Reactions to new high end Cohibas?

[eggopp]

Ive never even seen a grand reserva let alone buy one and beside which i had no idea they would have been ?80 upwards... As for the Behike, well i havent bought one of those either, although i admit with all the reviews and blogs ive seen i am really tempted, my trouble i guess is most of the time i go for quantity over quality!

Yes i do like a realy nice cigar but how can i justify to myself the expense of one stick when for the same money i can have several.... As for Cohiba in general, i hear what everyone says and how they are rated, but; my view is cohibas are over rated, i have seldom found a cohiba that i thoroughly enjoy, yet have found several non cubans that i enjoy even more.

Perhaps this is not only down to my 'personal' tastes, but down to my financial position as well, plus i smoke to much and would never be able to fill my humi!

[spacemonkey_no9]

Another factor is the length of time the smoker has been enjoying cubans and the amount of variety they have enjoyed in that time. Would someone relatively new to cuban cigars want to smoke an ?85 cigar (or ?40 come to that) if they have still to try many of the regular release brands and vitolas and if they did smoke a GR or BHK do they have the experiences to rank/rate/appreciate(???) it accordingly? Many members on here are in this group of smokers.

Good point also made about the marketing men at Cohiba. It was only a few years ago that the Behike humidor rumour started then the limited relaease was snapped up and now they launch a top line range with limited availability (another great bit of marketing)

I almost bought into the BHK spin from Cohiba but Steve Jobs marketing boys pipped them to the post last month...

[r0lan6]

I think you are right that yes, experience plays a part in the degree of appreciation. Yet I believe that new or not, people can appreciate a cigar for its taste, its look and how it was made. As for ranking them, and rating them objectively? Yes, you certainly have a point!

I started smoking over 10 years ago, but have only (in the last month) started widening my range. I can appreciate a good cigar, and yes, I can rate/review a cigar (given the use of a workable criteria), but no, I do not have the experience to accurately objectively rank a cigar. But, other than professionals and connoisseurs, can you honestly state that experience is the gold standard in an ability to truly rank, rate and appreciate a cigar validly?

Nonetheless I think you have made a good point in relation to one's experience as a key factor in correlating price and purchase.

[rollzst]

Both the behikes and the grand reservas are out of my price range so I dont think i will have the pleasure of smoking either, however If i decide to treat myself and buy one exceptional stick sometime it would be the behikes as they are much cheaper. ?80 is just way too much for one cigar no matter how good it is.

[Big_T_UK]

I have to agree with the comment that Cohiba is over rated. I have never been a huge fan of either of the flagship brands (Cohiba and Trinidad). I used to be a Hoyo man but now I love Partagas, Bolivar and of late Ramon Allones.

[Lascaux]

Reactions to new high end Cohibas?

I agree entirely about occassional smokes. I would pay a lot for a special smoke at a special time. Agree also that cohiba is an over rated brand
But funnily enough I don't see myself drawn to bhks, and doubt I'll ever try one,
Something about the physical label and branding of it all is slightly repellant, and there's a hundred REs and LEs I'd go for before even considering the bhk


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rokkitsci]

I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

Look, I enjoy a really grand cigar as well as the next fellow, but I just can't imagine any cigar that would actually be worth ?80. It's just too outrageous. Consider: Would that ONE cigar be more enjoyable for the hour or so that you're in nirvana than the box of decent stogies you could buy for the same price and enjoy for many, many days? Is it really that much better?

Even the Behikes... I've read so many tongue bath reviews about them that I actually crave them. But, again, for the price... Maybe if they threw in a quick hand job with each one... otherwise, no thanque, I'll pass.

migh too sense

[EugeneSax]

As with many on here, ?40 for a single cigar is out of my range at the moment, let alone ?80 so any argument is totally academic.

However if I were ever in the market to splash o0ut ?80 for a special occaision I'd be far more likely to buy a BHK & spend the change on a very decent bottle of champers, burgundy or claret.

Alternatively if I ever were to spend ?80 just on one stick I'd prefer the pennies spent on "super premium" went towards maturity rather than exclusivity/marketing hype and I'd go for a 20year+ old Cuban such as an RJ tubed Churchill, Sancho Sanchos or other equally lorded oldie.

[Simon Bolivar]

Alternatively if I ever were to spend ?80 just on one stick I'd prefer the pennies spent on "super premium" went towards maturity rather than exclusivity/marketing hype and I'd go for a 20year+ old Cuban such as an RJ tubed Churchill, Sancho Sanchos or other equally lorded oldie.

Having worked my way down the thread, I was going to make a similar comment to Eugene (ya beat me to it dude!).
I think the basic point Big T is making, is given you would buy 4 x 20quid cigars for smoking for ordinary birthdays, Christmas ect, why wouldn't you spend 80 quid on a single stick for the day your only daughter gets married, you catch the fish of a life time, 50th birthday ect? It's just a question of perception. If you can afford to spend the money on 4 cigars, you can afford to spend the money on a single stick, if you are willing to go without on three other occasions (or substitue a cheaper smoke you already have.
Second point can any cigar really be worth 80 quid+? Money is relative & most of us on this site seem to have from just enough to enjoy this hobby in a modest way to I can really enjoy this hobby & fill vairious cabients. Haven't really come across anyone for whom money really is no object.
I would say the same debate can be had with fine wine. I used to invest in fine wines (no tax paid on wasting chattels) & did make some money, better than my ISA's but how many would spend 80-100 quid on a bottle of perfectly aged claret? Or 60 quid on a bottle that you will have to wait 8-10 yrs to drink which the wine merchant asures you will be worth 100 quid by then?
I gave up buying the wines as my wife didn't enjoy them & once you have opened a bottle there's your how 100 quid gone. Whereas I can buy a box of cigars & try one every yr & then decide when to smoke the rest. I can post & sell a box of cigars far easier & cheaper if needs must.
Can a new/ aged 2-3 yr old cigar be worth 80quid ? Well I am with Eugenesax on this one, I'd rather go to Mitch's place & pick out a 20-30yrs old specimen & try that instead. At least that way you have paid for someone to store it & maintian it for you. For my 50th, I thought of buying the GR but couldn't afford to buy three to share with my mates. So rather than smoke the fancy one & give them lesser smokes I brought three Party Piramides LE 2001 & enjoyed them together

[daverave999]

...can any cigar really be worth 80 quid+?

This was my feeling. When I first discovered cigars, buying even one cigar in the UK seemed ridiculously over-priced. Over time, my sense of 'value' has readjusted slightly.

Here's the crux of it for me though, given how much I enjoy a 'standard cigar' like the Boli RC, I refuse to believe that I could get that much more enjoyment from something nearly NINE times the price. It's the Law of Diminishing Returns.

[Lascaux]

Alternatively if I ever were to spend ?80 just on one stick I'd prefer the pennies spent on "super premium" went towards maturity rather than exclusivity/marketing hype and I'd go for a 20year+ old Cuban such as an RJ tubed Churchill, Sancho Sanchos or other equally lorded oldie.

I agree entirely there. the BHK to me doesnt seem like a special cigar. its got a nasty cigar band, and feels to new and shiny.

i WOULD spend up to ?80 odd on a super rare old cuban. one that has a story and character, with and equally decent tobacco blend and without the CA style elitist nasty superficial yuck that accompanies the lastest BHKs.
however I have yet to try a BHK, when/if I do I may eat my words!

[mb55317]

its got a nasty cigar band

I actually quite like the band.. didnt at first though. Its grown on me.

feels to new and shiny.

Indeed it does now, but it wont in 10 years time

[Cigar-aficionado]

Horses for courses guys...if you have that kind of money to blow on a single cigar and that's what flaots your boat then you must feel it's worth it. As with all things cigar related though it is all a matter of taste and as we all differ some people will get just as much enjoyment out of a good LE or even standard smoke as others will get from the ?80 smokes. Me personally I would prefer aged smokes over new ones any time and I am lucky enough to have some stashed so I can have that choice

[michael69]

I buy mine one, two or maybe three at a time (normally on a weekly basis from my "cigar and whisky" fund that I set aside for such things)

That way, the cost isn't prohibitive; I rarely if ever buy a box (unless I'm abroad)

So far I've accumulated almost two boxes worth of BHK's. The good thing for me is that it's an even split between all three vitolas.

I don't mind paying for luxuries in this way.

[El Catador]

If truth be told, I'd have to say I'm something of a lightweight cigar smoker (that's why I live vicariously though this forum), one or two a week is probably the norm for me, although I guess after.. must be nearly twenty or so years now, the numbers have mounted up.
However, I still don't really consider my cigar 'pallet' sufficiently educated to differentiate the subtle differences between a ?40 cigar and an ?80 one (though I confess that hasn't stopped me from buying a small amount of each).

I'm a bit of a wine bore on the quiet though, particularly champagnes, and have spent an order of magnitude more on some of the rarer marques and vintages, and the parallels between them and cigars is striking.

For example, the difference between ?25 bottle of (non-vintage) Moet and a ?100 bottle of (vintage) Dom Perignon (both made by Moet in the same cellars in Epernay) is not as pronounced as the price would suggest. You certainly don't get a wine that is 4 times superior.
(I suspect the same can be said of a Cohiba Siglo VI and a Gran Reserva)

You're paying a premium for an 'incremental' increase in the quality of the 'ingredients', the manufacturing methods and, ultimately, the flavours.
If you 'tell' and appreciate the difference, the price may be justifiable, if not .. it's just a waste of money.

I'm enjoying the learning process though, but sometimes wish I'd found a cheaper hobby to get obsessive about, perhaps not collecting watches though (how much???).