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Editorial

Remembering The Cigar Boom – A David Garofalo Editorial

Remembering “The Cigar Boom and Bust” Another Editorial by David Garofalo The Cigar Boom was the name given to the resurgence of cigar consumption in the United States between the years 1990 and 1997. As I remember it, in 1990, sales of premium cigars began to rise and manufacturers fought to keep up with demand. Before long industry-wide shortages of cigars were apparent. The trend continued as manufacturers began to import more cigars into the […]

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Cigar Ratings – A David Garofalo Editorial

Cigar Ratings… they’re not what they used to be… but were they ever? We’ve all seen it, you even see it here on The Cigar Authority. One of our crew “rating” a cigar with a number….89, 90, 91… what the hell does it even mean? When I was in school and got a 90 or 91 it was pretty much the same… it was an A. An 89, although quite good and almost an A […]

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What Exactly Is A Boutique Cigar – David Garofalo Editorial

What exactly is a Boutique Cigar? Another Editorial by David Garofalo I got a lot of emails and calls about last week’s Editorial I wrote calling “The End of the Boutique Boom” so I thought we would clarify a bit because there is plenty of confusion on exactly what a “Boutique” Cigar Brand really is… so let’s dig in. Boutique, pronounced bo͞oˈtēk is a noun and according to the dictionary it means a small store […]

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The Boutique Cigar Boom Is Over – A David Garofalo Editorial

The Boutique Cigar Brand Boom is Over! The “Names You Know” That’s What Cigar Retailers were Buying Another Editorial by David Garofalo “What’s New” might be what consumers are asking for… but “What Sells” and what is “Most Recognized” is what cigar retailers are buying. I’m just back from the IPCPR Cigar Trade Show, the cigar industry’s largest convention and trade show world-wide. Walking through, I couldn’t help but notice the trade show booths that […]

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The 2nd Most Asked Question – A David Garofalo Editorial

The 2nd Most Asked Question in a Cigar Shop Editorial by David Garofalo You’ve heard it before, the number one question asked in cigar stores for at least the past few years has unquestionably been “What’s New?” Maybe in the future it will change from “What’s New” to “What’s Good” when the FDA stops all new brands and sizes, but that’s a subject for another time. The Fact is: What’s New is not always “What’s […]

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Lets Get Ready For IPCPR – David Garofalo Editorial

Let’s get ready for IPCPR by David Garofalo The 83rd International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Convention (IPCPR) 2015 (formally known as RTDA Retail Tobacco Dealers Association) will begin this Friday July 17-21 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. There will be more than 1,600 booth spaces taken up with cigar makers taking up the vast majority of the space. Add to that Humidors, Lighters and Cutters and other accessories […]

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It Looks Familiar – A David Garofalo Editorial

It Looks Familiar by David Garofalo Have you ever looked at something you never saw before and thought, WOW… that looks very familiar? Sure you have, we all have. People, places and even things. Even things like cigars might look familiar to you for some reason or another, and there might be a very good reason for it… maybe it was done on purpose. It might be a brand new cigar or a cigar you […]

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Editorial – What’s In A Name – A Cigar Brand Name

What’s in a Name… a Cigar Brand Name? By David Garofalo With thirty-years in the Cigar Business I’ve seen a lot of cigar brands come and go. I’ve sampled lots of very good cigars that, for one reason or another, just didn’t sell well and disappeared out of existence. Some of these vanishing cigars may have been priced right, had nice packaging and smoked great but still, for some reason just didn’t catch on. Is […]

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Here Come The Copy Cats – An Editorial

Ladies and Gentleman….Here come… “The Copy Cats” by David Garofalo It’s that time of the year when some manufacturers come out with what they believe was “hot” last year from their competitors and try it themselves. That is a large part of the cigar industry my friends, companies taking the easiest path to success… Copying others… but maybe there is nothing wrong with it. Maybe they don’t have to be the first, just the best. […]

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Smoking Cessation Makes Diabetes Worse

The following comes from Marc S. Micozzi, MD, PhD and is reprinted with permission… Smoking Cessation Worsens Diabetes Control For many years the government told you that the single best thing you could for your health was to quit smoking. And it is certainly true that cutting back on smoking is a positive step. But rarely do simple-minded, single-minded, government recommendations reveal the whole truth and nothing but the truth. These are the same government […]

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