From Rich Perelman at CigarCyclopedia:

It’s not the Cigar Boom and it isn’t going to be. But things are looking a little brighter in the world of cigars as the Retail Tobacco Dealers of America (RTDA) trade show hit the halfway point.

Retailer after retailer shared stories of better sales. Not the land-office frenzy of the late 1990s, but measured growth, month by month. The outlook is better, but it is not as hot as the mind-numbing heat of the Las Vegas summer. Perhaps time to try a couple of new ideas.

Among manufacturers and distributors, there are careful introductions of a small number of new blends, tests for some new brands and better packaging with cigars in attractive boxes of 10, 12 or 15 instead of the traditional bundle or box of 25.

And the introductions are eye-catching and well thought out. A sampling:

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From Rich Perelman at CigarCyclopedia:

Happily, there weren’t a lot of new cigar brands to talk about on the first day of the 2004 Retail Tobacco Dealers of America convention and trade show. But there was a tangible reminder of the old days of cigars in the office, courtesy of Altadis.

In a small corner of their bowling-alley-sized exhibition space, a special presentation of the old H. Upmann “office jar” was being displayed for retail sale once again, after having been removed from the line nearly a decade ago.

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From Rich Perelman at CigarCyclopedia:

Giant Altadis USA is betting that familiar names . . . and some they hope will be familiar again, will draw the interest of U.S. smokers with new introductions at the upcoming Retail Tobacco Dealers of America trade show in Las Vegas.

Already the owners of U.S. trademarks for current and former Cuban brands like H. Upmann, Henry Clay, Montecristo, Por Larranaga, Romeo y Julieta, Saint Luis Rey and Trinidad, Altadis will unveil two more brands with long Cuban heritage at the RTDA later this month: Juan Lopez and Maria Guerrero.

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From Rich Perelman at CigarCyclopedia:

Love him or hate him – as many retail tobacconists do – there’s little doubt that Lew Rothman is a genius.

Starting with a small store in New York, Rothman’s ruthless discounting operation now dominates the sale of premium cigar sales in the United States, with a mailing list in the half-million range, a catalog that’s equal part promotion, comedy and salesmanship and reported sales of $62 million in 2002. But he is not satisfied.

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From Rich Perelman at CigarCyclopedia:

The overwhelming word which comes to mind when you meet Avo Uvezian in person is gentle.

The prolific, 78-year-old composer, who was the genius behind the marvelous 1960s ballad “Strangers in the Night” created his cigar brand in 1987. Now known as Avo Classic, the reddish-brown-wrapped original was, in fact, gentle with a marvelous spiciness on the finish. The brand, distributed by Davidoff of Geneva, quickly became a favorite during the Cigar Boom of the 1990s.

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From Rich Perelman at CigarCyclopedia:

Cubatabaco’s case against General Cigar’s ownership of the Cohiba name rests, essentially, on whether consumers are confused between the two makes. I say . . . not enough to make a difference.

Cigar expert Paul Garmirian, writing in his important book, The Gourmet Guide to Cigars (Cedar Publications, 1990): “How do cigar smokers make their selection of cigars? . . . The first thing they notice is the color of the box of cigars and how we associate it with a name: yellow for Montecristo, red for Partagas, green for Macanudo and so forth.” I posit that for Cohiba, packed in plain wood boxes, the recognition comes with the band. A Cuban Cohiba has a blue, white and yellow band with white dots on the blue field and a bold black “COHIBA” printed against a white background on the top half of the band. Not so the Dominican-made Cohiba of General Cigar.

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