start the craze, no, but I think the face of small batch/limited edition cigars was changed forever by botique brands in the last few years. The cigars and marketing surronding them as of late is much different from when the powerhouses of the cigar industry brought out opus x, vsg, padron anniversary. The way consumers are treating these products is a clear sign of this...But that is just it, Pete did no such thing as "Start a Craze"...Ever heard of Opus X? How about VSG ER (Sold only with the 2001 Prometheus Ashton humidors, 100 cigars per humidor, 200 humidors ever made. These are Ashton VSGs with Opus X rosado wrappers in 2001)? Oliva Masterblends? Litto Gomez Small Batch No. 1? All came BEFORE pete was even in business with Tatuaje...And the list could go on and on...(and that does not event take into account the Cuban cigar LEs)...
~brooks