CWNews
Heard in the Humidor for August 27, 2010
Highlights of the week in cigars and smoking from
For the week of August 30-September 3, 2010
Los Angeles – When the Oliva Cigar Co. debuted the extra-short and extra-fat Nub line in early 2008, a lot of smokers shook their heads in wonder. Who would buy these?
A year later, when Oliva salesman-turned-cigar star Sam Lecchia developed a "straight-ligero" blend called Cain, the doubters turned out again. "Too harsh" was the verdict before anyone even lit one up.
But both are a roaring success and according to Jose Oliva, really part of the same concept.
"The main idea behind both Nub and Cain is innovation," he said during an interview at the recent IPCPR convention and trade show in New Orleans. "We’re trying to do some things that haven't been done before. The two concepts, therefore, are not that different.
"The idea behind Nub was its unique format, the way it was marketed and the way it was packaged. Cain was part of an ongoing effort by everyone in the industry to make an all-ligero cigar. We found it couldn't be completely all-ligero, so we said it was '25% Esteli Ligero, 27% Condega Ligero and 30% Jalapa Ligero' and left the rest to your imagination."
And both ideas have been a smash with smokers. Although these brands are still very young, there are enough lines, shapes and sizes to confuse anyone, especially since the two concepts have already been married together in the "Cain Nub" series!
Nub - in four different blends:
=> Cameroon, in four sizes: 358 (3 3/4 inches by 58 ring), 460 (4 x 60), 464T (4 x 64 torpedo) and 466T (4 x 66 torpedo)
=> Connecticut, in four sizes: 354 (3 3/4 x 54), 358, 460, 464T.
=> Habano, in four sizes: 358, 460, 464T, 466 (4 x 66 parejo).
=> Maduro, in two sizes: 460 and 464T.
Cain - in three different blends:
=> Cain Habano, in three sizes: 550 (5 3/4 x 50), 654T (6 x 54 torpedo) and 660 (6 x 60).
=> Cain Maduro, in three sizes: 550, 654T and 660.
=> Cain F, in three sizes: 550, 654T and 660, plus the Cain F Nub (4 x 60), which is so far only available during in-store events which are part of the ongoing Cain F Tour!
Cain Nub, - in two different blends:
=> Cain Nub Habano, in two sizes: 460 and 464T
=> Cain Nub Maduro, in two sizes: 460 and 464T.
Is everyone clear about this now? "Both lines are innovative," said Oliva. "Nub and Cain are our company's less traditional arm. That's why the web sites are tied together."
And the totally confusing idea of combining the concepts in the Cain Nub and Cain F Nub lines? "We wanted to tie the two together," Oliva noted, adding "these are brands which are moving more or less in the same direction, so we thought it would be good to have a cross-over or intersection of the two. And they will continue to go in their own way into the future . . . at least for now."
>> Times are tough in the cigar trade . . . but they could be much worse.
The Cigar Association of America's figures for June showed surprising strength with 22.74 million premium cigars coming into the U.S., some 29.4% better than the anemic figures from the post-SCHIP period in 2009, but also 17.3% better than the 2008 total of 19.39 million.
And for the first six months of 2010, the import total of 108.94 million is well behind the 147.59 million SCHIP-influenced total of 2009, so a better comparison is to 2008, where the first six months had 116.22 million, only 6.3% less. The details:
=> As usual, the import parade was led by the Dominican Republic, with 9.12 million cigars sent to the U.S. in June, 23.4% better than in 2009 and 55.8% better than 2008! For the first half of 2010, Dominican cigar exports to the U.S. totaled 45.92 million, well down from 2009 (76.46 million), but slightly ahead of 2008 (46.02 million).
=> Nicaragua continued its torrid pace with 7.53 million cigars sent to the U.S. in June, well ahead of last year (5.09 million) and 2008 (5.31 million). For the year, Nicaraguan premium-cigar exports totaled 38.33 million, nicely ahead of 2009 (35.49 million) and 2008 (31.53 million). The popularity of Nicaragua as a production center has been aided not only by the brands resident there, but also a shift in cigar making of some brands from Honduras. In any case, a sixth consecutive annual rise in exports from Nicaragua appears likely for 2010.
=> Honduras continued in third, sending 5.77 million premium cigars to the U.S. in June, better than in 2009, but well down from the 8.11 million exported in 2008. The half-year totals, however, showed how deeply production has been reduced: from 37.58 million in 2008 to 34.19 million in 2009 to only 23.99 million this year.
Small amounts of cigars from Mexico, Panama and the Philippines were also sent to the U.S. in June, but the "big three" accounted for 98.6% of all U.S. imports.
In the meantime, the staggering rush of machine-made cigars into the U.S. continued with no let-up in sight. In June, total imports of large and little machine-mades reached 186.77 million as against 153.63 million in June of 2009, and the year-to-date figures are even more staggering:
=> 2010: 941.62 million large and little machine-mades
=> 2009: 714.09 million
=> 2008: 471.31 million
That's a year-over-year rise of 31.8% and a two-year gain of an astonishing 99.8%, some of which is accounted for by the movement of production to the Dominican Republic from what were U.S. factories. Still, it's a lot.
These figures are fairly good news in view of very tight inventory controls being exercised by retailers nationwide. U.S. government figures on cigars held in U.S. warehouses at the end of June showed just 640.83 million on hand, well down from the 800 million-plus levels of January-March of 2009. Retailers are taking in what they think they can sell and not more.
Amid the taxes and smoking bans, the continued increase in total cigar sales is a positive. For premium cigars, the import figures are mixed; this is no renaissance, but the strong Dominican and Nicaraguan figures show that the American market is still a resilient one, roughly maintaining its balance with the past three years, on pace for 270 million cigar imports for 2010.
>> Ask a smoker about the "body" of the cigar he's smoking and you're liable to get just about any answer. Same for "strength" and "finish." So who's right?
One of the best explanations we're seen recently is from the energetic Michael Herklots, general manager of the Davidoff of Geneva boutiques in New York City in his most recent (and always informative) e-mailed newsletters:
On Body:
"Body refers to the 'weight' or 'mouth-feel' of the smoke. While it is most common to have a full-bodied smoke with stronger cigars and a lighter body with milder cigars, there are certainly exceptions. I'll often use words like silky, creamy and velvety to help convey a clearer picture of a cigar's body. Silky evokes a lighter body, one that is mild and simply dances on your palate. Creamy introduces a heavier mouth feel but one that is not overwhelming and suggests a slightly 'rounder' character. Velvety would suggest a thick, dense yet still pleasant body- however one that is certainly more dominant on the palate that would linger longer. Most common is mild, medium or full to describe body, but again not to be confused with strength."
On Flavor:
"Tobacco tastes like tobacco, just like wine tastes like wine. However trying to find hints of other flavors that remind you of what you taste is important as it allows you to 'split hairs' and find the unique subtle characteristics that make cigars different from each other. Whether broader descriptions like spicy and earthy, or more specific flavors like orange peel or buttered toast, they should be flavors that you can relate to and can recognize in the smoke you're tasting at the moment."
On Strength:
"A cigar's strength is measured in different ways. First, the cigar's flavor has a particular strength. Is the flavor one that overpowers or overwhelms you when you smoke, or is it perhaps quite faint and subtle? Is it obvious? Is it offensive? Also the strength of the tobacco itself may affect you differently- some tobaccos; often from higher positions on the plant and perhaps lacking sufficient fermentation and aging, may cause dizziness, or nausea because they're so strong. Older tobaccos or those from lower leaf positions, tend to be much gentler. This type of strength is one that is felt rather than tasted but still important to consider nevertheless."
On the Finish:
"The finish refers to the cigar's aftertaste, though it is sometimes mistakenly used to describe the 'end' of a cigar, or the final third,. The finish is the flavor that lingers once the smoke has been released from your mouth. Some cigars have a short finish, meaning the flavor does not linger much at all while others a long finish, where the flavor remains dominant once the smoke has been expelled. The flavors you may experience on the finish can be similar to those of the smoke itself, but can also highlight a note that perhaps wasn't as obvious with the smoke in your mouth."
Good advice from one of the most knowledgeable people in the field.
One more note, this time from La Aurora chief Guillermo Leon, who has pointed out that when speaking about a particular brand - in which all the sizes should taste the same - "The size doesn't matter, even though the thinner the cigar, the stronger they are if they have the same blend. It’s all about the combustion, the quantity of air and smoke that you bring into your mouth. If you have a thinner cigar, you have less air, more smoke. With the thinner, it burns hotter. You will have more smoke in your mouth than with a big one." That's why recipes vary slightly, depending on size, for many brands which cover a wide range of sizes.
>> Short fillers: Find our latest tasting review, of La Libertad, WB Brand, El Credito and more in our News & Views archives for August 27-29.
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