Comments on: Stogie Commentary: What Will the Future Bring?

By: Stogie Commentary: My Top Five Cigar Wishes for 2010

Stogie Commentary: My Top Five Cigar Wishes for 2010 — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:29:35 +0000

[...] offerings. This can lead to over-extension, inconsistency, consumer confusion, and, as my colleague writes, “lots of just plain duds.” I’d respect any company that shows up to this summer’s IPCPR [...]

By: Stogie Commentary: New Cigars, New Plans

Stogie Commentary: New Cigars, New Plans — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:01:13 +0000

[...] Maybe that’s why so many of the new cigars don’t seem to last. Or maybe we’re just overloaded and the industry is overextended. [...]

By: Cigar Insider: Paul and Kevork Garmirian of PG Cigars

Cigar Insider: Paul and Kevork Garmirian of PG Cigars — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 07:22:02 +0000

[...] 1990—emphasizes excellence over higher income and accelerated growth, we were reminded of a July commentary written by George E. The article calls for the industry to address the vital underlying issues of [...]

By: Stogie News: Dozens of Cigars Debut at Vegas Trade Show

Stogie News: Dozens of Cigars Debut at Vegas Trade Show — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:28:25 +0000

[...] Association (IPCPR) Trade Show will feature numerous new and revamped cigars. And as George E noted yesterday, competition is fierce for the best tobacco with increased cigar imports, but that hasn’t slowed [...]

By: Skip Martin ~ Chief

Skip Martin ~ Chief — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:11:50 +0000

I completely agree with your assessment.

This came up last year in reference to Don Pepin making a new line for everyone under the sun.

I too will be looking for a through understanding from the manufacturers on how they plan to ensure consistency before I buy into them and introduce them to my customers.

That said….I find it very common, particularly with cigars that have supply issues, for customer's tastes to change. For example, customer is an avid A Fuente Don Carlos smoker. They are unavailable. They start smoking Camacho Diploma. After a few months, the Don Carlos are back on the shelf….the customer comments "these aren't as good as they used to be'.

In some cases it is true, but in other's the customer's taste has changed.

So…my point, consistency in supply is just as critical as consistency in the blend.

By: sam

sam — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:03:35 +0000

Great article George, hit the nail on the head in my opinion. I had a Padron last night that tasted completely different from the Padron I enjoyed so much just 10 days earlier. It's annoying, especially when you cherish your nightly cigar time and spend $5-8 per stick.

By: Marc E.

Marc E. — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:36:19 +0000

Jon N. I completely agree with you. In my opinion this is perhaps one of the reasons why brands like Padron are able to keep consistency and quality so high. They only have a handful of blends…my only gripe is that local tobaconists sell their sticks for an average of $18+ (the anniversary blends – not the regular Padron)

By: Jon N.

Jon N. — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:49:07 +0000

I couldn't agree more, and in many ways I can't help wondering if we aren't repeating the mistakes of the boom all over again. Only this time, rather than a ton of startups cropping up every other day, it's a ton of new blends being released every other day by the established manufacturers. I've talked before about (IMO) the decline of Rocky Patel as a consistent brand. I blame the inconsistency of today's RP sticks almost entirely on RP's need to constantly expand its lines. At the beginning of 2007 I could count on one hand the number of Rocky Patel blends available. Now, midway through 2008, there are far too many to count. And I definitely think that overall quality and consistency from blend to blend, and even from stick to stick, has suffered tremendously.

As WilsonX points out, these new blends are the work of marketing initiatives, and they make sense from a business standpoint: if it costs me nothing to release a new line, I might as well release a new line. But in the long run, I think this strategy will prove counterproductive. If quality suffers as a result of splitting everything into countless lines, then brand equity is going to suffer eventually.

There's a reason why you don't see 15 types of Dom Perignon on the market after all these years: customers are very satisfied with the two or three available, and DP ain't fixin' what's not broke.

By: WilsonX

WilsonX — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 08:36:14 +0000

You make some excellent points, George. I've always thought of this post-cigar boom era as the Golden Age of Cigars, but I've also been wanting brands to sacrafice new introductions for improvements in existing lines.

The only problem is such improvements aren't as sexy as completely new blends–especially when your competitors are turning out new products and heavy marketing. I just hope the industry isn't doomed to repeat the tragedy of the boom…