Why I stopped buying new cigars.

[craig]

Another ICPCR is approaching, and the press releases are coming out fast and furious. It seems that in the (legal) US market, a cigar maker/marketeer not only has to come out with new sizes for existing labels each year, but also new labels and some kind of small batch - and preferably all three combined, plus catalogue exclusives plus retailer exclusives, plus collectable cards.

Note that I am not blaming the makers (well, Beach Cigars can take some of the blame) - but somebody (else) is buying all these new cigars, and it is a self-perpetuating cycle - if smokers go into a B&M and are always looking for what is new, then there is going to be a lot of 'new' - and a lot of dead brand leftovers to be eventually blown out as a one-time catalogue special.

An automotive show that I used to watch called "Fifth Gear" had a segment called, "It's new, but is it any good?" where they looked at a couple of new cars. More often than not, one of the choices wasn't better than what was already out in the market; the new car was merely different.
I guess that is what people want. Myself, I'll stick to tried, tested, and true.

/end rant

[MoeCizlak]

I'm in the same boat. I guess I'm lucky in that I really enjoy the regular lines produced and therefore I don't go chasing the latest/greatest must haves. Heck, one of my favorite lines is the Tatuaje Brown label. I've lost count and interest in all the new lines from Pete, Viaje, Drew Estate et al. I know there is a huge segment of cigar smokers that truly love the chase and hunt of these new blends, and that's fine, whatever floats your boat. As long as LFD, Padron and Fuente keeps on making their regular lines I'll be happy.

[Mizicke5273]

Seems the market is starting to get flooded a bit too much. Sooooo many brands out there now and as mentioned they keeping coming out with new lines year after year. It's actually a turn off trying to keep straight all these new brands. I've started to tune out or ignore a lot of the newer stuff completely. (Same goes for video games and music for me......actually I think the industries have a lot in common in this regard. The video game industry has been royally pissing me off the last few years; to the point I've debated about totally ignoring it and only play my current favorites.) I don't have the time or resources to smoke or look into every new brand or line. All Pete's new stuff and the whole Viaje craze was completely ignored by me. And I refuse to play the 'chase' game. If I can't casually give my local a call (or it isn't listed on a reputable retailer's site in black in white), then that cigar isn't worth my time chasing.

Today's economic tactics seem to be to completely flood an industry to the point of ruin, purge anything about the industry that is a drain on profits or limits profits, and then make the industry all about profit.

[Sumatra Samurai]

I agree, and while it's obviously possible that some new blends are actually worth it, it just seems like so many brands just have way too many cigars. Rocky Patel has so many different cigars I just gave up trying their stuff altogether, not to mention they all taste the same, mediocre.

[craig]

So far, Rocky Patel is in the lead with five new labels (Burn, HR500, Private Cellar, Freedom, Nording 50th) and two line extensions (box press Vintage 2003 Cameron and Edge Habano Nicaragua).

[badwhale]

Hopefully, my silence in this thread indicates my support.

I just read through the latest CI, and boy, what a bunch of junk.

[craig]

Latest local sale: Padron 2000 - $249/box. Regular price is $270/box. 3000's are $325/box.

Boli Royal Coronas - $279/box
Party SD #4 - $320/box

Monte 4's - $235/box.

Now, ignore the tax-filled pricing for the moment. Just think, when the embargo is lifted, Monte 4's should cost you less than Padron 2000's, and Boli RC's/ Party SD #4 will be less than Padron 3000's.

A whole whack of over-priced marketing hype cigars should then promptly disappear (although not all).

I look forward to the day.

[AMGfan]

Craig...are we talking about the same Padrons 1000 series?

My regular online dealer are selling the Padron 2000 Maduro or Natural...box of 26 for $110.20 (and I can get a 15% discount on top of that as a frequent buyer). And he isn't even the lowest price dealer I can use...he just so happens to be local to me.

The 3000's are $124.90 for the Natural box of 26 and $118.95 for the Maduro box of 26...

But I do agree with you...I've realized now that I can't buy every new cigar. No space and not enough time...just go with what I like.

[craig]

Yes, but your local dealer can't sell you Havanas (legally). :-)

We don't fool around with taxes here in Canada. When we tax something 'sinful,' we tax the sh*t out of it!

(and I am just including federal taxes. Typically one can add somewhere around 60% to the prices I quoted for provincial tobacco sales tax.)

[AMGfan]

Yes, but your local dealer can't sell you Havanas (legally). :-)

We don't fool around with taxes here in Canada. When we tax something 'sinful,' we tax the sh*t out of it!

(and I am just including federal taxes. Typically one can add somewhere around 60% to the prices I quoted for provincial tobacco sales tax.)

My bad...didn't even realize you were hailing from Canada.

That is a hell of a sin tax!

[CptnBlues63]

My bad...didn't even realize you were hailing from Canada.

That is a hell of a sin tax!

They (the gov't) get us on alcohol and gasoline too. We pay probably (on average) about a dollar a gallon more than you guys down in the US. I haven't drank since like 1988 so I don't have a clue about the prices of booze here but I know it's definitely more expensive than in the US. Every time me and the wife head to the states to visit her family (she's from the US) we always get a lot of requests to bring back booze.

I know on average, we pay about 3 times as much for tobacco products as you do in the US. So if a cigar is $7 in the US, I'm paying around $20 for that same stick at my local B&M.

[craig]

Mr. Savona from CA blogs on a similar subject:

http://www.cigaraficionado.com/blogs/show/id/16623

Interesting comments from Jose Seijas as well -
"when I joined my old company we had one
blend and five different wrapper.
now the company has least 15 major ones."

[VancouverMark]

Here in BC, our "sin taxes" are out of control. A Padron 1964 Exclusivo retails for $45 per stick. A Padron 2000 is about $19.

Mark