It’s Time for Cigar Enthusiasts to Look at This Industry a Different Way

By, Jonathan Lipson | Founder & President | The Cigar Profit Consulting

Let's start with a simple question:

When's the last time you stood at your favorite bar and argued over the price of a dram of Macallan 12? Probably never. Hell, half the time the price isn’t even listed - you just ask, the bartender pours, and you nod. You know the bottle’s roughly seventy-five bucks at your local liquor store, yet you’re fine paying $18 a pour. Why? Because you aren’t buying ounces of scotch - you’re buying a moment. That moment.

So why doesn’t that same logic follow you into the humidor?

You're not buying a cigar. You're buying a moment.

Cigars are no different. They’re not commodities. They’re not essentials. They’re indulgences - chosen, not required. That’s what makes them meaningful. And that’s what makes them vulnerable.

Because in today’s industry? There’s too much noise. And a lot of that noise is coming from the media.

The echo chambers are loud: big-name blogs chasing clicks, magazines protecting ad dollars, influencers regurgitating talking points in exchange for free samples. It’s not news - it’s amplification. It’s repackaged press releases dressed up as analysis. No scrutiny. No spine. Just repetition. And repetition breeds distortion.

When price increases happen, they’re framed like scandal. When strategy shifts, they’re reduced to drama. And instead of asking better questions, the media floods the space with reaction.

Now combine that with reps venting, retailers whispering, and Facebook group economists giving TED Talks from behind discount codes - and it’s no wonder the average cigar smoker sees every $2 increase as an insult.

It’s time to reframe the way we think about this industry - from all sides.

Because at the end of the day, whether you’re selling, buying, blending, or lighting up… you’re not just holding a product. You’re holding a choice.

And that choice deserves clarity.

Consumers – A Moment Costs What the Moment Costs

Let’s strip it down.

A moment is a moment - and that’s what you’re paying for. Whether you’re pouring an $18 shot of Macallan at a downtown bar or sipping the same scotch at home for $3.50 a pour, the liquid didn’t change. The context did. And in luxury, context drives pricing.

Cigars work the same way. You’re not buying just the product - you’re buying the moment that comes with it. That’s true whether you smoke once a month, once a day... or more. The price isn’t just for tobacco - it’s for the pause, the ritual, the setting. You knew that when you cut and lit.

But here’s where it gets murky.

The cigar world is flooded with noise:

• Cigar Aficionado says prices are up.

• Halfwheel tracks MSRPs down to the cent.

• Cigarmakers blame “tariffs.”

• Your tobacconist grumbles about freight.

• Some guy on a Facebook group posts a bundle deal from a site you’ve never heard of.

And just like that, you’re not buying a cigar anymore - you’re buying a conspiracy. An excuse to question everything. That $14 cigar used to be $12, and now you want to know who to blame.

The truth?

That mindset’s getting cultivated on purpose.

Some manufacturers and retailers lean into the noise. But so does the media. Not just traditional outlets - but the blogs, the influencers, the cigar group admins, the content farms. The ones who repeat everything and investigate nothing. They don’t just report - they amplify. They recycle headlines, fuel outrage, and build echo chambers that make every price increase feel like a personal betrayal.

They've traded curiosity for clicks. And in doing so, they've helped train cigar consumers to

see malice where there might only be margin.

Instead of saying, “Yeah, it costs more - but it’s still worth it,” the narrative gets drowned in manufactured skepticism. And when that happens, everyone loses.

But cigars, like Scotch, aren’t priced in a vacuum. They’re priced in a moment.

You’re the one choosing that moment. And every time you buy, you validate that it’s worth it. But if the price of your go-to cigar starts outpacing the experience it delivers - then maybe it’s not. And that’s okay.

Because choice works both ways.

You don’t owe your loyalty to a blend that’s lost its magic. Just like no brand owes you yesterday’s price. If the value’s no longer there, choose differently. Adjust. Explore. The decision’s still yours.

So if you’re going to light up, own the moment.

If you're going to complain, maybe don’t.

Because in luxury, the cost is part of the experience.

Cigarmakers - Stop Hiding Behind the Word ‘Tariff’

Let’s call it what it is.

Tariffs - one day they're real, the next day they're caught in an injunction, and the day after that, they've jumped from 10% to 110%. It's all been kinda manic. And to hedge bets, many businesses have chosen to act as if any number may be real.

But in this industry, “tariff” has become a safe word. A blanket excuse. A catch-all justification for price hikes that may or may not be warranted.

And consumers are catching on.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: tariffs are just one variable. The rest? That’s on you. Vendor negotiations. Material sourcing. Packaging choices. Logistics. Currency shifts. Freight. Forecasting. Inventory discipline. These are controllables - your controllables. And when you get those right, it’s entirely possible for your COGs to stay flat... even when tariffs tick up.

Some of you know that.

Some of you have already pulled it off.

But a lot of you are defaulting to a story instead of doing the work.

Let’s be clear: if you’re raising your prices, you’d better have a reason that aligns with your mission statement and brand story...

You’re not the only one on the shelf. You’re surrounded by competitors, many of whom have figured out how to maintain their margins without reshuffling their positioning.

And positioning is what matters here.

There are stair-stepped price tiers in this business just like in spirits. That $9 Connecticut you sell might sit on the shelf next to four other Connecticuts at a similiar price point. If yours suddenly becomes $12 overnight with no justification? The market’s not going to blink - it’s going to push you off the display.

Same goes for your higher-end SKUs. A $15 Toro becomes a $20 Toro overnight? You better have more than “logistics and tariffs” as your answer. Otherwise, the market is going to look at you sideways, and the retailers are going to shelf-shift you faster than you think.

And here’s what’s worse: when you slap “tariff” on every price increase without nuance, you train your retailers and your consumers to become skeptics. You chip away at the very idea that your product is worth what you say it is. You undermine your own brand equity with every lazy explanation.

So let’s tighten this up:

• If you're increasing prices, show the math or tell the story.

• If your price point shifts your brand positioning, reposition your brand - on purpose.

• If you can’t back the hike, don’t make it.

Because if your only move is hiding behind the word “tariff,” don’t be surprised when the market starts calling your bluff.

Retailers - Be Ruthless. Be Strategic. Be Competitive.

Let’s not sugarcoat this either: your margins are your responsibility.

And if you’re waiting for manufacturers to solve your inventory problems, you’re already behind.

Start here:

If you’ve got dogs on the shelf - cigars that haven’t moved in 6, 9, 12 months - they’re not aging gracefully. They’re rotting your cash flow. Shoot them. Like Old Yeller. Clear the space. Free up the dollars. You’re running a business, not a museum.

Now let’s talk pricing.

If your vendor gives you a break, pass it. Immediately. Aggressively. Your customers are more price-aware than ever, and they can smell a stale deal from across the lounge. Stop protecting margin on slow-movers and start thinking like a modern retailer: velocity over vanity.

Don’t wait for permission to be competitive. If MAP agreements are holding you back, ask yourself this: how many brands are actually enforcing them?

We both know the answer.

MAP looks good in a brand book, but enforcement is spotty at best. And the ones who do enforce it? Usually the ones who’ve earned the leverage. If you’re afraid to get “cut off” by a brand that barely turns in your humidor, maybe that’s not a brand you need in the first place.

And if a manufacturer doesn’t want to sell to you directly? There’s a solution: go wholesale.The fastest-growing vertical in this industry isn’t another boutique - it’s distribution. The wholesalers have more SKUs, better fulfillment, and less ego. If you want flexibility, if you want consistency, if you want leverage - build those relationships now. The smart ones already are.

Bottom line:

You can’t keep doing business like it’s 2013. You can’t run scared.Cut what’s dead. Move what moves. Reward your customers with real value.

Because the ones who survive this next cycle won’t be the most loyal.

They’ll be the most adaptable.

The Culture Is the Product - And You’re All Building It

You can’t talk about cigars without talking about culture.

Not culture like marketing fluff - but real, lived-in, handshake culture. The kind you feel in the lounge, around the table, at the big event with ashtrays and whiskey glasses everywhere. That’s the glue of this industry.

And here’s what makes it different from any other luxury product:

In cigars, the consumer, the retailer, and the manufacturer all exist in the same room.

Literally.

The Macallan drinker doesn’t meet the distiller.

The Rolex buyer doesn’t hang out with the guy who milled the case.

But in cigars? You cut and light a stick next to the very person who made it, sold it, or brought it to market.

And that proximity? That intimacy? It’s a gift.

But it also creates tension - especially when the economy tightens, prices rise, and narratives spin.

Consumers think they’re getting gouged.

Retailers think they’re getting squeezed.

Manufacturers think they’re underappreciated.

Meanwhile, they’re all sitting in the same lounge - pretending not to hear each other complain.

Here’s the reality: everyone shapes the perception of value.

When manufacturers blame tariffs, when retailers don’t manage inventory, when consumers talk like cigar pricing is a scam - the collective credibility of the industry drops.

But when each party owns their role - openly, intelligently, and without excuses - the whole category rises.

Cigar culture is fragile like that. It’s built on respect, on transparency, and on shared enjoyment. When that balance holds, it’s one of the most powerful ecosystems in luxury. When it fractures, the market turns transactional - and transactional is a fast road to irrelevance.

So look around. You’re not alone in this.

This is your moment, sure - but it’s everyone else’s too.

And how you act in that moment sends a signal.

Choose wisely.

Shift Your Mindset. Shift the Market.

This industry is still one of the rare places where the maker, the seller, and the buyer share the same room. You might light up next to the person who rolled it, blended it, boxed it, or fought to get it on that shelf.

That’s not branding. That’s real.

And that’s what makes it powerful.

And fragile.

Because when one side starts finger-pointing, ducking blame, or waiting for someone else to fix it, the whole illusion wobbles. And in luxury? Illusion is half the sale.

If you’re a consumer - own your lane.

You chose this hobby. It didn’t choose you.

If your go-to cigar no longer delivers, choose differently. No drama. Just decisions.

And if money’s tight, that’s human. But don’t add your voice to the echo chamber unless you’re saying something that elevates the conversation.

If you’re a retailer - run tight and sharp.

Inventory is leverage. Deals are strategy.

The right moves keep you competitive. The wrong ones collect dust.

If you’re a manufacture - lead with intention.

Raise prices when you must. Reposition when it’s time. But own those calls.

Don’t toss out “tariff” like it’s a magic word and expect silence in return.

We all share this space.

And if we want it to hold - if we want it to mean something - then we’ve each got to choose better.

Because in the premium cigar world, choice isn't just the model.

It’s the message.

And it’s the moment.

__________________________________________________________

This isn’t about nostalgia.

It’s not about panic.

It’s about clarity.

Be the one who knows their numbers.

Knows their story. Knows their role.

Because the next cycle won’t reward noise. It’ll reward signal.

If you’re in this to last - prove it.

I'll see you in the next room. Schedule your exploratory call with The Cigar Profit today!

— The Cigar Profit