Q'n'A + an example of a participant's puts/takes
Each package has two foam trays. There is a freezer ziplock outer bag.
and an EZ-Zip inner bag. The bead sheet humidity buffer wraps around to hold the top tray cigars in place (colour doesn't matter). There is also a water pillow.
- check the inner bag, trays, etc., for any brown dust. Brown dust anywhere = tobacco beetles.
- as long as the water pillow has some squish from the outside, it doesn't need recharging. We probably won't need the water pillows for most of the pass.
- when packing, squeeze excess air out of the EZ-Zip bag, but leave the air in the freezer ziplock bag.
Q’n’A’s:
Q1: What are the ideal conditions to store the pass? (no further changes)
A1: The pass was packed at 65/65. There is a 65% RH Heartfelt bead sheet and one water pillow for every two trays. If the ambient RH is above 70%RH, then fold over the water pillow over-bag to isolate the holes. Over 80% and the water pillow should come out, and placed inside the outer bag (freezer ziplock).
Temperature will need attention during this pass. Pass temps under 75 degrees are preferred. If there is no A/C, then the boxed and sealed pass can be placed in a refrigerator, if necessary, with the fridge’s thermostat adjusted to minimum cooling – a typical bar fridge can hit 50+ degrees F at the minimum setting. (As a runny aside, a bar fridge is usually not an auto-defrosting fridge, so cigars can be stored, provided they are isolated for RH, and insulated against short-term temperature swings as the compressor cycles, as they are when packed in the pass.)
Q2: There’s some cigars in the pass that I really want, but they have been taken by others before it was my turn.
A2: If there’s a certain cigar in the starting line-up that you really wanted, but didn’t have the opportunity to take in the pass, then please PM me.
Q3: How do I determine value?
A3: A cigar's value will be the lowest of:
a) MSRP or what you actually paid for the stick;
b) the previously-used value (if the cigar was a put in the pass); or
c) the average current US box pricing. Exclude outliers in calculating the average pricing.
Conveniently, cigarcyclopedia.com has a comparison shopper that lists current US box pricing for many cigars. The site also has a comparison shopper for Cuban cigars.
A few cigars won't be on the comparison shoppers. That means that you have to google the cigar. Try to list at least three prices before averaging. Post if you're unsure. Please do not post websites, just the prices and the resulting average.
Thanks to exchange rates, please assume that all of the cigars in the starting line-up were purchased for more than the average current US box pricing.
Q4: What is value-for-value?
A4: (post#18)There is a strict value for value restriction for each stick in the pass. Thus, for example:
Albert takes out a $10 and an $8 stick from a tray. He tries to put in:
- two $5 sticks. No good; value too low.
- a $15 stick and $5 stick. No good. Even though the combined value is okay, one stick is too low in value.
- one $20 stick. No good. Again, the value is okay, but the number of sticks isn't.
- twenty $1 sticks. No good again.
Albert has to put one stick with a value of at least $10, and another stick worth at least $8. As this is a "get-your-feet-wet" pass, I will be strict (anal) on this. Puts/takes will not be approved unless each stick put is greater then or equal to the value of the stick taken.
Also, as this is a "get-your-feet-wet" pass, I expect there to be discussion of folk's puts and takes. Please don't take it personally. This is a learning pass, and the major learning point is how to value cigars fairly in passes. Please follow the style of the example given in the third post when posting puts/takes.
There is no ISOM for ISOM restriction in the pass. Most passes do have this restriction, but this one does not. You can put a non-ISOM in for an ISOM (subject to the tray restriction) as long as the value is good. (ISOM for ISOM is okay, as is ISOM for non-ISOM. Basically, ignore country of origin for this pass. It doesn't matter to me if, at the end, there are no ISOM sticks left in the pass.
Contest Q’n’A
CQ1: What are the contest prizes?
CA1: Some cigars from the end distribution of the pass. How many, how they’ll be picked, etc., I’ll firm up as the pass progresses.
CQ2: Can I enter/win more than one contest?
CA2: Yes. Each contest is independent.
An example of a participant's puts/takes (unchanged):
Please use the layout as a template for proposing P/T's in this pass.
Bob is in the pass. He follows Albert, and is followed by Dick. Once Albert's picks are approved, Albert PM's Bob and the host to confirm Bob's address and shipping arrangements, and Bob posts his proposed P/T's, and justifications:
T #25: PLPC Cab ($4.41) P #38: Fuente Hemingway Short Story ($4.60)
T #14: RGPE Oct 07 ($2.46) P #39: 5 Vegas Robusto ($2.60)
The cigars in this example were valued using the cigarcyclopedia.com comparison shopper. This does not mean the shopper has to be used exclusively.
At the comparison shopper site, PLPC Cabs were listed as selling for: $ 192.50 $ 244.95 $ 209.88 $ 239.00 $ 279.00 $ 230.00 $ 201.15 $ 235.43 $ 193.70 and $ 237.18. $279 was an outlier and was ignored. The average values were thus 1983.79/9 = $220.42 per cab (50) => $4.41/cigar
Short Stories were listed at: 129.95 120.00 158.00 139.95 109.99 102.95 114.95 114.95. $158 was an outlier and was ignored. Thus, 832.74/7 = $118.96/box(25) => $4.76/cigar. The Short Story cost Bob $4.60, so the lower purchase cost was used.
RGPE box (25) prices: $ 90.00 $ 60.00 $ 58.08 $ 37.52. Thus 245.60/4 = 61.40/box => $2.46/cigar
5 Vegas Robusto box (25) prices: 65.00 65.00 => $2.60/cigar. Bob paid $2.80 for the 5 Vegas, so the lower average market value of $2.60 was used.
In all cases, P > T, so all Bob's P/T's would be approved.
Once the host's approval was posted, the next person, Dick, would post his proposed P/T's to start the next discussion off. Bob would swap out the takes, number, label, and pack the puts, check the humidification, check the other cigars, close up carefully, PM to confirm Dick's address with the host and Dick, and then click'n'ship with D/C (+ signature unless agreed to otherwise between Bob and Dick), and post after the package was shipped.
Reply With Quote
Style award to EGQ! 
Originally Posted by Lew Rothman, JR Cigars
If you need to fill out the roster, I'll play, but I'd rather let it fill up with newbs first.
BOHICA
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