The Stick Market: What to get your hands on in the face of the new price increase

Further to last week's column on wine and cigars, we thought we should streamline your hoarding intentions over the next few weeks with a handy guide of what too buy.

Our mission statement was to always be a public service for you dear members, but in this auspicious moment where we have written a few articles now about price increases and there is bound to be much confusion, we wanted to make a very straightforward list that points you in the right direction as to what to buy. While we cannot name our sources, we promise that this list was recommended by the wisest of owls in the trade and an opinion we would stake our entire reputation on. So without further ado…

All Cohiba: This is fairly obvious but this is going to be a target of brand elevation that goes way beyond price point. Habanos want people to think of Cohiba (if they don’t already) in the same bracket as Patek Philippe, Purdey or Goyard. So not only are the prices going to shoot up, the value of owned stock will too.

Trinidad: Get everything. The exception being the Reyes which, as you will have noted in the Dispatch from Havana, will become nigh on unsellable.

Linea de Oro: The first batch of this sub-brand of Romeo y Julieta was always going to be more valuable than subsequent year stamps as first batches tend to be the best. These have been a very popular trio of cigars so get them now while you still can.

Montecristo Linea 1935: This trio of cigars released in 2017, the Dumas, the Maltés and the Leyenda should be sought out just as enthusiastically as the Linea de Oro, although I fear they may be quite elusive already.

Romeo y Julieta Churchills: Whether in tubes, boxes, single sticks, get your hands on as many of these as you can.

Montecristo Edmundos: This is a tricky one to give a full explanation to but they are one of the more reliable and all-round smokes in the canon and so should be stocked up on before everyone else does. Double Edmundo counts.

Partagás Serie cigars, all of them: This may seem like a broad recommendation but go to your local tobacconist and see which ones you can get, they are either rare now or they will be soon, and with the price hike this is where people will be spending their money under the illusion that choice means supply, when we promise you, when it comes to Cuban cigars, it does not.