2017 harvest and ensuing questions of 'usage'

[99call]

Simple question. do you think A,B or C with happen?

A, La Gloria Cubana 2, SLR Serie A, SLRDC, Le Hoyo Series etc etc will get put back on the rolling tables

B, Every available single shred of tobacco will be turned into a 1000's of aimless 'special" series cigars

C, Habanos, will try and 'hold' tobacco to and try to work with the new American situation, of 250+ cigar tourists

Personally I would approve of both A and latterly C, but, not B. 

[Doctorossi]

I don't think A will happen because it's what I'd like to see happen and it appears to me an entirely rational outcome. These two factors virtually guarantee it will not be the way forward for Habanos SA. 

[99call]

43 minutes ago, Doctorossi said:

I don't think A will happen because it's what I'd like to see happen and it appears to me an entirely rational outcome. These two factors virtually guarantee it will not be the way forward for Habanos SA. 

To be honest if they keep hold of Upmann Royal Robusto's, RACA, and start to build a new catalogue or trustworthy cigars, I will shut my cakehole, but I doubt it. With the failure of the Anejados, I can't see them ageing too much tobacco. If they learned from their triumphs, i.e brought La Esception finos, Diplomatico Bushidos, Ramon Allones 898 into regular production in 343 boxes.  Yes they might not be 100% the same, but if they have 50% of the class they would be more worthwhile, than most offerings.

PS, as an up side, hats off the Vegueros, Quintero and RG Perlas starting to create better quality in the CC entry point. 

[NSXCIGAR]

I expect at least some of the limited production cigars will be put back in production. No reason not to. Or many will be cut. Either could happen.

I expect Cohiba production will be increased and quality improved.

I expect the quality of the special releases will increase, and possibly some quantity increase, but I believe HSA is inching ever closer to special production burnout. I would like to see more LCDH releases and have them stay in production with their typically reasonable prices, but quite honestly I get less and less excited for the ELs every year, particularly since prices for them have sharply risen in the last few years, and I'm pretty much ambivalent about 90% of the ERs that most of us can't easily or cheaply get.

I don't think there is any USA situation to anticipate. Tourism is waning after a year or so and now some travel restrictions have been tightened by Trump. There's no end in sight to the Embargo for many years. I don't believe Cuba can produce any more tobacco without increasing farmer pay and/or raising prices, so that's probably how they're going to deal with any US situation initially. No sense in holding anything back that they could sell now. IMO, this harvest didn't give them so much a tremendous surplus as it gave them an opportunity to get caught up and increase quality across the board. 

[Doctorossi]

9 minutes ago, 99call said:

If they learned from their triumphs, i.e brought La Esception finos, Diplomatico Bushidos, Ramon Allones 898 into regular production in 343 boxes.

Yes... please!

Watching their moves over the last decade, forgive me if I refrain from holding my breath.

[99call]

I hope if there is more culling if, just happens to R&J,  but NOT the cazzies

 

[Doctorossi]

32 minutes ago, 99call said:

I hope if there is more culling if, just happens to R&J,  but NOT the cazzies

I'm ready for a year without culling (ha!), but if they're gonna keep doing it (and they're gonna), they could do a lot worse than to thin out the 5 (!!) PCs in that marca.

I'm going to refer back to my first post in this thread: if there's any comprehensible logic in the culling selections, it's too obscure for my brain.

[99call]

8 minutes ago, Doctorossi said:

I'm ready for a year without culling (ha!), but if they're gonna keep doing it (and they're gonna), they could do a lot worse than to thin out the 5 (!!) PCs in that marca.

I'm going to refer back to my first post in this thread: if there's any comprehensible logic in the culling selections, it's too obscure for my brain.

Yep, 5 pc style vitolas in an R&J is pretty unnecessary, that said, I have had a few vintage Petit Corona's and they used to be fabulous cigars. 4 in the bin shouldn't hurt anyone

[Doctorossi]

2 minutes ago, 99call said:

Yep, 5 pc style vitolas in an R&J is pretty unnecessary, that said, I have had a few vintage Petit Corona's and they used to be fabulous cigars. 4 in the bin shouldn't hurt anyone

I still can't believe they killed the regular corona. That cigar was a midday drift boat to a sweet-tooth's paradise.

[Colt45]

I'd have to go off the board. Some years ago I easily came to the realization that the Cuban cigar industry ceased to be a cigar company, per se, as much as a lifestyle purveyor. They owe me nothing, I owe them nothing. No harm, no foul. There will be a day when Cuban independents produce cigars....

With regard to cigar tourists - I'm not sure how U.S. tourists come into play. Cigar tourism has been a fixture for a long time.

 

[Doctorossi]

5 minutes ago, Colt45 said:

Some years ago I easily came to the realization that the Cuban cigar industry ceased to be a cigar company, per se, as much as a lifestyle purveyor.

I'm cool with lifestyle purveyors- they just need to purvey the right lifestyle. A lifestyle that involves more regular-production skinnies, please.

[99call]

18 minutes ago, Colt45 said:

I'd have to go off the board. Some years ago I easily came to the realization that the Cuban cigar industry ceased to be a cigar company, per se, as much as a lifestyle purveyor. They owe me nothing, I owe them nothing. No harm, no foul. There will be a day when Cuban independents produce cigars....

With regard to cigar tourists - I'm not sure how U.S. tourists come into play. Cigar tourism has been a fixture for a long time.

 

I agree with the sentiment that they owe me nothing, in terms of what direction they take etc.  My only position as a customer/enthusiast is being either happy to be seeing them be great, or sadness in them underperforming. 

Hmmm surely and fresh influx of additional tourists being able to take relatively large qualities of cigars out of Cuba, has to have an effect? I've not kept up with the Trump changes, if it's all shut down again.

[Optic101]

Thinking Positive A A A

[Blakes]

I've had some great boxes of the RyJ PC.. I would be sad to see this cut.

Look what they just did to Upmann, another marca with a few PC vitolas (or there abouts) They went and cut the best one!!!

[Winchester21]

Wish for A. Expect C

[mkz]

6 hours ago, Blakes said:

I've had some great boxes of the RyJ PC.. I would be sad to see this cut.

Look what they just did to Upmann, another marca with a few PC vitolas (or there abouts) They went and cut the best one!!!

Well they done it before: Punch PC and RS12 

[Smallclub]

On 08/01/2017 at 11:13 PM, 99call said:

Yep, 5 pc style vitolas in an R&J is pretty unnecessary, that said, I have had a few vintage Petit Corona's and they used to be fabulous cigars. 4 in the bin shouldn't hurt anyone

I guarantee you that the Petit corona will be the first to be discontinued.  You simply omit the fact that the Mille Fleur, the No.2 A/T, the Cedro de Luxe No.2, the Coronitas en Cedro, sell MORE than the petit corona.