Australian Brick and Mortar Cigar Shop

[DocRKS]

What is to be found upon walking into the 'TYPICAL' Australian Brick and Mortar? (If indeed - TYPICAL is possible..)

Are the majority of cigars available at Retail Sales of the Cuban or Non-Cuban variety?

Are prices comparable for Cuban vs Non-Cuban sticks?

Do most B&Ms sell cigarettes and pipe tobacco as well as cigars?

How old do you need to be to purchase tobacco product in Australia - 18 or 21? How serious are the Retailers in having the customers prove their age if they 'appear' underage?

[Ken Gargett]

What is to be found upon walking into the 'TYPICAL' Australian Brick and Mortar? (If indeed - TYPICAL is possible..)

i'm assuming that this is the way you refer to a tobacco shop? there are actually not that many around these days. there are the few 'official' habanos. the others tend to be broomstick closet sized corners in shopping malls. tat have a whack of cigarettes and pipe tobacco and roll your own and a few dodgy cigars plus lots of accessories.

Are the majority of cigars available at Retail Sales of the Cuban or Non-Cuban variety?

we rarely see a non cuban but at some of the tobacconists that remain, assume you can find a few.

Are prices comparable for Cuban vs Non-Cuban sticks?

????

Do most B&Ms sell cigarettes and pipe tobacco as well as cigars?

as above.

How old do you need to be to purchase tobacco product in Australia - 18 or 21? How serious are the Retailers in having the customers prove their age if they 'appear' underage?

thin it 18 but no idea how seriously they enforce it. suspect it varies but probably not nearly as much as they should.

[bolivr]

It varies a bit by State. In Victoria I know of only 2 B&Ms worth anything as they are the only ones I know of who have proper humidors. They started stocking NCs a couple years ago along with the CCs that have always been available.

For me, since the NC pricing is not really cheaper than the CCs I don't buy NCs. My view is that NCs would have to be less than half the price of CCs to be considered, just personal preference

You need to be 18 in Victoria to purchase any tobacco. It seems to be taken quite seriously as there were crackdowns a little while back where the authorities were sending kids in to buy cigarettes and then busting the shop owner if they sold them.

I think this would be illegal in the US, its called entrapment?

BTW, pricing by Club Czar is the best I see in Australia....

[El Presidente]

Roman there are probably only 6 real cigar B&M's in Australia. We are the only ones who only sell cigars (no cigarettes).

18 is the minimum age to purchase tobacco products. We don't see any kids come through at Czars as we only do Cigars.

Cubans V non Cubans......cubans dominate the premium market. You will find Padrons, El Credito, Don Diego, Don Tomas, Davidoff and a dozen or so other brands. I would estimate in premiums Cubans are 90% of the market.

[Fuzz]

In Sydney most tobacconists you find in the malls stock cigarettes and pipe tobacco with a small display of cigars, both NC and CC. However, tobacco is only a small part of the store, the rest is full of useless paraphenalia. You'll find a mix of liquor branded merchandise, cheap gifts (shot glasses, flasks, playing cards, keychains, etc) and sometimes the odd inflatable sheep....

Smoking age in NSW is 18. Prominent signs are posted claiming that you must be 18 to purchase, but enforcement of this rule is a bit lax.

[cvm4]

You need to be 18 in Victoria to purchase any tobacco. It seems to be taken quite seriously as there were crackdowns a little while back where the authorities were sending kids in to buy cigarettes and then busting the shop owner if they sold them.

I think this would be illegal in the US, its called entrapment?

I have no clue if you're joking or not, but they do this in the US for alcohol and tobacco. I'm sure it varies by state though. Usually the shop owners get a fine of some sort.

[DocRKS]

Roman there are probably only 6 real cigar B&M's in Australia. We are the only ones who only sell cigars (no cigarettes).

I have to admit that I am shocked by this statement. In a nation as large as Australia - yes I realize a lot of the land geography does not make it suitable for large cities - but there are still 21+ Million people - with 6 Brick & Mortar shops!!!!!....... There are more than that within a 15 mile radius of my little corner of NJ/PA.....

It dawned on me how little we really know here about our friends in OZ - that's what was behind the question. So I take it when I as a cigar lover want to plan a trip 'Down Under' - Brisbane really is the hub of the Australian smoking experience and planning a holiday around there is all I need to worry about!!!! I'll save the other 5 B&Ms for another trip.....

[yossie]

We Japanese have more 5 or 6 times population than Australian but There're also lquite limited B&Ms where sell only cigar.

[habanablue]

Dorcks, I think one of the fundametal differences between the USA and AUS regarding the few B&Ms is that compared to the USA, Latin America and Europe, Australia never really had a cigar culture ingrained into society. Sure every second bloke is puffing on cigarettes, but not much crossover to cigars.

The draconian legislation down here also makes it hard for any development in terms of cigar lounges etc. If we could build them...they would probably come.

For some info about the Aussie cigar scene head to my blog. (link in Signature)

Cheers

[El Presidente]

It dawned on me how little we really know here about our friends in OZ - that's what was behind the question. So I take it when I as a cigar lover want to plan a trip 'Down Under' - Brisbane really is the hub of the Australian smoking experience and planning a holiday around there is all I need to worry about!!!! I'll save the other 5 B&Ms for another trip.....

You are always welcome Roman. many guys have made the journey and no one has been disappointed yet

[DocRKS]

For some info about the Aussie cigar scene head to my blog. (link in Signature)

Cheers

Thanks for the link - I'll certainly look into this...