Do you care about packaging?

[SparklePony]

When they're not packaged in the tubes they come in jars of 25.  I prefer the tubes, but the jars are really attractive.

[Cfickter]

appollo - 2/7/2015  9:41 AM  To me it doesn't but I know cigar makers certainly use it.Its seems to be human nature to be drawn to the fancy packaging and to buy that one item instead of the more plan one unless you know something of the product you are buying an example of this are pardons cigars ,pretty plain but the name will sell them anyways.

 Appollo is right, you may say that it doesn't matter but more often than not it works.  Just look what it did for Comacho.  Their sales jumped in 2013 when the new packaging and bold colors were intorduced. 

[ebernabe]

Very nice packaging.

Ted - 2/6/2015  4:03 PM

Does look pretty cool...

[StogieDad]

You are fooling yourself if you think packaging has no effect on you.  May be that fancy and overdone turns you off.  May be that you like a simple foil band.  But those are still marketing accomplishing a goal.

Not to say I don't believe most of us prefer substance over flash.  A shiny polished turd is still a turd.  It certainly is not my DECIDING factor.  But I find myself all the time seeing cigars that I say "Damn that looks cool".

BTW, Curivari is a great example of a company that puts out great smokes with very plain packaging.  RomaCraft started out with unbanded sticks in plain boxes (of which I have a couple boxes).  But to me, all the packaging on those is awesome for its simplicity, but they are stellar cigars.

[Otter]

As a mentor told me once, the best cigar is the one that sells, and that definitely has something to do with packaging...

[horrido]

Sex sells so if packaging is considered sex then it sells. Just think of the cigar with no label in a brown paper bag then how would you write a review or say trade it. Branding is powerful to the human mind and making profit ties into it as many have suggested. I like pretty boxes and the design that goes into the craft my son does this type of work for living and it is interesting. I prefer the sparkles it adds to the love of the stick however don't put a bikini on a 400 pounder and call it bay watch.

[Kid Montana]

After you've smoked the cigar, what happens to the package?  What am I supposed to do with all those fancy coffins, wooden travel cases (looking at you, Arturo Fuente), custom tubos or whatever?  They get thrown away because after a few years of smoking, you wind up with all this CLUTTER that may look nice, but just collects dust ad has no use.  

I've stopped buying Papas Fritas because I don't want to pay the extra $1-2 per stick for the aluminum case they come in, and have no use for the case after I've smoked the cigars.  I would never buy those cigars in the fancy tubos unless I was planning on giving it as a prestige gift to someone.

To address Horridos point, yes, sex sells, but the bread and butter of the Cigar Industry is loyal fans buying the same cigars year after year.  This is why I feel companies like Viaje and to a lesser extent Tatuaje have limited growth potential because they are going to burn out potential customers with the never ending cycle of limited releases.  There will always be the hard core fan that might lap everything up, but they will never become Padron sized until they have excellent offerings that are priced right.

[Vroomp]

Tubos come in handy if you sponsor a critique and wish to send just the one cigar cheaply!