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Davidoff's No. 1
Cigar Aficionado interviews Davidoff's director general Ernst Schneider.
Marvin R. Shanken
From the Print Edition:
Rush Limbaugh, Spring 94
(continued from page 2)
C.A.: There are a lot of questions related to the new generation of
Davidoff cigars. The first really deals with the fact that you have a
factory where Zino is made in Honduras, and yet you selected the
Dominican Republic as the source for your new generation of Davidoff
cigars. What made you decide on the Dominican Republic as opposed to a
country where you already had existing facilities and production?
Schneider: Well, I said, we have the three brand names: Davidoff, Zino
and Griffin's. Zino is specially from Honduras. This is another line
and also another category, pricewise. Zino and I traveled to Honduras,
to the Dominican Republic, to Jamaica and also to Nicaragua to have a
look where we would find the best situation and the best tobacco to
make our new cigars. And we found it in the Dominican Republic with
our friend, Mr. Kelner, who is one of the best tobacco
specialists. Also, his is a family business, and mine is a family
business. So we find in a short time the right place to make our
cigars. Kelner was interested in working with Zino and me, considering
our experience. He was also willing to go in our direction and to make
every effort to reach our goal. We can now say that today we have the
most modern cigar factory in the Caribbean. When you make a luxury
product like Davidoff, you have to make sure it is produced in the
best factory so that it comes out perfect every time.
C.A.: Well, I've been to the factory, and I know Kelner does a great
job. There's no question about it. When we spoke two years ago, you
always thought that the new generation of Davidoff cigars would be
milder and lighter than the earlier version, which came from Havana. I
am curious to know whether or not in the past two years you have in
any way rethought that idea, given the fact that the market seems to
be wanting more taste and more flavor. For example, some cigar brands
from the Dominican Republic are changing their blends. They're making
their cigars with a little more flavor, with a little more
richness--and certainly the Cuban cigars are more in that
direction. Are you changing your cigars? The wrapper of Davidoff
cigars seems to have already gotten a little darker. Where do you
stand in terms of lightness and mildness versus today's taste?
Schneider: That's very simple. We were analyzing the world market of
cigars, and you know that not only in the cigar business, but also in
all other sections, there is a trend to be mild, lighter. This was the
basic decision. We will go to milder and lighter products because the
trend is the same all over the world. So we decided to create the new
generation with three, or today, four lines. We have the line of
Davidoff No. 1, 2, 3, 4, and we have a line of the thousand: 1000,
2000, 3000, 4000 and 5000. And we have the line of the Grand Cru.
The first line (those with No. 1 and so on) is the most light in style. The second is in between, and the strongest is the third. In addition, we have specialities like the Special T (a torpedo-shaped cigar) or the Special R (robusto-sized cigar), which are strong cigars. So, in each clear-cut category, you have what the consumer likes to smoke.
C.A.: I'm not sure that the consumer understands what you just
explained, but I think that when he reads it in this interview, he may
realize this for the first time. That is very useful to the consumer.
Schneider: Of course it is.
C.A.: Are the same cigars shipped to the United States and the
European markets?
Schneider: Of course. They're exactly the same all over the world. We
insist that we have the same cigars all over the world. The only
difference is that--and I am being 100 percent truthful--when we have
some lighter wrappers, we send those cigars to Europe and not to the
States. Our cigars are not all the same color just like everybody
else's.
C.A.: The last time I was in London, I noticed that the wrappers of
Davidoff cigars were so much lighter. That's a curiosity because you
would think it would be the opposite. The American consumer has been
weaned on the milder cigar, the Macanudo if you will, and others like
that--those with rather light wrappers. The European and British
consumers have been weaned on the Havana, which is darker and
stronger. So you would think you would send your darker wrappers to
Europe and the lighter wrappers to the United States. Why does it work
the opposite way in this particular case?
Schneider: Because in Europe we have no problems with lighter
wrappers. The cigar smoker is willing to accept them without any
problems.
C.A.: But two years ago, when you first released your cigars, they
were much lighter--almost yellow in color. I was just looking at one
in my humidor the other day. You must have changed even the lighter
wrappers a little bit, or is that just a matter of differences in
crops?
Schneider: This is just a question of the year in which the wrappers
were grown.
C.A.: So it wasn't intentional.
Schneider: Not at all. Not at all.
C.A.: Is it fair to say that you are completely satisfied with the
quality and taste of what is being produced in the Dominican Republic?
Schneider: We are really lucky and happy that we found such a nice and
capable man. Today, we also have our own plantations, and we have
total control and we can follow the production of our cigars from A to
Z.
C.A.: One question that's probably on a lot of people's minds--and
although nobody can really predict the future wth any certainty--under
what circumstances do you think Davidoff might return to Havana?
Schneider: You see, you have your experience, and I have my
experience. The older you get, you know that you can't say yes or no
in every situation. All is possible. It's clear that when I say that
if we go back to Havana, the situation can't be the same. We are
flexible.
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