Craft Cigars: The New Wave in the Cigar Industry
Much like what we have seen in the beer and spirits businesses, cigars have started moving in a “craft cigars” direction. This term seems to be the best descriptor for those cigars that are taking the path of those artisanal, locally produced drinks that we’ve come to love. Just as they have done, the craft cigar seems intent on selecting its tobacco meticulously and making a very concerted effort to blend specific flavor profiles. The art that is involved in cigar making should most assuredly dictate that the craft cigar will occupy a place in what could be a bright future for the cigar business in the Craft Cigars Movement.
So what happens to make a boutique into a bona fide craft cigar? The difference is in the craft. What develops out of the Craft Movement is a group of cigar smokers who now enjoy more than that one craft beer or adult beverage. Pairings of remarkable flavor profiles – cigars to beverages – has yet to be explored as a reason cigar consumers could change legislation that would allow cigars to remain a part of our American culture. Maybe the craft cigar can remind people of the American pastime of enjoying cigars.
Understanding Craft Cigars
What distinguishes craft anything, including cigars, is a dedication to quality and artisanal production methods. Traditional cigars might be produced almost entirely by machine, but craft cigars are made one at a time by hand. A craftsperson will select the individual tobacco leaves to include with each cigar. Each cigar is therefore somewhat different and will reflect the characteristics of the leaves embedded within. The same is true of craft beers; the taste of a specific beer will reflect the mix of ingredients and flavors included within the brew.
The person who produces Craft Cigars will have learned their craft from a predecessor who will have taught them a variety of traditional techniques. This might include aging the tobacco leaves in specific environments for particular flavor effects. It might also include determining how to identify or select different types of leaves, roll leaves together (a typical method to form a cigar), or different ways to control or “finish” the burning process. Assume if that you are smoking a craft cigar that, at a minimum, there is one person somewhere who has never met you, but who has touched the inside of your mouth and has shown you a rare form of kindness.
The Shift from Boutique to Craft Cigars
Boutique cigar manufacturers execute a different version of the business strategy that focused on what they believe is the world’s finest tobacco—their cigars are crafted in small batches via hand production that’s considered “old world.” A large corporation runs the traditional, mechanized Wisconsin processing factory, or it’s too busy making hundreds of thousands of cigars by hand. Large manufacturers do not tend to focus on the quality, premium end of business.
Mass producers do not have salespeople walking into stores’ programming knowledge and a passion for the product. At this point, consumer (tobacco user) choice significantly changes. Most cigars are not purchased by the aficionado who smokes the world’s best cigars due to their knowledge and prices. The vast majority of tobacco users smoke a product made with the cheapest possible product and flavor additives. Why don’t you end the conversation because the product is so bad? Craft beer manufacturers are succeeding to the point that large, mass producers have been buying them for years.
Cigar Trends Influencing the Craft Cigars Movement
The craft cigars movement is enveloped in an air of rebirth, not unlike the resurgence of craft beer. Everything—from tobacco leaf varieties to seasonal flavors, spices, fruits, and aged spirits—seems to be fair game for experimentation. The millennial generation, always on the hunt for new and exciting flavor experiences, will test the waters as palettes run wild and confirm the presence of a new generation of cigar smokers.
Craft Cigars producers are leaning into sustainability and artisanal production methods. In theory, the “artisanal feel” is difficult to create given that many cigars are made by hand (i.e., laborers are paid a good price), grown with organic farming methods, or sold in cedar boxes made from local, sustainably grown tree groves.
Constraints aside, the craft cigar industry will thrive, in part, thanks to media publication in strip clubs, corner convenience stores—anywhere you’re likely to find a group of guys with enough time to sit down to recite 30-minute stories about their adventures. Perhaps tobacco leaves are pressed and aged in a $10,000 barrel of álbum rum; the backstory is what’s going to sell these cigars. I’m not sure there’s a stereotypical cigar smoker out there, but the storytelling tactics will have to fit the design concepts of the and cigar packaging.
The Impact of Craft Cigars on the Cigar Industry
Redefining a stogy industry—pun intended—the craft cigar movement proposes the notion that higher quality and authenticity, not mass production, are the “real” future for cigars. Cigar smoking may remain a preferred old-timer’s hobby for many, but younger smokers, like the under-40 crowd, prefer more of an artisanal product. The mindset has de facto changed from “in your face” Maduros to celebrating a cigar as its own journey. Future car smokers may not prefer the “strongest pink gum” after all. Instead, many connoisseurs look to celebrate the journey, however brief, for more of what they specifically like in a cigar. Welcome to the new craft cigar smoker!
Many established brands may say, “Oh, I do that already,” as they begin to make changes with rebranding efforts. To corner off marginal demand sales, products are now reworked to include different product selections that seem to have their own identity, such as a limited edition or a production done in collaboration with another brand. Some blends may belong to a specific inherent crop complete with a hand-painted or artistic label pasted on, while others glom on to the cresting wave within the craft cigar community.
Either way, the traditional craft cigar sell is accomplished in two ways: a rote learned memorization module that focuses on 1.) heritage, tradition, and architecture of a brand and the ensuing “story” that binds them and 2.) the brilliant dovetail into specificity cigar culture. Based on years of study and patterns of observation within craft cigar, you will always see the sell in these two categories. But could be veering into craft cigar? How exactly do you transition? The answer is YOU! You are your only obstacle in starting your own craft Marketing and sales plan to reach the generational consumer gap, burgeoning among cigar ranks.
What will be next for your company? What will you do? You must find it lulled there, somewhere, waiting to come through. Maybe… just maybe… you’ll have to find something between your couch where you hoard your myriad of weird tonka bean coffee/homeland selections and the inside corner-pocket crevices within your strange, modernized cars. Do the weird. Your inner Chelsea says so! Invoke the #ohm or practice your yoga. Get groomed or learn Pokémon Go.
Future of Craft Cigars
The craft cigar trend isn’t going away. If anything, the movement is picking up steam. As connoisseurs of fine tobacco become more discerning, smokers are looking to boutique brands for unique, high-quality products. And as the gastronomy behind bespoke coffee and craft beer continues to gain in popularity, manufacturers will begin to play to the palates of niche markets looking for something a little different.
But as in life, with great power comes great responsibility. The explosion of the craft cigar trade over the last several years has many manufacturers struggling under intensifying competition. Keeping blends consistent (while also ramping up production) can be challenging. And the ever-changing freight train that is FDA regulation continues to evolve. As these “new and improved” restrictions come down the pipe, manufacturers are faced with the very real task of juggling their blends while staying true to the craft cigar trade.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. Here’s why…
There are plenty of opportunities for success. Many manufacturers are taking the initiative (and risks) to make the most out of the rise of the craft cigar market. As the number of boutique brands grows, companies are beginning to dip a toe into logistics. Increased advertising efforts, exciting and innovative branding, and sustainable sourcing methods are but a few of the ways that savvy shills are setting themselves up to succeed in an ever-competitive business.
Many of these opportunities can lead to collaborations with local artisan movements, while others may see the introduction of interesting new products like flavored wraps—standouts in a negative trend that position pro-smokers for increased public advocacy and opinion rivalry against anti-tobacco initiatives.
A more enjoyable cigar? The suggestion here is that one tries Craft Cigars: a very well-made cigar composed of high-quality tobaccos that hail from very specific regions of the world. Perhaps, moving forward, you will choose to explore numerous brands of cigars that are available in your city or town. Get out there and find the establishments that hand-brew craft beer, make craft wines, and craft cigars. It’s good to support the efforts of a city – your city’s – craftspeople! The little man, the ma-and-pa operators, the subsistence farmers way up in the mountains, have a lot riding on that back-breaking and thankless work they do only for you.
I’d love to hear about what your craft cigars scene looks and tastes like—or about that special cigar that you were kind to yourself with—what’s your cigar story?
Smoking a cigar is one of life’s rare and affordable luxuries. We know you have a choice when it comes to cigars. Thank you for choosing to smoke great cigars! Our economy greatly appreciates your act of socialism! Is that the correct word? A bum, desperately needing food and shelter, appreciates your handout. So, thanks for helping us feed our family.