FOH Hypothetical

[El Presidente]

You have the opportunity to invest in a non Cuban cigar operation (yes...why bother but bare with me ) You have to execute a puro.

You have quaaltiy tobacco, rollers, infrastructure, packaging, marketing. Ignore political risk for the time being.

Let me put three questions forward.

1. Which tobbacco would you use (Dominican/Honduran/Nicaraguan/Equadorian/etc). Remember...it must be a puro.

2. Why

3. The three sizes you would produce.

[habanablue]

» You have the opportunity to invest in a non Cuban cigar operation

» (yes...why bother but bare with me ) You have to execute a puro.

»

» You have quaaltiy tobacco, rollers, infrastructure, packaging, marketing.

» Ignore political risk for the time being.

»

» Let me put three questions forward.

»

» 1. Which tobbacco would you use

» (Dominican/Honduran/Nicaraguan/Equadorian/etc). Remember...it must be a

» puro.

»

» 2. Why

»

» 3. The three sizes you would produce.

1. Nicaragua

2. Some Nicarguan's are the closest thing I've smoked to a Cuban

3. Robusto, Toro, Double Corona for the American market.

[Colt45]

» 1. Which tobbacco would you use

» (Dominican/Honduran/Nicaraguan/Equadorian/etc). Remember...it must be a

» puro.

Honduran

»

» 2. Why

I've smoked Dominican, Honduran, Mexican, and Nicaraguan puros, and overall, to my taste,

the Honduran offered the most flavor complexity.

»

» 3. The three sizes you would produce.

This is the toughest - I'd prefer five...

Dalia / Churchill (I know, three)

Corona Gorda

Parejo

[Guest rob]

Nicaraguan.

Consistent. Supply. Consistent.

Corona. Corona Gorda. Robusto.

[Jimmy2]

Nicaraguan

PC

Lonsdale

Robusto

[Claudius]

» non Cuban cigar operation

» You have quaaltiy tobacco

LOL, that was funny, Rob!

BTW, you've been hitting the bottle (not sure which, but min. 80 proof) again, I can tell from the way you spell "quality". :-D

[Ken Gargett]

» (yes...why bother but bare with me )

okay, first, please tell me that was innocent and not some sad freudian slip.

next, i can offer no worthwhile view re the tobacco - simply seen far too few non cubans to know.

sizes - why only three? but if limited, agree with jimmy on robusto and PC but then would like a biggie. DC is obvious. that said, if kicking off something like this then it might help to have something that attracts attention, as in something a bit different to the norm. perhaps a siglo vi replica, a don rodolfo? prhaps they could be saved for the inevitable limited editions?

[scroggers]

» 1. Which tobbacco would you use -- Nicaraguan

»

» 2. Why-- In my opinion they make the best wrapper(nicaraguan corojo) and that is the most important part of the stick to me.

»

» 3. The three sizes you would produce.

1. lancero

2. robusto

3. Torpedo

[Fishhound]

» 1. Which tobbacco would you use? Nicaraguan

»

» 2. Why? Aside from Cubans they are producing the best cigars, IMHO

»

» 3. The three sizes you would produce.

Robusto, Torp, PC's and Corona Gordas (sorry I won't be limited to three sizes)

[kmax]

If you could procure great Dominican wrapper Id go with a dominican Puro. Otherwise Nic would be my choice.

Size would be PC, Robo, Double Corona would probably be a good size spread.

[sje]

great question,

NIC - because they are currently the second best cigars in the world

Robusto

No 2 Torp

DC

(with a big attempt to get Ligerro from Cuba)

[n2advnture]

1.) Nicaraguan for sure!

2.) Nicaraguan puros have come the closest to cc's that I've been able to find (the tatuaje rj21 reserva in particular)

3.) Personal favs: lonsdale, corona gorda, pc

Best marketing sizes? belicoso, robusto, pc

I hope this helps

~Mark

[Rogers72]

1.) Nicaraguan

2.) All the reasons mentioned above

3.) Petite Corona, Robusto, Pyramide (dalia if I get a fourth)

[tigger]

1. Nicaraguan

2. Many of the better Noncuban cigars out there are Nic puros, a la Padron and Pepin Garcia/Tatuaje. Flavorful, substantial tobacco...

3. Dalia, Robusto, Piramide

[ucla695]

1. Nicaraguan

2. Besides other reasons mentioned, they taste so dang good.

3. PC, CG and Figurado

[Matthew]

» You have the opportunity to invest in a non Cuban cigar operation

If I'm investing, I couldn't care less about anything but sales volume and profit margins. A lot of that is tied to packaging. Since good quality is a given:

I make robustos in 10-ct gold foil-lined boxes.

I'd issue culebras in coffins (like the current Partagas Culebras); every non-Cuban smoker I know thinks these are the greatest and think they are worth $50 US per coffin.

An aluminum foil wrapped diadema.

[harryleech]

» You have the opportunity to invest in a non Cuban cigar operation

» (yes...why bother but bare with me ) You have to execute a puro.

»

» You have quaaltiy tobacco, rollers, infrastructure, packaging, marketing.

» Ignore political risk for the time being.

»

» Let me put three questions forward.

»

» 1. Which tobbacco would you use

» (Dominican/Honduran/Nicaraguan/Equadorian/etc). Remember...it must be a

» puro.

»

» 2. Why

»

» 3. The three sizes you would produce.

1. Nicaraguan; I don't have a lot of experience with NC's but I've already smoked a few Nicaraguan Puro's and they're not bad.

2. Why? Closest profile to Cuban that I've had, (but still doesn't manage it I'm afraid.) But if you take them as something completely different in it's own right it's not bad at all. I've heard it said that the microclimate (soil, weather etc) in their tobacco growing regions are the closest to Cuba, but having never been to Niaragua that's only second hand info.

3. The three sizes that I would produce... Purely from a marketing perspective I think I would go with the following (presuming I could go with only three):

i) Piramide (Montecristo No.2 etc)

ii) Campana (Bolivar Belicoso fino etc)

iii) Petit Piramides (RyJ Petit Pirimide EL'05 etc)

The reasoning being consistency in message if I were launching a new puro; lots of boring reasons behind it that I won't get into. What I would launch if I were making a line to suit what I wanted would be totally different!

[strayvector]

How about coming completely from left field and targeting those seeking lighter bodied cigars?

1. Sumatran puro

2. Because it would be the only one out there

3. go with the most popular sizes: PC, Robusto, and no.2.

[android]

Nicaraguan

Lancero

PC

Robusto

Churchill

[brooklyn]

1.Nicaragua

1.a. Costa Rican maduro wrapper

2. robustos,churchill,pyramid

[brooklyn]

My filler /wrapper combo choice lends itself to a superior flavor and fine smoke. I would smoke Honduran only if I wanted tamer type of smoke

The Costa Rican maduro would make a fine robusto,full of flavor and nuances.

[rudder]

» Nicaraguan

»

» PC

» Lonsdale

» Robusto

Exactly where I would go with this.:-)

[Tampa1257]

» 1. Which tobbacco would you use: Nicaraguan, Remember...it must be a puro.

» 2. Why: The Only Puro that matches what I enjoy in a cigar, complex flavor, consistent quality and IMHO the closest to what Cuban tobacco tastes like.

» 3. The three sizes you would produce.:

1. Laguito No.1

2. Robusto

3. No. 2

These three sizes provide for all the typical size requirements, the Laguito No. 1 is for the Connaisseur Sized Thin Ring aficionado. The Robusto for the shorter time period and the No. 2 for those that enjoy a large ring gauge hour to hour and a half cigar. If I had a 4th size, I would say a Dalia sized cigar.

[matthew261]

»

» 1. Which tobbacco would you use

» Nicaraguan

» 2. Why

By far the best thing going right now outside of Cuba

»

» 3. The three sizes you would produce.

Churchill, Robusto, Torpedo (or Corona depending on market trends)

[cigarros]

» 1. Which tobbacco would you use

» (Dominican/Honduran/Nicaraguan/Equadorian/etc). Remember...it must be a

» puro.

After Cuba only Nicaraguan.

» 2. Why

Very closest cuban taste

» 3. The three sizes you would produce.

Robo, toro, DC