this whole time. I cant comment on prices from an Australian $ perspective, but the US $ is a sure thing. I love the service given by Lisa and gang and I see myself purchasing from no other.

[MIKA27]

There are plenty of good dealers in the world. People who care about what you get. I have never pulled the loyalty card the reality being we could never supply everyones goods even if we wanted to. Pricing can certainly be cheaper elsewhere overseas which makes us have to lift out game elsewhere which is something which we have done and are proud to continue doing so. What we ask in return is not much. Don't mention pricing on forum or other dealers. It still amazes me that some good members can not let that soak in. It particularly annoys me when I am away overseas and a cheap shot reply is made without any chance for me to discuss prior.

Here are a couple of facts. Aussies pay $23.10 max when they order through lise and myself for Bolivar Petit Belicoso LE. $20.25 for mag 48 and $30.70 for the Duke. All of our clients in Oz contact us direct. The website for Aussie prices is there to keep PCC happy (as has been discussed infinitum). Others in this country don't care because they parallel import. I have a relationship with PCC.

The reality is we are the cheapest in Australia and we have done that without putting noses out of joint. All it takes is to be an Australaian FOH member and have the decency to follow rules and contact us direct for pricing. Christ knows over 600 local members have no problems. I have had a shithouse day, my luggage is lost and I have another 15 hours to go. I wasn't epecting this rubbish from people I respect. I have deleted the post because it directly contravenes rules. Unfortunately it is normally Solocigars or Go Cubans we have to delete.

Hi all.

Well, it was my apparent cheap shot (Was not intended to offend or be seen as a 'cheap shot') that has been deleted.

I respect and value all FOH members and merely wished to contribute my input on this thread seeing everyone else (Tampa) had their say to Yossie's post. I did not disclose the dealer in my post and if by posting a price as an example has broken 'a' rule, I really do apologise to all, especially to yourself Prez as it was unintentional and NOT a 'cheap shot', as generally such gestures are done to damage ones reputation or cause harm. Again, that was not my intention at all!

I enjoy contributing to FOH as well as reading everyones views and opinions and posting my own. I certainly did not endeavour to upset anyone, Czars or FOH.

If you are dissapointed in myself Prez, well, thats just F**ked my year as I really do respect you and am appreciative of previous PCP's as well as knowing that if I call you direct, you are one of THE most down to earth and friendly people I have ever had the pleasure to talk to.

My best to all and apologies.

Mika.

[El Presidente]

I appreciate the clarification Mika.

When I read your post from LAX last night I was ropeable. our creed on FOH has always been "friendship, fraternity, Laughter, Loyalty". The loyalty aspect has nothing about buying cigars. Loyalty pertains how we treat other members and that is with fairness and respect.

When a FOH member has a problem/issue with myself or another member then it is handled directly with an e-mail/pm/phonecall.

When a member replies to a post or commences a thread then it is done without malice, with fact and with respect. Your post was without malice but was factually incorrect and hence without respect given it directly attacked the hard work we have put in place to ensure fair private pricing for Aussie buyers who I agree are screwed in this country due to high taxes.

Our private Australian client base is the largest in the country for a reason. One to one dealings on quality and price, price importantly since we introduced the Aussie Private Client Pricing since commencement of October. Your post failed to mention this.

I have so many great friends on FOH who purchase elsewhere or at least part of their orders elsewhere. It has never bothered me. it bothers me when facts are misrepresented.

I hope I have clarified my position.