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Across
the Counter
Fortnightly Articles
"Conversations with Customers" |
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No
79 - December
18, 2003
Nicaragua
- a resurging star.
Nicaragua has
always had the
potential to produce excellent
tobacco and cigars. The geographical climate is right,
and some of the soil is as close to that of the Vuelta Abajo area
in Cuba as anyone could wish to find. But
the political climate has not been so cigar-friendly.
The industry
took serious root in the mid-1960's when dictator General Samoza
and his partners created the brand "Joya de Nicaragua"
which took its place in the top group of worldwide premium cigars.
(This was one of the 3 brands that we imported at the time.) The
brand lasted until 1979 when General Samoza was ousted in a revolution
and his factory burnt to the ground.
(At the time it was said that before razing the factory the workers
moved vast quantities of tobacco across the border into Honduras,
but to the best of my knowledge this has never been substantiated.)
As if this wasn't bad enough for the cigar industry, the USA later
slapped an embargo on all Nicaraguan imports into the US which
lasted from 1985 to 1990.
To-day there
seems to be more political stability in the country and one must
suppose that through the years of the cigar boom the Government
saw the potential financial fruits from exports of raw tobacco
and finished products.
The expertise
to grow the industry is there, in the hands of some of the best
cigar families originating from Cuba. Family names such as Padron,
Torano, Palencia and Perdomo are all committed to the industry
and their contribution has been noticeable.
In 1995 only 2% of the premium cigars consumed in the USA were
of Nicaraguan origin. In 2003 it was 11%. In addition other countries
produce cigars using the full flavoured Nicaraguan tobacco in
their blends, and millions of these cigars are flowing into the
USA.
(A full article on Nicaraguan cigars, "The New Start
for Nicaragua" appeared in the December 2003 issue of Cigar Aficionado.)
At the moment
there are no pure Nicaraguan cigars available in South Africa,
and due to the excessive demand for them in the USA they may not
be easy to access.
However according to all reports they are worth hunting for, so
we shall see what we can do in 2004.
On
behalf of everybody at Wesley's I wish you and your loved ones
all the best for the festive season, and peace and prosperity
in 2004.
Colin
Wesley
December 18 to December 31, 2003
Reminder - Don't forget the Cigar
Selections available at very special prices for November
and December - in fact to January 7, if stocks last.
The Corona Selection is sold out.
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You can read
previous articles from "Across the Counter" in The
Library.
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Across
the Counter
Fortnightly Articles
"Conversations with Customers" |
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No
7780 - January
1, 2004
Beechwood
Now even better value!
The word "Beechwood" used
to conjure up the image of "cheap and
nasty", but things have changed. Czechoslovakia
(now Czech Republic) is the main source of supply of Beechwood
pipes, and prior to the dissolution
of the Soviet Bloc we bought these pipes through a third party
in the UK.
Soon after "independence" we visited Prague. So soon
that on the way from the station the manager of Pragoexport told
us that we were the first foreign business people he had been
able to meet with on his own. The traditional practice had been
for at least 2 people from the office to work together with foreign
customers. We visited the artists' quarter and the house of Kafka.
Our guide said that when he was growing up and at school, for
political reasons the name of this great author was never mentioned.
Although it was winter we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to this
beautiful city, including the very ornate Prague Opera House where
we attended a performance of the ballet "Camille".
We met nice people and cemented a good business relationship with
the management of the pipe factory.
Today the pipe factory is no longer a State organ, and the quality
of their products has improved to the extent that demand has dictated
a lead time of at least 6 to 8 months for delivery. We have just
received our April order which was confirmed for September delivery!
Good news is that, with the strengthened Rand, prices are
down** - only R55.00 for the Mini
and Compact pipes. Amazing value!
But
still - why buy a Beechwood?
Well, the wood is light and porous, offering a cool, dry smoke;
the finishes are acceptable, and the mouthpieces and balance comfortable
- good for a first time pipe smoker. But don't expect your beechwood
to last too long. With constant smoking, 8 months to a year may
be the limit.
The shapes are useful too - the Compacts and the Minis are perfect
for that 10 minute smoke, and the larger Bents (Pot or Billiard)
ideal for a rough smoke in the workshop, the bush or on a fishing
trip.
As with the Corncob pipe,
it won't matter so much if it is your Beechwood that disappears
into the ocean, or is trodden on by an elephant.
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Even better value - from January 8 to January
21 we offer the Beechwood pipes
at 25% off the normal retail price. Seize the opportunity!
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Colin
Wesley
January 1 to January 14, 2004
**In
fact the prices of many of the items we import have decreased
over the last year, but this isn't always possible - see my comments
in Cigar Bargains.
You can read
previous articles from "Across the Counter" in The
Library.
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Across
the Counter
Fortnightly Articles
"Conversations with Customers" |
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No
81 - January
15, 2004
A
cigar for January 2004
The
festive season has come
and gone.
Those great
big cigars have been smoked, and I trust that yours were as good
as mine.
But we don't
need a major celebration to enjoy a good cigar.
Life itself is a celebration - so all we really need is a good
and appropriate cigar.
Whether it is to be smoked on your own, with the comfort of your
own thoughts, or in the company of friends reflecting on the past
or contemplating the future - the choice is yours.
As the late, legendary Zino Davidoff said "The best cigar
to smoke is the one you're smoking now".
But now that
we're all back in what we call our "normal life", I
think that many of us will find that we don't have a designated
cigar time in our diaries. So to make it easy I suggest we start
off the year with a classic
half corona - that perfect 30 minute smoke.
We can all find that amount of time to break out of the routine
and enjoy the sublime - it might even become a regular pastime.
To make it even
easier - just look at this next special:
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From Jan.22 to Feb.4, 2004 we offer a 3 pack of Cuban
Half Coronas
at a "must buy" price of R199.50.
Two "icons" and a lesser known half corona
Cohiba Siglo I - the pride of the Havanas (Normal
price R103.00)
Montecristo No.5 - the benchmark for the half corona
size (Normal price R80.00)
Sancha Panza Bachilleres - a slightly longer half corona,
popular in Spain
(Normal price R83.00)
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Enjoy
them!
Colin
Wesley
January 15 to January 28, 2004
You can read
previous articles from "Across the Counter" in The
Library.
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Across
the Counter
Fortnightly Articles
"Conversations with Customers" |
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No
82 - January
29, 2004
Manufacture..of..Briar
Pipes
.A
summary
The
whole process of manufacturing
a briar pipe is very labour intensive.
From the harvesting of the briar root through the trimming off
the waste wood, cutting the root into blocks ("ebauchons")
then boiling and drying these ebauchons before bagging
them for sale.
All this before reaching the actual factory!
Once in the
factory the handwork continues and intensifies.
The bowl and shank turning, drilling through the shank, polishing
and pumicing (or sand blasting) the bowl, fitting the mouthpiece,
stamping the name and shape number and finally slipping the finished
pipe into a cloth bag and box ready to be sold.
All in all some 30 or more operations from start to finish - all
by hand.
Now, hands
cost money and so does buying property to build a factory and
also transporting the raw material from source to the factory.
These are reasons why we acknowledge that the successors to Lorenzo
made a very astute decision when they moved the bulk of their
production from Italy to Albania.
The combination of their expertise and direct access to Albanian
briar and lower priced labour has enabled them to produce the
best "value" pipes
in the world.
The quality of the workmanship has improved steadily and today
their range of pipes covers standard and optional filter pipes
in several qualities in many shapes and sizes
From February 5 to February 18, 2004 we offer from the
House of Lorenzo
the "Filtro" pipes (optional 9mm) at less 25%.
Walnut or Two Tone finishes
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Well-priced pipes made by people who know how to make great
pipes, House of Lorenzo.
Colin Wesley
January 29 to February 11, 2004
You can read
previous articles from "Across the Counter" in The
Library.
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Across
the Counter
Fortnightly Articles
"Conversations with Customers" |
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No
83 - February
12, 2004
El Credito International Cigars
Brand
Registration - Good or Bad?
Well,
in the case of
.EL
CREDITO.
international cigars it has been a win, win, win situation!
Briefly
the story goes like this:
When still in Cuba, Ernesto Perez-Carillo Sr bought a cigar
company called El Credito. He also acquired
the brand name of La Gloria Cubana. In 1959
he fled Cuba and arrived in Miami opening a bar and restaurant.
A few years later, he registered the name La Gloria
Cubana in the USA and started making and selling the
cigars in a cigar factory/store in Little Havana, Miami. Because
the Cuban government had the name registered internationally,
he could only sell the cigars in the USA. Sales were steady,
and before he died in 1980, his son Ernesto Perez-Carillo
Jr had joined him in the business.
Then came the cigar boom and La Gloria Cubana
received a very favourable rating from Cigar Aficionado magazine.
The brand exploded, and production soared from 500,000 per
annum to 6.1 million in 1996 - requiring an extra factory
in the Dominican Republic. In 1999, unable to control the
resulting chaos, Carillo sold the company to Swedish Match
who were looking for a good foothold in the US premium cigar
market. The dust settled as the boom faded and Carillo was
able to do what he does best - create good cigars. Since La
Gloria Cubana could not be sold outside the States,
he developed
.EL
CREDITO.
International - based on the popular La Gloria Cuban
blend but with subtle differences. The new brand has been
so successful that it is now distributed on a limited basis
in the USA. |
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Cigarmaster
Ernesto Perez-Carillo says it is ironic that
.EL
CREDITO.
International originally not available in the USA, and created
because he could not export La Gloria Cubana, should
now be in such demand in the USA.
A win for the International market!
A win for the factory, with another great cigar to promote!
A win for the cigar smokers in the USA - and now for South African
aficionados too!
EL CREDITO.
cigars are offered in the popular range of sizes
- Robusto, No.4 (Slim Corona), Churchill (slightly short), Torpedo
(magnificent size) and Crystal (Corona).
Made in the modern Dominican Republic style, they offer a medium
to full bodied smoke with complex rich flavours. With a filler
blended from Dominican, Nicaraguan and Ecuadorian tobaccos,
.EL
CREDITO.
cigars are available either "Natural" with an Ecuadorian
Sumatra wrapper, or "Maduro"
finished in a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper.
From February 19 to March 3, 2004 we offer
a 3-pack of these exciting cigars.
| EL
CREDITO.
Robusto |
124mm
x Ring 49 |
Natural
and Maduro |
| EL
CREDITO.
No.4 |
124mm
x Ring 41 |
Maduro |
Special Price R213.00 (Normal Price R319.50)
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Taste
the difference!
Colin
Wesley
February 12 to February 26, 2004
You can read
previous articles from "Across the Counter" in The
Library.
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