Why Gurhka? Why 5 Vegas? Why Cohiba? Why Diesel? Why Man O' War?

No, this is not a question of which to try, but a question of why these brands seem to dominate the catalogs of the two largest online cigar retailers. Gurhka in particular is everywhere, with 5 Vegas and Diesel not far behind, and it seems that just about every sampler has to have at least one of these brands.

Are these brands really that popular, or do you think the manufacturers have pay-to-play arrangements that get them more space on the page or spots in the sampler? It'd be kind of nice to see the cover of one of these things that didn't have one of these featured on them.

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Comments

The Kid

good question!!! No to your question. More about Economics

scarlin

CCOM and CI both contract out AJ and AJ is a driving force between MOW, Diesel, and 5 Vegas. If I am right MOW is to these retailers (direct) only. I have yet to see a diesel or 5 vegas on another site or store, while I have seen a MOW in a B&M but bought from CCOM and marked up (needless to say they haven't sold a lot from my observations) . Gurkha is just EVERYWHERE, sorta like Rocky except Gurkha seems to be a much bigger presence.

Gaetano7890

I could be wrong but I think it has to do with the discounts the brand gives. For instance brands like A. Fuente, Padron, and Davidoff are so big only produce a limited amout of sticks per year becuase of the quality. This in turn allows them to only charge a premium price. So your not going to be able to give a discount if you make a sampler. Man o War for instance is a new brand and is not as established nor do they produce a limited product besides the Armada which you don't see often in samplers. This is my best guess.

Gaetano7890

Besides the triple A I didnt know AJ was so much a part of 5 Vegas. A thought it was more of a colaboration brand from the La Aurora factory. I def need more info now.

scarlin

Gaetano7890:
Besides the triple A I didnt know AJ was so much a part of 5 Vegas. A thought it was more of a collaboration brand from the La Aurora factory. I def need more info now.

You're right, I should have put "respectively" in there some where. He's only done the AAA, but 5 Vegas seems to be an exclusive to CCOM and the sister. 5 Vegas is AJ (AAA), Don Pepin (Miami), F. Oliva (Series A), Quesada (Relic), and Plasencia (Original). Sort of a big mix of people in this brand

WaterDemon

Well damn keep this going I'm learning stuff.

stephen_hannibal

Besides owning two of those brands it probably breaks down to sales numbers.

bigharpoon

With Diesel and MOW it's probably driven by the close, personal relationship between Alex and AJ. I believe Alex contributes to some extent on some of AJ's blends. Alex basically discovered AJ, promoted him and believes in him and his product whole-heartedly and sells them with pride. Ccom also buys directly from AJ which helps keep price low. If you've ever seen a Diesel or MOW in a B&M you'd be amazed at their retail price.

bigfnsteve

So ccom and the sister sites are owned by the same parent company (albiet they all directly compete with each other. The different brands cater to different types of clients). That same parent company owns various cigar brands. That's were the tie in between the retailers and cigar brands come into play. In the end they're under the same umbrella.