Only in your mind. :-)

Is that what it takes? 500 posts?

This one hell of an interesting thread. Well thought out. Local B&M has a $10 cutting fee if you bring your own but if you buy a couple and dont waive your sticks around, they usually tolerate you. Never had a real problem with internet buys. Most smaller stores can't buy the quantity that would make this premise of different qaulity to B&M's versus on line. I have had poorly kept sticks from smaller stores that don't seem to really know how to properly store cigars. One owner told me they move so fast he doesnt worry about storage much. Hmmmm.

I agree that a quality shop makes all the difference. I love going into Holts when I am in Philly. Qaulity stuff, well kept great atmosphere. That being said, when I travel, I always find the local shop and always buy a few sticks.

One point. When I buy on line I always try and let them sit in my coolidor for 30 days. I have been astonished by the difference in letting them settle out. Maybe that is part of the difference you have found.

Great thread.

And even in there it is questionable :-) :-)

Indeed ... just like the star wars kid.

I may have to take Carly Simon's side on this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B7bVD_DkM4

:-)

I am an off the truck guy. Not a big beleiver in aging. But getting the sticks to where they should be would taxke about a month and what Eddie said about the way the big guys store them.
And I did think about it and when the workers at the factory said "internet cigars" no one asked and specified. Perhaps they meant the internet exclusives that are always so nasty and inconsistant. I asked the guys at the lounge and no one made a distinction. So who knows. I'll find out in may though. I'm very stoked for the trip to Nicaragua.

Gotta link for your lounge? I for one would love to see where you and the guys hang out.

And when are some of the guys gonna sign up? Would be great to have um!

www.zarkacigarlounge.com

Check it out very cool.

A lounge that's on the internet. Now I'm really confused. :-)

ImageImage

Perhaps this means that the cigars they are buying from internet sites and the ones they are purchasing from their internet B+M are in fact the same lesser quality cigars because they save the good stuff for the small B+M's :-)

Jealousy is an ugly thing boys.

Not that I blame you. The lounge is great. Largest humi on the west coast. Pool table. Poker tables. 5 large flat panels + xtra large projection. Leather couches and recliners. Perfect balance of being very nice but not uppitty and of course the botl.

So again I understand.

Actually, the lounge looks fantastic, so frankly I am a little jealous.

and the site hasn't been updated with the bar!!! :-)

You're quite fortunate to have that kind of a place available to you. Nothing like that here in the Toronto area, that's for sure...

:-) Nice place for sure.

This thread has been fun to read. I have a tidbit to throw out as food for thought. My uncle is a fabric purchaser for a dress company in NY. He is responsible for getting the highest quality fabric for the lowest price possible. When necessary, he budges on quality for the price, or budges on price for the quality. His company was recently approached by Wal-Mart. This is a small dress company that makes several thousand dresses a year. Wal-mart, more specifically Sam's Club, asked them to make many many many thousands of dresses just for them. They also said that the dresses had to come in under a certain price. Well for such a large order, the company could afford to make certain accomodations. In order to fill the order on time, and on budget, my uncle had to go for lower quality fabric, in very large quantities. They had to hire new seamstresses, and speed up production across the board to complete the order. The end result was a different quality grade of dress, at a much lower price point, with a happy customer and happy manufacturer. Further down the line, you have shoppers of Sam's Club who get to buy a top notch dress label, for a Sam's Club price.

If a cigar producer that generally makes runs of a few thousand cigars is suddenly asked to make a million, the purchaser and the manufacturer will have to put their heads together and determine how best to accomplish such a feat. Corners can be cut, quality can be lowered. This is ok with both, and its ok with the end of the line customer as well since he gets a lower price.

This does not mean that B&M's are given the high quality stuff, while the internet stores get the crap, it means that the very very large stores will concede to a slightly lower quality to get the inventory they project for sales within the time limit they have set, and at the price the require to attract and satisfy customers while still meeting their bottom line for profit.

There is no conspiracy, its just how it works in some industries. For cigars, I seriously doubt that anyone is trying to dupe anyone by passing of inferior product, but rather some companies, on some orders being willing to take a slightly lower grade product to meet a demand.

Everything postulated above would only apply if the order placed by any particular company exceeded the present capacity of the manufacturer. If the manufacturer was capable of meeting the demand within the customers timeline, then there would be no need for any change. If however, they had to make accomodations to meet the order, that is where you may find a difference. I would guess though, even if such a difference existed, it would take an extremely refined taster to find it, and the primary difference would lie in the construction quality of the cigar since rollers would be asked to work faster to meet a deadline.

I finally understand your first post. Took a while but now it's clear! :-)