Posted on 09/25/2002 7:53:09 AM PDT by yankeedame
After a fine micro-waved dinner... a stale White Owl.
After sex... ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
As for the gars named here, some are good choices, some are not. Opus X is a stellar cigar, but a newbie is gonna hate it because it is very strong. For newbies, I recommend Macanudo (first, everyone knows them as a "premium" cigar; second, it is a decent mild cigar).
Montecristo is a good mid-range cigar. So is Bolivar. Fuente is good, but pricey.
Finally, as I have been of little help here, I would recommend a tubed cigar....at least that way, the cigar will last the trip home in the new car....Montecristo has a number of tubed cigars.
Get a couple types of cigars: Macanudos for the newbies, something stronger for the guys that know their cigars. Someone has suggested CAO, but for that money, you might as well buy Fuente. Like Macs, everyone knows Fuente.
Since this is really a marketing gimick, you would want to go with what is "popular" or "known well," so the customer feels happy at the end of the day. This way, your hubby can have the glass topped humi on his desk, and customers will be able to see in, and get that mouth-watering feeling. Once the deal is done, your hubby can offer the humi to the customer and he can choose what he wants. That'll have them leaving with a smile on their face.
Although the person receiving the cigar may not be a smoker, he may want to brag about the gift to some one that does know about cigars. So the cigar should be well-known and respected. In addition, it should <>look good and well-constructed.
His safest, I believe, is Arturo Fuente, Opus X. It is a complete waste of a very fine cigar on a non-smoker, but should he ask someone else that person will undoubtedly express admiration. Your husband's customer will certainly feel well-treated by him. The drawback is that it is hard to get these cigars, and especially under $20.
It may be more practical to get Arturo Fuente Don Carlos, which is also Fuente's top of the line (black band). These you can get for about $10 a stick, especially if you by a box, and they are usually available. This, too, is a universally respected cigar and will certainly not make your husband look cheep.
Another safe name is Ashton, especially the Cabinet Series.
I would NOT go for maduro, since some non-smokers may be put off by the more pronounced flavor. A mild, non-maduro cigar is a safer bet.
Finally, a caveat: your husband may buy cigars by a box, which is signficantly cheaper. If he does not store them in a humodor, however, they will be wasted. Not only the money will be wasted, too, but the customers may be offended, thinking (erroneously) that your husband gives them left-overs.
Whatever you decide, make sure you do not go by some one's taste and preferences (that, of course, includes me): ensure that the choice is good marketing: it must be a universally respected cigar, it should look good, and it should be fresh.
Sometimes these growers work out exclusive deals with certain distributors. JR makes it a practice to not carry cigars for which the growers demand a certain price. He stopped carrying Fuentes when they were in short supply because he felt he was gouging his customers by selling cigars for double the price he felt they ought to bring.
I've been buying cigars from Lew Rothman for years, and, for my money, the best cigar on the market is his JR Ultimate Presidente, a private label brand that's as good as anything I've ever smoked. You can get a box of 20 for $70.
Names don't mean anything to me; I've smoked $1 cigars that are better than $6 cigars.
He might want to go with mild to middle of the road if he's handing them out to non smokers or novice smokers.
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