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Since some folks my be put off by the length of the Blendlab thread, I thought I would put this note in a separate topic.

I have had a few PM's asking if I have stopped smoking and reviewing Blendlabs. Well, no, but I have been stocking up on ones that I already know I like and the ones that I have NOT already smoked are simply not showing up on Cbid. Everything that has been up for bid for a while have been blends already smoked and reviewed.

The good news is that there have been a good supply of blends that I (and others that have commented) like quite a bit up for bid here and I have been getting them for around $2/per even with shipping. But it has been strange - you will see a fiver going for $15 while another fiver of the exact same blend is going for $5 at the same time. Sometimes a fiver is going for more than what it would cost someone (even with shipping) to buy 5 singles of the same stick. Fortunately, there have been lots of chances to get RY-444 and RQ-444s, YH-542s, and - one of my personal favorites, the RH-5554 (the Kristoff suspect).

The first three are shorter smokes perfect for upcoming colder weather and are *almost* as good as Short-Stories and Papa Fritas for lot-lot less, so I want to have a good supply of them. That RH-5554 is indistinguishable from Kristoffs selling for 4-5 times as much on CI and even more in a B&M so I have been grabbing them as well. From the Mothership, I have been snagging the KX-648s whenever I can but they are now out-of-stock.

So, in all, my buying and bidding has been mostly on already reviewed blends and I have been filling up the coolador with these.

However, yesterday, I had a big order from CI and decided to - as a public service - add a number of blendlabs I have not tried to the shipment. I want to review this (possibly last) batch of untried sticks for everyone so, if you want to try them yourselves, you can do so right away - for I am not sure they will be around much longer.

Looking at CI there are FAR more blendlabs "out of stock" than are currently for sale and, with the FDA decision, its likely the days of the blendlabs are numbered.

Of course no NEW blendlabs are ever going to come out as there is no chance somebody would pay for testing for a small/experimental batch of cigars that might only sell a few thousand. I have confirmed this with the Mothership - no new blendlabs.

As for the current blends, they can keep selling them for the next two years and I hope they do but, after that, you have to assume they are going away as well. I guess under the FDA ruling if the manufacturer thinks they have a "winner" and wants to make a particular blendlab a regular part of their offerings, they might be able to run it through the process with just the new name on it, since the "blend" was being sold before the cuttoff date - not sure about that. But even if they can do that, it will no longer be a blendlab at the cheap blendlab price.

I suspect that the blendlab manufacturers will continue to put out the ones they are making as long as their current stock of blendlab-blend tobacco is sitting there, but I doubt they will make much effort to restock the supplies one they get low over the next two years. Likewise, if the tobacco stock that is currently being used for a blendlab can also be used by the manufacturer in one of their "name" blends, you have to think they would start shifting it over to the stick with a future.

So, with no new blendlabs and a slowly dwindling supply of the current ones, you have to assume that CI will - at some point - just pull the plug on the whole Blendlab Program. I hope they don't and that they keep selling them for as long as they can, but I cant be very optimistic.

So if, like me, you have a blendlab or two that you really like, I would start bidding and buying NOW while you still can.

There is one group of people that have been doing this in spades! Its whoever in the world it is that likes the VB-6744 by drew estate. These people keep bidding on them here like crazy. And crazy is the word! This was without question the worst cigar I have every had - and that includes some nasty Mexican street-rolled dogs. But the VB is by far the most popular and bid upon blendlab on Cbid. So kudos to you -whoever you are - for stocking up on those things you like. If there is ever a world-wide saccharine shortage, you will be set!

Ever think they are not test cigars, but just rolled out of whatever small batches of tobacco available or that the manufacturer isn't really testing, but instead selling 2nds or low price point cigars?