Since the pandemic, cigar consumption has quadrupled. This happened particularly in the city of Buenos Aires and in provinces such as Córdoba, Corrientes, Entre Ríos and Neuquén. The upward trend continues to date and has also implied a paradigm shift on the profile of smokers, where both women and young audiences gained more prominence.

The pandemic triggered by COVID-19 has had a strong impact on the national cigar market, to the point that consumption has multiplied. How can this phenomenon be explained?

There have been some peculiarities of the pandemic such as the confinement, the savings generated by the reduction of departures and the restrictions on travel abroad which have been decisive in promoting this sector which, since then, has not stopped growing.

Those who bought this traditional Cuban product outside the country they turned to the domestic market and they both discovered the same quality and variety to which they were accustomed.

Another decisive factor was the ease of making purchases from anywhere in the country through online channels, which opened up the possibility of accessing a world perceived as inaccessible due to distance and ignorance.

This phenomenon has also generated a paradigm shift in consumption. According to statistics collected by La Casa del Habano Argentina, female buyers have gone from being From 15% to over 40% in the last year.

​Furthermore, the age of cigar smokers has significantly decreased, changing the stereotype that associated it with men, over the age of 50 and with high purchasing power.

Likewise, the idea that they are unattainable or exclusive products has been demystified and more people are encouraged to try them. In this sense, Argentine consumers tend to choose formats of greater diameter and reduced length and favorite brands are Monte Cristo and Romeo and Juliet.

There is a very romantic world around the ritual of cigar consumption which has to do with the idea of ​​taking a break from daily commitments, focusing on yourself and connecting with the senses. As for the latter, as it is smoked, each product is divided into three parts and each has a different flavor, which intensifies as it progresses and can be combined in a special way.

There are infinite combinations that are not only linked to the drink that will accompany it – where rum is usually chosen because it comes from the same land and has common elements – but also to the time of day, the climate and the food.

There is an image that reflects this concept and it is the scene from the children’s film Ratatouille where the mouse mixes strawberry with roquefort and generates an explosion of flavors in the mouth. That same sensation occurs when a good combination is made, where the flavors multiply and are enhanced.

Lucía Alsogaray is the director of La Casa del Habano Argentina and a cigar specialist