Plain packaging hits Duty Free stores in Canadian airports.

[Puros Y Vino]

Someone posted this on Discord cigar channel I'm on.  What a sad sight.  Surely they could have spared visitors this green monotony and left the regular branding on?  Is this the case in UK and Australia too?

As for "duty free" pricing.  A 25ct of Siglo II are $860CAD.  Shopkeeper said import duties are applied, only GST and PST taxes (around 13% combined, depending on Province, are not applied).  🙄

[jonahs_whale]

Oof this is horrible. I don't understand this new legislation

[Kaptain Karl]

Stupidity run amok! 

[Chibearsv]

Imaging how many underage premium-cigar smoking kids this is stopping.  You guys are not seeing the big picture. 😁

[Cigar Surgeon]

1 minute ago, Chibearsv said:

Imaging how many underage premium-cigar smoking kids this is stopping.  You guys are not seeing the big picture. 😁

The problem is I can never tell if the law makers know better and they're just using is as a wedge issue to enact de facto bans, or they're really that ignorant.

50/50. 

[jakebarnes]

1 minute ago, Cigar Surgeon said:

The problem is I can never tell if the law makers know better and they're just using is as a wedge issue to enact de facto bans, or they're really that ignorant.

50/50. 

In most of my experience when I do Hill work, it's the latter. There are very few that have deep subject matter knowledge on the things voted on. That's not to say that some aren't really, really good in their certain lanes, but no one is a jack of all trades--and no one wants to admit that they are not.

[Chibearsv]

1 minute ago, Cigar Surgeon said:

The problem is I can never tell if the law makers know better and they're just using is as a wedge issue to enact de facto bans, or they're really that ignorant.

50/50. 

I tend to lean toward thinking ignorance in that equation.  That could be a terrible mis-calculation on my part though. 

[Sup3r6]

1 hour ago, Puros Y Vino said:

 ..Is this the case in UK and Australia too?

Not in the UK. Yet. 🤞

[riderpride]

For all that effort to hide the tobacco   they sure made it more like a chocolate shop.

[Islandboy]

1 hour ago, riderpride said:

For all that effort to hide the tobacco   they sure made it more like a chocolate shop.

I can only imagine the professional consulting costs just to pick out that color, followed by the committee meetings and debates to approve it.

[LordAnubis]

They are doing their bit to limit sales to help Cuba with the shortage.

[havanaclub]

This is so sad and terrible. I am Canadian and I will never buy a this crap. So essentially, the Canadian government is winning on this front, at least with me. ..Trying to ban smoking is likely what they want to achieve.


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[karp]

Agreed - this is a major disincentive to buying cigars in Canada. Wedge issue or ignorance, it's still kind of surprising the government is willing to pass up on the hefty taxes they will lose when they drive B&M into bankruptcy. 

[LLC]

Brutal. 

[Ford2112]

Hideous. Why???

[Edicion]

They are doing us all a favor by camouflaging the boxes so that it is easier to smuggle them in at home and hiding them.

[havanaclub]

Hideous. Why???

Bc our wonderful government thought the nice red and gold band with a brown cedar box would entice a kid to buy a 35 dollar D4.


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[Bijan]

18 hours ago, Puros Y Vino said:

As for "duty free" pricing.  A 25ct of Siglo II are $860CAD.  Shopkeeper said import duties are applied, only GST and PST taxes (around 13% combined, depending on Province, are not applied).  🙄

That price probably means that provincial tobacco taxes are not applied either, and only the federal tax of about 90% is applied.

So similar to the pricing at native run stores. Otherwise Siglo II should be closer to $1,300 at Canadian retail.

[helix]

About $300  taxes per $100 of value.

[DixeyJ]

This is very sad to see - hey at least they have stock! Joking aside thank goodness this isn't in the UK yet (but I think maybe in Ireland?). Although the beautiful box artwork and bands remains untouched we are still taxed to high heaven, and I think this is just another way to try and phase it out. If they keep these increases up it wont matter how they look as I wont be able to afford to buy them - apart machine made cigarillos there are no single sticks below £10 (off the top of my head). I rely on bringing everything back from the EU at the moment where it is at least half the cost  

[jonahs_whale]

So how does this actually work at the end of the day? I walk into store. I can't see a damn thing on the shelves. How am I supposed to buy? Do i just ask for something specifically and then an employee has to open a box or something? Or maybe this is more like a kinder egg of cigars?

[Stevieboy]

I can only imagine the professional consulting costs just to pick out that color, followed by the committee meetings and debates to approve it.

And all the long lunches.... And drinks in the bar afterwards.... Probably even whilst smoking a cigarette!!

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[Bijan]

1 hour ago, jonahs_whale said:

I can't see a damn thing on the shelves. How am I supposed to buy?

They're labeled with the Marca and vitola in white text in the same standard font. (Partagas series D no. 4 or whatever).

You might be able to look at the cigars if you found a really helpful employee.

[yadegari6]

Awful plain packaging at Montreal duty free. No CC to be found 

[zappaFREAK]

Great timing on this post! I am currently on vacation in Nova Scotia and generally bring my FOH cigars with me, unfortunately I miscalculated and had to buy some here.  Found it quite amusing that the wrapper is actually just hiding the label! The selection leaves a lot to be desired as they only had Monte 4s and a few R&J sizes.