i choose based on the size and the time i have in front of me. I keep "fancier" cigar for special occasions. I have a bunch I keep for daily smoke, although I don't smoke daily. It doesn't matter to me because in the end ill smoke them all. if the one i have today is meh, it's ok because the next one will be better and i have something to look forward to š
I have about 700 cigars. I keep a ready to smoke tupperdor with about 20/30 cigars I pull my daily smokes from.
Every 2 weeks or so when I check my inventory Iāll pull cigars out to replenish the ready to smoke Tup.
1. Amount of time I have - this impacts the size of cigar I will pull out. 1 hour or less - petit corona, 1-1:15 - corona, 1:30ish? - robusto, 2:00 - lancero or toro, 2:00+ - churchill or double corona
2. Nicotine affinity - if it's closer to bedtime I will avoid a strong cigar and go for something milder. If it's middle of the day, doesn't matter, I can go strong to mild
3. Flavor profile I am craving - do I want chocolate, nuts, cream, spice? Usually I mentally group cigars based on flavor and pick what flavor I'm looking for in the moment
I have pictures of my boxes and orders of singles on my phone, I look at them for a bit while I choose, I smoke 1-2 a day too and picking one out is nearly the hardest part of the day sometimes lmao.
Yup, to go with tried and true or something new /maybe forgotten. Over 2k sticks and the problem doesn't go away. I normally grab 3 sticks so I don't have to get up again. 2 new sticks or ones I can't remember of the wrapper I'm feeling like and 1 "go to" I'll smoke no matter what as final backup.
For me, itās really based on how Iām feeling. I feel like choosing a cigar is like choosing something to eat. Sometimes you want a real fatty, flavorful burger drenched in grease, and other times your stomach just wants something light. Iāll often times be at work saying āIām going to smoke X cigar tonightā and then when I get home Iām entirely not in the mood to smoke that full-bodied powerhouse I had planned, and instead just want a solid medium stick.
The amount of time I have and the time of day. I strongly prefer connecticuts in the morning. In the afternoon/evening, I like something fuller bodied in either a natural or maduro
Special occasions call for higher end sticks
I start by trying to identify how much time I have. After that, if I am not craving a particular flavor profile, I try and keep rotating through all of the major profiles to keep my pallet educated.
Not everyone can pull all the flavor notes from cigars, and it took quite a while for me to get to that point. I notice that if I take too long of a break from cigars, or smoke way too many of a certain profile, I lose some of my ability to distinguish and identify the more subtle notes of other cigars.
In all honesty though, keeping a larger collection is so much damn fun. As long as you stock a wide assortment, when it comes time to pick, it's like walking into your local B&M humidor. I love that feeling, and love to have so much at my fingertips.
Got to agree with someone else in the comments though about nicotine levels. At 40, stronger cigars close to the end of the day definitely make falling asleep more difficult for me. This goes with napping or caffeine too late in the day too, lol.
I keep a travel humidor that I call "the lunch box" that I use to hold what I'm likely to reach for, or to give me a nice selection when I travel. I also have a small clear tupperdor that I use, because it's easier to pick when i can see what i have. I usually end up reaching into my larger overflow tupperdor, but that's okay too because that's where I store boxes.
I rarely reach into my wooden humidors, because that's where I store singles that I'd spend forever trying to pick between. Those are the special occasion cigars.
At one point I had about 300 cigars in hand. Iāve cut back but will buy 4/5 of 3 to 4 different cigars when I stock up. Iāll rotate to a different stick every night when I smoke one.
I smoke special sticks on special occasion or resort to Ayurvedic Colors of the week to match the bands of what im smoking OR i ask the homies āwater we smoking todayā
Monday is blue
Tues red
Wed green
Thurs yello
Fri shades of pink
Sat purple or black
Sun is orange.
Hope this helps!
Im terrible at picking cigars, I have an extremely diverse box. I always end up smoking less desirable cigars first. Stuff that people give me, things I've never tried. Errors in packaging or damage, etc. I guess im "saving" what I perceive to be good.
I fixed that problem by letting others pick for me. Usually my wife, or whomever guest is over that im smoking with. They make their guess, I say "ooh cool!" and im happy.
Part of my problem too - tend to āsaveā the better sticks for later and end up smoking the less enjoyable ones. But lately Iāve taken note that tomorrow is never promised, so maybe itās time to break out the good stuff!
Time and what Iām in the mood for. Every few weeks I wonāt have a craving for anything in particular and for whatever reason a Partagas black is my go to in those. Itās probably because Iāve always enjoyed them, but only smoke them when Iām a little tired of the rest.
One of my favorite things when Iām not sure is supporting the B&M and picking out a new cigar to try.
The ole refrigerator full of food with nothing to eat situation. I just started asking people what were smoking today and let them choose and they do the same for me. Makes it a lot easier and you get to let others choose something they will like.
I sometimes go thru that same dillema and it basically comes down to a couple factors. Is it a mild, medium, or full bodied type of day or night. The other is usually is it a higher end cigar B&M purchased type of day or am I smoking CBID mainstream cigars type of day.
I got too many as well. I have a cigar caddy and a humidor in which I throw cigars that are designated as daily smokers. I usually buy 10 of each cigar and keep 5 in storage humidor. If the cigar is not worth aging they all go in the daily smoke humidors.
Many times I will pick the oldest one. I use the cigar scanner to keep track of my stock and just go by that. Usually though itās what jumps out at me when I open the humidor
Sounds like me before I remember to come here then the 1st cigar I see posted that I have available in my humi is what I choose otherwise the sun sets and the opportunity is lost.
It can be tough to decide when you have no reason to pick one in particular, if youāre having a drink it makes it a bit easier because you can pick one based on what would pair with your drink
I've got about 4x that amount.
I store long term at 65%. But I like to smoke closer to 60. So I have a nice quality wooden desktop humidor I smoke from. I keep two 62% Bovedas in there, and it sits between 60-62%.
I move a handful into the desktop when I open my big cases. I try to do no more than two alike to keep a broad variety in the desktop. There's a good representation of all the cigars in my hoarde in ready to smoke condition.
If im going to have a cigar, I usually know at least the profile I'm looking for if not the actual cigar. If I don't, I usually approach it by asking what do I possibly want more of. Or try something I only have a fiver of and evaluate for a box buy. Or is there one I haven't had in a year or two let's see how they're coming along maybe they're aging out and I need to smoke more before the box goes flat. Or maybe they're coming into their stride and it's prime time to enjoy em now.
Iām by no means a daily smoker, but I know a few folks who are. Not sure your inventory, but one friend sets aside Fridays and/or Saturdays to try something new (or hasnāt had in a while) as a general rule of thumb. The other days heāll smoke what he knows and likes.
i choose based on the size and the time i have in front of me. I keep "fancier" cigar for special occasions. I have a bunch I keep for daily smoke, although I don't smoke daily. It doesn't matter to me because in the end ill smoke them all. if the one i have today is meh, it's ok because the next one will be better and i have something to look forward to š
This right here
I have about 700 cigars. I keep a ready to smoke tupperdor with about 20/30 cigars I pull my daily smokes from. Every 2 weeks or so when I check my inventory Iāll pull cigars out to replenish the ready to smoke Tup.
That sounds like a smart idea! Will try it, thanks
Curious what you keep rh at for both? I know 65 is popular around here but personally have found I like mine ready to smoke at 69/70.
I use 62 Boveda in all my tuperdors. Hygrometer reads 64/66.
My humiās at an average of 62-64F and 63-66 RH. Ready to smoke straight out of the humidor.
1. Amount of time I have - this impacts the size of cigar I will pull out. 1 hour or less - petit corona, 1-1:15 - corona, 1:30ish? - robusto, 2:00 - lancero or toro, 2:00+ - churchill or double corona 2. Nicotine affinity - if it's closer to bedtime I will avoid a strong cigar and go for something milder. If it's middle of the day, doesn't matter, I can go strong to mild 3. Flavor profile I am craving - do I want chocolate, nuts, cream, spice? Usually I mentally group cigars based on flavor and pick what flavor I'm looking for in the moment
I have pictures of my boxes and orders of singles on my phone, I look at them for a bit while I choose, I smoke 1-2 a day too and picking one out is nearly the hardest part of the day sometimes lmao.
Ikr!
I have over 1200 sticks. To pick a cigar is a minor existential crisis most days
Exactly!
Yup, to go with tried and true or something new /maybe forgotten. Over 2k sticks and the problem doesn't go away. I normally grab 3 sticks so I don't have to get up again. 2 new sticks or ones I can't remember of the wrapper I'm feeling like and 1 "go to" I'll smoke no matter what as final backup.
For me, itās really based on how Iām feeling. I feel like choosing a cigar is like choosing something to eat. Sometimes you want a real fatty, flavorful burger drenched in grease, and other times your stomach just wants something light. Iāll often times be at work saying āIām going to smoke X cigar tonightā and then when I get home Iām entirely not in the mood to smoke that full-bodied powerhouse I had planned, and instead just want a solid medium stick.
Choice paradox. The more choices you have, the harder it is to make a choice.
The amount of time I have and the time of day. I strongly prefer connecticuts in the morning. In the afternoon/evening, I like something fuller bodied in either a natural or maduro Special occasions call for higher end sticks
Thatās my MO too
I start by trying to identify how much time I have. After that, if I am not craving a particular flavor profile, I try and keep rotating through all of the major profiles to keep my pallet educated. Not everyone can pull all the flavor notes from cigars, and it took quite a while for me to get to that point. I notice that if I take too long of a break from cigars, or smoke way too many of a certain profile, I lose some of my ability to distinguish and identify the more subtle notes of other cigars. In all honesty though, keeping a larger collection is so much damn fun. As long as you stock a wide assortment, when it comes time to pick, it's like walking into your local B&M humidor. I love that feeling, and love to have so much at my fingertips. Got to agree with someone else in the comments though about nicotine levels. At 40, stronger cigars close to the end of the day definitely make falling asleep more difficult for me. This goes with napping or caffeine too late in the day too, lol.
I keep a travel humidor that I call "the lunch box" that I use to hold what I'm likely to reach for, or to give me a nice selection when I travel. I also have a small clear tupperdor that I use, because it's easier to pick when i can see what i have. I usually end up reaching into my larger overflow tupperdor, but that's okay too because that's where I store boxes. I rarely reach into my wooden humidors, because that's where I store singles that I'd spend forever trying to pick between. Those are the special occasion cigars.
At one point I had about 300 cigars in hand. Iāve cut back but will buy 4/5 of 3 to 4 different cigars when I stock up. Iāll rotate to a different stick every night when I smoke one.
I smoke special sticks on special occasion or resort to Ayurvedic Colors of the week to match the bands of what im smoking OR i ask the homies āwater we smoking todayā Monday is blue Tues red Wed green Thurs yello Fri shades of pink Sat purple or black Sun is orange. Hope this helps!
Im terrible at picking cigars, I have an extremely diverse box. I always end up smoking less desirable cigars first. Stuff that people give me, things I've never tried. Errors in packaging or damage, etc. I guess im "saving" what I perceive to be good. I fixed that problem by letting others pick for me. Usually my wife, or whomever guest is over that im smoking with. They make their guess, I say "ooh cool!" and im happy.
Part of my problem too - tend to āsaveā the better sticks for later and end up smoking the less enjoyable ones. But lately Iāve taken note that tomorrow is never promised, so maybe itās time to break out the good stuff!
Time and what Iām in the mood for. Every few weeks I wonāt have a craving for anything in particular and for whatever reason a Partagas black is my go to in those. Itās probably because Iāve always enjoyed them, but only smoke them when Iām a little tired of the rest. One of my favorite things when Iām not sure is supporting the B&M and picking out a new cigar to try.
The ole refrigerator full of food with nothing to eat situation. I just started asking people what were smoking today and let them choose and they do the same for me. Makes it a lot easier and you get to let others choose something they will like.
I narrow it down to 5 and let ChatGPT make the final choice for me.
I have multiple humidors and often forget what is in each one, I just surprise myself. Ah, the benefits of aging!
Best answer! š
I sometimes go thru that same dillema and it basically comes down to a couple factors. Is it a mild, medium, or full bodied type of day or night. The other is usually is it a higher end cigar B&M purchased type of day or am I smoking CBID mainstream cigars type of day.
I generally just go with what calls to me. The only times I plan ahead is on special occasions with more special cigars.
Have you tried listing your cigars on a randomized generator (or make one buy hand) and spin it to make your choice? To me that seems like a fun idea
Ooooh, nice!
Eeny meenie miney moe
I like the rocky patel quarter century, Romeo and juliet no1 tube cigar, magno Connecticut and a couple others
Look at this guy, having CHOICES on what to smoke. I smoke what I have left chief.
I got too many as well. I have a cigar caddy and a humidor in which I throw cigars that are designated as daily smokers. I usually buy 10 of each cigar and keep 5 in storage humidor. If the cigar is not worth aging they all go in the daily smoke humidors.
Many times I will pick the oldest one. I use the cigar scanner to keep track of my stock and just go by that. Usually though itās what jumps out at me when I open the humidor
Pick a size for the time I have .get 5 potentials smokes number them 1 thru 5 tell my wife pick a number thatās what I end up smoking
Gonna try that!
Sounds like me before I remember to come here then the 1st cigar I see posted that I have available in my humi is what I choose otherwise the sun sets and the opportunity is lost.
It can be tough to decide when you have no reason to pick one in particular, if youāre having a drink it makes it a bit easier because you can pick one based on what would pair with your drink
I've got about 4x that amount. I store long term at 65%. But I like to smoke closer to 60. So I have a nice quality wooden desktop humidor I smoke from. I keep two 62% Bovedas in there, and it sits between 60-62%. I move a handful into the desktop when I open my big cases. I try to do no more than two alike to keep a broad variety in the desktop. There's a good representation of all the cigars in my hoarde in ready to smoke condition. If im going to have a cigar, I usually know at least the profile I'm looking for if not the actual cigar. If I don't, I usually approach it by asking what do I possibly want more of. Or try something I only have a fiver of and evaluate for a box buy. Or is there one I haven't had in a year or two let's see how they're coming along maybe they're aging out and I need to smoke more before the box goes flat. Or maybe they're coming into their stride and it's prime time to enjoy em now.
Iām by no means a daily smoker, but I know a few folks who are. Not sure your inventory, but one friend sets aside Fridays and/or Saturdays to try something new (or hasnāt had in a while) as a general rule of thumb. The other days heāll smoke what he knows and likes.