Greetings! Hopefully everyone’s recovered from the Holidays and is used to writing “2008” in the date. Davidoff recently held its National Sales Meeting in Switzerland and I’m happy to report that 2008 with be an extremely exciting year for the company, as we will be introducing some incredible new projects. We will be sure to keep you posted with details and availability as these products premier.

In the meantime, it’s important that we go over some of the newest additions to our line up that are currently available.

First, the brand Zino is very important to us. It is what brought the Davidoff brand to the United States. While Davidoff was still manufactured in Cuba, Mr. Davidoff realized the importance of the American market, and with the Cuban Embargo in effect, created the Zino brand in Honduras in order to offer a super premium cigar in this super premium market. Eventually, in 1990, the Davidoff production moved to the Dominican Republic, where we were able to have complete control over the production of the Davidoff cigars and could now offer a consistent product worldwide. Other premium brands like The Griffin’s, AVO and Zino Platinum also joined our portfolio over the years, leaving the original Zino brand as the only brand we didn’t make ourselves. So, in 2006, after phasing out the Honduran-made Zino Connoisseur and Zino Mouton Cadet brands, we took the final step in a long journey to bring all of our brands “in-house”. The Zino Classic brand is a Honduran blend, made in our factory in the Dominican Republic under the close supervision of our master blender Hendrik Kelner. It uses primarily Honduran tobaccos with a bit of Dominican Tobacco in the filler “…to add balance”, as Mr. Kelner often explains.

Finally, these newsletters are our way of maintaining and embracing personal relationships with you, our customers. The cigar business is an intimate one - akin to the bond you have with your barber or tailor. It’s one that builds and develops over time. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to any member of our team if you have any questions or need any assistance at all. The Davidoff we know today has been built on the simple philosophies of a simple man in a simple store. Providing unequivocal products, quality customer service, and accommodation. This is precisely what we in New York try to embrace in our Davidoff shops each and every day.

Best Regards,
Michael Herklots
General Manager
Davidoff of Geneva
The Shops at Columbus Circle, New York