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StogieNinja

Derek | BoM June 2014
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I have to say though, I'm new to this and I'm already losing my taste for chasing LE stuff.
I think it's interesting that in the past several years, the appetite for LEs has increased, and manufacturers are putting out more than ever before, but the public's willingness to pay premium for them has diminished. It used to be that people were paying 150-200% of MSRP regularly for Unicos and Tat exclusives, if not more (IE $60 for a Lp9 pig, $100+ for a single Unico A, etc). Now it seems like folks are anxious to smoke them, but nobody is paying that kind of markup for anything. Is it just my impression or have we finally reached a decent balance? Or was it just that Liga Privada somehow managed to create the same kind or market as Pappy, and no one else has figured out to really replicate it?
 
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I feel like there is a nice balance out there at the moment. With the very rare exception of Opus and very rare Unico stuff.
I think it's interesting that in the past several years, the appetite for LEs has increased, and manufacturers are putting out more than ever before, but the public's willingness to pay premium for them has diminished. It used to be that people were paying 150-200% of MSRP regularly for Unicos and Tat exclusives, if not more (IE $60 for a Lp9 pig, $100+ for a single Unico A, etc). Now it seems like folks are anxious to smoke them, but nobody is paying that kind of markup for anything. Is it just my impression or have we finally reached a decent balance? Or was it just that Liga Privada somehow managed to create the same kind or market as Pappy, and no one else has figured out to really replicate it?
 
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I still enjoy grabbing a few LE or HTF if I stumble across them at a fair price. But I mostly focus on getting cigars that I know I really enjoy. Sometimes those include limited or HTF. I only smoke 2-3 cigars a week so I would rather have 3 cigars I love rather than a cheap bundle of 20. Kind of a quality over quantity thing I guess.
But I guess I have been guilty of collecting in the past but I plan on smoking or gifting all of them.
 
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never really collected. i may save some nice cigars for special occasions, but I'm not going to hunt for an HTF to collect. Also, I hate the feeling of smoking 1 cigar that is amazing but knowing that I may not be able to have it again. I would rather have, smoke, and enjoy the readily available stuff.
 

HIM*

Closer To The Sun
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I do a bit of both but for the most part I think cigars are meant to be smoked. Its understandable why some cigars are hard to bring a flame to though and in those cases I'd say as long as you think its not passed its prime your not making a mistake. For example something like a 9 or T52 pig at this point would be kind of a waste to smoke but still has good collectors value, at least in my eyes because I think their profile is best young.
 

Hamm

Bacon
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I don't buy things simply to collect them. I plan on smoking each an every one of the cigars that I own. I have numerous Opus, Padrons, CC's, etc that I am saving for when I think I can fully appreciate them. Still working on being able to pick out flavors. Right now, I can smoke a cigar and tell you weather or not I enjoyed it.
 
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I think it's interesting that in the past several years, the appetite for LEs has increased, and manufacturers are putting out more than ever before, but the public's willingness to pay premium for them has diminished. It used to be that people were paying 150-200% of MSRP regularly for Unicos and Tat exclusives, if not more (IE $60 for a Lp9 pig, $100+ for a single Unico A, etc). Now it seems like folks are anxious to smoke them, but nobody is paying that kind of markup for anything. Is it just my impression or have we finally reached a decent balance? Or was it just that Liga Privada somehow managed to create the same kind or market as Pappy, and no one else has figured out to really replicate it?
A vast majority of cigars sold in this country are regular product. Limited editions make up a very very small part of the overall sales. This foru, just makes it feel like LEs are a bigger deal then they really are in terms of sales. Most cigar smokers aren't even aware of what limited edition cigar is coming to the marketplace, or is already there. This forum isn't a good barometer of the average cigar smoker, so our perception is skewed somewhat. I think for "cigar nerds", LEs are a much bigger deal than for the average consumer.
 

mdwest

BoM Feb 13 - BoY 2013
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I maintain a pretty good sized stash that I think some people would call a collection.. and I guess I enjoy some aspects of simply "owning" a whole bunch of dried up leaves.. I like the look of the cabinet in the office, I like the comfort of knowing the FDA can kiss my ass, that Ive got enough cigars put away to last me for years regardless of what rules they may try to create, etc...

But I don't know if I ever purchased a single stick for the purpose of "collecting" it... Ive bought some sticks that I intend on aging for a long time.. but I absolutely intend on smoking them or sharing them when the time is right.. they may just sit on display in the cabinet for several years before I get to them..

While I certainly hoard brands/lines that I really like that may be a little hard to get ahold of, I cant think of one cigar that Ive ever considered getting my hands on that I didn't intend on setting on fire one day..

I don't do the 2x MSRP thing.. and I bet I haven't gone out of my way to grab "something special" more than a handful of times in my life (even though I've got a pretty good number of LE type stuff on hand most of the time)..

At one point I probably owned 10% of all of the CH Mule Kicks ever rolled... but I never paid more than MSRP.. and didn't even get in on them when they were still available in B&Ms... Once I had one and knew I liked it, I just made sure that every time I saw someone offering them up for sale at a reasonable price that I grabbed them... and was fortunate enough to be gifted quite a few of them over time by people that knew how much I loved that cigar..

By this time last year, they all had been consumed by fire... None remain.. (not even one for a "collection")...
 

IronW

Andrew
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I "collect" cigars for the sole purpose of smoking them. Like many have said, there's some I save for the right occasion but I buy cigars and intend to smoke every last one of them.
 
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