Opinion Poll...

[El Presidente]

Just trying to think of the LE winners in the past couple of years.

From a retailers perspective (what has moved well and hence what the public repeat buys).

2006

Cohiba - Pirámides High Pass Mark. Solid demand.

Montecristo - Robusto So so

Partagás - Serie D No.3 High pass mark. Solid Demand

2007

Hoyo de Monterrey - Regalos Fail

Romeo y Julieta - Escudos Fail

Trinidad - Ingenio massive fail

2008

Cuaba - Piramides Pass

Montecristo - Sublimes Pass

Partagás - Serie D No.5 Fail

2009

Bolívar - Petit Belicosos Fail

H. Upmann - Magnum 48 High pass mark. Solid Demand

Romeo y Julieta - Dukes Pass

2010

Montecristo - Grand Edmundo Fail

Partagás - Serie D Especial High pass Mark. Solid demand.

Trinidad - Short Robusto T Massive fail.

[CanuckSARTech]

So, at this rate then, may I make a prediction???

I predict that with the movings and shakings going on at H S.A. potentially right now, that a new day will dawn. That day will bring about, within my prediction of 3 to 5 years, the deletion/cancellation of the bastard-child-line the Montecristo Opens.

My prediction then holds that within a magic 3 to 5 years after that, that the new anti-Christs at H S.A. will bring one of the Montecristo Open back as an EL!!!

Tongue in cheek as this is, is it really that far from the realm of possibility, with the way things seem to be going on the marketing end of things???

Search your heart, young Skywalker, you know it be true...

[El Presidente]

I am buggered as to why but the Monte Open is selling well in the Middle East and expanding markets of Asia. I don't think they will be going anywhere anytime soon.

They will need to keep up tube production however ....which is currently not proving to be easy

[sje]

In my humble opinion ELs like all Cuban Cigars (except for recently) will have their hit and miss Marcas, Hit and miss years, Hit and miss boxes and so on, we are talking about the nature of the beast, and anything from this beasts hand will follow its own history somewhat.

for me i love the ELs, especially the early years where i was a big collector have come into their own. but i remember the flak in the initial years that the Wrappers where flame proof etc they where dog Rockets etc turned many of, my biggest mistake in my cigar life was not giving the Partagas Pyramides from the year 2000 enough time, i bought 2 boxes and gave away most of my first box.

if i am not mistaken the reason ELs where different is the different tobaccos used, the wrapper was from the upper part of the plant and subsequently stronger with more sugars.

had this wrapper and tobacco blend been done before ? did anyone really know how long it would take for the tobaccos to evolve/Marry ? some of these EL that are currently failing may have thier day in the sunshine and we may all feel sorry we didn’t buy more (ALA Partagas 2000, SD1, SD2. SD3 etc etc)

For ME ,,,,, i like them, but have habanos gone too far with marketing and price of these products, i think yes, but we can also relive the argument of the (value v cost) aspect of the Behike range, the CGR etc.

so what’s my point, (who knows ive lost it now)

Spiro