Aging Room

[ggiese]

My manager and I have been looking into creating something special for our customers. We plan to make a special space for limited edition and aged cigars. We currently have Monte Cristo 75th Ann, Partagas 150 Series A, EP Carrillo Dark Rituals, and a few others to start with. Do any of your local shops have an "aging room" or humidor/section of the humidor for special vintage and limited edition cigars? Do these cigars attract you more than others? Would you rather pick and age them yourself? Any recommendations on specific cigars and aging them?

The only serious "aging rooms" I'm aware of that contain "special" (uber expensive) cigars is in Hong Kong. The Chinese have taken Cuban cigar aging to a whole 'nother level and maintain some of the largest collections of aged cigars I've ever seen.

Some local cigar shops I've visited do sometimes maintain "special" cigars, but not with the purpose so much of "attracting" business but more as a service to their regular customers. It's a delicate balance socking lots of money into inventory that will just sit on the shelves. Not sure about your business model, but patience is typically not a US trait (which is why the Chinese do so well at maintaing "aging rooms"). Our society dictates turning them suckers over as quickly as we can to maximize profits.

Kudo's to you if you find the resources to do it!

Quite frankly - the best investment I've seen a cigar shop do is to create a getaway for the customers. The one I frequenly visit has oak paneling, overstuffed leather chairs and plenty of televisions. It is a classy place with plenty of fine cigars available (he's an authorized Davidoff and Fuente dealership). Getting customers in and making them happy builds loyalty, in my book...