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• Celebrities
  Being Bill Murray
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  An Interview With Carlos Toraño
• Good Life Guide
  Model Trains
• Good Life Guide
  2005 Corvette
• Good Life Guide
  The Pocket Watch
• More from this Issue

Small Cigars, Big Business

Aficionados are eager for a 10-minute smoke, and the industry has heeded the call

Mark Weissenberger
From the Print Edition:
Bill Murray, Nov/Dec 2004

This summer, Altadis is issuing a new line of flavored cigarillos called AyC Wise Guys, which are machine-made in the Dominican Republic. These cigarillos measure just 3 5/8 by 24 and are packaged in two-packs (99 cents) or tins of 10 ($4.60).

La Aurora, the Dominican Republic's oldest cigar company, also makes its own line of machine-made cigarillos (along with flavored cigarillos for C.A.O., Savinelli and Tatiana). At the end of 2003, Aurora released two tins of flavored cigarillos called León Jimenes Café Macchiato and Café Coretto. Both tins hold 10 cigarillos, each of which measures 4 inches by 30 ring. At press time, the company was scheduled to unveil a new addition, La Aurora Café Dominicana, which has the same 4 by 30 measurements and features the taste of Dominican coffee.

Jose Blanco, director of sales for La Aurora, explained that the company's foray into flavored cigarillos has in no way hurt its sales of premium cigars. Instead, it's offered another option to a new smoking demographic. "Who smokes flavored cigarillos?" he asked. "Ex-cigarette smokers, primarily women. And these cigarillos provide a non-offensive smoke to those around them. Scents of vanilla, cherry, Cognac—these will get fewer complaints [from nonsmokers]."

C.A.O. International recognized the diversity that flavored cigars provide to the small-cigar smoker by releasing Flavours by C.A.O. in a cigarillo size several years ago. Flavours by C.A.O. was joined by a sixth variety at the RTDA show this summer called KarmaSutraSplash, which has a mix of mango nectar and mint flavors. The new cigarillo has the same measurements as the other Flavours by C.A.O. cigarillos, 4 by 30. "Everybody can spare eight to 10 minutes for a small cigar," says Jon Huber, chief marketing officer for C.A.O. "Everybody." So the next time you're at your local tobacconist, shopping for a toothy toro or a claro-colored Churchill, don't pass up the tins.

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