Cigar "Hits and Misses" 2024.

[El Presidente]

From your perspective : Cigar "Hits and Misses" 2024? 

 

Cigars, Cigar media, Cigar releases, Industry trends, NC and CC....whatever. 

 

Your "hits and misses" 2024 

[sbsbsb1]

I'm gonna go on record now as saying 23/24 BRC's and SC Fuerza's were some of the best I've had.  

[JohnS]

I think that Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for cigar bibs was a hit and miss all wrapped in one! 😂

[Li Bai]

I don't smoke as much as I did but I haven't had a bad '24 CC, not a single one.

I also discovered Nudies this year and what a blessing it has been considering how low the CC supplies are here in France 😑

On the other hand I am deeply uncomfortable with where HSA is heading in terms of marketing, image and pricing of course. If they didn't have the best tobacco in the World I would turn my back on them without a second thought, but unfortunately they do...

[Ford2112]

Hits - Robusto Trinity Fabrica 5 are really outstanding 

Misses - that Jasim guy

[MagicalBikeRide]

A big hit or miss story of 2024 - did @X-Man eventually snare a cab of the SP El Ray…?

[westg]

On 12/19/2024 at 7:28 AM, JohnS said:

I think that Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for cigar bibs was a hit and miss all wrapped in one! 😂

That have it all wrong with the name. Cigar Blankie things may of been different.  

[El Presidente]

Hits:

2023/24 CC consistency. Achieving that level of QC given the struggles Cuba has had during this period...is impressive. I wouldn't have thought it was possible. 

CORO/D4/RASS/BRC. Well done. 

Oliva. I may not like many of their cigars, but I have watched Fred and team at close hand internationally. This is one company that "gets it" and is well placed for global success where the majority of others (NC companies) try to thrust US marketing on a global market that thinks differently. 

Habanos S.A. / Hunters and Frankau Trinidad Relaunch London. I thought it had every chance of being flop. It wasn't. Their aim was to bring in a new Trinidad consumer and as a first step they succeeded beyond what I thought possible. 

Lounge Lizard Cigar and Lifestyle Podcast. What a breath of fresh air to the cigar community. 

 

Misses. 

Habanos S.A. pricing conundrum. I estimate 50% of their portfolio is now struggling to move internationally. 2025 is going to be a clutch year. Do they plough on or pivot intelligently? I have no idea. 

 

Cigar Influencers

[benfica_77]

Miss of 2024 and of the century regarding cigars...Kirby Allison.

Hit - the NC market...they showed that if given the opportunity can compete with CCs most of the time. 

[Lamboinee]

19 hours ago, benfica_77 said:

Hit - the NC market..

Counterpoint: Miss - the numerous NC releases that jumped on the "$50-100/stick" bandwagon. 

[BrightonCorgi]

The miss was the race to self-extinction of Habanos. They overestimated consumer/vendor loyalty at any cost.

The hit was the Fabrica Piramides.  

[LizardGizmo]

Hits: 

• Cuban cigar community making lemonade out of Habanos' pricing strategy lemon and finding New World cigars that are significantly less expensive and are delivering amazing flavor and value.
• Fabrica 5's strong release year - four cigars have entered my regular rotation: Trinity Robusto, Ninfa, Fat Fundy and BR Petit 109.
• New regular production Cuban cigars - e.g. Bolívar NGM, Ramón No. 3, Hoyo Epi No. 3 - Is less ligero making them more ready to smoke young?
• FOH Community - an internet respite in a muddy, noisy world.

Misses:

• Habanos S.A. for many reasons stated in other comments
• $75+ Cigar Trend
• The cigars keep getting bigger - 55rg+ is lunacy

[El Hoze]

I don’t have any misses as the only “new” cigars I have tried this year are Fab 5 which have all been great. I would call out the Queen Corona and, above all, the BR Petit 109.  I have smoked probably a dozen 109s so far. To say those cigars are a hit is an understatement. A remarkably good cigar at any price point, at the actual price point they’re astoundingly good. 

[wjs]

My hits/misses are more personal as I don't have the depth/experience to speak intelligently to larger issues.

Hits: more thoughtful in my purchases, I no longer feel like I have to try/chase everything. Between work, commute and kids - I don't smoke as often as I'd like so my purchasing is starting to match. I've grown more comfortable in my ability to identify and trust what I like. 2025 will be more Fabrica5 driven as maybe half of my top 10 smokes this year were no bands, no bullshit.

Misses: broken record but the prices on everything, CC's specifically. I wish there were more samplers - a DC sampler perhaps? - but I'd kill to try a Lusi or a Hoyo DC but the prices are a bridge too far (I know there are vendors that sell singles). 

[chasy]

3 hours ago, wjs said:

My hits/misses are more personal as I don't have the depth/experience to speak intelligently to larger issues

Hits: more thoughtful in my purchases, I no longer feel like I have to try/chase everything. Between work, commute and kids - I don't smoke as often as I'd like so my purchasing is starting to match. I've grown more comfortable in my ability to identify and trust what I like. 2025 will be more Fabrica5 driven as maybe half of my top 10 smokes this year were no bands, no bullshit.

Misses: broken record but the prices on everything, CC's specifically. I wish there were more samplers - a DC sampler perhaps? - but I'd kill to try a Lusi or a Hoyo DC but the prices are a bridge too far (I know there are vendors that sell singles). 

Agreed that it would be nice to be able to dip a toe into the harder to get, more expensive cigars via a partial purchase. I know that Pres and the team try to accommodate when possible. The 10 boxes of Lusis are a good move in my opinion, but not frequently available. I dream about a DC sampler with 5 each of the Lusis, Hoyos, Winnies, Gigantes and Punch DCs. 

[wjs]

1 hour ago, chasy said:

Agreed that it would be nice to be able to dip a toe into the harder to get, more expensive cigars via a partial purchase. I know that Pres and the team try to accommodate when possible. The 10 boxes of Lusi's are a good move in my opinion, but not frequently available. I dream about a DC sampler with 5 each of the Lusi's, Hoyo's, Winnie's, Gigantes and Punch DCs. 

I'd be thrilled with 1x/ea - that's a dream lineup for me.

[Cigarsmoker81]

Hits: Anything Double Coronas, Partagas Aliados.

Misses: Trinidad pricing (I know not 2024 but I’m still holding a grudge).

[Redgoldband]

Hits: My entry into the CC world via this beloved forum. 

Misses: The new world stock I'd accumulated prior to Spring 2024 that I now look at contemptuously and wonder if they should be given away to make room for more CCs. 

[Ford2112]

41 minutes ago, Redgoldband said:

wonder if they should be given away to make room for more CCs. 

Sure! 

[TomsRibs210]

Hits: I discovered CC’s and FOH this year!
FOH Deep Dives. 
Lounge Lizards podcast
Partagas D4’s

Miss: Buying fake Cubans from a trusted friend led me here! 

[BostonRich]

On 12/20/2024 at 2:08 AM, Lamboinee said:

Counterpoint: Miss - the numerous NC releases that jumped on the "$50-100/stick" bandwagon. 

Yes but did they have some sort of celebrity attached to the cigar? This makes the tobacco taste better. (Ha!)

[Goldeneye]

Hits

- finding some NC alternatives - AF Hemingway, Nudies, and a trip to the USA to replenish my supply of very enjoyable cigars.

Misses

- dwindling supply of CC with not many options to replenish. Will probably never be going back to Cuba and friends and family traveling there these days is a rare occurrence.