Quote:
Originally Posted by Snake Hips
I don't think those sticks have gone anywhere. At the B&M I frequent, they can't keep Punch, Partagas, Romeo y Julieta, H. Upmann, Hoyo de Monterrey, La Gloria Cubana, Ashton or Arturo Fuente of any kind on the shelves, while Tatuaje, Don Pepin Garcia, La Riqueza, San Cristobal, CAO, Rocky Patel, La Aroma de Cuba Edicion Especial, My Father, etc. have been sitting there untouched for as long as I've been visiting the shop (a year and a half now).
The only old-timer that never moves is La Aurora products. Might have something to do with their nasty taste, lol. Also, there are piles of full Opus X boxes at about MSRP at shops around town that never get any attention, but I've never seen an Aņejo in person.
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You make the point I was hinting at much more boldly than I - as I tried to make it by hinting at it with subtlety. I do have a question. Might it be a price issue that leaves the boutique brands on the shelves? Sometimes they are $3-$6 (or more) more than some of the other blends.
CA is a corner of the cigar smoking world, and even with almost 3,500 inmates, it is a relatively small (miniscule) corner of that world.
As we talk here, what are the non-CCs that find their way into our discussions? It seems that the venerable brands that have stood the test of time, and still outsell the nouveau boutique brands, don't get as much print space here at CA as do those consisent selling old names.
Again, I am not knocking the new kids on the block. Hey, I got one Boris and one Drac (there are two cigars that took up a few threads and a couple thousand posts here at CA). They will wait for the right moment to be smoked (don't ask me what that will be, for I don't know, maybe next Halloween). RP Edge is one of the smokes I keep stocked, Taboo HSGs are a go to, I love my Cabaiguans (though I don't keep many as they are a bit pricey for me), Oliva are also regular smokes of mine, and when I can, Pepins and other Tats find their way into the humidor.
But, my Padrons, AFs, Punch, and LGCs are the stalwarts. Except for the Taboos and Olivas, a big part of it for me is the price - and the simple fact that, while good, are the boutiques that much better tasting? I must say though, as a tightwad, even on the older blends, I look for the specials (same for the boutiques).
I wonder, as smokers get started, do they get into the boutiques because that's what everybody is all excited about, and so, the excitement grows? Is that especially true here? While it isn't as overtly prevalent on this board as on others, is there a certain snobbishness that runs as an undercurrent?
Here's an interesting side-light to this. The brands that are disparaged here are also what I personally would consider short-timers. How often are Gurhkas trashed? RP takes a hit once in a while. Perdomos have many detractors. And Puros Indios has a rep almost as bad as Cremosas.
It is just intriguing to me that the old brands still plug along. And from what I've been reading here, will continue to do so. Kind of reminds me of football, the quarterback wins or looses the game, but it is the offensive line who are the boys in the trenches that get the job done and never any of the glory.
Hey, this has been a fun thread. I think some others have enjoyed it too. I think I might start another banter thread, Venerable Brands Banter - no boutiques allowed. What do you think?
God's blessings on your day.