Why did Habanos delete so many 50 cabs?

[oneizzzz]

Why has Habanos discontinued so many 50 cabs?  It seems like they are/were universally popular from what I've read.  They could probably charge more for that packaging style, too.  Since I'm new to the game, I don't know the history.  

Maybe at some point consumers started wanting fewer cigars per box.  But now, with the price increases, the Cuban cigar market seems to be heading more toward true luxury status.  A 50 cab seems like it would support that image for collectors at least.  Do you anticipate Cuba rolling out more 50 cabs?  Fewer?

Has any Cohiba, as the 'crown' of the Habanos profile, been offered in 50 cab packaging?

Some other good threads about 50 cabs here:

https://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/topic/144921-cigars-you-wish-came-in-50-cabs/

https://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/topic/125445-regular-production-cigars-in-50-cab-packaging/

[Frinkiac7]

The only 50 cabs I have ever bought were PLPCs and a SLR DC. I still have some of all of them, some more than others. 50 cigars is an awful lot, particularly in the large formats, if you like to rotate or switch things up between different cigars.

That being said I love the concept. If more were regularly available I would probably grab some. Not sure if they do over did make ERDM CS in a 50 cab (I want to say that they used to?), but that would be an example of one I would buy in bulk.

[Chas.Alpha]

Warming us up for the days when even a rich man can’t afford a fiver? 😳

[Corylax18]

48 minutes ago, oneizzzz said:

Why has Habanos discontinued so many 50 cabs?

"Rationalization" If you look at CCW you'll see that its not only large counts, but small counts that have been removed over years. There used to be lots of options in 3s, 5s, 10s, 15s, Carboard, Tubo's, etc. Many of those other options have been culled at the same time 50 cabs have. 12/24, 10/20/25 seem to be the new standards, dress box or cab, but rarely either anymore. 

Some cigars like RASS and BRC still get several package options, but there are far fewer getting that treatment now. 

[El Presidente]

Tobacco duties based on weight.

[BoliDan]

5 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

Tobacco duties based on weight.

Exactly. Europe messed the entire market with their weight costs. It was easy to see short production on the rise when they announced it. 

[La_Tigre]

It is bad on their part. I mean now, once the cigars are finished, you can turn the cab over and use it as your new vacation home. 😉 

[Tstew75]

*sigh*

I keep stacking PLPC cabs just because the thought of 50 cigars in a box is friggin' cool (& the obvious hope of caramel bombs at 10+ years).  Really wish they still did Punch Punch in that format.

My only gripe is PLPCs aside, they typically do not travel well.

[joeypots]

They stoped making 50 Cabs to have raw material for 5 and 10ers. 

[dshot]

They make more money when they put on 3 bands on a 10 box that's why.

[djrey]

The last month alone should show you that HSA does the complete opposite of what the market demands. Complete morons running that ship. 

[gustavehenne]

I'm with you... I'd love to see more cabs of 50 around. My favourite format and lucky enough to have a few ... although ... they are a bit of a pain in the humidor to store and take up an enormous amount of space. For those that have limited space there is nothing better than a dress box which can be easily stacked. I'd sooner take two dress boxes of BBF than one cab of 50.

 

[chris12381]

I don't know the answer.  But if I ever meet the person responsible, I have things I wanna say to them. 

[LordAnubis]

All of the above.

- Price of cigars has increased significantly

- Before cigars were a wealthy item, now they are more everyday items, and every day people have limited budgets, they can't dedicate as much capital to a humidor full of 50cabs.

- Availability has increased (obviously not now) with many ways of being able to find and buy cigars, so there's no need to hoard cigars.

- Tax of course impacting the price.

- People of previous generations were repeatable, they would buy what they liked and stick with it. People these days are happy to try new things and move on to other products, so a 50cab is a commitment to most people.

- Before cigars needed to be aged and so a bundle was an easy one off purchase. Now days cigars are more approachable young and hence buying a 10 count to smoke now is fine, and then buying another in 1 year when you finished with it is easy.

That's my list of reasons. 

[Frinkiac7]

On 5/18/2022 at 7:01 PM, LordAnubis said:

All of the above.

- Price of cigars has increased significantly

- Before cigars were a wealthy item, now they are more everyday items, and every day people have limited budgets, they can't dedicate as much capital to a humidor full of 50cabs.

- Availability has increased (obviously not now) with many ways of being able to find and buy cigars, so there's no need to hoard cigars.

- Tax of course impacting the price.

- People of previous generations were repeatable, they would buy what they liked and stick with it. People these days are happy to try new things and move on to other products, so a 50cab is a commitment to most people.

- Before cigars needed to be aged and so a bundle was an easy one off purchase. Now days cigars are more approachable young and hence buying a 10 count to smoke now is fine, and then buying another in 1 year when you finished with it is easy.

That's my list of reasons. 

I think variety being the spice of life is really the thing. If I were trapped on an island somewhere and could only have 1 or 2 cigars forever, I would pick some. But with so much choice out there, do you really want to be buying 50 cabs even of your favorites? I think I have only ever completely smoked through one 50 cab I bought. All others I still have, some going on 10-12 years on.

[LordAnubis]

I wouldn’t buy it because it just means you’re stuck with 50 shit cigars if it’s a dud box. I’d rather two dress Boxes than one cab. Or 5x 10 counts. 

[amberleaf]

Always nice to hold a nice round RASS in your hand rather than the square box press you get with the 25ers.

[Tdm_86]

I also think it is because tastes and/or habits have changed. Did people smoke more (and more of the same cigar) in the past? Probably so.

Me, personally, I love 50 cabs and would like to see more of them. Over the years I’ve gotten to know my preferences, so I love the ability to get them 50 at a time. Though it’s mostly about it being a cabinet when I really think about it. So 2 cabs of 25 would be fine as well. 

[PigFish]

Because Tabacuba is a poorly run business.

... it has been apparent that they cannot keep tobacco, brooches, boxes and the people rolling them (paid for) and in the same room for a couple of decades now!

-the Pig

[SCgarman]

3 hours ago, PigFish said:

Because Tabacuba is a poorly run business.

... it has been apparent that they cannot keep tobacco, brooches, boxes and the people rolling them (paid for) and in the same room for a couple of decades now!

-the Pig

Even worse now more than ever. And now they have adopted an "F-You!" attitude toward the middle class Cuban cigar buyer. They are going to ride this train and cater their product to those in the world who are the most financially wealthy. They are having delusions of grandeur thinking their cigars are "luxury" items in the same league as Swiss timepieces, Hermes handbags and Italian supercars. My attitude is "F-You back at ya". I'll smoke my stockpile, and when it's gone in 5 years or whenever I'm done. Unless there is a market correction back to some semblance of sanity. Do I expect that to happen? Likely nope.

 

7 hours ago, amberleaf said:

Always nice to hold a nice round RASS in your hand rather than the square box press you get with the 25ers.

Personal preference. But cigars are ultimately still cigars, whether round or flat sided.

[PigFish]

Rob should be producing a good cigar for consumption by real people on a regular basis full time by then. There is an ass for every seat I say!!!

Creative destruction is a term used on both sides of the economic aisle. In this case I will lean Marxist... as we are dealing with a Marxist state. What they are doing is creating expensive 'shit' cigars to destroy the entire Cuban cigar industry. And it is working.

Most are about a decade or more behind the curve here. Tabacuba has been on this path of destruction for 2 decades. Welcome to the fight! MHO... -Piggy

 

[zeedubbya]

15 hours ago, PigFish said:

Rob should be producing a good cigar for consumption by real people on a regular basis full time by then. There is an ass for every seat I say!!!

Creative destruction is a term used on both sides of the economic aisle. In this case I will lean Marxist... as we are dealing with a Marxist state. What they are doing is creating expensive 'shit' cigars to destroy the entire Cuban cigar industry. And it is working.

Most are about a decade or more behind the curve here. Tabacuba has been on this path of destruction for 2 decades. Welcome to the fight! MHO... -Piggy

 

Nice to see you Ray.  I hope you’re well.  Been awhile.  My humidor is as consistent as ever—I am forever grateful!    El Prez has explained the reason for the discontinuation.  It’s a simple matter of weight, or maybe @PigFish has nailed it, as always.

From a personal standpoint, 50 Cabs are the gold standard for aging cigars for a long time.  Few things come to mind.  I have a reasonable amount of 50 cabs in my collection.  When I opened the last one a few months back, (PLPC from 2013) 1/4 of the cigars looked like crap.  Maybe banded too tight, maybe they put the rough looking ones in the middle, but who cares.  They smoke amazing.  AmaaaZING.  Tobacco on tobacco is THE best.  10 boxes are neat, but NOTHING is like grabbing up a half wheel of Double Coronas and putting your nose right in the middle of them. Lusis are especially amazing, as are SLRDC.  Then there’s the thought of how much possibility there is in that 50 Cab.  How much time with friends, how much pure enjoyment, how much excellent tobacco is there.  Then it gets put back—let it age some more.  Maybe I pull one at 5 years and see how it smokes, but I can just never get them to stack correctly again.  Never.  Cut the ribbon, let them tumble together in the Cab. See how they are in 2 more years.  It’s an experience in itself.  The 50 Cab experience. 

2002 Punch Ninfas, 50 Cab.  My first 50 Cab.    Ugly cigars, but man do I miss them. Memorable—so good.  I think they were $225 USD back then—experience discontinued forever.  Almost exactly 2 decades ago that was  @PigFish 

[Duxnutz]

One of my favourite memories was going into an overseas LCDH and picking an aged cigar out of a 50 cab, smoking it then buying the whole cab. 
 

I think in that time period I also bought a box of cohiba 1966 and at the time was the most expensive and (I thought) reckless purchase. 

[oneizzzz]

On 5/17/2022 at 10:15 PM, El Presidente said:

Tobacco duties based on weight.

On 5/17/2022 at 10:18 PM, BoliDan said:

Exactly. Europe messed the entire market with their weight costs. It was easy to see short production on the rise when they announced it. 

On 5/18/2022 at 6:01 PM, LordAnubis said:

- Tax of course impacting the price.

9 hours ago, zeedubbya said:

It’s a simple matter of weight

Could someone explain the weight thing in more detail please?  Don't quite understand.  Thanks.

Wouldn't smaller packaging actually lead to a higher ratio of box weight per cigar?

[LordAnubis]

5 hours ago, oneizzzz said:

Could someone explain the weight thing in more detail please?  Don't quite understand.  Thanks.

Wouldn't smaller packaging actually lead to a higher ratio of box weight per cigar?

In america i think tax is based per cigar or something. In australia Tax is based per gram of tobacco. So a robusto costs about 20 dollars in tax, a double corona about 35 dollars in tax. so buying 50 double coronas you're looking at 1750 in taxes alone... but buying 10 is a more budget manageable 350 bucks of tax.