EMS cigars are made from specially selected tobacco for the UK market - Really?

[groundhog]

Found this little gem about an American buying cigars in London:

http://www.famous-smoke.com/cigaradvisor/buying-cigars-overseas/

It contained a very interesting sentence, which I'd like to know more about -

" Cuban cigars in the UK are made with English Market Selection (EMS) tobaccos. In layman?s terms, this means the best tobaccos in Cuba are rolled into cigars and sold specifically to the UK."

This is the first time I have ever heard this - so the questions are -
Is it true or false?
Is there any information to back this up either way?

[PeeJay]

I loved this comment 'Aging can ruin what the initial blender offers in terms of taste, and can in turn be looked at as insulting if we age cigars for more than a couple of years. If you buy a box and age the cigars 10 years, it becomes a whole new cigar and completely different from what the blender intended.'

[groundhog]

So any thoughts on their EMS comment? I'm fairly sure it's entirely incorrect - I'm wondering if he was getting confused between EMS and RE....

[PeeJay]

So any thoughts on their EMS comment? I'm fairly sure it's entirely incorrect - I'm wondering if he was getting confused between EMS and RE....

I think it was rubbished on her last year if I recall. EMS originally applied to the type of cigar we preferred in the way that AMS was applied to candelas because they loved them so much. I find it hard to believe that the Cubans would go to so much effort for a small part of their market like us.

[monkey66]

My understanding is today it still does have a little relevance.

H and F have a fairly good qc process and return anything that appears substandard. They have also been known to return entire releases if unhappy with the quality.

I would not imagine they inspect every box but they certainly take it seriously.

If you buy something ems from a retailer and you are unhappy they will replace it with no issues. Most retailers have a big bag/box of returns waiting to go back.

Does this mean UK cigars are worth the premium ...that's for you to decide. Does it mean you have a better chance of less dud cigars, probably.

Worth remembering, right or wrong, that h and f maintain CC'S in the UK as a premium, luxury product. The downside is the price, the upside is the service level. Much harder for a grey market vendor with far lower margins to be generous with returns.

Do they have a higher perceived resale value, often yes.

Saying all that a good cigar is a good cigar regardless of source.

[jabba the hutt]

As with just about everything in this wonderful country of ours, total BS to bump up the price, H&F have a monopoly in this country, once you have travelled and bought cigars where the tax is non existant or Far less punitive, you realise just how we are ripped off.

[jabba the hutt]

Please explain, how H&F QC for plugged cigars without cutting of the cap, DO NOT GET ME WRONG, i love CC, and UK vendors do give good service.

[sheppsea]

I am a huge sceptic on the whole EMS thing, I think the idea that HSA sort special cigars for the UK is nonsense, if only because I doubt other markets would be very happy with it.

There probably is a QC process H&F run, but without smoking (or at least cutting) a cigar its not possible to know if its up to the expected standard, at best it with lessen the odds of getting a plugged cigar, but I'm certainly not convinced that makes it worth paying the premium

[groundhog]

My understanding is today it still does have a little relevance.

H and F have a fairly good qc process and return anything that appears substandard. They have also been known to return entire releases if unhappy with the quality.

I would not imagine they inspect every box but they certainly take it seriously.

If you buy something ems from a retailer and you are unhappy they will replace it with no issues. Most retailers have a big bag/box of returns waiting to go back.

Does this mean UK cigars are worth the premium ...that's for you to decide. Does it mean you have a better chance of less dud cigars, probably.

Worth remembering, right or wrong, that h and f maintain CC'S in the UK as a premium, luxury product. The downside is the price, the upside is the service level. Much harder for a grey market vendor with far lower margins to be generous with returns.

Do they have a higher perceived resale value, often yes.

Saying all that a good cigar is a good cigar regardless of source.

That doesn't answer the specific point though- ems cigars are made from the best tobacco, just for the english market.....
True or not?


sent by tappacrap. So I'm probably talking to myself...

[tommy]

EMS cigars are made from specially selected tobacco for the UK market - Really?

There's absolutely no way EMS cigars are made with different tobacco. At best they qc them more than other cigars get qc'd.
UK cigars are a total rip off and that pisses me off. I want my pound to go back into our economy but instead I just buy from overseas because I refuse to pay three times the price here. At best I'll buy a cigar if I visit a restaurant or pub that sells them or occasionally if I visit a cigar shop I'll grab a single. All that money I spend goes straight out of the economy because H&F's are too greedy. Id even be prepared to pay the Swiss price plus tax. If you add the UK tax amount to a box bought in Geneva it's still nowhere near the UK price.

[Edamski]

As with just about everything in this wonderful country of ours, total BS to bump up the price, H&F have a monopoly in this country, once you have travelled and bought cigars where the tax is non existant or Far less punitive, you realise just how we are ripped off.

I agree with ever word here

[Joss]

There's absolutely no way EMS cigars are made with different tobacco. At best they qc them more than other cigars get qc'd.

Completely agree, the article gives the wrong impression that the very best of Cuban tobacco comes to the UK over other countries. As Tommy said, the EMS is a strict quality control specification.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Simon Bolivar]

I believe in the early days the British tastes were different from the Amercians & elsewhere, preferring lighter wrappers & the colour we preferred was called English shade. That's maybe how the story started. Now we get what Habanos produces & there aren't might lighter wrappers these days, even on non-maduros. Is the enormous mark up worth the EMS tag, not for me but plenty do buy them. The only EMS I have bought were on sale on this site or at auction.

[wolfie]

For me the price hike is basically UK taxes and someone opening the box before you do ....damn expensive reveal .

If im abroad , ok the boxes havent been pre checked , but il open them myself , ( not a big job ) i dont envisage any hassle if the sticks are bad , open another box and exchange.

In Cuba the cigar shop told me to open them , before id even had the chance , again exchange , no problem .

I also believe its the same tobacco .

[monkey66]

That doesn't answer the specific point though- ems cigars are made from the best tobacco, just for the english market.....
True or not?


sent by tappacrap. So I'm probably talking to myself...

Not true. That is acient nonsense, perhaps ment something 50 years ago?