Damn shenanigans. I put enough "Fragile" warnings on it for them to notice...

Proposed takes/puts:

Takes:

LFD TAA 2016
Opus X Lost City Robusto 2016
Arturo Fuente Between the Lines
Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchill
Davidoff The Late Hour


Puts:

H. Upman Mag 46 2016 (CC)
Por Larranaga Picadores 2015 (CC)
Romeo y Julieta Cazadores 2017 (CC)
Davidoff 702 Special R
Stolen Throne Crook of the Crown Toro

What if I throw in a Viaje C4?

Maybe this should be renamed the “Let’s Make a Deal for Decent Cigars Box Pass”?

It's not quality taken quantity given.

Proposal 2:

Takes:

LFD TAA 2016
Opus X Lost City Robusto 2016
Arturo Fuente Between the Lines
Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchill
Davidoff The Late Hour


Puts:

Romeo y Julieta Cazadores 2017 (CC)
Davidoff 702 Special R
Stolen Throne Crook of the Crown Toro
Ashton ESG 23-Yr Salute
Dunbarton Sin Compromiso

-Noobs and dinks suck
-Most Dunbaton blends disappoint
as do most Tat LR's in past 7-8 years...poor Pete
-Smoke LP's while they're young
-Sunscreen is awesome
-Davidoff gets away with crazy chit...like Oro Blanco
-Smoke your unicorns .... I have a habit of saving them...I suspect my widow's next husband is going to come into some incredible cigars...

I can get both the Opus X and AF BTL right now. So whats the difference?

Maybe it’s a matter of perception and a little bit of real world experience.

If you put the three cigars side-by-side and ask a cigar smoker to pick any one, odds are he or she would pick one of the Fuentes instead of the DTT. For those that know a little about cigars, they recognize Fuentes as a top tier brand. Dunbarton, not even close...at least in the eyes of the cigar smoking public. And I’m not saying that Dunbarton doesn’t make good smokes, I’m talking about the value aura each brand exudes.

Okay, so that’s the perception part.

In my real life experience of going to Fuente and Dunbarton smokers, the Opus X cigars sell out. Fast. Every time. In fact, if you’re not in the first 10 or 20 (...out of 100-120 in attendance...) standing in line to buy, your chances of getting one are slim and none. I’ve been to about 5 of them and BTLs were never available for sale...but I’d bet money that they would sell out fast too. At the Dunbarton event earlier this year, with about 50 in attendance, there were boxes and boxes of Sin Compromisos left at the end. Again, not saying that the SCs aren’t good, possibly even great smokes, I’m saying that in my eyes, they’re not considered elite or even a notch below.

Btw, PM me the places where you can buy OX and BTL without getting gouged. All of the more well-known, trusted sites are out of stock while the one place that I found some BTL wanted $720 for a box, $32 for a single. Sure, I could take out my American Express card and buy some but in reality, not at those ridiculous prices...would you?

In my humble opinion.....if I had all 10 of these cigars in front of me and was asked to pick a top three, I would pick the Opus, the BTL, and then a toss up between the LFD and the Dunbarton (because I have never had this one before). So, when I do a box pass like this, at the elitist level, I select the ones that I wish to take, match them with my proposed puts and then do a couple things. I do a thorough search on what I want to take. Not just for a base price point but also reviews, etc. then I think if I had both of the two cigars in front of me, which one would I like to smoke. If it is an easy answer of the take, then maybe I need to re-evaluate what I am putting. If it is a pretty tough decision, then I am probably on the right track.

Do I think your puts are horrible or truly lopsided, not really, but do I think that the people after you will be stepping all over themselves to grab the cigars you are putting in....no.

I certainly don’t want to piss off new folks getting in on box passes but this one is a bit more stringent on quality than others. In a strictly premium pass, I would be completely happy with those puts.

BTW, the BTL I put in has probably been in my humidor for 5-6 years. If you know much about Fuentes, you will know that they are best with some serious age on them. If you were able to get your hands on another one and smoked them both, I guarantee the aged one would crush the other. 😃

Hopefully that didn’t seem too harsh.

David

Clint, if the Dunbarton is a cigar you really like, throw it into the pass - no reason you can’t put more than you take! (I usually do...)

Cheers!

A.

Wow I need to find the person that got me sick and give them a big fat hug and kiss. Let's just say I would have said a few things I might have regretted I always look at it like this... is the last person gonna be like wow I can't believe all the unicorns in this box! Or could the last guy walk into any cigar shop and start stocking the shelves with the crap in that box? I'd be embarrassed as hell if I was in that pass and the answer was the 2nd one.

Now I feel bad. Sorry Shaun. Maybe next time.... Just so you guys know in the future Shaun is okay by me.... even if he spells his name wrong..

That’s why I always put a few sticks in a bag marked organizer’s name in with the puts and takes

There is no statute of limitations for touching a noops dirty bits. I could still testify.

Clint, thanks for the PM and the leads. As I feared, none of the sites had the blends or vitolas I was looking for. Then again, dunno if the prices would have been palpable either. Hope you enjoy your BTLs!

The Candy Wrapper Pass was brutal. It went to Illini with the candy wrappers and then on to me.

When I got it, there was nothing left but bundle cigars in it and about 3 decent cigars that Illini put in.
I pulled those bad cigars out and sent them to the troops and I replaced them with 30 Super premiums.

I believe that was the last pass I did here.


Pro

BART!

Great to see you here my friend!

Hope your back is feeling better and your new job coming along.

Yep. I absolutely concur.

This is amazing CELTIC!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkEHpflNJvw&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0yAkHM1B32rvLiLsl3IelJn-qFEWFzEJkxknxCN_rck53wE-e-GtGTRe4


FU@# this B!TCH

Thanks Clint. Not necessary but appreciated.

^^it is he.

(Shhhh... the boards have Minotaurs)