Either you are a customer looking for information to learn or a shop or even a content creator looking for information to be accurate in the description of explaining the product.
As a independent reviewer and former cigar shop employee I have dealt with my fair share of information gathering about cigars and I must say the lack of accurate information presented on the producers website is laughable. How can we give an accurate description of your products if you aren’t willing to give us up-to-date information or even feature all of your products produced.
We love to hear the story behind the brand or collection/series of course, as it’s a key part of the sale for a cigar. But don’t let that be the main part as it’s interesting to learn more about the choices for the box and cigar label art as that’s usually what draws a customer in to buy the cigar.
Perhaps not all customers are looking for detailed information, but for many of us it’s important. Even if you aren’t willing to share what type of tobacco you use at least give us a country to base it on, “Undisclosed” just feels like a nonchalant way of not being open to the people who actually make you who you are today and in the future.
Give us vitolas, dimensions, country of origin, wrapper/binder/filler at least a country as the origin don’t say much more that it’s just produced there. It would be helpful to know what factory (for the nerds) and when it was released. Another helpful thing is what assortment of packaging the cigars are sold in like packs of 3/5 or boxes of 20/25/50 and so on. Then the availablity is it limited, yearly limited or regular production.
I’ve seen and heard producers getting frustrated over false information being put out of their products online. But this is a call to action for the industry as a whole, time to step up, show us what’s right, we want to know what you are selling to us. Because if you want us to promote your brands all over social media you better do something for us too! Be better and come clean with solid information so we at least can point back to you for the truth not some smokescreen fairytale story about protecting the legacy secret. We aren’t buying this! No other sector in the luxury industry have such loose regulations as the cigar industry. Many like to compare cigars to wine, but we are nothing alike, they at least care to present the facts because they are proud of it! Stop hiding we can see you!
/Concerned consumer & part of this industry
André Dias