The Stogie Guys

Here at StogieGuys.com we’re staunch supporters of local cigar shops. It’s through local tobacconists that most cigar smokers take the first step into the “Brotherhood of the Leaf.” Brick and mortar cigar shops (B&Ms) are the lifeblood of the cigar industry.

The good ones have their own personalities and a wonderful group of friendly regulars. But not every shop is great, and most have room to improve.

I’ve walked into enough cigar shops over the years to know that certain things frustrate me enough that they make me want to take my business elsewhere, sometimes never to return. If you’re lucky, here are five things you’ll never experience at your local shop (and if these sound far too familiar to you, it may be time to find a new place to buy your cigars):

Up Sell, Up Sell, Up Sell. I realize tobacconists exist to make money, but automatically steering every customer who comes off the street towards that $18 Davidoff or $30 Opus X isn’t just obnoxious, it’s short-sited. Occasionally, people really are looking for that once-in-a-decade, money-is-no-object smoke, but more likely they already have a price in mind, so why not just them what they want to spend and then start from there? If I say I’m looking to spend $5 and you give me a few suggestions including one that costs $7, that’s fine, understandable, and probably even helpful. But if you’re pushing $15-20 smokes and I feel embarrassed for only wanting to spend $3-4 on a cigar, then I won’t be back.

Stop BS’ing Me. Following cigars as closely as I do, I’ve developed a keen ear for cigar BS. Despite what you tell me, that house blend cigar you’re hawking certainly doesn’t taste just like a Cuban Cohiba, and just because it’s box-pressed and maduro doesn’t make it a dead-ringer for a Padrón Family Reserve 45. Further, just because you don’t carry a certain cigar doesn’t mean it isn’t made or has been discontinued. Maybe most people don’t catch on immediately to the fact that you’re full of it, but later on in the day when they google that cigar you told them isn’t made, they’ll realize you were fibbing just to make a sale. So here’s a simple rule: Know what you know, and admit if you’re not certain about something. Ultimately, that’s far better than a customer finding out later that he has been lied into spending his hard-earned dollars.

Keep it Clean. Dirty hygrometers, lots of cracked wrappers in the humidor, full ashtrays, overflowing garbage cans, and dusty cigar boxes are far too common in some shops. A messy B&M makes me think the employees don’t care about their shop or their product, which makes me wonder if I should either. As a cigar consumer, I’m investing, in part, in the fact that you’ve cared properly for the cigars I’m buying, so make sure it’s clear you value your merchandise. And while you’re sprucing up the place, is it too much to ask for wooden matches (as opposed to paper ones doused in lighter fluid) when I just dropped a 20-spot on three cigars?

Lazy or Hostile Service. While regular visitors to a cigar shop almost always get a warm welcome and full service, a better test of a good cigar shop is how its employees treat the new customer who walks in for the first time. Are strangers welcomed and offered assistance, or do they just get a quick “hey” before being ignored so the shop employee can go back to talking with the regulars? On the other side of the coin, there’s nothing worse than overbearing shop workers who treat you like a criminal. (I realize theft is a concern in many shops, but there are ways to deal with this that don’t involve shadowing a customer’s every move after they’ve just told you they’re just browsing.) You never know who might be your next regular customer, so treat every customer like they’re likely to return a few times every week.

Badmouthing Cigars. People have strong feelings about cigars. Despite this, why do some cigar shopkeepers feel the need to badmouth products they don’t carry? I don’t need you to tell me that “brand A” is overrated or “brand B” is overpriced. If I asked about a cigar it’s probably because I like it or heard good things. Bluntly telling me I’m wrong is insulting. Suggestions for alternatives are welcome, but talking down a cigar you don’t carry is unnecessary and rude.

While supporting good local cigar shops, particularly those who support our rights as cigar smokers, is the duty of cigar enthusiasts, we have no obligation to support shops with poor service. Not coincidentally, the shops that are most active fighting for cigar rights are rarely offenders when it comes to the above list.

Local cigar shops have plenty of competition from internet and mail-order shops. Still, I’m convinced that, even with lower volume and higher taxes, they can compete and even thrive when they focus on taking care of every customer and avoiding the pitfalls listed above.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Flickr

This started out to be about a cigar, but, like so many things involving the Internet, it evolved into something else altogether. What began as a simple search to get information on a cigar given to me about which I knew nothing led, instead, to a site I can only describe as a masterwork of cigar scholarship.

The website is called Zen & the Art of the Cigar. I had read reviews there numerous times, but failed to really explore the site. It was only after the incredible information that turned up as I was searching for the Gurkha European Selection Habano 2000 that I began to grasp what was there.

Interestingly, it has something in common with a Zen koan because, while I can describe it simply, that would utterly belie its complexity. What am I talking about? Well, you could say it‘s a list of all the Gurkha cigars, comprising, as I write this, 93 blends. But in reality there’s so much in addition to the basics. You’ll learn about wrappers, strength, vitolas and what’s an Internet exclusive. And more. Jamie Sprenkel is the man behind the site and the list, as well as others he has compiled and made available under the Manufacturer Spotlight link at the top of his site.

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[Editors’ Note: The following was written by Mark McGinty, author of The Cigar Maker. His work has appeared in Cigar City Magazine, Maybourne Magazine, and La Gaceta. You can contact him at mmcginty_32@yahoo.com.]

Angel Cuesta and Peregrino Rey, both in their thirties when they started the famous cigar company in 1896, were just a pair of entrepreneurs in a city with dozens of cigar factories. In fact, the Tampa Tribune thought so little of them that the newspaper didn’t even bother to check the spelling of their names and with little fanfare, announced that Cuesta Ray [sic] had formed in Ybor City, Florida, employing 100 workers. The paper would have never expected this pair of young Spaniards to create a revolutionary cigar company that would set industry standards for quality and marketing and become one of the most recognized brands in the world.

Cuesta and Rey’s idea of cigar company management included the novel ideas of international marketing, quality control, and worker incentives, ideas that are commonplace today but bordered on being radical during the 1890’s. But it was the unique talents of each man, and their ability to divide the responsibilities of management, that played a critical role in the success of Cuesta-Rey.

Cuesta was a promoter, Rey a production manager. While Cuesta created brand identification and customer loyalty though shrewd marketing schemes, Rey ensured the quality of the product matched the reputation touted in its advertisements. He imposed a rule that no shipment of incoming tobacco would be accepted until one of the partners had personally inspected it.

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Pitchers are often advised to “mix it up.” Without some variations in speed and movement, pitches will become virtually routine to even a mediocre major league hitter, no matter the velocity or break. I have much the same feelings toward smoking cigars.

A heavy-duty La Flor Dominicana Ligero is a different experience when you smoke it after a diet of CAO Golds and Ashton Classics than it is when it caps a week filled with sticks like Cain and El Cobre.

I was struck by this recently after purchasing a box of one of my favorites, Pete Johnson’s Havana VI torpedoes, the Aristas. They’re great cigars and I’ve liked each one I’ve smoked. But after cracking open the box and smoking them for a week or so straight, I felt something missing. I went to other cigars for a few days before selecting another of the Aristas. And, as you no doubt expect, I found that experience more enjoyable.

Now, I know there are cigar smokers out there who light up the same cigar time after time. Virtually any retailer can tell you about customers who come back regularly and pick up a box of, say, Montecristo or Davidoff Aniversario. If they’re out of stock, the smoker will grumble and refuse to try something else.

And I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that. After all, if there’s one golden rule of cigar smoking it’s that you should smoke what you like, whether it’s a Black & Mild or La Palina. My aim is just to put another possibility out there, a suggestion that I believe could enhance smoking enjoyment.

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You may have noticed that, over the last week, I’ve been somewhat missing in action. I have a good excuse (or, rather, excuses).

For one, aside from playing a little golf and saying goodbye to many great friends and coworkers, my wife and I recently packed up our apartment in Virginia, loaded up our belongings, and drove them to our new home in Chicago. On Friday we closed on our condo (our first home purchase). On Saturday and Sunday we unloaded and began the unpacking process. Today is my first day at my new job.

As exciting and wonderful as all these changes are, I’ve been incredibly busy. I look forward to getting settled in, establishing a new routine, and maybe even taking a few moments to celebrate some big milestones in my life—including my first wedding anniversary, which passed on May 15 with little time for fanfare.

I also look forward to enjoying a few nice cigars. (more…)

Maryland made news recently when a law went into effect that banned the direct sales of cigars, along with other non-cigarette tobacco products in the “other tobacco products” (OTP) category, by out-of-state retailers to the state’s residents. The law, which was introduced at the request of the state comptroller, passed in 2010 but took effect on May 1.

Only days later, Pennsylvania-based online and catalog retailers Holt’s and Cigars International reportedly sent emails to their Maryland customers criticizing the bill and asking them to contact the State Comptroller who pushed for its passage. Cigars International called the bill “anti-choice, anti-freedom, and anti-American.”

Cigars International also accused Maryland lawmakers of trying to protect cigar shops from out-of-state competition. Statements from Maryland officials deny such charges, but do say that banning shipments will help them collect OTP taxes.

Still, it’s true that the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) doesn’t oppose such legislation. Chris McCalla, legislative director for the group, says the group is “neutral” on the issue of shipping bans. Apparently, the brick and mortar cigar shops that make up most of the group’s membership were split on the issue in the past.

That some store owners think making out-of-state competition illegal would benefit them is no surprise. But the question isn’t if store owners can gain an advantage from interstate shipping bans, it’s whether such bills are good for cigar smokers and the industry. To get prospective, I asked some people in the industry for their thoughts on the issue.

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[Editors’ Note: The following was written by Mark McGinty, author of The Cigar Maker. His work has appeared in Cigar City Magazine, Maybourne Magazine, and La Gaceta. You can contact him at mmcginty_32@yahoo.com.]

Cuba’s one and only cigar company, known in the industry as Habanos, was created in 1994 to oversee the distribution of all Cuban cigar brands. Cohiba, Partagas, Montecristo, and H. Upmann all belong to Habanos. And due to strong brand names that are synonymous with Cuban cigars, Habanos did not suffer the same degree of economic setbacks that other industries faced during the recession of 2008. Cigar sales declined but remained a relatively affordable product that consumers continued to purchase. While the market for $25,000 watches or $200,000 automobiles fell considerably, folks still felt comfortable spending $20 on a stick, even if they were a bit stressed economically.

The biggest question facing the Cuban cigar industry is the future of the U.S. embargo. What happens if and when the embargo is lifted?

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