Page 39 - TOB Magazine Jan/Feb 2013
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TOBACCO OUTLET BUSINESS
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013
PRODUCT PROFILE
Superbly Premium
Zander-Greg has just debuted their
new Nat Cicco HHB super-premium
cigar. It comes in three sizes: 7-1/4”x52,
6-1/4”x56 and 5-1/4”x54. They share
a pigtail-capped head and a foot that
is enclosed within the wrapper. Both
features are also common to Zander-
Greg’s just-introduced Aniversario 1965,
which celebrates the year the Nat Cicco
“Rejects” were born.
HHB has an Ecuadorian-grown
Connecticut Shade leaf wrapper
with a Nicaraguan binder and filler
for a well-balanced and full-bodied
smoke—one the company describes
as “robust, but creamy-smooth, very
flavorful and elegantly aromatic.”
The cigar’s performance and opulent
presentation have prompted Zander-
Greg to confidently compare it to Cuba’s
vaunted Cohiba Behike, which retails for
over $50 a cigar. With a $14 MRSP, HHB
is packaged in a black “piano-finish,”
furniture-grade Spanish cedar humidor-
style box, holding 10 nude cigars.
Zander-Greg, 888-772-5111, zandergreg.
com,
Tattoo You
Scripto’s new Tattoo Designer
Series features five assorted
artistic designs inspired by
classic tattoo artwork. These
iconic designs are available in
a 50-count display-a-tray, two-
pack open stock and two-pack
clip strip. The lighters have a manufacturer suggested retail price of $1.19 per
lighter or $2.18 per two-pack. Scripto 800-LIGHTER,
Dona Flor Makes a Splash
After an aggressive re-launch marketing
campaign in the United States, Dona Flor ended
the year with a 93 rating by
Cigar Aficionado
and a
showing at Cigar Aficionado‘s Big Smoke Events
in Las Vegas and New York. Chris Edge, president
of Double Edge and Dona Flor USA, is reporting a successful campaign aimed
at reintroducing “Brazil’s Dark Treasure” to U.S. consumers.
“June 4 was the official launch day of Dona Flor in the U.S. and instantly
the bloggers and social media jumped on the story,” says Edge. “We moved
directly in to the IPCPR show in Orlando, where we were able to immediately
ship product to all or new retailers nationwide. We now have retailers in 16
states and sales reps in regions across the country. Consumers in areas where
we have not touched down yet can shop at our online store, which is intended
to complement, not vie with, the brick and mortar experience.”
Dona Flor has received new ratings of 90 on the Puro Mata Fina, 92 on
Selecao and just recently a 93 on the 6x60 Gran Corona. Over 10,000 cigar
samples have been passed out to consumers and retailers over the course of
the campaign so far, and a six-month coast-to-coast “Cigar Tour de America”
culminated in New York at the Big Smoke on Nov 29.
Brazilian tobacco is still a mystery to many consumers here in the U.S.,
explains Edge, who notes that it has a completely different range of notes and
tastes that separate it from Nicaraguan (earthier), Dominican (more peppery):
Brazilian is packed with flavor, yet remains more on the medium strength side,
according to Edge. It is known as a much sweeter and smoother tobacco than
other areas’, which is why it has been used by many as a wrapper.
To celebrate the closing of 2012, Dona Flor announced a holiday special
featuring a special edition Corpo y Alma and Puro Mata Fina Gift Packs. The
Corpo y Alma Robusto Sampler contains a Dona Flor Selecao, a PuroMata Fina
and a traditional Robusto—an excellent intro to the Dona Flor Brazilian line.
These Brazilian puro blends were begun by Benji Menendez and perfected by
brother Felix over the course of the past 35 years and are unique on the U.S.
market today. Dona Flor USA, donaflorusa.com, 877-321-5569
