All That Glisters is not Gold

Ooh, there’s a brand spanking new box of custard and ivory coloured smokes on the market!

They’re a special, once-in-a-lifetime, first-come-first-served limited edition short run and by all accounts they’re selling out fast! Should I reach for the credit card?

That’s a dilemma many cigar lovers can empathise with.

It seems hardly a couple of months go by without the next big thing hitting the shelves. Habanos SA – the company responsible for the worldwide manufacture of Cuban cigars – hit on a winner when they came up with the idea of the Edicion Limitada or indeed the Regional Edition.

These sticks, sold in limited numbers (though not often these days in the small numbers they once were) have attracted a wave of enthusiasts, both those who smoke ’em and love ’em – and those who buy them to lay down for investment purposes.

Good returns can be made by investing in Cuban cigars if you know what you’re doing – just ask our beloved leader, Laurence Davis, who’s recently launched a Cigar Fund in China laying down millions of pounds worth of Havanas for those with an eye on their future.

And all of this adds to the feeding frenzy which erupts when a major new release finally hits our shores. Like the Cohiba Talisman, for example.

Late last year, the long-awaited cigar – the first Cohiba to be given the Limited Edition treatment since the Supremos in 2014 – was given its worldwide debut at The Corinthia Hotel in London. No sooner than you could say, “Sod it, I’ve dropped ash down my cardy,” than the initial batch to make it over here was sold out.

There was apoplexy, wailing, gnashing of teeth – and a good deal of rumbling discontent about ridiculous prices and stock levels.

The canny cigar lover takes the long view. He keeps his powder dry and waits for the dust to settle. More often than not, the truth lies somewhere between the opinions of the noisiest adversaries and in this case, there’s no doubt that while Yes, these cigars were very pricey and soon being pushed higher by availability and sheer bloodlust, they also have great potential to be classics as well as hard to find. Laurence was among Sautter staff who attended the launch and who got the chance to smoke the cigar ‘firsthand’. While obviously still a little young, it displayed its royal heritage with a rich blend and an insanely pleasing finish. It is our opinion that the Talisman will develop into something spectacular in the next few years.

So – you pays your money, you takes your choice. Don’t get wrapped up in all the hype and brouhaha, but don’t dismiss it all as nonsense either. Do your research. Make friends with a cigar merchant of impeccable reputation. And if you get the chance to spend £100 on a stick to try it out, then do so; makes more sense than spending a grand and regretting it.

And if you can’t afford to or don’t want to, fair play to you. Simply step aside and don’t begrudge others their dalliance. After all, it takes all sorts to make the world go round doesn’t it?