I'm glad to see we don't all agree.
I throw/give away cigars that many of you would give your right arm for.
But, that doesn't mean I'm right, or wrong. We all have different taste in everything, including wine, women, politics and much more.
I enjoy smoking cigars with folks that love smoking what I would call a "dog turd" but they call "heaven".
I think it's the people that smoke cigars that WE ALL enjoy. Otherwise, Club Stogie would not exist. We can argue about any cigar until the day we die.
My "Taboo Cigar" goal is very simple:
To provide my customers with the best blends at the best prices possible and to provide up to 15 blends that most folks will enjoy and be more than happy with quality/overall value of their purchase.
It is my opinion that SOME "big name" cigars/blends are over priced.
It is NOT my goal to make the "maximum margin" possible, but rather maximize repeat business with happy customers.
Every decision I make from leaf to shipping is "for" the customer.
I am NOT CONCERNED with what any of the "Big Boys" have or do. I do (and have) learn from watching them and most importantly, listening to my customers.
The only thing I am concerned with is "my customers".
This is what I do know:
7 out of every 10 local customers walk out this door with Taboo. Most of the locals have tried all the blends.
Some were Padron, Fuente, Oliva and other "big name" smokers. Some even enjoy/enjoyed Cubans.
We also have HUGE ONLINE support.
High quality?
No.
NOT YET, anyway....The next blends you see from Taboo are definitely moving in that direction.
The Taboo Twist is the BEST BARBER POLE I have ever had.
Most (if not all) of the current Taboo blends are made by what you guys are calling "high end" manufacturers.
For the most part, I would say the current blends are medium quality compared to what we will be coming out with soon.
Some of the Taboo blends are even better than some of the "high quality" names that have been mentioned here.
Notice I said, "
some of the Taboo" and "
some of the high quality names".
I would also say that some of the Taboo blends are even better than some of the blends these "high quality" manufacturers make for themselves.
Why do 7 out of 10 customers love at least one to three of the Taboo blends?
(Only speaking for those that try 10 or more of the premium Taboo blends. Currently 11 plus one mix filler.)
Probably because some of the Taboo tobacco comes from the
same farmers that some of the big boys buy from and only "high end" manufacturers are producing Taboo Cigars. I don't think I have a factory producing for me that have not had several scores in the 90's (in C.A. or Smoke mag.) with some of their own blends.
Most of the Taboos sell in the $3-$5 range. It has been my goal to have some of the best cigars in that range. The majority of my customers will agree that we have done this.
We are about to step into the $6-$8 range with the new "Taboo Limited Reserve". I expect customers to be more critical of the brand in this price range. I DO believe these new blends will be more comparable to several of the "big name" sticks, but at a much lower price.
They will be blended by a well known Cuban Blender. The tobacco will be coming from one of the top farms in the world.
For those of you that support Taboo Cigars, THANK YOU!
You are not alone!:tu
For those that don't, THANK YOU for trying. Please try our new blends that will be coming out or maybe revisit some of the blends that are highly talked about. Maybe you had a bad stick or just a bad day. I have days that everything ( I mean all brands/all my favorites) taste bad. I don't know why this happens, but it does.
I am in the cigar business for the Customer. That's it.
Thank You very much to everyone that smokes cigars. I don't care if you smoke only Cubans, Padron, Pepin or whatever. Taboo Cigars would not be here without all of you.
I wish everyone the best and a special "thanks" goes out to all the Taboo smokers!
Rob
So, High Quality? No, but plan to get there without the "High Price".
Great Quality/Value? Very much so.