At what price would you quit?

[99call]

Whist very utilitarian,   the robusto is also not a cigar that shows off the very best of cigar making/blending. 

I would tap out very quickly on expense for a robusto sized cigar, it's not a format that i've ever had a 'stunning' cigar from.  Always just very good, good or ok. 

[Chibearsv]

32 minutes ago, 99call said:

Whist very utilitarian,   the robusto is also not a cigar that shows off the very best of cigar making/blending. 

I would tap out very quickly on expense for a robusto sized cigar, it's not a format that i've ever had a 'stunning' cigar from.  Always just very good, good or ok. 

Bingo! 

After trying a bunch of robustos over the past 4 years, I've come to the conclusion that robusto aint for me.  BRC is probably the only I'd buy again and I'm ok at $9-12 a pop.  The rest are at the bottom of storage waiting for time to perform some magic on them...we'll see.

[Cairo]

1 hour ago, Chibearsv said:

The rest are at the bottom of storage waiting for time to perform some magic on them

I have some UTL Feb 18 JL2s that are magic right now--if you have any of those in storage get them out of there.   😀

(Oh yeah--less than $7 a stick when I got them--those were the days....)

[El Presidente]

6 hours ago, Midas said:

Also a box of D4 in the UK is around £600-650 so about $800ish so $300 definitely won’t stop that market


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Bingo. 

$300 boxes of Robusto's are a dream to most in the Western World and heavily taxed Asian states.

The pandemic lockdowns had them smoking more and ordering online. Our Euro business went up just over 200% in new buyers between April and December 2020. I doubt many of those will go back to paying $800 a box. 

It has been a strange time. 

 

[gustavehenne]

12 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

Bingo. 

$300 boxes of Robusto's are a dream to most in the Western World and heavily taxed Asian states.

The pandemic lockdowns had them smoking more and ordering online. Our Euro business went up just over 200% in new buyers between April and December 2020. I doubt many of those will go back to paying $800 a box. 

It has been a strange time. 

 

I live in the UK and a box of Cohiba Robustos is £869 ($1,200 USD) as an example, and this frankly isn't the most outrageous difference. I've got a mix of CC and NC (mostly Padron, Fuente Opus X, My Father and Davidoff) and UK prices wouldn't prohibit me buying but it would slow me down dramatically.

I keep a track of all purchases and our host has saved me an average of 58.5% on UK prices in my short stint here. I will be forever grateful to @El Presidente (although my girlfriend isn't ) and won't stop even with additional price increases unless it goes into stupid territory which I don't think it has yet done (personal opinion).

The only challenge I have with 24:24 is my internet connection, e-mail server congestion and ability to write 'Cohiba XXXXXXX' and click send before anyone else.

[MrBirdman]

2 hours ago, NYgarman said:

Sleepy Joe owns this. 

🥱 

Lets not play fast and loose with the forum rules people. 

[Chibearsv]

2 hours ago, Cairo said:

I have some UTL Feb 18 JL2s that are magic right now--if you have any of those in storage get them out of there.   😀

(Oh yeah--less than $7 a stick when I got them--those were the days....)

I think I've only got 1 or maybe 2 boxes of JL2.  Much to the topic of conversation here, I prefer JL1.  But, I'm definitely going to check the JL2 boxes tonight and if I've got 2018 or earlier on one of them, I'll fire one up tomorrow. Thanks!

Edit: just checked and I've got TPO JUL 18 that I'll fire up tomorrow.

Edited September 27, 2021 by Chibearsv
Update

[Greenhorn2]

This is my view, I'm a single man with no kids. When I kick the bucket, who am I leaving my hard earned money too? Some politician's election fund? The government? A multibillion dollar nonprofit charity group? Hell naw, I'm torching it up in Cubans, whatever the cost. At least I got some sort of pleasure and satisfaction out of my work.

[Chas.Alpha]

4 hours ago, NYgarman said:

FYI, prior to January 20, inflation was almost non existent. I buy gasoline and groceries. Sleepy Joe owns this. 

This trends heavily into one of the forbidden subjects. Economies can neither start nor stop on a dime, regardless who takes the oath of office.

[Rhinoww]

The closer a box of robustos get to $300 the closer I’m getting to my PC and special cigar collection. 

God bless the minutos. 

[Kaptain Karl]

4 hours ago, Cairo said:

I checked the $9-$10 box because I have a lifetime supply at this point--no need for further buying since deals are not tempting me.

The Gods seem to be telling me I have enough cigars.

Ha exactly. I'm definitely going to keep buying, but with price increases it'll just be a lot less but most likely higher end stuff (not sure why I have to love Trinidad and Cohiba, the gods have a sick sense of humor I imagine!) 

[Hammer Smokin']

it isn't the retail cost of cigars that would cause me to quit. 

[Greenhorn2]

29 minutes ago, Kaptain Karl said:

Ha exactly. I'm definitely going to keep buying, but with price increases it'll just be a lot less but most likely higher end stuff (not sure why I have to love Trinidad and Cohiba, the gods have a sick sense of humor I imagine!) 

You work hard for your money, why spend it all on Vegueros and guantanameras? 

[Monterey]

9 hours ago, Grateful13 said:

Inflation is happening across the board. Have you seen the prices in the grocery store lately?  Prices are not coming down. It’s not just cigars. 

First off, yes, food prices REGULARLY go up and down.  Second, food is a requirement of life and demand will always be there.  We can all live without cigars.  If they raise the price too high on cigars, we cut it out.  If they raise the price on food, we can at best slightly reduce to cheaper stuff, but in the end, we have no choice.  So no, this is a bad comparison.   Third.  Yes, food prices will come down just like they have many times in the past.

[Deezwho]

It’s still cheaper than most alternative ways to kill an hour or two. When it costs more than a trip to the movie theater or something like that I’ll consider tapping out. 
 

[havanaclub]

Glad I have acquired a good stock, and most of it from FoH, because prices recently have almost priced me out. I’ll see the price of a box and now it’s so easy to say forget it, I have enough. Much less impulse buying due to the hikes I guess.
Can’t wait to get back to Cuba


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[LordAnubis]

Let me share the price list of a local cigar bar. And yes this is for singles.

Siglo 2 - 125 (91usd)

Vegueros Mananitas - 50 (36usd)

Monte 2 - 138 (100usd)

Now granted this is damn right the highest prices i have seen in the country, but still, for the people buying at FoH prices, this is some perspective for you for whats normal in other parts of the world. 

[Hammer Smokin']

that's what I mean. it isn't retail cost (from foreign supplier, such as FoH) of the cigar, it is the federal taxes applied to the purchases. A Monte 2 is in the $55+ CAD range, plus taxes. We don't have cigar bars, but I suspect if we did, the cost would be approx 2x retail cost, so around that $110 price. 

we have to weigh increased base costs of cigars vs actual costs of cigars. 

 

[Monterey]

I really don't understand this talk of these "local prices".  It is a totally different situation.   We can all buy here for the same price.  The discussion is about the prices we are seeing here and the fluctuations.  I'm sure just about all of us would have given up years and years ago if we were paying 100 for a monty 2.  I'm fairly certain that the type of people paying these prices aren't buying many cigars by the boxes and stocking up a large collection.

[Notsocleaver]

I've been priced out of the market for now, but with a 5+ year supply stock, I'm not too bothered. I don't see a scenario where retail prices keep skyrocketing but secondary market values tank. So in a couple of years, prices will either get more reasonable or I'll sell my aged stock to fund more purchases.

[Digi]

Tobacco taxes are fairly high here and all cigars are non Cuban.  If FOH added 10% to most regular production smokes they would still be cheaper than my local B&Ms quality NC cigars.  Illusione Epernay in the largest format runs $15-$20 at my locals.  No contest when compared to what I can get here for the same dollar.  
 

For context, I’ve bought a touch over 100 boxes so far this year.  Will probably bring in another 20 or so before year end.

[Hammer Smokin']

29 minutes ago, Monterey said:

I really don't understand this talk of these "local prices".  It is a totally different situation.   We can all buy here for the same price.  The discussion is about the prices we are seeing here and the fluctuations.  I'm sure just about all of us would have given up years and years ago if we were paying 100 for a monty 2.  I'm fairly certain that the type of people paying these prices aren't buying many cigars by the boxes and stocking up a large collection.

The point is, for many, it isn't the initial cost of cuban cigars (or that increase in cost) that will cause someone to quit, it is likely costs above and beyond the initial retail cost. 

[LordAnubis]

1 hour ago, Hammer Smokin' said:

that's what I mean. it isn't retail cost (from foreign supplier, such as FoH) of the cigar, it is the federal taxes applied to the purchases. A Monte 2 is in the $55+ CAD range, plus taxes. We don't have cigar bars, but I suspect if we did, the cost would be approx 2x retail cost, so around that $110 price. 

we have to weigh increased base costs of cigars vs actual costs of cigars. 

 

 

52 minutes ago, Monterey said:

I really don't understand this talk of these "local prices".  It is a totally different situation.   We can all buy here for the same price.  The discussion is about the prices we are seeing here and the fluctuations.  I'm sure just about all of us would have given up years and years ago if we were paying 100 for a monty 2.  I'm fairly certain that the type of people paying these prices aren't buying many cigars by the boxes and stocking up a large collection.

 

My point is that to us here, even if the prices increased by double right now, it wouldn't really be out of the ordinary for us. Just because we're used to the super high price anyway. Maybe this is a reflection of humanity anyway. Even though taxes have increased from 250dollars per kilo to 1700$ per kilo here in the last 12 years, people are still buying cigars and new people keep coming into the hobby in this country. So really, i would say an increase in price would see some reduction in consumption but overall an increase in revenue from habanos perspective. My favourite saying here is "the cheapest cigar is the one you bought yesterday".

[Fuzz]

3 hours ago, Monterey said:

I really don't understand this talk of these "local prices".  It is a totally different situation.   We can all buy here for the same price. 

I would contest that statement. You guys do not pay duty, unless you get caught by the Man (Canadian and UK residents are screwed like us). If I buy from FOH, I pay duty. If I buy from an overseas vendor, I run the gauntlet, which is 50/50 at the moment.

If you're outside of a heavily taxed country, you have been having it good for a long time. We now welcome you to the new reality.

[djrey]

11 hours ago, Deezwho said:

It’s still cheaper than most alternative ways to kill an hour or two. When it costs more than a trip to the movie theater or something like that I’ll consider tapping out. 
 

Spot on. Sometimes I have to remind myself what it would cost to hit the bar for 1-2 hours. At the very least I would be at an appetizer and 2-3 beers. $30+ right there.