Russ Ouellette is the blender/creator of the Hearth & Home series of tobaccos for www.pipesandcigars.com in Bethlehem, PA. He has been a pipe smoker and blender for over 30 years, and enjoys feedback from the pipe smoking public. You can reach Russ at russo@pipesandcigars.com or by calling 1-800-494-9144.
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Pipe and Cigar Trends
We don’t tend to think in terms of trends when it comes to pipe or cigar smoking, but they definitely exist. Just looking at cigars shapes, the perfecto was the big thing in the early nineteen-hundreds. By the time the twenties had rolled around, the corona had become the most popular shape and remained so (with a bit of a challenge from the Churchill) up until the sixties. At that point, the even thinner panatela became very common, and the longer Lonsdale (a long corona) and lancero (a long panatela) also had a decent share of the market. Torpedos made some headway in the seventies and eighties, and during the boom years of the nineties we saw the birth of the larger ring gauges, primarily the 50 ring robustos and toros which caught on and saw the development of the huge 60 ring monsters that have become increasingly more common. Perfectos are also making a comeback during this time when we have more variety in shapes and sizes than at any time.
Pipes have gone through the same ebb and flow, with straight pipes and smaller shapes being the most popular, mainly because the pipes with straight shanks are easier to drill, and small pipes are more convenient, but in the later fifties with the emergence of the Danish school of pipe design, more bent pipes and organically-influenced shapes began to sell well. In the seventies, the plateaux-topped freehands and, as a result, larger pipes became the rage. The style, today, still leans heavily in the favor of bent pipes and sandblasted finishes. Due to the influx of new artisanal pipemakers, there are more different styles available, and there’s a definite audience for all types.
For pretty much the entire 20th century, machine made cigars, which tend to be quite mild, and relatively small, were the dominant share of the market. Up until the embargo, Cuban cigars dominated the premium side of sales, and the flavor profile showed a much greater gulf- the machine mades were pretty light, but the Cuban handmades had robust flavor in comparison.
So, where are things going to go from here? If I had the definitive answer, I wouldn’t tell you about it here, because I’d be formulating my plan for world domination, but I can make a few guesses. First, based upon the global economy, people will look for value, so reasonably priced, high-quality pipes will certainly be in great demand. Bulk pipe tobaccos will carve out a larger share of sales, due to lower pricing, and more variety of blends will continue to proliferate. Also, pipe sales may continue to make a comeback, as it’s less expensive to be a pipe smoker than a premium cigar smoker.
New trends include having cigars hand rolled at events
The economy has had and will continue to have an impact on the cigar market, as hand rolled cigars in the low to mid price range will dominate sales, while the super-premium smokes will still have their place as the connoisseur’s choice and the occasional treat for the mainstream cigar smoker. Additionally, I think that we will see more flavorful mild to medium cigars for the next wave of premium smokers.
In light of the socio-political climate for people who use tobacco, the premium products end of the business, I believe, is doing remarkably well, and the indications are that it will continue to do so for the foreseeable future, and we’re always excited to see more and better products coming from our suppliers, and are working on more blends for our pipe smoking customers. Stay tuned, there’s a lot more to come, and it keeps getting better.
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