NC industry questions that haunt me

[JJG]

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

I think you misunderstand my questions, Jaime. I'm not wondering why they do it; I'm wondering why it took them so long to do it.

more competition!


I think the internet has a lot to do with the recent rise in the quality of NCs. It sounds weird (I'm pretty young and don't claim to be an expert) but it seems like in the 90's and prior to that, the industry was dominated by a few large companies. For this reason I believe that these larger companies did not have as much incentive to produce a superior product. They might not be as good as smaller, boutique brands but the majority of B&Ms and smokers were still buying their cigars and thus there was not threat of losing a large percentage of their customer base.

Today, cigar enthusiast have so many resources for cigars and cigar related information that the average smoker is much more knowledgeable and discriminating than in years past. They simply won't settle for the same old JR/Altadis/General cigars because there are so many better choices out there.

I'm only 30 but I've noticed a large shift in what B&Ms carry in the last 10 years. You still see the Altadis type brands but much more floor space is dedicated to smaller independent manufacturers. I remember when I first started shopping for cigars it was hard to find any boutique brands at all. Fuentes were expensive and often sold out. Now, even Fuente, who used to be top dog among discriminating aficionados must be feeling the pressure to improve what they produce or lose smokers to more exciting brands.

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by JJG

more competition!


I think the internet has a lot to do with the recent rise in the quality of NCs. It sounds weird (I'm pretty young and don't claim to be an expert) but it seems like in the 90's and prior to that, the industry was dominated by a few large companies. For this reason I believe that these larger companies did not have as much incentive to produce a superior product. They might not be as good as smaller, boutique brands but the majority of B&Ms and smokers were still buying their cigars and thus there was not threat of losing a large percentage of their customer base.

Today, cigar enthusiast have so many resources for cigars and cigar related information that the average smoker is much more knowledgeable and discriminating than in years past. They simply won't settle for the same old JR/Altadis/General cigars because there are so many better choices out there.

I'm only 30 but I've noticed a large shift in what B&Ms carry in the last 10 years. You still see the Altadis type brands but much more floor space is dedicated to smaller independent manufacturers. I remember when I first started shopping for cigars it was hard to find any boutique brands at all. Fuentes were expensive and often sold out. Now, even Fuente, who used to be top dog among discriminating aficionados must be feeling the pressure to improve what they produce or lose smokers to more exciting brands.

Well Said Jeff.