The Half Ashed Cigar Forum

Unbelievably, I will NOT be attending the upcoming CFC event this year....my first year actually living here. For the second year, they're holding it in Playa Dorada - which adds a lot of driving time (1-1.5hr each way) to every event in Bonao/Santiago but the accommodations are very nice so it's a valid trade-off. I was good with that. But, the ticket price was upped by $100. The reasoning was that the event had been extended by another day. This is true; however, by my reckoning the extra day adds nothing to the schedule. In fact, some stops (Villa Gonzalez) were removed from the schedule and the extra day appears to be empty except for a cocktail reception. I'm not following. If the costs of the event have gone up & required an increase - just say so. But $400 (plus airfare and resort costs for those not in-country or fuel costs for those in-country) has stepped beyond my comfort level for the event. The cigars are very nice - and would cost more than the $400 at retail - but frankly, few have been so head-and-shoulders above Fuente's standard items that I'd consider them life-changingly remarkable. I love visiting the fields, farm and factory - and especially the kids at the foundation - but the move to Blue Jack Tar (resort) and ticket increase have more than doubled the cost of the trip overall over previous years in Santiago at the Gran Almirante.

And so it is. I suppose I'll take the cash I had planned to spend on the event and hit up a few factory contacts who've promised me good deals. Muah-ha-ha....

You know, I still am tardy making my contribution this year (I know, I know...). I could just purchase your ticket and send you the change if you'd like to go

kurtdesign1 wrote:You know, I still am tardy making my contribution this year (I know, I know...). I could just purchase your ticket and send you the change if you'd like to go

I appreciate the sentiment - truly. But, it's not simply a matter of economics. Yes, it would be a strain on the budget to attend (either staying in Puerto Plata OR driving around to everything)...but, the fact is I'm pretty torn on the actual value of the experience now. I'm not especially tight with any of the folks that usually make the trip, and I have a standing offer for many of the cigar-related portions of the event (which I'll share with you before our next show). As for the foundation, I believe I could even pull that off with a phone call or two. I find myself questioning whether or not it's a worthwhile venture - even if I was still stateside with a US salary. In the end, it's kind of a push....and being in-country, I can probably pretty much reproduce the valuable parts of the trip (minus the cigars) for next to nothing. It just seems like there are more effective ways to spend the cash....whether it be by cigar or humanitarian measure. We could cover the expense with the cash left in our US account if it were simply a question of $.

Kip wrote:

kurtdesign1 wrote:You know, I still am tardy making my contribution this year (I know, I know...). I could just purchase your ticket and send you the change if you'd like to go

I appreciate the sentiment - truly. But, it's not simply a matter of economics. Yes, it would be a strain on the budget to attend (either staying in Puerto Plata OR driving around to everything)...but, the fact is I'm pretty torn on the actual value of the experience now. I'm not especially tight with any of the folks that usually make the trip, and I have a standing offer for many of the cigar-related portions of the event (which I'll share with you before our next show). As for the foundation, I believe I could even pull that off with a phone call or two. I find myself questioning whether or not it's a worthwhile venture - even if I was still stateside with a US salary. In the end, it's kind of a push....and being in-country, I can probably pretty much reproduce the valuable parts of the trip (minus the cigars) for next to nothing. It just seems like there are more effective ways to spend the cash....whether it be by cigar or humanitarian measure. We could cover the expense with the cash left in our US account if it were simply a question of $.

A rather well thought response.

Thanks to 1.)dropping CFC from my schedule, 2.)my small reserve of cash from selling our house, and 3.)a well-timed trip to visit friends/family/donors this upcoming Summer, it appears I'll be replacing CFC with covering the IPCPR tradeshow in 2016. Hoowahh!!

Awesome!!!

Damn skippy, that's awesome!