This site contains tobacco images. Please leave now if you are under 18
Cookies help us deliver the best experience on our website. By using our website, you agree to our use of cookies in accordance with the C.Gars Privacy Policy
A shiver of excitement and fear zapped through me when I saw the results of the latest cigar auction in London.
Prices for collectible and aged cigars have sharply increased. I think we can now declare that the collectible cigar market is heating up.
I was one of the bidders in this particular auction, remotely, and I lost every single lot upon which I bid.
The prices in the pre-embargo category all exceeded the maximum estimated price in the catalogue. So with the bitter taste of losing, I drank my tea and lit a cigar.
Is the market changing? Are more people getting into the hobby? Why did I lose so spectacularly? All these questions swirled around in my mind. Perhaps next time I should go to the auction in person.
Then again, not being in the room forced me to be disciplined with my maximum bids. And after all, I couldn't go because I was attending an event in Havana!
So, while I easily found ways to console my-self, I thought about what's going on in the collectible cigar market. And this is my report.
SIGNS OF A HOT MARKET
Auction prices in 2012 rose considerably. The biggest auction now being held for collectible cigars is conducted by Mitchell Orchant's C.Gars Ltd in London.
The most recent auction was in November and it offered a shocking number of hard to find and valuable cigars.
If you like Cuban Davidoffs, aged cigars of all kinds, limited edition humidors, and pre-Castro cigars, this is the auction for you.
I need to say that there are some stores that sell these kinds of cigars.
The advantage of shopping at a shop is that you can take your time and speak with the staff about where and how they were stored.
But let's talk about stores in a moment. Back to the auction. It featured more than 300 lots. Among them were Jars, Vintage, Mature, Limited Edition, Regional, and other types of cigars.
Auctioneer Brian Ebbesen in collaboration with Mitchell Orchant set the guide prices (an estimate or low and high sales prices).
Extraordinarily, a vast number of lots sold for more than their "high estimate". All the lots that I bid for exceeded the guide price.
Three cigars that are highly recommended for smoking and are also collectible are listed below.
Each sold at prices higher than I have seen them listed before. For me, this was evidence that either more people are coming to this market or the same people want these cigars more than they have in the past.
Have a look at the prices below. I have broken them down to the per-cigar price.
NOT ONLY AT AUCTION
Collectible cigars are not only selling at auctions. Two famous stores in London have expanded their selection of these types of cigars.
Davidoff and James J. Fox. Other fine purveyors of this type of cigar are seeing results as well. La Casa del Habano stores in Hong Kong, Berlin,
and Hamburg as well as Gerard Pere et Fils in Switzerland are all well known for their selections. But while the highest prices command the most attention,
it is the limited production cigars from Central America and the Dominican Republic that are selling the most and are generating the most loyal customers.
For us, the enthusiasts, these unique cigars are a great chance to taste what can be done by our favorite cigar makers when they have a limited supply of a particular tobacco
or just want to make something different. Group tastings of limited cigars are now a normal and informal part of cigar shop culture.
It's becoming common for someone to arrive at lunch or at the cigar lounge with a limited edition box of cigars to share with the group. Fantastic!
WHAT'S DRIVING THIS?
Have the brands finally figured out how to make people excited about cigars again? Maybe. Are the ranks of cigar lovers growing? Probably. Desire for excellent and interesting cigars has clearly grown.
The subjects of this column, aged cigars and collectibles are starting to be in high demand. It's clear when I look at the prices in the markets for cigar related books, cigar bands, box art, and magazines.
It's not only cigars that are in high demand. The cigar makers are going to visit smokers and educating them about the art of creating a premium cigar.
More cigar lovers are going to visit the factories and fields in Central America and the Caribbean.
And in local cigar lounges, discussion is not only about stocks, sports, and supper.
It is about cigars! This shift is fantastic news for the cigar industry and signals that even under legislative pressure, the passion is spreading. Exciting products are at the head of this ship.
Without the high-quality products being made now, this trend would not be happening. We can see the reaction of cigar lovers when we look at the latest writing that has been crafted by hobbyists.
BOOKS AND ARTICLES
The quantity and depth of writings about cigars is a reflection of people's interest in collectible cigars.
It seems that every few months we learn about a book that reveals more lost information and lights a dark corner in the mansion of hand-rolled cigars.
Min Ron Nee is the nom de plume for the Hong Kong based cigar writer who self-published An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars.
Upon its release, the book was the most comprehensive (perhaps only) source for information about aged and collectible Cuban cigars.
More than just photos and odd cigars, the book brought light to the discussion of the aging potential of cigars.
A new edition is coming. According to Min Ron Nee's friend Nino Munoz, the book will contain some 2,000 pages and will be filled with photos taken by the author.
His first objective for the book is to enter it into the Frankfurt Book Fair with 2,000 copies. But for cigar enthusiasts, anticipation of the new content is the driver of interest.
GOOD AND BAD
As you know, I lost all the lots that I bid on in the auction in November. So clearly I see a downside to all this excitement and passion for collectible cigars.
But I think that, overall, it's a good thing for the hobby. With more people enjoying collectible cigars, the industry will thrive and stay fresh with interesting new cigars.
That's great. But for me, I like the idea that there are a growing number of people around who would like to have a conversation about aged Davidoffs versus Cohibas and so on and so on.
More people who want a cup of Nicaraguan coffee and an aged cigar makes for many more pleasant afternoons for those of us who find a place to smoke.
