Question: boutique cigars

S

Steven Infanti

New Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2016
Messages
13
Can someone explain to me what a boutique cigar is. Is it a specialty cigar? And how many of you out there smoke them and what kind. Just curious
 
Just shorthand for a small, higher end, limited distribution network cigar maker. Illusione and Tatuaje were both a bit on the "boutique" end of things when started out; Viaje and Roma Craft are there now.

~Boar
 
From my experience "boutique" means overpriced and fashionable. There are diamonds in the rough though. Fratello's Bianca line is reasonably priced and a great smoke. I enjoy most of Roma Craft's offerings. HVC, Dunbarton and Trust, and Caldwell all have great offerings that don't break the bank.
 
JHolmes763 said:
Purely based on production numbers. No indication of whether they taste good or are priced right.
Click to expand...
And I don't even think there's a hard and fast number (ie, if annual production<x, it's "boutique")... it's marketing nomenclature that's essentially meaningless. Johnathan Drew and Will Cooper (of Cigar Coop) had an exchange about it a few years ago, but I'm too lazy to google it and link it here.
 
Last edited:
I have no clue if there is a technical distinction for boutique, but tend to think of it as a privately owned company versus the likes of General, Altadis, etc. Like the one's that the former will try to buy, then turn most the cigars to mediocre crap.
 
Good words, Danno.

Steven, I appreciate you trying to figure out a term that's thrown around in the cigar world far too much, but at the end of the day it's all semantics. I read a quote not too long ago from a manufacturer--a good and respected "boutique" one at that--that everyone in the cigar business b#llsh!ts, including him. "Smoke what you like, like what you smoke" remains among the best advice given on Cigar Pass.
 
Boutique cigars are what us aging-hipster wannabes buy and smoke because we get sucked into the allure of brand's marketing campaign. Much like small batch whiskeys or craft beers. I'm personally always been susceptible to this form of marketing and it impacts everything from my like of indy music to the small, limited production clothing brands I tend to buy. But in reality, the term doesn't mean shit in the cigar world.
 
MichaelD said:
Boutique cigars are what us aging-hipster wannabes buy and smoke because we get sucked into the allure of brand's marketing campaign. Much like small batch whiskeys or craft beers. I'm personally always been susceptible to this form of marketing and it impacts everything from my like of indy music to the small, limited production clothing brands I tend to buy. But in reality, the term doesn't mean shit in the cigar world.
Click to expand...

This is just the best thing I've read all day. :)
 
MichaelD said:
Boutique cigars are what us aging-hipster wannabes buy and smoke because we get sucked into the allure of brand's marketing campaign. Much like small batch whiskeys or craft beers. I'm personally always been susceptible to this form of marketing and it impacts everything from my like of indy music to the small, limited production clothing brands I tend to buy. But in reality, the term doesn't mean shit in the cigar world.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top