One thing I have always wondered.......
 

Why are Cohiba's so freaking expensive?? In the UK, a box of 25 Esplendidos will set you back at least £700-800!!!

I've always smoked Montecristo's, Romeo y Julietta's and a host of other stogies but I have always had a curiosity about the Cohiba's but the price just puts me right off!! :(

Re: One thing I have always wondered.......
 

Because someone will pay that.

Re: One thing I have always wondered.......
 

In the UK, I think it's the taxes, no?

Re: One thing I have always wondered.......
 

Because Cohibas are so freaking awesome!!

Re: One thing I have always wondered.......
 

Cohibas use leaves that are triple fermented, while all other Cuban labels use only double fermented leaves. All Cuban sticks are somewhat price controlled (they are Communists, after all), based linearly on the length and ring gauge. Cohibas are the only exception, and generally priced about 50% more. They are also, supposedly, the only thing Castro smokes. This gives them a better name recognition relative to the other Cuban labels.

Re: One thing I have always wondered.......
 

American Rappers man.
American Rappers.

Re: One thing I have always wondered.......
 

Please cite your source for the information on tobacco. I had not heard this before. I had heard that Cohiba is rolled using a leaf that is generally aged for a longer period and that the pricing on all cigars is based upon weight(length and RG).

Not doubting you but would like to know your source.

Re: One thing I have always wondered.......
 

Siglo line doesn't use triple fermentation IIRC.

Re: One thing I have always wondered.......
 

Supposedly because:

They use the best leaf, limited quantities of which are available.
They age that leaf longer
They use only the best rollers to roll them
They are pretty damn tasty

Habanos, Im sure, also wants to keep that as their exclusive flagship brand. Its like why is a Lexus more expensive as a Toyota? Better materials, better craftsmanship, better branding.

Cohibas are great cigars, not for everybody, but I enjoy them. However, they are not my favorite marca.

Re: One thing I have always wondered.......
 

not my source but: http://www.habanos.com/article.aspx?aid=34&lang=en

and

http://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/bra...x?brand=Cohiba

Re: One thing I have always wondered.......
 

Lucky you to be so close to all the distilleries in Scotland. Unlucky to have such a tax base to live in.

Taxes and VAT add a lot to the price,on top on having to support the importer.

It would be interesting to see a comparison of prices from country to country,lets say on the Partagas 898,Monte 2,and Cohiba robusto.


Anyone know of a site with this info ?

Re: One thing I have always wondered.......
 

Interesting comment about protecting the flagship brand, Moe. I hadn't thought about it before. But, I wonder if that is also why Cohiba is the only CC/NC marca that managed to keep their look fairly unique. DR Cohibas don't use yellow/black or checkerboard patterns at all that I'm aware of. Other brands that come to mind have bands and logos that are very similar to the CC's of the same name. Maybe further effects of protecting that flagship?

Re: One thing I have always wondered.......
 

The original DR Cohibas had an identical band to the CC version, Dave, except having "Dominican Republic" where the CC band had "Habana, Cuba".

Re: One thing I have always wondered.......
 

This thread should be in the Habanos Discussion section. Just sayin'.

Re: One thing I have always wondered.......
 

The O.P. likely doesn't have access. ;)

Re: One thing I have always wondered.......
 

Yup, I remember those...and some can still be found along beaches and jewelry shops in Jamacia, Cozumel, and the DR. Its fairly easy to identify them, their boxes have glass tops.

:r

Habanos spent a lot of money in courts defending their trademark, and in the end DR Cohibas now have that ugly ass black, white and red band (I think they are called "Red Dots" if Im not mistaken. That might have something to do with Altadis owning both the DR brand, and a 50% share in Habanos SA.

Re: One thing I have always wondered.......
 

No problem. It's just like being back in grad school! I was going from memory, for the most part, but I remembered hearing something about it most recently on an episode of Smoke on Wealth TV (I've only seen thios network on Fios).

As luck would have it, my DVR has recently caught a copy of the show. It is titled "A Celebration of the Cigar, Part 1," and has an interview with a guy named Ely Sbrozzi, manager of La Casa del Habanos (a shop in Toronto, I believe). Here's a transcript of the relevant portion (about 20 minutes in):

As other have already stated, there appear to me some lines of Cohiba that are not triple fermented. Not having any way to verify statements myself, I chalk up that inaccuracy to generalization. Obviously, television is not the best place to get reliable information, though I consider it to be on par with most sources available on the Internet.

Re: One thing I have always wondered.......
 

It's a great line and generally worth every penny.

A God of Fire is $25 or so; is it worth it? You bet; every penny.

Re: One thing I have always wondered.......
 

Thanks for the ref's. I had not seen this on the Habanos site before. :tu

Re: One thing I have always wondered.......
 

no prob man. i help when i can