Buying Boxes Blind

[Smoker]

What could be more disappointing than spending a pile of cash on cigars, to find that you have bought a load of old crap?

That's right - spending two piles of cash on cigars, only to find that you have bought a load of old crap!

Rob occasionally posts warnings on which boxes are not good to buy blind, and I was wondering if we could build up a reliability chart for different cigars. Since seeing how things are done at FOH, I don't think I would like to take another gamble with a random purchase. But obviously, one could be waiting for a very long time for a particular cigar to appear at PSP/HQ level.

Which are the more reliable brands?

Which cigars within a brand are the most reliable?

I think this would be a useful list to have.

[Artist]

Very Nice idea , following with anticipation.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[irratebass]

This will be interesting to see. Since I am very new to CC's all of mine have been blind box buys, but I also just taking advice from other botl's and some reviews, and of course Rob and co.

I look forward to reviewing this thread for future reference.

[Gunson]

Especially useful for cc noobs like me.

[LordAnubis]

No brands are more reliable than others. Whats good one month can be crap the next. The best thing to do would be to read through robs comments and if you see for example of late RyJ showing a good improvement, take a stab at buying them blind. That is your only option.

The real question is;

Would you rather smoke a GOOD cigar, even though it's not the brand you want?

Or

Would you rather buy the brand you want and smoke a **** cigar?

Me, i go into a cigar shop with no expectations of what i'm going to get. Go in, ask what's good, and go from there.

[BigRay023]

Robs descriptions can sell me on any one of his boxes on any 24:24 sale. That being said I do like to have back up plans, ie other sources. But I really only go to them to buy cheaper daily smokes, I think here the word is quaffer. There is nothing like having a personal relationship with your tobacconist. And being in my situation Rob is hands down the best there is.

[wabashcr]

A good place to start would be Rob's Top 25 List. If you read through his comments, consistency plays a huge role in his rankings. He even mentions that it's a good guide for boxes to buy blind. So if you put a lot of stock in his opinions, as most of us here do, this is required reading.

[Smallclub]

Which are the more reliable brands?

Which cigars within a brand are the most reliable?

There's no acceptable answer to these questions. As LordAnubis said: No brands are more reliable than others. Whats good one month can be crap the next.

[garbandz]

Living in the UK you have the option of seeing the box before buying,you should have a real chance of picking a winning box.

There is no masterlist of more reliable brands/vitola cigars,marcas hit peaks and valleys.

The best you can hope for is if you find a really good box to try that vendor/code again.

[Drguano]

The real question is;

Would you rather smoke a GOOD cigar, even though it's not the brand you want?

Or

Would you rather buy the brand you want and smoke a **** cigar?

This defines my buying strategy. I had not though about it but I am buying 99% of my purchases through the 24x24 sales. I do find myself waiting for what I am looking for and eventually Rob puts them up. (Thanks, by the way!) Sometimes (hell, a lot of the time) I buy things that I was not looking for. I haven't been disappointed yet.

[SCgarman]

Living in the UK you have the option of seeing the box before buying,you should have a real chance of picking a winning box.

There is no masterlist of more reliable brands/vitola cigars,marcas hit peaks and valleys.

The best you can hope for is if you find a really good box to try that vendor/code again.

I have a question from myself who is in the US, so no LCdH stores here obviously. Can you just randomly open boxes to inspect the cigars until you find a box you like? Obviously this involves cutting through the government seal, the Habanos chevron and any other seals that are glued on after the box is nailed shut. Certainly here in the US, boxes of non Cubans are wrapped in cello and they won't let you unpackage a box to inspect the sticks before you buy.

EDIT; Oops, I see you are in the US. Maybe a member across the pond can answer my question.

[Smallclub]

I have a question from myself who is in the US, so no LCdH stores here obviously. Can you just randomly open boxes to inspect the cigars until you find a box you like? Obviously this involves cutting through the government seal, the Habanos chevron and any other seals that are glued on after the box is nailed shut.

In most countries, yes, if you want to purchase a full box or, at least, more cigars than contains the box "on display". No one care about the seals, which are generally already cut.

Actually, all the good tobacconists I've ever met hate customers who don't check the habanos they purchase.

[topdiesel]

In most countries, yes, if you want to purchase a full box or, at least, more cigars than contains the box "on display". No one care about the seals, which are generally already cut.

Actually, all the good tobacconists I've ever met hate customers who don't check the habanos they purchase.

Thanks for answering this question. I have wondered this as well.

[joeypots]

It's about the vendor. If you can trust your vendor does not ship **** you'll be OK.

[cigarbigboy]

The biggest help is when Rob actually has eyes on the box he's putting up for sale. No guessing then. His descriptions are reliable and you get what you pay for.

[CUBANO]

You don't have to wait for a box to come up on 24:24. just send Rob an email on what box you want and he will try to find it for you

[jwr0201]

In most countries, yes, if you want to purchase a full box or, at least, more cigars than contains the box "on display". No one care about the seals, which are generally already cut.

Actually, all the good tobacconists I've ever met hate customers who don't check the habanos they purchase.

Wish things in the were more like this in the US. I work in a cigar shop and always have box purchasers request sealed boxes to be sure they get 'fresh' cigars! On the odd occasion where only a previously opened but full box is the only option, I've actually had clients become upset and even reject the purchase. Go figure!

Before discovering this site, I bought blind and was about 50-50 in terms of being pleased with what I received. Now, I buy from here and have been 100% pleased with everything. IMHO, just not worth trying to save a few dollars. I appreciate the information that comes with every offering. That's just a bonus on the 24/24!

[Fugu]

..., and I was wondering if we could build up a reliability chart for different cigars.

In addition to what LordAnubis and Smallclub said about such a chart being useless/not possible being set up, why should Rob do this work out for you/us? Would take away from his own business model. He inspects for those who are buying from him. So nothing to bother with for you.

With CCs the general rule holds: Either inspect yourself or get inspected by your dealer (setting up a trusted long-term relationship is invaluable here)

In most countries, yes, if you want to purchase a full box or, at least, more cigars than contains the box "on display". No one care about the seals, which are generally already cut.

Actually, all the good tobacconists I've ever met hate customers who don't check the habanos they purchase.

Confirmed. It might depend, however, on whether you are known to the vendor, before you are allowed to go through ten boxes when wishing to purchase just the single perfect one....

[Fugu]

Wish things in the were more like this in the US. I work in a cigar shop and always have box purchasers request sealed boxes to be sure they get 'fresh' cigars! On the odd occasion where only a previously opened but full box is the only option, I've actually had clients become upset and even reject the purchase. Go figure!

Can absolutely understand that. Who would like to buy a pig in a poke (even if its NCs...). Can't quite follow the policy of not opening boxes to customers. What's the deal??!! Cigars wont be damaged on inspection!

EDIT: On rereading, I guess I got that wrong - customers were upset about the previously opened box (?!), or because they were not allowed to inspect said box?

[LGC]

Every box I have has been bought blind. When I was actually buying cigars, I would give most of my business to one vendor. I would specify a desired vitola, wrapper shade, etc. I was given a list of the selected boxes in inventory. This was before every box code was posted on a website. Each box was inspected before purchasing. They were also felt for construction issues. Simply opening a box, smelling the cigars, and staring at the wrappers doesn't mean everything. Plugged and underfilled cigars often go undetected. Some boxes were openly rejected, by the vendor, due to construction issues. I was never charged extra for this service. A discount was given for aged stock that didn't move with the locals (since I prefer sub 42rg sticks). Those days are long gone...

[Smoker]

Hmmm...I popped out for lunch, and this thread seemed to get a lot of responses! I wanted to quote and reply to several comments here, but there are too many for one post lol.

To those who say that it's not possible to have a list because things change, and that any cigar can be good/bad over a period of time.....This cannot be right, because I often see Rob posting comments such as 'This is not a good one to buy blind' when he does the 24:24. Therefore, some vitolas must be lower percentage than others, even in the long run. Bear in mind, I am not looking for a definitive list that is 100% reliable, but simply a guide.

....why should Rob do this work out for you/us?

I certainly wasn't suggesting that Rob compile the list for us. With a lot of experienced cigar smokers here, I would have expected someone to be able to say 'Such and such a cigar is a reliable one, and that I've rarely had a bad one' etc.

Would you rather smoke a GOOD cigar, even though it's not the brand you want?

Or

Would you rather buy the brand you want and smoke a **** cigar?

Me, i go into a cigar shop with no expectations of what i'm going to get. Go in, ask what's good, and go from there.

Obviously I am not going to smoke a brand/shape/price point that does not suit me, just because it is excellent quality. That's like a vegetarian going into a restaurant and having a steak, just because that week they have the best steak in the world available.

Of course, I don't like the second option either, which is exactly why I am here, and buying on 24:24! But it would be nice to know that there are other options available too - particularly when something is out of stock at *****int for a while.

wabashcr - Thanks a lot for the link to Rob's Top 25 - I will definitely read through that.

[Fugu]

I certainly wasn't suggesting that Rob compile the list for us. With a lot of experienced cigar smokers here, I would have expected someone to be able to say 'Such and such a cigar is a reliable one, and that I've rarely had a bad one' etc.

Apols, Smoker, I simply misread your post there!

To those who say that it's not possible to have a list because things change, and that any cigar can be good/bad over a period of time.....This cannot be right, because I often see Rob posting comments such as 'This is not a good one to buy blind' when he does the 24:24. Therefore, some vitolas must be lower percentage than others, even in the long run. Bear in mind, I am not looking for a definitive list that is 100% reliable, but simply a guide.

Still the main issue here is that such a list would be subject to change sooner or later. So, there is not much avail of doing that, I guess that's the main sentiment of those here refraining from such an undertaking. And even then, you might still always find some gold in the dirt (that's actually part of the fun about it!). Therefore, a general chart doesn't help much, and the need for its continued updating would probably be more labour than simply setting up one's means for getting checked boxes....

[Colt45]

How many boxes would one have to sort / smoke through to reliably compose such a list?

[planetary]

Obviously I am not going to smoke a brand/shape/price point that does not suit me, just because it is excellent quality. That's like a vegetarian going into a restaurant and having a steak, just because that week they have the best steak in the world available.

I get the jist, but the analogy isn't quite apt. It's more like we're all vegetarians and some of us dislike broccoli. I've seen cases where one's dislike comes from exposure from sub-par product, which was so scarring that one wrote off the product entirely. Once one tries the good stuff, opinions can change! That may not be the common case, but it does happen with some frequency, and I've even experienced it myself.

[Smoker]

Still the main issue here is that such a list would be subject to change sooner or later. So, there is not much avail of doing that, I guess that's the main sentiment of those here refraining from such an undertaking. And even then, you might still always find some gold in the dirt (that's actually part of the fun about it!). Therefore, a general chart doesn't help much, and the need for its continued updating would probably be more labour than simply setting up one's means for getting checked boxes....

Ok, so even if we can't have a list that says one particular cigar is less reliable than another, at the very least we could have a list that says 'In 2012 this cigar was very consistent, and in 2009 that cigar seemed to be very reliable' etc. So that when buying boxes, one could determine, from the box code, whether they had a good/bad chance of getting a quality cigar.