La Riqueza

floyd darn it...where in orlando are you?!?! I live in metrowest as well as solefulone...I come back every other weekend if not every weekend form gainesville now that I have summer school and soon fall semester!!! Oh and I had this a few weeks ago also at corona...it wasn't my favorite, but I got a few extras for later in case I change my mind, but it isn't like any tat
 
The Mum said:
I heard lots of good stuff about these cigars. Need to try one.
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Jimmie,
Shoot me an addy.. I can get them at my local shop.. I will send you a few...

:D

BTW, for those interested, Mike at Leaf and Ale (www.leafandale.com) has them in stock... Sampler is the same price as new havana, and Mike is awesome to deal with.
Scott
 
floydpink said:
Just tried one today at Corona. They are saying it tastes like a Bolivar, but I didn't find that. It was very good nonetheless.
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I don't know about that Bolivar comparison (more later).

I bought a sampler from leaf and ale (fast, fast service by the way, they don't mess around) and so far I've smoked the #5, #4, and #2 (in that order on separate days), here are my thoughts.

The #2 is clearly the best of the bunch so far (#1 could surpass even the #2, lonsdales typically are great formats), good flavors and wonderful construction. The #5 (pearla/minuto?) is a damn good smoke as well and I suppose it is unfair to compare it to the #2 (it is). Pepin's small cigars are Cuban style, that is to say the Cubans know how to make a good small smoke, the #5 is no different. The #4 is a robusto/hermoso #4 and well it didn't impress me. The burn was fine but the flavors were muddled and somewhat harsh.

Okay to go back to what floydpink was mentioning. I smoked a Saint Luis Rey Serie A today and it dawned upon me that this was the smoke that Pepin was seeking to emulate. I'm sure everyone has at least an awareness that Pepin's smokes mirror those he spent his whole life making. Tat brown line smokes a lot like Montecristos, Cabaiguans smoke a lot like Quai D'Orsay, and I think that La Riquenzas smoke very close to Saint Luis Rey. Heck even the band has the same colors (just like the Tat Brown line has almost the exact same band as the Montecristo line).

I think the Saint Luis Rey is a better smoke over all, smoother/less harsh, clearer tones, somehow more complex. But the similarity is striking.

So this got me to thinking. Habanos SA has shown a pattern of marketing smokes for specific regions to suit the palette of different nations. Both Quai D'Orsay and Diplomaticos were both developed for the French market long ago. Now-a-days, we have regional editions which are probably in line with which brand does well in which region (I don't think that the decision is random, I mean why come out with a limited edition smoke with a brand that doesn't do well in that country?).

So Larry, what are you getting at?

It seems to me that Habanos SA has been out of directly marketing their product in America for a long time. Cigar trends and tastes have moved on since the 1960s and Habanos SA doesn't have much knowledge on what types of smokes sell well in the USA (the potential #1 market in the world for smokes). If Habanos SA can see what smokes that Pepin is successful with then they can see what styles of smokes they should focus their efforts on when the embargo is lifted. This eliminates waste and quickly builds brand loyalty. Pepin could be in cahoots with this, but somehow I doubt it, but unwittingly he could be feeding Habanos SA valuable market intelligence.

Look. Tobacco is cash strapped Cuba's #1 agricultural export next to sugar. I don't believe that if the embargo goes down that somehow the cigar industry will privatize. One way or another Habanos SA needs to make inroads in a mature market where brand loyalty is fairly strong. Non Cuban makers are mostly exiles who have an ax to grind due to their family farms being taken from them. Marketing and sales help, in the form of data, will not come from them. Habanos SA will be these family owned business' end if the embargo goes down, so why help a competitor? Sales information from Pepin (either given or stolen) would be Habanos SA's best option. The added value is that his smokes are very close to Habanos SA's existing products so there is no need to create new lines for a new, large, and diverse market. Missteps are avoided and the machine rolls on.

Thoughts?
 
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