When World Tobacco reported in 1995 on the launch of an aromatic cigar whose blend included tobacco and flavours more normally associated with pipe tobacco, we commented that it was a cigar created, in part, for non-smokers and not primarily aimed at cigar smokers. It sounded odd, but it worked. They are not to everybody's taste but there is no doubt that flavoured cigars now have a devoted band of followers and can no longer be dismissed as a quirky distraction from 'real' cigars. Indeed, the impression created by many of the big manufacturers is that the flavoured (or aromatic) segment of the cigar market has been almost the only one (along perhaps with filters) to buck the market's trend of falling or stagnant sales in recent years. Precise figures are hard to come by, at least partly because in most cases aromatic cigars are line extensions, but all the evidence points to very robust growth in this segment. What is not at all dear, however, is whether this growth will be sustained. In other words, is this a niche segment that has now reached saturation point after about four years of heavy marketing or has it a lot further to run?
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