Is it time for a complete rethink on packaging.

[jman]

Boxes of 10 or 12 would be great! I'm just starting out with the habanos thing and I'm going broke because the prices are so high. 10 to 12 are a bit cheaper and will enable me to try more habanos. Habanos are no doubt the best tasting cigars on the planet, but their price points are starting to become out of touch. There is a whole new generation of cigar smokers out there hungry for great cigars, but will be priced out of habanos due to the high costs. Habanos SA needs to think about the new generation of smokers that are coming of age in the worst economic conditions in many years. Boxes of 12 are a great idea Prez! Cigars are amazing and I've been enjoying since my mid 20's. It's time for habano's to market towards a new gen of smokers, and not montee opens!!!

[SethLG]

It's a great idea, I think it is becoming more and more popular too. Padron's for example, the 1926 Serie are now made in 10 count boxes, just to give people the ability to buy a box as a gift or for themselves and not have to incur such a cost. I myself believe in 10 ct. boxes on certain Cubans that I don't smoke regularly like the Lusitania, Siglo VI, and others.

What's really great about it is, that even if you want to spend, let's say $200 + but don't want 25 of one cigar you can get 2 boxes of 10 now, or in your case, 2 boxes of 12.

Great for sampling, giving as a present, and getting a cigar you love but just do not have the space .

[khomeinist]

I am ok with a restricted roll-out on 10/12 ct boxes. As long as every robusto and corona gorda doesn't follow this path, it would be ok.

I actually prefer furthur expansion of the 50 cab concept. I would love to get Trinidad cigars in larger boxes. I realize that this is probably counter to prevailing market conditions.

I truly hope Padron is not the model for future HSA endeavors.

[PigFish]

I would like to analyze the idea with some objectivity. On a personal note I don't much care about the box! The best way would be to ribbon wrap and cello 10 cigars as a real cost cutting measure (JMHO). Cost is the key... not the box! Get the cigars into the general populations hands and start to revive the cigar from the ground up! Now I am preaching again!!!

How about some real life experience. How do the 10x boxes sell for you Rob? Are they asked for? It has been my experience that I have seen 10x boxes in the gray market often with lesser costs than the per stick costs of the 25x box. That was a winner for me but must be a loser for the producer.

We would need real numbers to analyze this, numbers H SA et al certainly would not provide a guy like me! What do I mean by this? I speculate that most expensive part of the cigar experience is the packaging. While I don't want to get into politics again, I would suggest that this may be especially true in Cuba. This is just speculation but here is the thought. All boxes are wood... ever break them up for the garbage? I have on many occasions. Even the dress boxes are plywood, nailed, then coated with the printed paper. All that, including the color printing costs money. There is likely more money in the printing and the box assembly, including materials than the Cubans pay for the cigars themselves. The size of the box, within the realm of the cigar box range is therefore not relevant and is close to a fixed cost. The cost of the finished box of 1 litre volume is likely not significantly more than the 1/2 litre box!

If anyone is following the speculation here then you would see that the actual profit for H SA et al, largely made on the cigars themselves, is lost in the production of the box which might require materials from another country. These would be hard currency acquired materials, which would require design, storage and credit to purchase.

I believe a retailer that sells singles (Rob) is the solution here and it is already available, courtesy of our host. I think that people who smoke a sizable amount of the same cigar should be rewarded by reducing the per cigar cost to that customer. Larger bundles of popular cigars should be produced and inexpensively packed. A retailer like Rob could then brake those larger parcels down and reduce the per stick cost of singles.

Everyone wins, except the box maker! - Yoda Piggy

...Oh, I forgot to mention. In his bunker on Planet Angry!!! -LOL

[Habanos2000]

I'm all for a smaller box size and don't see a difference between a 10 or 12 count. The first time I tried Party 898's is when a HQ box of 10 appeared. IMO, a better buy than just 10 singles as I kinda like the boxes they come in. While of course quality is #1, I wouldn't be interested in celo wrapped bundles just to shave a few cents off every stick.

[DTH56]

As a small volume customer, I would definitely love to split up my budget across several smaller boxes instead of blowing the budget on a full box. I look forward to it! Thanks Rob!

[Stalebread]

. . . On a personal note I don't much care about the box! The best way would be to ribbon wrap and cello 10 cigars . . .

But then, eventually, there would be no more cigar box guitars. Pity.

[Cambridge1]

I think 12 ct SLB boxes for longer Cubans is a great idea.

[ucla695]

I think you're on to something here El Pres. I'd definitely pull the trigger on a 12 count box as a trial run. I hope HSA is listening.

[Mel]

Given some of the stories I heard lately about changing bands on cigar after they were rolled I don't care if the skip the box and the bands.

I do not like the small box idea. I would buy ten or twelve singles if that is what I wanted other wise 25 is the minimum. I pitched a fit when they were sending customs out in bundles of 20. I just felt I was not getting enough gars.

[samb]

I like think 12 would be easier on the eyes than a flat 10 ct, but would still be cheap enough for the economical buyer.

[ColKurtz]

I'm going to go against the grain here.

I'd rather everything come in raw cedar boxes (or even cabs) of 25 a la PSD4. Love the presentation, and it just "feels" like you're getting something for your money. I usually don't let things sit long, so I don't know if it helps with aging. I do love the blast of wood aroma I get when I open these.

A little game the NC's have been playing is reducing the number of cigars in a box from 25 to 20. Price stayed pretty much the same and no one pitched a fit. I wonder if the avg. consumer even noticed?

If a small sample is desired, 3-5 packs are usually avail. in the popular brands. A ten box is just a tease for me: by the time I'm really digging it, it's gone.

Just my thoughts..

[sloth]

I truly hope Padron is not the model for future HSA endeavors.

Wouldn't that be a step up as they are already following Altadis's model?

[kafreeman]

I'm going to go against the grain here.

I'd rather everything come in raw cedar boxes (or even cabs) of 25 a la PSD4. Love the presentation, and it just "feels" like you're getting something for your money. I usually don't let things sit long, so I don't know if it helps with aging. I do love the blast of wood aroma I get when I open these.

A little game the NC's have been playing is reducing the number of cigars in a box from 25 to 20. Price stayed pretty much the same and no one pitched a fit. I wonder if the avg. consumer even noticed?

If a small sample is desired, 3-5 packs are usually avail. in the popular brands. A ten box is just a tease for me: by the time I'm really digging it, it's gone.

Just my thoughts..

US instituted a new tobacco tax in April 2009 increased the federal tax from .05 cents to .40 cents per stick.

Big difference? I didnt think so, unfortunately many took that as an opportunity to stiff the consumer, increasing prices, and going from 25 -> 20 per box.

Others DROPPED their prices like Perdomo, or left them the same, as in the case with Tatuaje and Illusione, and ate the tax.

[Cubanface]

I completely agree with you Senor Presidente. Usually a cigar I smoke is a gift I give to myself. It just makes it more pleasant to grab a cigar out of a cab after unwrapping the ribbon. I wish all cigars came in cabs really, but I think it would be a good start to put the longer ones in cabs. I think there is a slight difference to long term aging in cabs that the cigars would benefit from as well, as apposed to dress boxes.

[Chicago]

Great idea. I like variety and trying new smokes as well so two bundles of 12 is preferrable to one box of 25. Sweet.

[SethG]

Another vote for 12 ct's, think it's brilliant.

[habanohal]

If the price per cigar were exactly the same then good idea. But as of now, say looking at Siglo 6. You can byt a cab 0f 25 and for the same price only 2 boxes of 10 which leavs 5 missing for the same price

[ZinZan]

Brilliant idea prez!! Being a new cigar smoker I still havent sampled enough to know what i like. A box of 25 is quite an investment for me.

[CanuckSARTech]

I love 10- and 12-count boxes. I have a number of them, and I'm happy that many EL's come in them (usually, only in the smaller boxes). I think it leads one to try more variety, as space is sometimes an issue - I prefer to have 40 different 10- or 12-count boxes, than only 20 of the 25 count boxes.

[ChanceSchmerr]

10 and 12 Ct boxs would certainly help in getting permission from the Boss to buy more boxes, and I've had decent success with cigars that come in 10ct boxes, as far as taste and enjoyment go. Still, personally I love having a box of 25 over a 10, it just feels like I've got a supply that will last me a longer time, with a ten count, I'm more acutely aware of the fact that I only have a few left almost right from the get-go.

So I'm on the fence on this one..........great thoughts on the idea so far though!

[thechenman]

Honestly, I'm truly indifferent to this. 10, 12, 24, 25, 50...it really does not matter to me personally. I just purchase what I can afford, or what is within my cigar budget for the month. I do know that I prefer cabinets to dress boxes as I prefer my cigars in the round, but really that is just aesthetics. If Cuban cigars came in smaller count boxes, would I buy them? I think I would buy a few. I believe I do own a few, but the bulk of my purchases are 25ct and 50ct boxes/cabinets. As Piggy pointed out, I know the economics are there, I just don't really know how much money they would ultimately save, or more importantly how much of that savings, if any, would ultimately be passed down to the consumer.