Boutique Cigars? Sure…

I was reading a Reddit thread the other day where someone asked about the difference between boutique and craft cigars and regular production cigars, and if boutique cigars were somehow better than production cigars (paraphrasing). It was a fairly lively discussion. I was going to jump in on the conversation and then my wheels started turning and I decided to write my thoughts down here.

From what I’ve learned since really getting into the hobby is that there are very few if any boutique cigar makers that are completely vertically integrated. That means they grow their own tobacco, they have their own fermentation house, and they roll the cigars themselves.

There are some like Foundation cigars who grow their own tobacco, but they sell it to a large production house, specify the blend, have the production house roll the cigars for them, then they buy them back. But what I understand is that most come up with a blending formula that they then submit to a production house then they buy the cigars from them. This isn’t a new practice. In fact, this has been done in the wine industry for centuries.

The reason I mentioned those points above is that most of the boutique cigars are actually produced at the large production houses. And it actually makes sense because those facilities, having been in business for so long, can ensure a level of consistency and production quality that a small outfit would have a difficult time of achieving.

Of course, there are others, like Martinez Cigars in NYC that buy their tobacco direct from the farms (I think they’re already fermented) then roll their own. To me at least, the fact that they roll their own makes them a little more “boutique” than what is considered boutique.

So, what really does it mean to be “boutique?” Is it a small batch? Is it a limited run? Is it simply some cigar company that isn’t in the mainstream? A combination of the above?

But here’s the thing for me: Even if they’re rolling their own, if most of the tobacco is coming from the big houses anyway, does it really matter whether cigars or boutique or production? At least for me, as long as it’s a good smoke, I don’t care if it’s made by a no-name maker or a big production house.

Circling back to that discussion on Reddit, there were plenty of folks who said they mostly smoke boutique cigars. That’s awesome. I love trying out different boutique cigars myself to try out different blends. But truth be told, I smoke mostly production cigars. And no, it’s not about cost it’s all about taste. And a lot of it has to do with who’s constructing the sticks or producing the tobacco.

For instance, I’ve really been on an AJ kick as of late. And I have been actively seeking out sticks he blends and sticks that he constructs for other blenders. The same goes for Placencia and Oliva. And so my search for new sticks often involves doing a bit of research on who’s producing the cigars. It has been incredibly fun!

For example, once I learned that AJ makes the Olmec cigar, that put a smile on my face. That cigar is definitely at the top of my list. And the cool thing about it is that there is a definite AJ profile. That man knows what to do with Nicaraguan tobacco and there is a distinct profile that he is able to tickle out of the different blends that he produces. I don’t give a shit if he has a high production house. The only thing I’m concerned with is what comes out of it.

That said, it’s no accident why I tend to stock up on AJ and Oliva and Placencia cigars. I know what flavor profiles I’m going to get out of those cigars. And when I smoke cigars from boutique makers that use these folks, I can generally trust that they will have a certain profile to them. That’s not always the case as far tasting profile is concerned, but I can usually count on a high-quality construction from these sticks.

So, for me, I will continue to try out a bunch of different cigars. But I will always have an eye on who makes them.