[Eichen]

So I've heard some murmuring of a mini-boom.

Things have been really good for the consumer lately ... lots of good product for good prices.

What can we hope or fear from the prospect of a new boom?

What signs point to these prospects?

Many of us are familiar with the skyrocketing prices, plummeting quality and shortages of old standby brands during the years of the late boom. Could this so-called new boom have a similar, although smaller, effect?

What do you think?

 

[Merlin]

I don't know, but we'd better stock up now just in case!:u

 

[rjs]

Eichen,

Based on what we saw and heard at the RTDA show, the US cigar industry is fairly stable right now. There are a lot of interesting new blends coming out from existing manufacturers and I think prices will remain relatively stable for now.

Many companies have come out with "price point" cigar lines in an effort to offer cigars at lower prices. The new Bahia Blu is one such example.

... rjs

 

[DaveC]

for a sec i thought this was about mini cooper's


what i see happening at the local shop by me is definately lines such as bahia, manufacturers like ashton, etc coming out with less expensive brands, though i have found them to just be cheaper

it's alot of hype i think, maybe a marketing directive to counter the ever growing ban on smoking possibly. I remember 6 years ago going to the shop with my dad and there was always opusX there, now different story. I am lucky, the shop has it's own brand "Randello X" which is a nicuraguan puro that truly kicks ass, for 5$ as a single or 3.75$ in bundles i love'em

 

[Eichen]

Another point for speculation: If there were a new boom, would wider popularity make for greater tolerance of our pastime or do the antis have such momentum at this point that it wouldn't matter?

I definitely have nothing against cheaper cigars. I'm a value shopper. So this is good news. But it apparently comes as a reaction to bans, taxes and restrictions.

From what it sounds like here so far, there isn't really much of a new "boom" going on.

I really don't shop much at a brick and mortar store anymore. The one that I visit occasionally has increasingly tended toward value-priced cigars over the last few years. They used to carry a lot of Montecristo and even Davidoff but that's a thing of the past. They still have a few upper-end boutique brands however. The shelves were packed a few years back but now there's a lot of empty space. I'm guessing the empty space has more to do with the management than anything else though.

Interestingly there's a grocery store down the way that caters to our more wealthy visitors that carries a pretty impressive selection for their tiny humidor. Avo, H.Upmann and various CAO brands I remember in particular. It's over-priced but still for my neck of the woods (a town of 2,000) it's impressive. Despite the price, I was tempted to grab a CAO or two.