Gamechanger Releases

[earthson]

22 hours ago, TheGipper said:

I think everything we call "game changer" follows on from Altadis buying a 50% stake in Habanos in 2000.  It seems they brought a lot of free-market oriented thinking about marketing that previously did not exist in HSA.  The rumor / urban legend of Castro asking his cigar industry leaders why they don't just consolidate the entire industry into a single brand of cigars represented that old thinking, pre-Altadis.  Altadis also brought a pretty big infusion of cash ($500m).

It's no coincidence that the Edicion Limitada program ramped up after 2000.  And that many new sizes were introduced after that point in time.  And unfortunately, the discontinuations also ramped up. 

I know the tiny segment of us extreme Habanophiles that are represented by us on this board don't like the discontinuations and emphasis on higher-margin products.  But even we have to admit from HSA's point of view, redirecting quality tobacco away from low margin, low sales products into higher margin, higher demand products is good business management.

I wonder often how far they'll take it and what the end result will be.  A portfolio only for the well-heeled/special occasions only?  Or do they keep some of the cheap skinnies for people like me who maintain a cooler and 3 desktops?

Under the metrics Rob listed, I agree the Cohiba Gran Reserva set the pricing standard while the Siglo 6 set the fat boy standard.  As good as the Trinidad Vigias and Siglo 6 are, I hate feeling like Linda Lovelace when I want to relax, so I stick to the skinnies and enjoy them while they're still available.

My fear is HSA continues to axe the affordable PC and panetela-esque sticks I prefer until the majority of the catalog is an endless parade of RE and other cigars that have a lower price/quality ratio.  My guess is that if trends continue, it will eventually negatively affect the amount of consumers they serve.  Irrespective of the bulging RG phenomenon, higher prices will lose, not win new customers while lower-priced selections can continue to introduce customers that may also eventually buy the triple-banded HTFs.

Now where's my Por Larrañaga Maravillas or Tacos?  I'll eat my words if I ever see anything like that available.  My credit card will weep!

[Derboesekoenig]

48 minutes ago, PigFish said:

The most dramatic change for Cuban cigar is not in what they started making, not really from a connoisseur position, but what they stopped making!

I too have to go with the Siglo 6. One of these days I will sell my original release for a new Porsche! -LOL

I actually think that Cohiba (I think they called them Reservas as well) that combination box, was a catalyst. The Siglo 6 set in motion the "fat boy" craze with CC smokers, and that mixed box of Cohibas really started the price jacking. As I recall in '02 these were about $700 USD.

I don't see the Upmann HC as impactful, it just was a substitute for TPCs and the like but do feel that the short robusto was also impactful. While being relatively large ring for me, I think those cigars are for the most part very nice cigars and they are worth buying and smoking.

-the Pig

I've only had a single Siglo VI, but it was one of the cigars that got me into smoking Habanos. That, the PSD4, and the BBF as well. It was 2016, and I've yet to try another one. Hopefully I can alleviate that soon, would love to try one again because back then, I didn't know much about proper storage, and I'm pretty sure the experience would've been 10x better if I had. And maybe if I had been a bit more sober. Nevertheless, the price and scarcity of good quality Cohiba has offset me to other marcas. That being said, it's hard to beat PSP-quality El Laguito Cohiba. Very distinctive to me anyway.

I've not been in the game long enough to properly opine on the subject, but I like many on this board, have a fondness towards the skinnies. My first LGC MD4 blew my mind. What a fantastic cigar. I will be extremely disappointed in HSA if they ever decide to get rid of them.

They had the right idea with the EL and ER program. People go apeshit over some of them, and prices skyrocket with the popular ones, or even just the ones that have low production numbers. They'll sit on 300 boxes for a couple years and slowly offload them. 

[RijkdeGooier]

On 1/17/2019 at 8:41 PM, El Presidente said:

Ken and I had a brief discussion on this at our video review Monday. 

From 2000 to current. 

Two questions. You can answer one or both. 

1. Which cigar or cigar release do you think had the most impact in moving/changing the global Habanos market?

2. Which were the LE and Regional Releases that broke the pricing mould (ie set a new pricing standard). 

 

1. HUHC

2. The Cohiba Seleccion Reserva 2003 was at the time a very expensive box

[Lotusguy]

I’d pick the RyJ Wide Churchill for popularizing that horrible Montesco Vitola as one of the game changers.

[Stump89]

55 minutes ago, Lotusguy said:

I’d pick the RyJ Wide Churchill for popularizing that horrible Montesco Vitola as one of the game changers.

I absolutely hate the montesco vitola.

[cookj1]

2 hours ago, Stump89 said:

I absolutely hate the montesco vitola.

With the two exceptions of the LE (Hoyo Grand Epi) and the Reserva (RyJ Wide Churchill), the rest of the Montescos have been Regionals starting in 2015, just less than four years ago.

Has that really been a game changer on 12 releases, including the regular production Wide Churchill?  No doubt it’s a worrying trend in the last 3+ years.

[avaldes]

Cohiba Reservas were $400 on release. I remember because I balked at the price but one of my friends advised me to go for it. 

[zeedubbya]

The most dramatic change to Habanos has to be in the EL and later the RE program.  In my opinion, a lot of great cigars were discontinued to make room for an EL program and then an RE program.  Just go to CCW and look at the list of discontinued in 2002/2003 and then in 2006-2010.  Would we still have Punch Ninfas, RG Lonsdales, Partagas SDC, Bolivar Coronas Extra, Upmann Super Coronas, ERDM and LGC Tainos if it wasn’t for the EL and RE program?  Who knows, just seems a bit too coincidental?  Maybe they needed all that tobacco to roll Siglo 6s?  

The most obvious EL that changed pricing is the Talisman.  And it makes sense from a marketing perspective.  What do they cost wholesale from Havana to distribution?  $25-$30 USD a stick?  I would say that’s likely double the price of ANY cigar we’ve seen before.  Even BHK were likely 1/2 that when it debuted.  The Talisman craze is just plain pricing madness. 

[rascalmonkey]

whatever it was that they did ca. 2006-08 so you could smoke stuff less than a year old, and even ROTT

instead of aging for 2-3 years...  

implication: if you found something good, you knew right away and could confidently pack the cooler with it

[Andy04]

On 1/18/2019 at 3:41 AM, El Presidente said:

1. Which cigar or cigar release do you think had the most impact in moving/changing the global Habanos market?

2. Which were the LE and Regional Releases that broke the pricing mould (ie set a new pricing standard). 

 

1. Monte Open Eagle

2. Cuaba LE 2008

?