Smoke less but smoke better

I fully agree with the Smoke less but smoke better, I have recently cleared out close to 200 NC sticks that I just don't think are great. I have kept the ones that I think are great and I have made room to buy more of what I truly love. I have no intention of going on another huge tasting spree, I have plenty of smokes that I think are awesome and that I enjoy. More than enough to keep that variety factor going. Given I only smoke between 4 and 8 sticks a week I want them all to be WOW or at least that potential.

I agree it isn't about price some of my favorite sticks are in the 4 to 6 range and if all I could ever smoke again was those I would be happy.

Took me 4 months of trying to realize I already know what I like and that continuing to try to "sample everything out there" was becoming a chore and taking away from my smoking enjoyment.

Great Thread Addiction.
 
easyt said:
Addiction, you describe my plan with this hobby. When I first got here, I proclaimed that I wouldn't fall victim to the slope. And I've held relatively true to that. I still only smoke about one a month, as you suggest.......
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Actually I don't suggest that much moderation, the late Mr. Davidoff does lol. i would say however smoke just enough so that you only smoke what you love or what you want to try to love.
 
Love the fact so many of us started the same way. It's comforting that's how it works.
3-4 months ago, I swore I'd never spend over $2 a smoke and my fisr post here was a massive reseach project of that order, where I called upon all the Elders to pick smokes in my budget.

I just figured that it's silly to spend $5 a smoke, when one can get a meager meal for that money. (Running a food business gets you thinking like that)

Fast forward to now. Few months later.

I stopped buying NC's altogether for the time being and am stepping into the dark side. None of that Cbid business I was hooked on.

Also suffered some poor health as a reaction to smoking a lot in the early days and that was the kicker since I was clean (from tobacco) for years.
I simply swore off cheap yard gar smokes after the persistent cough set in for days and days and promised myself to smoke better and smoke less.

Rather buy smaller sizes of decent smokes from now on.

Good topic Addiction.
 
I would rather smoke fewer and better. I used to never toss a stick, but, now, if I don't like the first 1/2, it's gone. It takes at least a year to discover the smokes you really like, so everyone has to go through the dog rockets. I still like to try a variety of cigars, but I definitely quit buying cigars just because they were "on sale".
Nice thread, Bryan!
 
At the minute being a newb, im smoking mainly every other weekend due to work but i know this will get more regular as im getting more addicted to the stogie lifestyle!I really look forward to just kicking back with my cigar n drink just chillin out!So at the mo im smoking less but hopefully time/experience will make me smoke better.:ss
 
Zino Davidoff's "mantra" is a good one...

"Eat Less, but eat only the best...Drink less, but only drink the best...Smoke Less, but smoke the best...Davidoff."

As for me...I try and smoke only things I will enjoy, regardless of the price. Right now, my favorite everyday cigar only costs about $0.75 per stick...The Los Statos DeLuxe Delirios. I smoke way too much not to find and appreciate a lower end stick from time to time...for that, the La Vieja Habana Chateau Corona in Maduro is a great $1.50 stick when found on sale...as for anything else, I do not really hoard anything of great rarity for special occasions....Life is truly too short to waste your time on smoking crap cigars.....

If you want to find more of what Zino believes as far as the smoking lifestyle includes..pick up his book..."The Connoisseur's Book of the Cigar." It went out of print sometime in the 1970's...yet it can easily be found on amazon.com
 
Mullet said:
I could settle on smoking a "great" cigar every Friday night after work.

But the problem with that is that you must have a LIFETIME of experience or absolutely ZERO curiosity to achieve that goal.
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This is my current mentality to the T. I enjoy trying new things, and whittling down my tastes to what I know I like. My humidor is full of 15-30 new cigars that I eagerly await the chance to try. By the end of the summer, I've already got a list of 4 boxes I really, really want to have because I know I enjoy them immensely but I'll always have at least a few new prospects to try. For me, trying a new cigar, and weighing it against others I know I love can be equally enjoyable to smoking a "regular". I don't think I'll ever smoke 7+ cigars a week (HERFs provide an exception to this) because I don't ever want a cigar to become a must have, or a crutch to relaxation. I want every cigar I have to be a special way to spend an hour or two, and I don't ever want them to be so regular they become the norm for me. I think I could happily stay at 3-5 cigars a week for as long as I choose to smoke, be it one of my "regulars", a great cigar for a special occasion, or a new prospect. When it comes down to it, I think it's about smoking what you enjoy, in the manner that best pleases you.
 
icehog3 said:
How about "Smoke more and smoke better"?

I save my "less than stellar" cigars for when I will be physically active and not taking time to truly experience the cigar in the same way I might with a better cigar. Walking the dog, playing golf, and similar activities give me a chance to try some new things, although I obviously aren't giving them the same "chance" I might give a cigar sitting on my deck relaxing with the Ipod. I have discovered a few good smokes this way though...and a boatload of dog rockets. ;)
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I am more forgiving of smokes most folks call dog rockets. If I don't like them I age them to death and give them every chance to turn it around. Some remain dog rockets for life, but a surprising number turn out to be decent. Those aged decent cheapies are my dog walking companion.

Meanwhile I really enjoy excellent smokes at the right place and the right time.

I don't see the two as mutually exclusive.
 
68TriShield said:
I buy some less expensive cigars none of which I consider "utility" smokes.
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I'm with Dave. I have a few less expensive smokes that I really enjoy and keep in my regular rotation. I look forward to smoking those as much as those with a higher price point.

But if I don't truly enjoy a particular cigar, I don't smoke it and don't keep it.

When I look in my humidors, I want to see good friends, not mere acquaintances.
 
Here's my problem, if I don't try a cigar, how do I know if I like it or not? Because of this problem, I've been lead to smoke a number of cheaper cigars that weren't very good. This sucks, because I usually get five of them, which leaves stragglers. On the flip side, I've found many great smokes that are inexpensive as well. Add to this all the trades and passes that I've been involved in, and my stock has a lot of stuff that is not very expensive, but still very good. Also, I have a ton (okay I'm exagerating a bit) of stuff I just haven't tried yet. I still have a bunch of stuff that I'm not a huge fan of as well and normally opt not to smoke.

In the future, I'm going to try to limit any purchases I make to smokes I know I really like. I smoke about three cigars a week, so when I light up, I want it to be magical. :D Seriously though, I've been smoking for long enough now to know what I like (flavor profile) and that's half the battle I think. Now, I just need to find all the smokes that suit my needs.

Sure it would be easier to just buy PAMs and call it a day, but what's the fun in that? Right? Anybody??? Hello??????!?!?!?
 
I dont smoke very often, so when I do fire one up, I light something special.

There was a time way back when I would smoke more often and have a variety of cigars in my rotation. Had a handfull of Havanas that I used to covet like they were the holy grail of all cigars. Would always think about lighting one, but would hold off, convincing myself to wait for the "special" time". Man, that "special" time was never special enough in my mind and would always hold off smoking anything I considered rare or highly prized, always thinking "I'll probably never see one of these again if I smoke it".

Over the years my thinking has changed and so has my cigar consumption. That "special" time now is whenever I decide to light up. As I get older, every day in one way or another is "special".
 
Here's what I think about "Smoke less but smoke better":

I've had six cigars already this week - which is much more than my usual 3X per week. It's because I got hooked on a really good book, Till We Have Faces by CS Lewis. It's been fun the last few nights lighting up my Maria Mancini, popping the top on a Yuengling lager, and really being able to slow down for the evening and enjoy a good book after my 2 year old goes to sleep.

The cigars haven't been all that great compared to the Fuentes I was smoking last month, but overall the week has been wonderful.

Fit the cigar to the experience and your mood at the time. Don't worry if its more or less expensive or more or less than what you expected. Limit yourself to however many cigars you enjoy and feel are healthy for you. kick back. relax.
 
poker said:
I dont smoke very often, so when I do fire one up, I light something special.

There was a time way back when I would smoke more often and have a variety of cigars in my rotation. Had a handfull of Havanas that I used to covet like they were the holy grail of all cigars. Would always think about lighting one, but would hold off, convincing myself to wait for the "special" time". Man, that "special" time was never special enough in my mind and would always hold off smoking anything I considered rare or highly prized, always thinking "I'll probably never see one of these again if I smoke it".

Over the years my thinking has changed and so has my cigar consumption. That "special" time now is whenever I decide to light up. As I get older, every day in one way or another is "special".
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Wise words, Kelly. :tu
 
Addiction said:
When I opened my first box of Davidoff Diademas Finas, ...
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I, too, loved those cigars. Bought a box and disposed of them pretty quickly. I just had a new Davidoff that was excellent. Davidoff Reserva 12. It's a limited edition cigar. I highly recommend it. If I had not just bought myself a box of Monty Edmundos for Father's Day, I likely would have picked up a box of these.
 
68TriShield said:
I buy some less expensive cigars none of which I consider "utility" smokes.
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I must have some kind of reputation lol.

For the record I'll say it again guys, this thread has nothing to do with price. This is a thread about quality, not about price.

I'm also not advocating people don't try new things. There is always a place for new things, how else would you find your next great cigar.

I guess to boil it down if your feeling about a cigar actually equates to "thats not to bad" or "the last couple of inches can be good" that you replace that cigar with one that gives you a happier feeling.
 
As someone who only smokes 2-3 sticks a week, I get really bummed out if one of those times is with a cigar that I don't like. Being a newbie I was able to participate in a bunch PIF's and trades that gave me an excess of singles many of which I liked but many of which I have not liked. I have tried enough now that I have found many that I thoroughly enjoy every time. While there may be sticks out there that I may like as much or even more, I just can't waste my precious few smoking times searching for the next new thing. So I am in the process of reducing my inventory to a box each of about 10 of my favorite sticks. I will work my way through them and will try the odd new stick here and there but I just don't have the time to go through 100 different sticks to find the 20 that I like.

So yes, I am going for the "smoke less but smoke better" at least as it pertains to my tastes.
 
That's where I'm at with beer. I used to snarf down a six-pack of beer in one evening, and almost any old beer would do.

These days almost every beer I drink is either on tap of from a 22 oz bottle. I'll have one, *maybe* two in an evening, and never the same beer twice in a row. It's not uncommon for me to go several days or a week without a beer either.

I imagine once I discover what I truly like in a cigar I'll be the same way - maybe one cigar a week, and something I really enjoy.

The good news (for me) at this point is that I'm not enjoying all the expensive sticks I'm trying! My favorites are in the sub-$10 range (CA B&M prices) so far.
 
Given that I'm a relative noob to cigar smoking I'm still at a point where I'm looking for my favorite stick. However, since I only smoke a few times a month I try to smoke only highly rated/recommended cigars.

As I find the ones I enjoy I'll order more for my humidor. The only cigars I have in my humidor that I don't like were part of 5-packs that I tried and didn't like. I won't be smoking these again for a long time hoping some age will smoothen them out. Since I don't smoke a lot I have a lot of cigars in my humidor I've never tried.

So I definitely agree with the "smoke better" concept and I have no problems spending $20+ on a stick IF it's good (but as we all no $$$ <> good).
 
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