Feedback on a business idea - Custom cigar blends

[specks]

I'm an internet entrepreneur that has a few companies under my belt. I'm thinking about my next venture, and this time I want to do something that I'm really passionate about - cigars. I had an idea that I wanted to run past you guys.

I'm thinking about trying to start a company like Crush Pad Wine (Google it, I can't post url yet) for cigars. Basically, it'd be a place where you could create custom cigar blends, choosing your own tobaccos, wrappers, construction methods, etc. We'd construct and age them for you and ship when they're ready.

I'm assuming here that cigar connoisseurs would be as interested in controlling the development process as wine connoisseur are. But I could be way off on that.

Would blending custom cigars be something that you guys might be interested in, or would you guys rather leave blending to the pros? Do you have other ideas for custom construction or the ability to create custom cigar lines? What feature would you want to see to make this work for you?

Thanks for your help! Glad to be part of the forum.

 

[kockroach]

Welcome to BOTL. Feel free to go to the Introductions forum and post an intro thread.

 

[Skitalets]

To be honest, I don't trust my palette as much as those of the giants in the cigar industry. I wouldn't want to smoke a cigar I blended vs something Pete Johnson, Ernesto Perez-Carillo, or the Cuban masters put together.

Just saw Ernesto at W. Curtis Draper yesterday, and in his talk he said blending is a lifestyle. You have to live it and hone your craft to create great cigars. So I guess I would not be in the target market.

 

[danthebugman]

First off welcome...hope you'll take a minute to introduce yourself on the Introduction forum. Leave it to the pros is my thought. Most of those guys have been doing it a lifetime and some have generations of knowledge on their side. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Dan

 

[thegoldenmackid]

Was just having this conversation the other night, given there's a pipe retailer who just launched a campaign like this.

I think someone will try it, but by all means the blends are going to be overwhelmingly bad. Would it be successful as a business? Who knows. I get the feeling that if CI did it with their prominence it would work, but for a small start-up? I don't know.

 

[StocktonJohn]

Doesn't sound practical. High cost, long wait and high probability of disappointment.

 

[USCG Cigar Newb]

Ditto on the above. I would not pretend to know better than the pros on what goes well, and I am sure that a mix is already out there just like I would be looking for, just would need to ask people on the forum and I am sure they could direct me. Also as said above the time and cost would make it not worth it.

 

[thegoldenmackid]

Ditto on the above. I would not pretend to know better than the pros on what goes well, and I am sure that a mix is already out there just like I would be looking for, just would need to ask people on the forum and I am sure they could direct me. Also as said above the time and cost would make it not worth it.

I mean the real problem is the tobacco. I'm not sure how the wine version of this works, but I assume that a much larger marketplace helps a lot. But getting all the different kinds and grades of tobacco would just be a nightmare. I'm sure if you called up one of the shops that has in house roller and said "make me x" they could do it within reason, but I can't imagine that happens that much.

 

[specks]

Thanks a lot for the responses so far. I guess I'm not too worried about the logistics side of it right now -- i.e. sourcing tobaccos, etc. Those problems are the entrepreneurship part, and they come later. I'm just wondering if there is a customer base. I suspected that the Crush Pad concept might not translate well to cigars for the reasons you guys have mentioned. Seems like you guys have verified that.

 

[NCost]

I'd pass. It takes these guys years to perfect a blend they're willing to sell. I'm not spending cash on a pile of dog rockets that I have to take credit for. No thanks.

 

[The EVP]

I'd pass as well. I wouldn't even know where to begin when it comes to choosing my own tobacco. I know what wrappers I like and don't like. I know what strengths and flavors I like and don't like. Beyond that, I couldn't tell the difference between what makes a good leaf and a bad leaf other than the obvious (tears, blemishes, etc.).

Though I do know my palate pretty well, the manufacturers are obsesive-compulsive when it comes to the quality of their tobacco, what to blend with what and how much of each tobacco to use. This comes with years upon years of experience in knowing what to look for. They feel the leaf, sniff the leaf, burn a small portion of it to see what the smoke is like. They meticulously watch over every step of the process...planting, growing, caring for, picking, fermnetation, storing, sorting, blending, rolling, etc. They know how even the slightest change in each step will affect the finished product.

It's too much for me to process. Most tobacctionists barely make a profit and they're selling to the general cigar smoking population. You'ld be targeting a very small niche of that already small population who are interested in blending their own cigars.

 

[Moose]

Yea, to hard to spend money on a hit or miss thought. You are on the right track though, maybe you could just make a few nice cigars and do custom bands and boxes.

 

[andy]

some thoughts:

cpw is proof that a site like this has it's place on the net. and of course cpw would translate to cigars. grapes and tobacco. wine and cigars. the two industries are very similar and so are their marketplaces.

i would love to have cigars made-to-order. having control of the blending process, perhaps even the packaging, why wouldn't i shell out some money for that?

its a good idea. don't let these guys kill it. just get your ux figured out and a clickable model up and running. you can worry about your sourcing and pricing later.

you don't have very many competitors yet. cigar manufacturers and tobacconists aren't competing this way. there are a few whole leaf dealers online. but i think for something like this, its better to sell the process and not the raw materials.

good luck. i've been thinking about this sort of site for two years and have a ton of ideas. let me know if i can help.

 

[twenty5]

Im taking this idea. Look for the website in the next month or two.

 

[gibbleguts]

I have heard of people trying to blend their own cigars on trips like cigar safari with mixed results. They usually have the advantage of knowing what the tobacco tastes like in the cigars it is normally used for.


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[themoneycollector]

And with the smaller demographics, you also have to factor in that unless you have the capital, you won't get the good tobaccos.

From what I've seen most blends are largely done by trial and error, but on tons and tons of blends. Someone picking tobaccos blindly off the internet 1-off is probably not going to end up well.

So from a serious standpoint - no. But from a novelty/gift perspective - possibly. But gauging from the responses so far on this thread, not many seem to be personally interested, even from a novelty perspective, including me. I'd rather buy a box from a well known brand that I love than take a risk on something poor or mediocre at best. You haven't mentioned prices, but I doubt you'd be able to be competitive with this model. There's great sticks available now, there's even some good cheapies that are only $2-3/stick.

 

[MReschke0626]

Im taking this idea. Look for the website in the next month or two.

MySmoke.com? FaceBox.com? Scratch that last one, there's probably already another entirely uncigar related website at that one.

 

[stroke]

MySmoke.com? FaceBox.com? Scratch that last one, there's probably already another entirely uncigar related website at that one.

Could you use iCigar.com or is there a TM on the letter "i"?

In all seriousness though, I can't say I would prefer buying cigars in this manner. Working with a limited budget, I couldn't drop the cash on something I hope will work out. I would rather buy cigars that are tried and true. Thanks for showing an interest, hope you stick around!

 

[Alwayslit]

Doesn't sound practical. High cost, long wait and high probability of disappointment.

^^^this x1000^^^