Cigar Collections / Advice

[Cigarsurfer]

Hello brothers. I'm on my porch and it's colder than I'd like it be and can't feel my fingers, so I will make this short, even though I hope to get a lot of posts here.

I am about to improve my collection in the near future and am looking for inspiration and advice from the seasoned veterans out there. I already have my methods of cigar research and shops I frequent, but am always looking for more info. My questions are such:

1 - What do you consider to be the best cigar shops? Both in quantity and price?

2 - Do you know of any tricks / principles for aging cigars for a minimum of 10 years (keep boxes in plastic wrap, temp control, etc.)?

3 - What are your own private gems in your humidors?

4 - Where is the best place to purchase a sizable humidor (please be specific)?

5 - What is the best way to procure rare cigars?

Thank you all for your help. I look forward to reading the answers. Now, sins I can't feel my face anymore I will be going inside. Be well everyone

-Cigarsurfer

 

[JGD]

1 - What do you consider to be the best cigar shops? Both in quantity and price?
- When looking for quantity and price, buying cigars online is your best bet.
2 - Do you know of any tricks / principles for aging cigars for a minimum of 10 years (keep boxes in plastic wrap, temp control, etc.)?
- First off, know what you are aging. Not all smokes will benefit from 10+ years of age, though many will. Personally, I keep the cigars in the box, as they come.
3 - What are your own private gems in your humidors?
-Mid 80s Dunhill and Davidoff (both Cuban), various aged/ rare CCs.
4 - Where is the best place to purchase a sizable humidor (please be specific)?
-Go the coolidor route. More room, less money.
5 - What is the best way to procure rare cigars?
-Best are overseas auctions, followed by the forums. Stick around for a while longer and keep posting and you will be able to access the trading forums.

 

[iCraig]

Lots of good information particularly on storage, aging, and just being a part of the community can be found here: http://www.botl.org/community/forums/showthread.php?t=53154

As for the cigar shops, check out our site sponsors: Site Sponsors

 

[Cigarsurfer]

JGD:
Wow! Those ARE some gems! That's what I'm hoping to start now, so that in 10-20 years I will have a very respectable stock. I've been thinking about the coolidor for some time now, but have been hesitant for fear that some of the plastic smell would ruin the cigars. Is there something I should know about preventing this? I've never heard about overseas auctions, but then again I am quickly learning that I am just a beginner compared to many of you guys. Would you be willing to let me know of any such reputable auctions? Is it possible to get Cubans from them or are they strict about that? Thanks for all the help. I really appreciate it!

iCraig:
Cool name Thank you for the link. I can't wait to read it. These last 2 weeks have been eye-opening. For the last 2 years I've been enjoying a daily diet of some of the best non-Cubans AND Cubans, but having learned about BOTL and Onlinehumidor, and reading Thesmokingstogie.com religiously, I have now realized that I have much more work to do before I can consider myself an aficionado. At least it's fun work .

Thanks again you guys and have a great weekend!

-Cigarsurfer

 

[sonarman]

The Cliff Note version of BOTL can be found in the stickies like Craig posted. Read as much as you can and expect what you like/do/smoke/store ect to change as you go along:thumbsup:

 

[loki993]

bored1 best cigar shop is very subjective. It all depends on what your looking for. You want locals? Probably couldn't help you. Just hit different shops and you'll find favs. I have a few here.

I have my main, they have a ton of cigars, selection for days, but not a ton of harder to find stuff.

I have another for tats, they have to most in the area,still not all of them though, not even close really. I have another for viajes, only authorized place in the state actually. They get most of the limiteds however they didn't get the last couple..a bit disapointing but not their fault either. Everyone gets what they get.

Best deals are online for normal stuff. You can get limiteds at releast if your fast. You won't find older stuff most of the time.

For aging 10 years plus? Couldn't help you. I haven't had anything that long and I doubt I ever will lol

My gems, I've gotten a fair bit of limited viajes over the last year. My rarest are my Zombies. Recently I've tried to get some HTF tats. I've managed to get almost all the monsters except the Frank, Boris and an or cg from the jar release

As for getting HTF best bet is around the boards id say. That's where I got a lot of mine

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk

 

[ciggy]

This is to much work for me...just smoke what you like as that's all that matters.

 

[maestrobasser]

I would add that while I agree that typically online is the way to go when ordering a qty of smokes, that you CAN find a B&M that is pretty close or better when they have events. I am a member at a local shop and when they run events I find that with the specials they run along with my member discount I get boxes for almost the same price as I can find them online- plus I get the "bonus" items from the event (usually a sampler pack, free smokes, various swag, etc) that come with purchasing boxes at that time from the B&M.

So while I agree that typically online is the way to go for boxes it's not always a given to rule out your local shops. Plus, it's great to have a relationship with shop owners and support your LOCAL scene as well... especially when you want to try new stuff without spending $50 on a sampler from an online shop.

 

[vivalanation734]

1. Corona Cigars in Orlando pretty much has everything as far as my local shops. As far as ordering online, I usually go through New Havana Cigars or Serious Cigars.

2. Airtight, humidity around 63-65%. Know what cigars you are again, most non-cuban cigars peak before 10 years IMHO.

3. 90's Padron Anniversary, Ramon Allones German Belicosos, Custom Rolled Cubans, other Regional Cuban Cigars, Rare Tatuajes, etc...

4. I would recommend getting a wine cooler or two if you want to get serious. I got a 28 Bottle Edgestar new for $130.

5. Depends on what you are looking for. Almost all rare cigars nowadays are newer limited edition stuff which can be found on forums and then all other rare cigars are general vintage (80s and older) cuban cigars which are generally found in overseas auctions.

 

[tmoney2007]

I wouldn't worry bout what is respectable or aging for 10+ years. Buy things that you like to smoke and smoke them. If I agree something it is we by accident than anything else.

Basically, don't age smokes because you feel like you have to for them to be good, age stuff to see what it does.

 

[gibbleguts]

My thoughts are if you plan on aging 10 years look towards either monster cabinet or walkin. For me the most important thing is stability so either your house or cabinet should be temp controlled. What ever system you use for humidification should be rock solid. Recomendations as to what to age is entirely personal. For some it is only CC's for others it may be opus or other fuller bodied NC's. Do you smoke many 10+ year aged cigars now? If not try to find some as they are not for everyone. Cigars tend to mellow out and lose some of the punch that some love others just aren't fans of the mild cigars that some cigars turn into with that much age. Just because most people have accepted that cigars improve with age like every thing else there is no guarantees that you will like that heavily aged cigars.



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[njstone]

My thoughts are if you plan on aging 10 years look towards either monster cabinet or walkin. For me the most important thing is stability so either your house or cabinet should be temp controlled. What ever system you use for humidification should be rock solid. Recomendations as to what to age is entirely personal. For some it is only CC's for others it may be opus or other fuller bodied NC's. Do you smoke many 10+ year aged cigars now? If not try to find some as they are not for everyone. Cigars tend to mellow out and lose some of the punch that some love others just aren't fans of the mild cigars that some cigars turn into with that much age. Just because most people have accepted that cigars improve with age like every thing else there is no guarantees that you will like that heavily aged cigars.



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Excellent advice!

 

[Alwayslit]

Start off with a coolidor or wine fridge. Chasing after the koolaid is overrated. Ten years plus might not be kind to a lot of cigars. The rest can be found in these pages.

 

[tmoney2007]

I wouldn't worry bout what is respectable or aging for 10+ years. Buy things that you like to smoke and smoke them. If I agree something it is we by accident than anything else.

Basically, don't age smokes because you feel like you have to for them to be good, age stuff to see what it does.

I say as I smoke a 11 year old Davidoff, haha. :crosseyed

 

[gibbleguts]

I say as I smoke a 11 year old Davidoff, haha. :crosseyed

Hey I am with you. The only cigar that I have not enjoyed with a lot of age on it was some Fuente 858's with 12 years on them. Still glad I got to try them but 858's are milder then I normally smoke so they had almost dissapeared after that much age.

Well I guess the more I think about it many Davidoffs are past their prime as well. Tubo's for sure and some of the Dom's. Chateaux La Tour still possibly the best smoke I have had.
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[Jfire]

Any talk about overseas auctions, vendors etc. is forbidden on botl. Other then that my advice (not knowing how long you have been collecting) is start with a 150 Coleman coolador. If you stay in the collecting game you can go into more expensive routes such as a DDD by Avallo or Aristocrat cabinet. Have fun with collecting and my other advice is to also stay active with the board and its members. Things will open up to you and other new members. It takes time to build relationships here and the benefits that this board gives to each of its members.
Regards,
Jfire

 

[heavyd]

Great advice given so far as can be expected here at BOTL. I have a couple of comments:

I have an Aristocrat mini without temperature control and a Coleman Extreme 62 qt cooler for storage. The Aristocrat, like the Avallo brand, is a fine piece of furniture. I would recommend either of those if you have the cash and want something that looks like it belongs ina nicely furnished room. I wish I had bought the Aristocrat with temperature control, but they get very expensive when you go that route.

As far as online merchants go...almost all of them have high standards compared to your typical online merchant. I have used 20 or more over the past several years and have never been screwed. The merchant sponsors here at botl are all top notch. I have found that the real difference between merchants is in shipping speed and packaging quality. All are at least adequate, some are stellar. A couple that are not sponsors here that I have had exceptional results with are NHC and UpDown Cigars.

 

[Cyrann]

1 - New Havana Cigars for ordering online. Dan not only has the latest and greatest, but the best shipping methods in the game. All cigars are packaged in the humidor and shipped with a Broveda pack to insure safe arrival and ability to smoke upon landing. Shops to visit coast to coast in no particular order; Burns in Chattanooga TN, Empire Cigars in NC, UPdown cigars downtown Chicago, Humidor in Wichita KS, and Buckhead cigars in ATL - and that is only to name a few, the list could go ON forever - I chose these few for the choice of selection and knowledge of staff.

2 - There are countless methods from using Coleman coolers, to spending exorbitant amounts on beautiful, cabinet humidors.

3 - Too many to count, sorry, but it's a little sad, but true. I should probably thin the herd, and let some brother's that want to smoke them now @ them, or they may sit for countless years... it just never seems time for a BBMF maduro or sticks I only have (1) and may only see (1) of... what if I like it, then I'm sh!t out of luck.

4 - Bob from Aristocrat Humidors or Matt from Avallo cabinets would be two excellent choices for sizable humidors... and we are talking lifetime quality here.

5 - I would venture to guess this and many other forums would be the easiest way shot of having Sotheby's auction money... and I don't know where you fall.

Hope that helps a little.

 

[Cigarsurfer]

Wow, lots of stuff. A lot of good stuff being said. I have not had a 10+ yo cigar, and am well aware that they get milder. The ones I plan to age are ones that I've had a like a lot and believe will get more complex over time. The boxes I plan to age are My Father LB 1922 Churchills, some Davidoff Special R's, Tatuaje TAA's, Padilla Miami Lanceros, and some Cuban EL 2011's to name a few. I will continue to smoke what I like on a daily basis, and age these for fun and to see for myself if I like what is happening to them. If I notice something I don't like I'll include said cigars into my typical rotation.

Viv - Awesome cabinet! I can see this was a labor of love. I grew up with someone who is one of the country's most renowned guitar makers and who does amazing marquetry. I've asked him if he would be wiling to build a humidor with me some day, so I am looking forward to that. It will be very expensive, but will be beautiful and a family heirloom.

I usually shop at Atlantic Cigars, Serious Cigars, Tampa Humidor, and Smokeinn. There aren't many good B&M's near me, but that's ok, since the best prices are online (at least until the gov. screws that up).

Thank you everyone for your posts. Looking forward to reading more

-CS