If you were Habanos SA what would you discontinue?

[Lotusguy]

LEs

REs

that's two, right?

[coug28]

Good idea. Kill the entire EL program. Along with Cohiba Maduros.

[cigcars]

Well, you Trinidad lovers won't like my assessment; when it was first intro'd in 1993(?) with that gold colored band with black wording and as the Fundadores, that was when it was an enjoyable brand. I've gotten and tried the Reyes (yawn). And yes, the Cohiba maduros and Magicos...it would be a little hard to not believe that wrapper was really a Mexican San Andreas tobacco leaf. But I truly love the flavor of ALL the Cuabas! True, the shapes are a little awkward but they never fail in flavor and true Havana satisfaction for me. Alas...the La Escepcion Italian RE was really a disappointment. They can "can" that release too. Also, I don't hate the Montecristo Opens or the Guantanameras! Oh well, my 2 cents

[poorman]

LEs

REs

Agreed.

Ok keep doing the Canada RE's.

Rather than have RE & LE, specifically LE, they should start accumulating aged product a la Padron.

Then make a regular production aged product.

[jedipastor]

Monte Opens

Most R&Js (keep the churchill range, Caz, cedros, MF)

Guantanamera

I'd also scale back the RE program by at least half

[mk05]

You are...smoking an aged product...and with all that "aging" Padrons go through, they still taste like burning newspaper. The pre-serial Anni? Even worse.

[polarbear]

Good idea. Kill the entire EL program. Along with Cohiba Maduros.

I dont know...

The LE program gave us the Sublime, Grand Edmundo, 520, 1966 and the Duke.

I'd rather they be regular production than Limited but at the very least they've had their share of hits with the LE program

[cigarros]

I'd prefer to kill off two vitolas from MC Open line: Eagle and Master. Regata yet not bad

And a big portion of RyJ

[David67]

How about the entire RyJ Line

Well if the RyJ Churchill I had last night is anything to go by than yes. However there would be one or to that could stay.

[canadianbeaver]

Agreed. I'm ok with a plain brown box, hint hint.

Sacrilege

I really was kidding!!

If I had to suggest any it would be the more obscure Hoyos and RyJ's, as these are more for collectors. We can stock up. Save the LGC's please!!

[Justmi]

I think half the enjoyment is searching through the various brands and vitolas of the good, bad and ugly. If there were no bad cigars, the good wouldn't be so good! If they cut Monte Opens, where would they stick all that tobacco? Stuff them into PLPCs!?! If I was Habanos, I wouldn't cut, I would slow down and invest more into their weaker brands and vitolas. Instead of cutting Monte Opens, they could reinvent the concept of a cigar for the golf course into a line of quality short cigars more in line with the classic Monte flavours.

[beamer]

I'd ditch the Cohiba Maduros. But I suspect they're a rather popular cigar.

[IcedCanuck]

I would ditch the majority of the R&J line, get rid of Cuaba all together, and axe the Cohiba Maduro line.

[Cohiba Stevie]

The Siglo series with the exception of the # VI.

The Edmundo.

Surely that's a misprint?!!!!

[ksblazer]

glass top cohiba esplendidos

[bassman]

Monte Open & Cohiba Maduros. Please don't cut my RyJ EX#3s!

[riazp]

I would not cut, I'd do a trade...I'd trade cuaba for Diplomaticos....Bring back dips in a churchill, petit corona, minutos and corona gorda. All would be well with the world.

[Phillys]

Surely that's a misprint?!!!!

I was thinking exactly the same thing, don't touch those ones!

[1LegLance]

Well of course to make any sort of intelligent comment I would need to know the sales figures for each vitola over the last say 5 yrs...that would be some killer info to know

But since I don't have access to those numbers I can only go off my gut....and I have to admit I tend to go away from the popular choices most often.

Just to give you an idea of what I enjoy...anything Saint Luis Rey, Sancho Panza, Ramon Allones, Rafeal Gonzales, much of the Bolivar line and a few other sticks. To me the low production numbers often seem to result in better overall cigars.

When I am looking for something interesting and searching out the cigar list I notice some marcas have far too many cigars in the same vitolas. So I would do some culling of Romeo, Punch, Hoyo.

Then I would realize that this is about profit not the enjoyment the top percent of smokers. So I would not only continue the LE/RE concept but would add the HE line....Historic Edicion

These would be single year production that bring back famous vitolas....Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and such,

Then I would bring out the TE...Torcedor Edicion.

These would be single year/batch cigars blended/rolled by some of the famous rollers, get some money out of the names out there. Of course this goes against the communist ideal of all working for all. But we can admit that Habanos SA has moved into modern marketing times since 2000

So with some select cuts of low selling, low awareness vitolas, and an expansion of the high profile hard to get stuff Habanos should stay happy for the next 5 yr cycle.

[JohnnyNorth]

How about the entire RyJ Line

Amen to that.

[Smallclub]

Surely that's a misprint?!!!!

No misprint. The Edmundo is a travesty of the Montecristo blend, it's a hot tube that's not even correctly rolled. And I find the Siglos vulgar and lacking character.

[celtmick1984]

Machine made anything.

Then discontinue discontinuing

I tend to think that this would have a perverse effect on the quality of the handmade cigars. Were Habanos SA to not sell that tobacco to be used in cheap smokes, it would find its way into "quality" cigars.

[celtmick1984]

Montecristo: Monte Opens. Big mistake.

Cuaba: The whole line. Not terrible, but very uninspiring.

Romeo YJulieta: A good portion of the RyJ Line. Do justice to the original Churchill, keep the Short and Wide. Keep the Cazzies. Everything else? It could go. Maybe make the Dukes a regular production with the same blend as the LE.

Cohiba: Panatellas & Exquisitos (why bother?) Ditch the whole Maduro line. It was a nice try. If axing Cuaba, produce a really nice Cohiba perfecto. Give the flagship marca a quintessential vitola. Somewhat along the size of the Distinguido with a more dramatic tapered head.

Elect Frank! I

think the EL program should be scrapped insofar as it stakes a claim to be any particular marca. Sell them under the Habanos brand, see http://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/brand.aspx?brand=Habanos, or as a "diplomatic" line, and make them regularly, albeit limited/high-end production. And then add a connoisseur's edition or vintage edition, reintroducing in short runs, with numbered boxes, etc., discontinued vitolas using the old blends, but giving them even more age. This would serve Habanos interest in making money while making connoisseur's (more) happy. Just a thought.

[khomeinist]

Siglo III and IV vulgar? Ha. C'mon Frank. You need to reel in your fishing line....

I would cut all Monte except for ESP 1 & 2.

I would cut the Wide, Short, Bell-end Churchill nonsense.

I would cut the Dip 2.

I would cut the Partagas SP2 and E2.

I would cut the EL program.

I would cut Cohiba Maduro.

I would cut BHK.

I would cut most of the Hoyo and Upmann lines.

I would divert all tobacco to resurrecting my favorites (SDC, GdE, Raph Lons, BCE, etc)

I would get fired.....

Rightly so

[CaptainQuintero]

Cut Cohiba, put RyJ back as the premier line:

RyJ BHK 52

RyJ BHK churchill

ERDM full catalogue back, ditch Trinidad to pay for it

QDO full catalogue back plus new vitolas, ditch Juan Lopez and SLR to pay for it

Expand the Open line, market it to the people who love double bands and cohiba