James Suckling |
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James Suckling
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The Joys of Cost Cutting
Posted: 02:23 PM ET, April 16, 2009
I bought a 10-pack of Romeo y Julieta Short Churchills in the duty free store at Gatwick Airport in England the other day. It was like a half height normal cedar and paper box of 25 with 10 delicious RyJ robustos. I paid £86 for it, or about $125.
It was a gift for a friend in Basel who was nice enough to let me sleep on his couch during the Basel Watch Show. I am cutting back on expenses, but I needed to go to cover watches for the magazine. I don't think any of us are buying many watches at the moment! But watches are still guys' eye candy. They are to guys what jewelry is to women!
Anyway, I love 10 packs for cigars. They are a cool gift, and I think more cigar makers should do them. I remember Habanos SA, the global distribution and marketing organization for Cuban cigars, recently said that boxes and
cabinets still account for 70 percent of all cigars sold but that 10, 5 and 3 packs are on the rise as well as tubos. In fact, Habanos is putting loads of cigars in tubes at the moment. Even the Bolivar Royal Corona (BRC), which is a go-to robusto, is now available in aluminum tube.
The RyJ Short Churchill is more mild compared to the BRC. It's fresh and clean. It¹s just what my buddy from Basel likes. If I didn't have to sleep on his sofa, I might have bought him a normal box!
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User Name: Christian Aliperti Posted: 08:24 PM ET, April 17, 2009
James I agree with smaller packs of cigars. Why doesn't Cuba offer more 10 and 5 packs for the consumer? What if you have never had a specific Romeo & Julieta, Montecristo or Trinidad? If you were not sure of the taste profile of them you probably would not purchase an entire box. I have been to several countries and the airports around the world mostly sell boxes or real small gauge cigar packs. The Cuban market should wake up and start offering smaller packs of all cigars so everyone can enjoy and then stock up on boxes of their favorites. P.S. I'm available for marketing consultation for Habanos SA they just have to contact me.