Havana Cigar News

[Ryan]

Both these cigars will be presented at the opening night.

I hope they come with their own disposable ashtrays, because there won't be any others left within 30 minutes..

[buster]

Scoop

Partagás Serie D No 5 to be a part of the regular portfolio of the brand. To be announced at the Festival and presented as a new product.

Couldn't they just cut the damn thing in half from the head to the foot, stack the halves end to end, and bring back one of the Connies?" Yeesh!

Rick

[El Presidente]

Mareva = No 1 smoking Habanos size in the world.

Minuto-Half Corona is No 3 after Robusto.

From what I can see in terms of size they are giving what the punter is prepared to pay for. My understanding that the trend to Half Corona/Minuto is particularly strong in Europe.

Take away peoples places to enjoy a cigar and often (particularly in uncomfortable weather) a20 - 30 minute cigar is all there is time for.

[dicko]

Thanks everyone, this is a very informative thread. I'm trying to get my head around things here.

So there's seems to be a tend to huge ring gauge cigars (your 52, 54, 56's) in many releases but then at the other end of the spectrum there is a trend to your small format cigars, as Rob has shown in the sales.

So where is the middle ground?? Ok, so robustos maybe fit that area but what about 42-46 rg, 5, 6 inch cigars. They seem to be on the way out.

I surely hope "mini-nubs", as Colt describes, are not the answer.

khomeinist, your suggestion sounds fantastic, I love the idea, and would buy those cigars, but they don't seem to fit into the two trending size categories!

For disclosure, I smoked a PLPC today, and now a RASS. So there's Rob's (well worldwide) no 1 and no 2 selling sizes. I need to buy more corona cordas, lonsdales etc. My favourite size is like a 42-43 rg, 5-6 inches, yep, just like the custom Tampa (maybe just slighty shorter).

Why haven't I bought more? well being a newbie (less than 2 yrs) the easiest way to sample cigars is buying PC's and robustos, easily the most available and arguably cost effective given they are the most discounted in sales etc.

It's the chicken and the egg scenario, who leads the market? The consumer, or the suppliers?

Let's guess next years LE's... maybe a big, fat topedo. A double robusto. Maybe another nub belicoso. A churchill, lonsdale or long panatela? no chance.

[Benzopyrene]

Maybe Series E = like elegant or something of this nature...... possibly a renaming of the SDC line. Would be nice......No?

[mm12]

Bore your core market with a generally unimpressive, certainly overpriced product (EL). Lose any chance for a buzz prior to a mass-release.

I'm actually pretty hopeful about the D5 regular production. The Upmann Magnum 50 LE wasn't particularly well-received, but when they released the regular production, it caught on pretty well. Totally different blend, most reviewers liked it, etc.

Mareva = No 1 smoking Habanos size in the world.

Minuto-Half Corona is No 3 after Robusto.

Here's how I wish HSA would go about line-extension: Every marca gets a mareva, and a robusto. NO EXCEPTIONS. Variety boxes containing high-quality examples of all the different Marevas or Robustos would be marketed hard. This would be a good way to show the casual smoker that there's much more to Habanos than Monte4 and CORO. Inside the variety boxes, they could have a print out that says a bit out the history of each marca, a bit about the overall flavor profile, what you can expect to see when aging, etc.

Obviously, each of these cigars would all be available on their own in 10 and 25 ct. boxes.

[khomeinist]

Fair enough mm12. I was using hyperbole. I like a lot of what Upmann has done in recent years.

I get sensitive when it comes to the Partagas marca. It is (was) my favorite by some distance. I am still (relatively) crushed by many of the deletions from the past decade and generally dislike the expansion of the cryptic (SP/SD/whatever) nomenclature.

Partagas 'corona gorda' please. Sans cute name. I will buy 10-20 boxes HSA and will do my best to prod others to do the same.

[mm12]

I'm with you that Partagas is probably the one marca that going farthest in the wrong direction. The D4s and P1s and P2s are decent enough cigars, but I definitely prefer the blend they use(d) on their other cigars, especially the SdC. I just used the Upmann as an example of an EL being brought to regular production and turning out to be a totally different cigar. If they can get the blend right on this, I think I'd really like it. For me personally, it would be nice to have something other than a Short or a SdC no. 3 as a small format Partagas since I smoke so many of those.

At the very least though, I wish they would start rolling some the of most highly regarded REs into regular production rather than just picking a seemingly-random EL and going with it.

In a catalog of former limited production cigars that includes the likes of the Por Larannaga Magnifico, the Ramon Allones Belicoso, the Bolivar Especial no. 2, the Edmundo Dantes, the RA Pheonecios, the Bolivar Simones, the VR Maestros, etc. it's just a shame that they are so myopic regarding the marcas that new production cigars must come out of.

[cigcars]

Scoop

Partagás Serie D No 5 to be a part of the regular portfolio of the brand. To be announced at the Festival and presented as a new product.

Along with it, the introduction of another size. Partagás Serie E No 2 also to be launched at the Festival (I need to confirm the size)

Both these cigars will be presented at the opening night.

H.Upmann new vitola. Half corona. (ring gauge 44 by 90 mm long). Bloody great to see another half corona into the Habanos lineup. This will be presented on the Wednesday night of the festival.

Montecristo Gran Reserva to be launched at the Gala Dinner. Piramide format ala Montecristo Number 2.

*Is that Monte Gran Reserva going to be in the same category as the Monte No. 4 Reserva that nobody get or afford!? If that is the case, I'd love to be able to sample the Pyramide format. I'd hope they can be obtained as singles!