How many boxes did you buy your first year w CC and how many a year now

[Rhinoww]

I’m a newbie to focusing on CC. Been smoking cigars for years. 

Thanks to a friend here I’ll be sampling some singles in my preferred sizes of PC and Robusto. 

I have maybe three boxes now. Reading threads I see many comments of aged boxes. Made me wonder, once I narrow in on a size and Marca a bit, how many boxes should I be targeting to buy my first year?  I smoke at most 4 a week but some weekends much lower and definitely lower in winter. But aging some cigars makes me wonder if I should up my target to 8-10 boxes the first year. 

Next question is the “maintenance” supply. Once you have a collection in rotation and some to age, how many boxes do you buy a year?

 

not looking to hoard but def want a solid collection  

curious newbie here ?

[THEMISCHMAN]

I have maybe three boxes now. Reading threads I see many comments of aged boxes. Made me wonder, once I narrow in on a size and Marca a bit, how many boxes should I be targeting to buy my first year?  I smoke at most 4 a week but some weekends much lower and definitely lower in winter. But aging some cigars makes me wonder if I should up my target to 8-10 boxes the first year.  Next question is the “maintenance” supply. Once you have a collection in rotation and some to age, how many boxes do you buy a year?   not looking to hoard but def want a solid collection   curious newbie here

 

 

 

 

 

How many boxes you buy per year is a decision you have to make and most importantly what is financially responsible. Maybe you have deep pockets and money is not an issue but it’s easy to spend a lot of money on cigars. Certainly don’t get caught up in trying to “Keep up with the Jones’.” If you’re new to CC try to sample a variety of sizes and brands. Then once you have a better idea of what you enjoy then it’s easier to zero in on what you want to buy boxes of. The aging thing kind of takes care of itself as you start to accumulate a collection. There are a few thread on recent box codes that are well liked and have been producing solid cigars on a whole. Also, keep in mind that sometimes people’s taste changes and if you’ve bought 8-10 boxes in a year the next year you may not care for those anymore. I like to say that cigars are a journey, not a destination. Just enjoy the trip.

 

https://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/topic/140421-box-codes-from-the-hip/https://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/topic/140718-video-shooting-from-the-hip-newbie-advice/

https://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/topic/140419-foh-humidor-vids-part-one-best-buying-practices/

 

 

 

 

 

[Rhinoww]

1 hour ago, THEMISCHMAN said:

How many boxes you buy per year is a decision you have to make and most importantly what is financially responsible. Maybe you have deep pockets and money is not an issue but it’s easy to spend a lot of money on cigars. Certainly don’t get caught up in trying to “Keep up with the Jones’.” If you’re new to CC try to sample a variety of sizes and brands. Then once you have a better idea of what you enjoy then it’s easier to zero in on what you want to buy boxes of. The aging thing kind of takes care of itself as you start to accumulate a collection. There are a few thread on recent box codes that are well liked and have been producing solid cigars on a whole. Also, keep in mind that sometimes people’s taste changes and if you’ve bought 8-10 boxes in a year the next year you may care for those anymore. I like to say that cigars are a journey, not a destination. Just enjoy the trip.

https://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/topic/140421-box-codes-from-the-hip/https://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/topic/140718-video-shooting-from-the-hip-newbie-advice/

https://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/topic/140419-foh-humidor-vids-part-one-best-buying-practices/

 

 

 

Great videos. Thanks. 

 

[El Hoze]

it is very non-linear for me, I’m opportunistic and own way too many cigars. The FOH auctions have had me buying WAY more cigars than I had been. Can’t resist. Also had my first child in December and have been buying DIC 18 box codes for his various milestones. I have like 6-7 already. 

[PrairieSmoke]

Well if you want to have some aged stock you need to buy more than you smoke.

If you smoke an average of 4 a week you are going to be smoking most of your stock if you bought 8-10 boxes (25ct) in a year. 

[lovethehaze]

It was always told to me to buy way more than you can smoke ... this will help with aging. To me though lots of the cc’s are ready to roll early but I enjoy a little more mongrel and fuller smoke. 

I would agree with all that has been said already in this thread. Enjoy the journey. Some sticks just won’t do anything for you but until You try them you never know what u like ... and what makes u say wow !

how many I have bought since starting last October ... lots. But it’s all relative. How much do you smoke ? If not a lot then no reason to go crazy. Just enjoy the process. 

[Brian24]

I am relatively new to Cuban cigars, maybe 3-4 years. I had my first great Cuban cigar after a number of years having enjoyed very good non Cuban cigars, e.g. padron. When I’m in the states, so if I’m at a brick and mortar or an event where I’m expected to buy a smoke, I will now almost exclusively get a Connecticut wrapped cigar. Although mild, they tend to have a Cuban esque flavor or two.

After that first great experience, I probably bought a dozen boxes early on, only to find I really didn’t like some ‘brands’ e.g. Cuaba, Ramon Allones. More importantly, I discovered I absolutely loved smaller ring gauges. Which I did not buy during the initial fury. Non Cubans seem to be rolled larger, so that’s what I was used to. That’s what I bought. Fortunately, folks will trade and it all sorted itself out. Now I probably buy about a box a quarter.

I probably over did it and really wish I ordered multiple singles, of all sizes, zeroed in on what I liked and moved forward from there. Also, 24:24 quarter boxes are great. You can let those hang out for a month to a year after you receive to see how they evolve. If you like them, pick them up.

It takes time to build up a haul that you will personally truly enjoy working through over the years.

Like you, I do not have very much aged stock. Maybe 3 years max on the Cuban stuff. That’s the fun of it for me, there is no rush. If you find what you like, buy a few boxes, and smoke one a month. If you smoke 2-3 cigars a week, you don’t need to many boxes to wind up with aging stock.

You will know when they’re on. I’ve been blown away by the transformation on some smokes, in as little as 180 days.

Like other folks have said, if money and storage are no object, the world is your oyster. If you’re like me with some disposable income, a young family, and storage for a dozen boxes, make a point to definitively find what you like.

I still keep one larger box for singles and odd cigar pick ups. And I find myself combining boxes of similar cigars to make way for new stock. For example, I recently had about 10 ERDM and 10 D4s left. I combined those boxes and picked up a fresh box.

Your system will evolve. Enjoy the ride.

[zeemanb]

It varies for me, but my baseline is my large cedar chest that I sealed and lined with Spanish cedar about 20 years ago. I won't let myself fall into the coolerdor abyss, and at most use a small desktop for dry boxing in addition to my big humi. It only fits around 40 or 50 boxes, so I just keep a constant game of Tetris going on in there as my stock changes. I average a little less than one smoke per day, and buy around 2 boxes per month. Between smoking, box splits, sales to friends, etc. things stay in balance pretty well at that rate of purchase and I'm not overextending myself (for the most part) financially. Because as someone already mentioned, overbuying is a dangerous trap. Someone is always going to have more smokes, better smokes, new stuff is always going to be released so there's no good way to be a "completionist". As soon as you buy all sizes of your favorite brand, then ooops....."shouldn't I go figure out which are the best box codes for me to have?" 

My happy medium is to always buy some "super primo" special occasion cigars to put back, keep favorites onhand in enough quantity to know I'll enjoy some of them with age on them (and smoke at a reasonable enough pace to make sure that happens). If I run into a particular cigar I'm just not crazy about, I trade or sell to make room for something I know I like.

 

[HavanaSunday]

I was a cigar guy long before both marriage and children. I believe my first cigar was at 17. After my wife and I had two kids my cigars became less frequent for family time. At some point my kids won’t want me around as much and it will be as much fun watching them grow at their older ages as it has been so far on this journey.

The reason we all love cigars is for the journey they take us through when we get to sit back and relax for an hour or so.  Right now my journey is much different than it was and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I bought many cigars after my kids were born because other things I liked to do got put aside for family. When I bought I bought a few boxes to try, then a few more of other marcas to keep wondering where these cigars would go in 3-4 years, 5-10 years, and 15+.  Most definitely over did it.... but I know my journey will change yet again.

Now more than ever I smoke less and less cigars to not miss out on family.  So I buy way less now... maybe 3-4 boxes a year.

Hope this was helpful.

 

[Hollywood Ninja]

I’m about a box a month - little less than a year in and at 14 boxes. Wife likes buying them for me. I don’t think she’s particularly thrilled about cigars in general, but makes gift giving a lot easier for her.


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[Timothy556]

38 minutes ago, HavanaSunday said:

I was a cigar guy long before both marriage and children. I believe my first cigar was at 17. After my wife and I had two kids my cigars became less frequent for family time. At some point my kids won’t want me around as much and it will be as much fun watching them grow at their older ages as it has been so far on this journey.

The reason we all love cigars is for the journey they take us through when we get to sit back and relax for an hour or so.  Right now my journey is much different than it was and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I bought many cigars after my kids were born because other things I liked to do got put aside for family. When I bought I bought a few boxes to try, then a few more of other marcas to keep wondering where these cigars would go in 3-4 years, 5-10 years, and 15+.  Most definitely over did it.... but I know my journey will change yet again.

Now more than ever I smoke less and less cigars to not miss out on family.  So I buy way less now... maybe 3-4 boxes a year.

Hope this was helpful.

 

I am in the same boat. Now I buy boxes I know I won’t have time to get to for at least 5 years. Something to look forward to. 

[cigarbigboy]

I buy way too many, but I'd rather buy them now and have them age, sampling them as they go.  Also, certain LE cigars are unavailable or outrageously expensive once the initial production is done, so I try to put a couple boxes aside for future years.  I have about 125 boxes, about a third of which I've not opened yet.  Probably more than enough to supply me for the rest of my life, but I'm sure that won't stop me from buying more when an attractive offering comes up from Rob.

[cigaraholic]

Buy as many boxes as you can afford, remember your getting them tax and duty free, no telling how long that will last. Your smoking around  8 boxes a year and a 5 year supply is considered a excellent collection. So when you get to 40 boxes you can go back to a maintenance 8 boxes a year or continue deeper into the madness. The only consistent thing about CC’s is they keep going up in price.

[Fuzz]

If any of the following happen after the first year buying boxes, you're buying too many.

• You are eating instant ramen every day, or worse... packing peanuts.
• You are now living in a box made from the shipping boxes the cigars came in.
• You no longer think in dollar values, but in cigar boxes. "Hmm... that fridge is only 2 cabs of HdM Epi 2!"
• The F5 button on your keyboard has been worn down to a little nub.
• You wear cigar bundle ribbons because you no longer can afford clothes

In all seriousness, though, remember that they are just cigars. And more importantly, a luxury item. If you have the spare cash, sure go ahead and buy. But if it is impacting bills or your savings, you're buying too much.

Once you have more cigars than you smoke in a year (even if it is only 1 box more), buying the same amount that you do smoke, will allow you to start aging. And you don't have to buy full boxes for aging. Quarter boxes are perfectly fine. I have a tendency to throw singles from a nearly depleted box into my "singles" tupperdor. It is now up to about 100-150 cigars, ranging from 2002 to 2012.

[cbenham73]

I have been into CC about a year & half, so kind of a newbie compared to the seasoned Vets here on FoH. I didn’t buy my first of CC until Jan of this year, and before you know it I had bought 4...lol. Like many on here have stated try the quarter boxes of 24:24 to sample and find what you like, then take the next step to buy a box of what you like.  That is how I discovered and developed my preferred flavor preference through trial n error. Also, read as much as you can to learn more about quality marcas that are not as wildly known as the Cohiba and Montecristo. This forum has a wealth of info and the members are very helpful as you can see.

[Kitchen]

24 boxes!  I went a little crazy, but I have a decent amount of aged sticks right now.  I really need to invest in a good cabinet humidor currently.  

[Samysam]

150 boxes plus in the first year.Sold half in the second year but only because I bought mostly aged stock and worry about over aging 

[TBird55]

4 minutes ago, Kitchen said:

24 boxes!  I went a little crazy, but I have a decent amount of aged sticks right now.  I really need to invest in a good cabinet humidor currently.  

There is an Aristocrat for sale on Ebay. It's in West Virginia. Might be worth a road trip for you.

[Kitchen]

1 minute ago, TBird55 said:

There is an Aristocrat for sale on Ebay. It's in West Virginia. Might be worth a road trip for you.

Thanks, but I think I may build my own.  

I am thinking about building a 84 in tall humidor/bar combo.  Pretty much humidor on the bottom and bar on the top, perhaps with a bar counter for drinks.  I just need to convince my wife.  

[multi-useless]

Holy crap...  

Ever since I went hard down the Cuban slope last year, I've been keeping a record of every box I buy - the date, the cigar, the qty in the box, the price I paid, and after it arrives I add the box code to that record for future reference.  It works with my 20% aging rule.

I never thought to count the number of boxes I bought in the first 12 months until now...

[wineguy]

1 hour ago, TBird55 said:

There is an Aristocrat for sale on Ebay. It's in West Virginia. Might be worth a road trip for you.

Send me a link... I have a majestic 48 but might want another...

[jbosma]

Been smoking cigars for over 20 years, got into cubans less than a year ago.  After finding this forum I decided to start aging cigars.  Bought a cabinent humidor i never dreamed I'd fill.  Well, as of last week its full.  Havent counted, but around 35 boxes.

[wineguy]

On 8/18/2019 at 10:41 PM, Fuzz said:

Once you have more cigars than you smoke in a year (even if it is only 1 box more), buying the same amount that you do smoke, will allow you to start aging. And you don't have to buy full boxes for aging. Quarter boxes are perfectly fine. I have a tendency to throw singles from a nearly depleted box into my "singles" tupperdor. It is now up to about 100-150 cigars, ranging from 2002 to 2012.

Have just started to pull low count boxes to label and put in the singles drawer.  Part of my Tetris strategy!

[smpf67]

First year, around 10 boxes. Then a couple or more every year after.

[Tstew75]

Steep curve for me...5ers my first 2 months to try things, then starting buying boxes of universally liked things such as Mag 46s, RASS & BBF....so maybe 10 full boxes my 1st year. Year 2 i went off the deep end & bought about 50. I've traded a bunch as my tastes have evolved...but just like wine I now have an eye for what I think will be great over the 2-10 yr span. I like keeping around 75 or so boxes to keep things interesting.  I also smoke alot weather permitting, so moving thru some cigars. I like em young & aged...no cigar is too sacred to be smoked on any given night.