PamunkeyHub
Jayson
I don't consider myself a collector, but I have accumulated a 'collection' of cigars and plan to smoke or gift each one of them at some point in the future.
Good point. I realize the forum doesn't even come close to representing the "average" cigar smoker, but the point remains that LEs seem to be increasing in popularity overall. It may have gone from a very small percentage to a small percentage, but they are increasing.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.
Very valid point.. but one that lends a question..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.
A lot of what sells at a particular store is dependent on who owns it and the types of customers they have. There is a store near me that almost sells zero Altadis, General, or Camacho. He focuses solely on boutique cigars, and he has trained his customers on those products. However, I have been to other stores where the boutique barely sells at all. My friend has a store, and you'll see some boutique stuff that will sit on the shelf for years. Usually the stuff that sells best is the stuff that the owner or manager pushes his clients towards.Very valid point.. but one that lends a question..
Most of the people I know outside of the members of this forum that are heavy into the hobby rarely smoke much outside of the "big" brands.. and almost never smoke an LE at all..
The guy that pushed me over the edge and got me to the point where I was smoking cigars on an almost daily basis rather than one or two a month like I had been doing for the 10+ years previous.. pretty much smokes RP and Gurkha exclusively.. he'll smoke other stuff if you share it with him.. but if he walks into a B&M to buy sticks, you can almost guarantee he is going to walk out with a couple of boxes of RP 1992's or something from Hanositas arsenal...
The guy that I used to smoke with at my old lounge with most frequently is very well off.. he can pretty much smoke whatever he likes, whenever he likes.. and doesn't shy away from spending a lot of money on cigars.. most of his cabinet is filled with higher end cost offerings from Altadis and General, with a few boxes of bigger label regular production stuff from Fuente, MF, and padron thrown in the mix..
So.. if the majority of the high rollers and daily smokers are grabbing a RP or a Fuente or a NC RyJ the vast majority of the time... I wonder just how much of the market is actually boutique brands and LE's (to include those from the big brands, etc..)..
I wouldn't imagine that it is much.. but..
at the same time.. when I walk into most B&Ms.. at least a third (sometimes more depending on the shop) of the shelf space is taken up with cigars from smaller companies like Illusione, CH, Tat, Viaje, etc...
If we're not buying all of that stuff up... who is? and how much of the market does it represent?
That says it pretty well for my thoughts.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..
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Option 3: I enjoy the camaraderie most!So do yall enjoy the collecting or smoking more?
I am in the start of trying to collect to fill up my (small) humidor but I love trying and smoking just as much.
For me I enjoy the smoking more than the aspect of collecting. But it goes hand in hand I feel. It is fun collecting new cigars and finding new brands to try, but the end goal for me is to find new cigars that I will enjoy smoking! Cheers!So do yall enjoy the collecting or smoking more?
I am in the start of trying to collect to fill up my (small) humidor but I love trying and smoking just as much.
I amassed a fair amount of NC too and like you I fell down the CC hole too. I ended up bombing and selling off almost all of my NC stuff.I found that amassing large amounts of NCs that I will have a hard time getting to within a few years, was counter productive because some of them smoke much better fresh. Then I switched to hoarding CCs. Makes much better sense as the chance of 'aging out' is much less.
I was to a point where I had some very nice Tats that were very sought after, that I had to bomb out because I didn't want to even smoke them myself for fear of disappointment. Seems silly, but now I worry less about that.
My stash now consists of the kind that age well and a lot of brown label/Reserva Tatuaje that I think hit their peak in the 2-5 year range.
- KK33