building Cigar Stash

[Kenman25]

How has everyone built up their stash of cigars? Do you buy by the box, 5er's, trades, or only buy what you know you will smoke or love to smoke?

I have been smoking for a few years now but haven't had my own humidor, I have always put mine in a friends. Just got my own, finally, and need to get some sticks in it..Just curious as to how others filled theirs...

 

[funkejj]

Well if you have been smoking for a few years then you know what you like. If you know what you like start buying them, say a few sticks here or there as your budget allows. You don't have to run out and buy 5 boxes to fill a humi.

 

[iCraig]

Just a good one to point out here...

http://www.botl.org/community/forums/showthread.php?t=23224

 

[SurpriseMVP]

Well if you have been smoking for a few years then you know what you like. If you know what you like start buying them, say a few sticks here or there as your budget allows. You don't have to run out and buy 5 boxes to fill a humi.

This ^^^^^
Also your palette will change from time to time and you don't want to have a box of something you don't enjoy anymore. Stick with singles and 5er's. Another piece of advice is to buy a humidor 3 times the size of what you think you'll need.

 

[CigarKing]

When I started building my stash I would buy a box I liked and smoke them until I had 5 or so left. By that time I was ready for something different and would get a different box. That was usually a once a month thing. Slowly I had a decent collection of a variety of sticks.

The biggest thing I can say is just what Centex said, don't stretch yourself too thin. Stay within your means.

 

[Le Buzz]

Don't stress over filling your humi... it will be filled in no time. Just make sure this hobby remains a fiscally responsible one for you, you will enjoy it far more if you don't over-extend yourself.

 

[Goalee1]

How much you smoke will have an impact on your "stash". If you smoke 2 a day for example, you'll need more than if you smoke 1 to 2 a week. No need to fill you humi as something will always come about that will be of interest and the last thing you want is a humi that can't take any more, a situation which we all have faced! I like to leave about 10 % room so I can add something if needed. What you love today may not be what you love in 6 months as tastes will always be changing and evolving. Also, I keep 30-40 milder and less expensive, more friendly smokes around for friends or friends of friends that come around that aren't cigar smokers but will smoke one at a get together. I buy by the box for the most part as I know what I like. I have my go to smokes ie Padron 1926 #9, Tat Havana Caz etc. then there are the LE's. I"ll buy em by the box as most of the time thats the only way to do it, and if I like em, I'll smoke em and if they're not for me, they're not hard to move. In short, no rush, I"ve been smoking for over 25 years, I can remember when short stories used to be a buck and a quarter, and I have less than a lot of guys, though I do have quite a few smokes that have some nice age on em. :innocent: G1

 

[GoingPostal]

Well my stash one day i had just a few sticks then one night a cigar gremlin came in and overfilled my humi and left some more in a cooler. :stretchgr.

but in reality it just happens, no planing involved i've been smoking regularly for about 2.5 yrs and just now started buying boxes. so humi filled singles, gifts, 5ers, as everyone said just live within your means.

 

[jmatkins]

I go thru spells where I buy nothing but fivers and sometimes boxes. I have rarely bought a box I have never tried.

 

[Pantomimehorse]

I found my cigar stock grew in a natural way, I started with a 25 count humi, it started to get filled with me buying 5 or so sticks a month, but I was only smoking 2-3 a month at most. I started to see some deals online and split a box with other brothers a few times and needed more space so got a 7 drawer, as time progressed I started to smoke 3-4 a week to the point where I smoke at least one a day and have a 7 drawer plus a box storage humi. But I never got in debt to smoke, just bought when I could afford and took advantage of good deals.

One thing I have done is gone for a deal on a box then realised after one or two that stick isnt for me, I leave the sticks for a year or so if they still dont work for me I sell them on to another brother who likes that smoke.

 

[c1ark]

Just know going into it that it's a VERY slippery slope. Usually once it starts it just takes off from there. I realized very quickly that my 100ct desktop would not suffice and went the wine cooler route.

As far as building up your stash, if you know you like it and its box worthy, then buy a box. If I want to try something I usually get a 5er as to give them more than one attempt. Sometimes just a single here and there from the B&M. Just be warned, you'll soon find out you need more space than you thought.

 

[Goalee1]

How much you smoke will have an impact on your "stash". If you smoke 2 a day for example, you'll need more than if you smoke 1 to 2 a week. No need to fill you humi as something will always come about that will be of interest and the last thing you want is a humi that can't take any more, a situation which we all have faced! I like to leave about 10 % room so I can add something if needed. What you love today may not be what you love in 6 months as tastes will always be changing and evolving. Also, I keep 30-40 milder and less expensive, more friendly smokes around for friends or friends of friends that come around that aren't cigar smokers but will smoke one at a get together. I buy by the box for the most part as I know what I like. I have my go to smokes ie Padron 1926 #9, Tat Havana Caz etc. then there are the LE's. I"ll buy em by the box as most of the time thats the only way to do it, and if I like em, I'll smoke em and if they're not for me, they're not hard to move. In short, no rush, I"ve been smoking for over 25 years, I can remember when short stories used to be a buck and a quarter, and I have less than a lot of guys, though I do have quite a few smokes that have some nice age on em. :innocent: G1

 

[JimmyC]

Been at it a lil over a year and 5ers have been my main purchases. This way you don't need to invest too much & get to try a wide variety. As stated above be fiscally responsible and enjoy the ride.

 

[Big Cle]

Its a roller coaster ride... I started in 1999 with a zip lock bag...then a 25 count humidor...then a 50 count humidor then 7 50 counts... and it kept going...one wine cooler...then another wine cooler...and so on and so on... I started out buying 3 singles, one to smoke right then, one to smoke in a couple of weeks, and one to smoke in a couple of months. At my peak I had gotten to the point of buying 3 boxes of Black and Milds at a time. Now Im back down to one 50 count with 2 cigars in it.

 

[Tobacco Giant]

As a rule of thumb, I need to smoke 4-5 cigars before I buy a box. I've only bought 4 boxes of cigars over the last couple years (when I really started getting into it). I want nothing to do with buying a box because of 1 great smoke. Too much variety in cigars. I'll typically buy 2-5 of a cigar I'd like to sample, smoke them and decide if they're box worthy.

 

[c1ark]

Now Im back down to one 50 count with 2 cigars in it.

Bwahahah ... how long you think that lines gonna fly there Cle? :headroll:

 

[aroma]

Lots of ways to answer this. I'll just toss out a couple of ideas:

(1) To my taste, rest improves most cigars, so I've gradually built up my stash so that most of what I smoke is around a year old or older. So I'm buying stuff I'll start smoking a year from now.

(2) If you have enough stock and know what you like, you can be patient with your purchases and only buy when there's a great deal on sticks you like.

(3) Five-packs are a sweet spot, because they often are actually less expensive per stick than boxes, and you can buy in modest quantities, so that, as your tastes and priorities change, you don't end up with a lot of sticks you wish you hadn't bought.

 

[vivalanation734]

I typically by 5 packs of non-cubans and boxes of cubans. I'm sitting on around 300 cigars or so now.

 

[Speedbump]

Its a roller coaster ride... I started in 1999 with a zip lock bag...then a 25 count humidor...then a 50 count humidor then 7 50 counts... and it kept going...one wine cooler...then another wine cooler...and so on and so on... I started out buying 3 singles, one to smoke right then, one to smoke in a couple of weeks, and one to smoke in a couple of months. At my peak I had gotten to the point of buying 3 boxes of Black and Milds at a time. Now Im back down to one 50 count with 2 cigars in it.

That is quite funny Cle

but he does bring up a good point

go at your own pace but enjoy the ride

 

[funkejj]

Derek look at my sig for the unedited quote from cle.