Discover our new website!FIND OUT MORE →
Worldwide premium cigar merchant since 1978
€ (EUR)
€ (EUR)

Contents

cigarpassion-cigare-premium

Premium cigars 'big bang acceleration

5 reading minutes

Contents

The world of Premium cigars is changing at breakneck speed

The problems associated with the COVID-19 pandemic are still very much with us, particularly the perverse effects of state aid to citizens and companies in premium cigar-producing countries. With the air freight and cargo situation not yet back to normal, the bottleneck on the production lines for the wooden boxes containing these precious cigars is at its worst. For some brands, it will probably be more than 6 months before they receive a tiny fraction of their initial packaging orders.

To make matters worse, the production volume of premium tobacco in 2021 was significantly lower than in previous years. Added to this, the acceleration of inflation on almost all world markets, naturally impacting the entire supply and logistics chain, is pushing up the price of cigars. Whether it's the famous Havana, or cigars from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua or Honduras, the increase in price will be significant.

For some products, the increase has already been passed on by importers; but for others, notably Cuban cigars, the increase is likely to occur in the coming weeks. On the Swiss market, according to our information, the increase should be in the range of 12% to 20% for "regular" products, and much higher for premium and ultra-premium products.

Most cigars premium brands brands such as Davidoff, Arturo Fuente, Opus X, Winston Churchill by Davidoff, Pepin Garcia, La Flor Dominicana by Lito Gomez and certain Camacho lines. Even the new Zino-Nicaragua range will be affected.

When it comes to Cuban cigars, the famous Habanos, the situation is even more complex. Not only is global demand for these products enormous, whether in standard, premium or ultra-premium categories, but production has also been severely affected by Covid-19. According to our information, the last tobacco harvest was significantly reduced, by around 20 %, which will inevitably impact 2022 production.

We're going to see the premium and ultra-premium Cuban cigar market evolve as it has in the world of wine, mainly the very fine appellations of Bordeaux and Burgundy: Cheval Blanc, Romanée Conti, etc.; in the world of Whisky for the most emblematic brands like Macallan, and in the world of watchmaking with Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Rolex, and so on.

For the cigar world, the Davidoff, Winston Churchill by Davidoff, Arturo Fuente Don Carlos, Opus X, Forbidden X, Opus 22, Opus X the Lost City, La Flor Dominicana the Bull, Pepin Garcia limited Edicion brands will become ultra-collectors that cigar enthusiasts and collectors the world over will be snapping up.

When it comes to Cuban cigars, the iconic Cohiba and Trinidad brands are already must-haves for collectors the world over. Their prices are set to soar in the months ahead, and the trend is not about to be reversed - quite the contrary. We're about to witness Cuban cigars' stunning entry into the highly sought-after world of luxury brands, brands that are touching the pinnacle of artisanal products.

In response to the question that cigar aficionados are now asking: "Will there still be affordable Cuban cigars?", we can postulate that there will. For medium-filler cigars, the Vegueros, José el Piedra and Por Laragnaga brands will remain affordable for the classic cigar enthusiast. Brands such as Juan Lopez, Montecristo, Bolivar, Ramon Allones, San Cristobal de la Habana or H.Upmann will have premium cigars for public prices ranging from CHF 8.- to CHF 20.- depending on the module. Cohiba and Trinidad will be the most popular brands. Their ratings will be high, and the entry price will be elitist. As for Habanos limited series, their value will explode, and Gran Reserva, made from vintage tobacco, will be hyper-collectors. The same applies to Humidors collector - Estuche Habanos. For these products, passion must be more important than price.

The quality of the relationship with your specialist, a good purchasing history and an honest passion for the product will certainly be indispensable assets in obtaining these precious cigars.

It is clear that the unique situation offered by the Swiss market for the import and distribution of premium cigars will be profoundly altered. The world of Swiss cigar merchants will change considerably, partly as a result of the redistribution of the cards brought about by the scarcity of products and their future price increases.

De facto, cigar-lovers' habits will change too. In fact, they have already changed. The situation of an abundant market for premium cigars imported by a multitude of companies is now a thing of the past. It has been drastically altered by the virtual disappearance of these "parallel" players, who offered cigar aficionados abusively low prices - prices obtained thanks to irrational competition between the various European and particularly Swiss cigar merchants.

The lack of clarity on product origins and the unwillingness of legitimate players to coordinate their efforts to defend their interests have contributed to the economic inconsistency of prices and the euphoric effect on the end customer. The lack of traceability and controls on preservation quality and the true provenance of some of the products supplying this market has contributed to a profound confusion between the real and the fake. This situation made merchants who charged fair prices for certified goods look like profiteers.

In less than a year and a half, cigar aficionados will have seen the price of their favorite modules, such as Partagas Série D N° 4, rise from CHF 10.00, the hard discount price, to CHF 16.80, the official Swiss retail price.

The public price is the price set by the official Swiss importer. This price is now maintained by all retailers in the premium cigar industry. The reason for this change is simple: there are no longer enough cigars on the market, and Swiss and European cigar merchants' stocks are virtually empty.

For cigar aficionados, the illusion of a bargain at a knock-down price, which lasted for more than ten years, is now replaced by nostalgia for a time when they could buy Havanas very cheaply.

If we consider the history of cigars and their development as luxury products, from their very origins and development within the royal courts of Europe, and among the nobility, the aristocracy and the gentlemen we now call the Gentlemen Smoker, cigars are a product that arouses curiosity and enthusiasm, becoming a rare commodity that absolutely must be possessed and stored in the best possible conditions. The cigar enthusiast of this era quickly understood that it was essential to master and integrate the values, rituals and codes associated with this exceptional product.
In Zino Davidoff, Switzerland has had a world-renowned ambassador, the author of instructive and edifying works that I encourage all cigar aficionados to discover.

Other cigar personalities such as Dr. Schneider, Mr. Raymond Schoerer, the Portmann family, Mr. Menzi, director and owner of Zurich's casa del habano, the Meerapfel and Fuente families, Junior and Senior, the Pepin Garcias, the Gomez family, the Plasencia family, the Oliva family, are all people to whom, out of modesty, I have not added our own names, and who represent true Gentlemen Smokers. These are families and people of taste, who stand for excellence, aesthetics and quality products.

For the "Gentlemen Smoker" of today and tomorrow, tasting a magnificent Havana will be an unforgettable moment, filled with the rarity of experiencing a luxury product, ephemeral and absolutely essential to every epicurean's life.

In the words of Zino Davidoff: "Smoke less, but smoke better". Take your time. Time is as precious as a good Havana, and the two go hand in hand and intertwine to provide a long, exquisite escape.

Enjoy reading and tasting...

Alexis Aazam Zanganeh

La Couronne S.A.

www.cigarpassion.com

Subscribe to our newsletter

Keep up to date with our latest articles and promotions to learn more about the world of cigars.

100% free, unsubscribe at any time!
100% free, unsubscribe at any time!

Related products

To continue reading

dav dicltd22 steller 148x210mm en

Join us on Thursday May 12 to discover the Davidoff Discovery LE 2022

cigare-à-la-main-cigarpassion

Hand-rolled cigar VS Machine-made cigar

Currencies
+18

You must be at least 18 years old to visit this site.

Choose your options

Add Your Heading Text Here