Boutique cigars what are they?

Some people use the terms “boutique” and “small-batch” interchangeably to describe cigars that are other than those mass-produced by the big companies—Altadis, for example, which makes such brands as Romeo y Julieta and Montecristo, among others; and General Cigar, manufacturers of brands including Macanudo, Partagas, and Punch. Both terms fit as far as the dictionary definition of boutique goes, meaning something that’s small and specialized. But, in the cigar smoking world, the term boutique has somewhat evolved to better describe the manufacturers who choose to keep things small and to focus on specific subsets of the cigar-smoking world that are looking for something other than what’s widely produced and widely available. Still, there’s nothing saying that you can’t use either term to describe cigars that fall into this category, or manufacturers that make cigars in this category, as they really do describe the same thing—a small, specialized product or approach.

Boutique cigars and boutique cigar manufacturers have always been a part of the tobacco industry, but they definitely blossomed during the great cigar boom in the mid 1990s. Some of these smaller companies came and went, but there’s no denying the demand for cigars that appeal to other than the masses, and boutique manufacturers—individuals and small companies that produce less than 2 million or so cigars per year—continue to enter the market on a regular basis.

Seek out their offerings, and you might find some great smokes with some unique blends, and sometimes at great prices too. Among the names in this category to look for are such smaller-scale manufacturers as Rocky Patel, Tatuaje, whose full-bodied Miami line, manufactured in Miami’s famous Calle Ocho neighborhood (also known as Little Havana), has become almost legendary amongst cigar smokers seeking robust smokes, Gurkha, Don Pepin, and 5 Vegas.