who knew?

i will admit, i’m part of the problem…

…i order a lot online, and barely go out to retail spots any more. part of that is mobility issues, but we’ll get to that in another post. a lot of it is just convenience coupled with value – you get a lot better pricing for most shit online, and you can comparison shop with a few keystrokes versus a quarter tank of gas.

while i believe my favorite cigar shop of all time is still open, i haven’t been there in forever. part of that was the demise of the owner, which was 99% of what made it my favorite cigar shop of all time. it’s my “O.G.”. the one where i started. sure, now my second fave has closed as well (and i’d been to that one more recently, for my 50th in 2021).

i had no idea pricing had spiked until i didn’t check my watch, i checked my calendar. that’s when i realized i was suffering for a condition my mom’s side of the family seems to have, where time no longer exists.

this was always one of my go-to faves, but the last time i bought a box was at club humidor in san antonio on my way to see the duran duran astronaut tour in 2003 – the first tour in almost twenty years (at the time) with all five original members. they had dramatically over ordered, so the box cost me under a bill. the one above is from the “big fuente sale” the place is having where the price has been drilled down to…wait for it…$219.54.

holy shit!

somewhere i know i still have an 858 box from rob’s with his hand written price in there for both stick and box…wonder what number that will reveal?

(fun fact – the header is a photoshopped arturo fuente band from their hemmingway line)