Views from a Smoke-Filled Room

LOS ANGELES – In this holiday season, what can cigar lovers wish for, both now and in the coming year? Just a few thoughts:

>> Leave Us Alone:

The folks at the Cigar Association of America will tell you that about 311 million premium cigars were imported into the U.S. for consumption in 2006. That sounds like a lot, but not when compared with the 9.5 billion machine-made and little cigars which were consumed in the same year. Or the 380 billion cigarettes consumed in the U.S.

So why are premium cigars, by this measure not even 1/10th of one percent of all the cigars and cigarettes consumed, being thrown in with these other products? Unlike the machine-made cigars, little cigars and cigarettes, premium cigars are made by hand and are, by their nature, an artisanal product. They should be exempt from the dangerous (and silly) legislation at all levels that attack cigarettes, which can be an addictive product based on its nicotine content.

Who do you know who is addicted to cigars? Probably no one. That goes for machine-made cigars as well.

>> Make Brands Stand for Something:

Famous cigar brands like Cohiba, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta and others are justly famous. But for what?

In Cuba, the basic taste profile for these brands remains the same, although different sizes are offered and aging can alter the mix somewhat. But it’s harder for U.S. smoker to say exactly what a Montecristo is.

That’s because Altadis U.S.A. now has six Montecristo blends of its own on the market – Montecristo, Montecristo Cabinet Seleccion, Montecristo Classic, Montecristo Platinum, Montecristo Serie C and Montecristo White Label – not to mention an additional six Montecristo-branded blends that it makes for other distributors, such as Cigars by Santa Clara.

All are different, all have their own appeal. But what is the Montecristo taste?

>> Keep Those Consumer-Friendly Packs Coming:

With so many smoking bans popping up around the country, manufacturers are creating more easily-handled packages of three, four or five cigars or boxes of just 10 cigars, instead of the traditional boxes of 25. That’s good and should be continued.

A century ago, gentlemen bought cigars in cabinets of 500 or 1,000 so that there were plenty on hand when friends came around. In recent decades, the box of 25 or cabinet of 50 was ubiquitous, but with so many brands on the market today, who can stick with just one brand. Smaller packs and boxes of 10 make it easier for smokers to keep different brands on hand, and with tobacco taxes so high in many states, get just enough cigars in order to keep the total cost manageable.

We’ll have more wishes for the New Year next week. Happy Holidays to all!

(Rich Perelman is editor-in-chief of CigarCyclopedia.com, offering comprehensive daily coverage of cigars, accessories, issues, people and prices at www.CigarCyclopedia.com.

Rich Perelman

12/26/07

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