30
TOBACCO BUSINESS
JULY/AUGUST 2013
top-quality lifetime warranty on every
component, including the wrap, the cap
and the battery. The refined product will
be available for distribution in October.
Customers Weigh in
Consumer testimony, both for and
against e-cigars, can readily be found
on the web right now. One consumer
writing on getholistichealth.com says,
“What I enjoyed best about the e-cigars
I’ve tried so far is that it actually felt
that I’m smoking an honest-to-God
tobacco version, particularly since the
subtle aftertaste briefly lingers in your
mouth, a fact that I never thought was
possible. In addition, another benefit of
the e-cigar is that you’ll get about 1,000
puffs per cartridge, meaning a quantity
that is the equivalent of 10 full tobacco
cigars. Suddenly, I have more room in my
pockets when I go out with my friends.”
From the negative viewpoint, a
consumer blogging on stogieguys.com
contrasts the sense in e-cigarettes with
the senselessness in e-cigars.
“The key difference, in my opinion,
between cigarettes and cigars is what
they deliver. Cigarettes are manufactured
to deliver nicotine. Cigars are created
to deliver flavor. With that in mind,
e-cigarettes make sense. They deliver
nicotine in the form of water vapor
without smoke, tar or other impurities.”
He continues, “Which brings me to a
product I yet don’t get: the electronic cigar.
I’m guessing whoever invented these
things isn’t an actual cigar smoker. If they
were, they’d know that flavorless water
vapor misses the point of a product that’s
all about flavor, balance and complexity.
Plus, the best part of a cigar is that it
forces you into a slower pace. Smoke it
too fast and it burns hot. A slower, more
contemplative pace is a necessity, as is
sufficient time.All of that is ruined by the
on-off switch on an electronic cigar.”
After sampling and reviewing e-cigars
for his stores, Shon Ross, owner of
Nothing Butt Smokes in Lubbock,Texas,
expanded on that viewpoint a bit. “We
retail premium cigars as well as other
tobacco lines, and found that e-cigarettes
are a good alternative to cigarettes, but
cigars are more of a luxury item, more
of an escape, and cigar smokers aren’t
looking for an alternative the way cigarette
smokers are,” he says. “They’re looking for
different ring gauges, different flavors and
the whole experience—with cigars you
really have to carry a plethora of products
not available in the electronic world.Cigar
consumers are loyal and they know what
they want—I don’t think they’re going to
get the same experience from something
electronic, from a metal cylinder.”
From the e-tobacco retail world,
Smokin’ Vapor in Panama City, Florida
is one store that actually jumped on the
e-cigar bandwagon early and sold them
for about 18 months, but then pulled
out about eight months ago. “We tried
three or four different disposables and we
found they didn’t hold up—the batteries
did not take a lot of charge, they leaked,
etc.,” relays Phil Switala, co-owner along
with his wife, Lori. However, he admits
that if he became aware of a more refined
product that tested well, he’d be willing to
get back into the e-cigar business. “It all
depends on customer demand—and for
right now, at least, it’s not that high. But
like a lot of other things in this industry,
we know that could change.”
TB
What I enjoyed best about the e-cigars I’ve tried
so far is that it actually felt that I’m smoking an
honest-to-God tobacco version, particularly since
the subtle aftertaste briefly lingers in your mouth,
a fact that I never thought was possible.
“
”
