Need advice on which older/rare/HTF sticks to buy...

[Pbenda]

So I'm looking for some items for my top shelf.

Been in conversation with a couple of dealers. I've been asking them for some rare, aged, or HTF sticks.
I need to pick and choose which ones I want to get, and since most of these are sealed boxes trying them isn't an option. So I need your help

The list:
Already bought
2009 Opus CFCF $950
2010 Opus CFCF $950
(Yes. I realize it's probably the worst value per stick out there. But I think it'll look great on my top shelf and I'm giving the 2010 as a gift for a good friend. We are going to only smoke the sticks together and only when we have a reason to celebrate <birthdays, kids being born, etc>, hopefully making the box last 5-10 years). I also like that some of the profits go to the CFCF.

Sticks I need opinions on (deeeep breath):
2007 God of Fire toro $525/25 sticks in a red or black jar
2009 Opus x $22 avg per stick
2007 Zino Platinum crown 90-117/3 sticks
2015 Zino Stretch $90-117/3 sticks
2012 Avo 25th edition $400/25 sticks
2014 Avo 80th $216/20 sticks
2015 My Father 5th anniversary $322/14 sticks
2010-2013 Fuente 2 packs for CFCF $50 per 2 pack
2014 Tatuaje belle encre reserve $225/22 sticks
2008 La Roma de Cuba lancero $80/10 sticks
2011ish Triunfador 100 count/$950

Once again I am looking for sticks that are conversation pieces as well as sticks that are great smokes.

All advice is appreciated. Thanks guys!

Parker

 

[Craig Mac]

Everyone's palate is different so it is hard to say "buy these" or "don't buy these" but I can offer my thoughts on the list you provided. Unless I really want a cigar I loved when I smoked it, I would rather buy current production and age them myself accordingly. You get more bang for your buck as opposed to paying for someone else to age cigars for you. At some of the prices you are looking at spending you better love the cigars, but I buy to smoke not to talk about them.

Here are my thoughts:
2007 God of Fire toro $525/25 sticks in a red or black jar - Not that impressed with these cigars to spend that much, mild cigars that to me don't seem to age well
2009 Opus x $22 avg per stick - Seems about right for aged Opus, but personally I would spend that money buying current opus and age them myself and get more cigars
2007 Zino Platinum crown 90-117/3 sticks - A lot to spend on 3 cigars that IMO don't age that well
2015 Zino Stretch $90-117/3 sticks - Don't know much about this one
2012 Avo 25th edition $400/25 sticks - Not a bad price slight markup
2014 Avo 80th $216/20 sticks - Think this actually came out in 2006, another cigar I think is past it's prime
2015 My Father 5th anniversary $322/14 sticks - Probably can be found cheaper than this, great cigar
2010-2013 Fuente 2 packs for CFCF $50 per 2 pack - That is the normal price so no mark up, great cigars every year
2014 Tatuaje belle encre reserve $225/22 sticks - Average price and can maybe be found a little cheaper, should age well
2008 La Roma de Cuba $80/10 sticks - Good price, as long as it wasn't a huge ring gauge I would buy em, probably smoking great!
2011ish Triunfador 100 count/$950 - I could be wrong, but the only 100 ct cabs I remember were the 2009 original release. I would love to have 100 count cab of these, but not sure I would be willing to pay that much for em

 

[ChuckMejia]

Baller.

 

[THEMISCHMAN]

Everyone's palate is different so it is hard to say "buy these" or "don't buy these" but I can offer my thoughts on the list you provided. Unless I really want a cigar I loved when I smoked it, I would rather buy current production and age them myself accordingly. You get more bang for your buck as opposed to paying for someone else to age cigars for you. At some of the prices you are looking at spending you better love the cigars, but I buy to smoke not to talk about them.

Here are my thoughts:
2007 God of Fire toro $525/25 sticks in a red or black jar - Not that impressed with these cigars to spend that much, mild cigars that to me don't seem to age well
2009 Opus x $22 avg per stick - Seems about right for aged Opus, but personally I would spend that money buying current opus and age them myself and get more cigars
2007 Zino Platinum crown 90-117/3 sticks - A lot to spend on 3 cigars that IMO don't age that well
2015 Zino Stretch $90-117/3 sticks - Don't know much about this one
2012 Avo 25th edition $400/25 sticks - Not a bad price slight markup
2014 Avo 80th $216/20 sticks - Think this actually came out in 2006, another cigar I think is past it's prime
2015 My Father 5th anniversary $322/14 sticks - Probably can be found cheaper than this, great cigar
2010-2013 Fuente 2 packs for CFCF $50 per 2 pack - That is the normal price so no mark up, great cigars every year
2014 Tatuaje belle encre reserve $225/22 sticks - Average price and can maybe be found a little cheaper, should age well
2008 La Roma de Cuba $80/10 sticks - Good price, as long as it wasn't a huge ring gauge I would buy em, probably smoking great!
2011ish Triunfador 100 count/$950 - I could be wrong, but the only 100 ct cabs I remember were the 2009 original release. I would love to have 100 count cab of these, but not sure I would be willing to pay that much for em

I can not agree more. For that kind of coin you could buy quite a bit of current smokes that are just as good if not better. For example, Tat Anarchy, Tat Brown Label (Regios, Regios Reserva, Noellas, Unicos, etc.) as these age very well, TAA 2015, TAA 2014 (they're out there), Arturo Fuente Anjeo, like Craig said, current Opus', etc. These are obviously cigars I would buy but it's your money, spend it how you see fit.

 

[Shrody234]

Straight ballin! I love it!... My vote would be for anything opus, great smoke (esp when aged), beautiful band, very classy cigar all around IMO. Anejo too-an opus with an aged cognac barrel wrapper mmmmm

 

[Master Shake]

I'd vote no on most everything on that list to be honest, with a few exceptions. $22 for ages Opus isn't bad so if u wanted some I'd say go for it. The price on the Belle Encre Reservas isn't amazing, but they are great sticks and if u want them get them. I'd also throw the stamp of approval on the Fuente 2 packs.

Personally, I'm not a fan of chasing down old releases as the markups are ridiculous and it's rare that the cigar can live up to the hype and price. This is because many of these cigars are past their prime, and you have no idea how some of these sticks were stored in the first place.

The good news is that there are some releases out currently that have large potential or are among some of the best smoking cigars right now. I'd recommend the following available sticks:
1. Tatuaje the Whore
2. Warped La Colmena Unico Especial and/or Reina
3. Caldwell Marble House
4. Tatuaje Black CG jar
5. La Palina Goldie Robusto Extra (slightly harder to find but totally worth it)

 

[Pbenda]

Everyone's palate is different so it is hard to say "buy these" or "don't buy these" but I can offer my thoughts on the list you provided. Unless I really want a cigar I loved when I smoked it, I would rather buy current production and age them myself accordingly. You get more bang for your buck as opposed to paying for someone else to age cigars for you. At some of the prices you are looking at spending you better love the cigars, but I buy to smoke not to talk about them.

Here are my thoughts:
2007 God of Fire toro $525/25 sticks in a red or black jar - Not that impressed with these cigars to spend that much, mild cigars that to me don't seem to age well
2009 Opus x $22 avg per stick - Seems about right for aged Opus, but personally I would spend that money buying current opus and age them myself and get more cigars
2007 Zino Platinum crown 90-117/3 sticks - A lot to spend on 3 cigars that IMO don't age that well
2015 Zino Stretch $90-117/3 sticks - Don't know much about this one
2012 Avo 25th edition $400/25 sticks - Not a bad price slight markup
2014 Avo 80th $216/20 sticks - Think this actually came out in 2006, another cigar I think is past it's prime
2015 My Father 5th anniversary $322/14 sticks - Probably can be found cheaper than this, great cigar
2010-2013 Fuente 2 packs for CFCF $50 per 2 pack - That is the normal price so no mark up, great cigars every year
2014 Tatuaje belle encre reserve $225/22 sticks - Average price and can maybe be found a little cheaper, should age well
2008 La Roma de Cuba $80/10 sticks - Good price, as long as it wasn't a huge ring gauge I would buy em, probably smoking great!
2011ish Triunfador 100 count/$950 - I could be wrong, but the only 100 ct cabs I remember were the 2009 original release. I would love to have 100 count cab of these, but not sure I would be willing to pay that much for em

Great info. Thanks.

 

[Pbenda]

Well this is the first time this board has actually saved me money!

Looks like I'll just grab one or two items from the list and get some more recent good stuff and age myself.

By 'past its prime' what did you guys mean exactly? I assumed they just settled down and mellowed out after some aging. Can you please elaborate?

Thanks!
Parker

 

[Luckybastard]

The triunfadors all day. Those things are better than money. And while I haven't smoked one yet I've heard from everyone that I trust that the 2015 MF LE is off the hook!

 

[Pbenda]

Yea I may grab the triunfadors.

Good for bombing, I reaaaaaally like lanceros, and in that quantity I could smoke them frequently.

Parker

 

[atbat82]

Yea I may grab the triunfadors.

Good for bombing, I reaaaaaally like lanceros, and in that quantity I could smoke them frequently.

Parker

If you're looking to do a box split on those, I'd be more than happy to take 10 off your hands

 

[ChuckMejia]

If you're looking to do a box split on those, I'd be more than happy to take 10 off your hands

I was thinking the same thing!

 

[Pbenda]

Lol. I might be willing to sell a few off to BOTL. I need to think shut it. I'll let Y'all know.

Parker

Also, are there any older sticks out there that ARE worth the money/hassle?

 

[ar2381]

You should only consider buying them if you're going to smoke them. If you're just going to put them in your humidor and sit on them than it's a waste of money. There's no reason to buy a five year old cigar, and keep it in your humidor for a few more years. Cigars are meant to be smoked.

 

[Pbenda]

All will be smoked at some point.

Whether I let them sit for 1 day or 5 more years, they will eventually be smoked.

I also plan to give a lot of these away as gifts.

Nothing is just going to sit forever.

Parker

 

[quazy50]

FWIW as been said here I'd rather get current releases and age them my self for a better price (and sort of pride?). The only "old" cigar I have bought was a couple Las Calaveras 2014, but it was literally for the band because I wanted the and for a project.

That being said the LC '14 is a fantastic smoke, but I don't think you can go wrong with any Opus X. But again, I'd want to age my own.

 

[Master Shake]

By 'past its prime' what did you guys mean exactly? I assumed they just settled down and mellowed out after some aging. Can you please elaborate?

Aged cigars aren't synonymous with better cigars. Quite a few cigars get much worse with additional age. Padron 64s, 26s, and Family Series cigars would be perfect examples. These cigars are already aged when they hit the market and made to be smoked now. Additional age just takes away from some of the better flavors and they become shells of themselves. In my experience, many NC sticks have a 2 year shelf life attached and after that they start falling off. There are exceptions of course but I never plan on a NC cigar getting better after 2 years. Everything has a shelf life and cigars are most certainly perishable products, they just don't come with a "best by" date attached.

If aging cigars is something that you want to get into, buy fresh Opus or Anejos as Dominican tobacco seems to age much better than many other NC tobaccos. Or you could go with CCs, they are made to aged and the shelf life is really long on Cuban tobacco. If you're talking about not smoking through boxes for at least 5 years, this is the route you may want to go.

 

[klittle250]

Aged cigars aren't synonymous with better cigars. Quite a few cigars get much worse with additional age. Padron 64s, 26s, and Family Series cigars would be perfect examples. These cigars are already aged when they hit the market and made to be smoked now. Additional age just takes away from some of the better flavors and they become shells of themselves. In my experience, many NC sticks have a 2 year shelf life attached and after that they start falling off. There are exceptions of course but I never plan on a NC cigar getting better after 2 years. Everything has a shelf life and cigars are most certainly perishable products, they just don't come with a "best by" date attached.

If aging cigars is something that you want to get into, buy fresh Opus or Anejos as Dominican tobacco seems to age much better than many other NC tobaccos. Or you could go with CCs, they are made to aged and the shelf life is really long on Cuban tobacco. If you're talking about not smoking through boxes for at least 5 years, this is the route you may want to go.

Couldn't agree more. Cuban and Dominican tobacco age much better than Nicaraugan IMO

 

[ChefBoyRG54]

A box of CC

 

[eastsideinside]

IMO go with the Opus X lost city lancero from 2014 or OR Tatuaje Apocalypse, those are worth the effort and you can still find them. However, all that said, I see that you seem to you made up your mind so maybe I'm to late.