Join the crowd, sit back and suck on your cigar!

Join the crowd, sit back and suck on your cigar!

By Sadie Mah

JAKARTA (JP): Lately, it seems more people are smoking cigars
in various nightspots around Jakarta. Take B.A.T.S. at the
Shangri-La hotel, for instance. The old crowd of Marlboro-smoking
men, high on gin and tonics, may be starting to give way to a new
group of cigar-smoking patrons.

Although it's hard to imagine more people would take up this
expensive habit in the middle of a recession, the kind of
exposure given by some of the top hotels here does seem to
suggest an emerging trend of cigar-smoking among locals. Or at
least a recognition that there is a market for it.

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, for example, decided to gauge the
demands for Cuban cigars by organizing a glitzy Cuban cigar
evening last Friday. "Some of our guests had been suggesting
something like this be held, so we decided to do it," said Alan
J. Hepburn, general manager of the hotel.

So for Rp 475,000++ each, about 60 guests enjoyed cocktails,
free-flowing wine, a four-course meal and two brands of cigars --
Bolivar and Hoyo de Monterrey. The mood was that of the good life
and carefree indulgence. Lots of confident laughter was heard
above the fragrant smoke as the beautiful of Jakarta sucked and
puffed.

After the event, Ria Leimena, the hotel's public relations
director, conveyed the hotel's elation: "We are very excited
about how the event turned out. And yes, it's very likely that we
will be holding more cigar evenings in the future."

Some hotels have even reported an increase in cigar
consumption. "Cigar sales at our hotel have increased 60 percent
since a year ago," said Satrio Widjojo, food and beverage manager
of the Shangri-La hotel. The Shangri-La has been offering Cuban
cigars for two years at the Margeaux Restaurant and B.A.T.S., but
due to increasing demands, has recently made them available also
at the lobby lounge.

"If one person smokes at a table, I can almost guarantee that
the others will also ask for cigars," he said.

The Borobudur Hotel is equally excited about the apparent
trend. "There is definitely a cigar trend in Jakarta," said Paolo
Randone, food and beverage manager. He said the hotel only
started selling cigars seriously this year when it became part of
the Discovery Hotels and Resorts.

"Even though cigar consumption in our hotel has dropped a
little since the economic crisis, it's starting to pick up again.
I really see a market for it," Randone said. "Besides, the fact
that other five-star hotels are offering cigars makes it a must
for us to do the same." The hotel purchased a new humidor last
month and offers Cuban cigars in all their restaurants.

Kempinski Hotel started selling cigars seven months ago. "A
lot of guests were asking for them, and we knew that other hotels
were also providing them, so in a way, we had to do it," said
Rizal Sultoni, assistant food and beverage manager for the hotel.

Even local producers are starting to recognize the market.
Three months ago, kretek (clove cigarette) producer PT Djarum,
which has been producing cigars for export for more than 10
years, began to retain 10 percent of its cigars for the local
market. The company's cigars carry the label of Dos Hermanos, and
are mostly rolled with a blend of Cuban and Brazilian tobacco.
They also use leaves cultivated locally from imported Cuban
seeds.

"We actually started producing Cuban cigars for the U.S.
market," explained Haryanto Wiratman, the company's vice
president for export. "Now there's a market in Indonesia," he
said. The trade embargo imposed on Cuba by the U.S. since 1963
has made Cuban cigars a coveted commodity among Americans.

While it would seem that the increase in consumption has come
from American expatriates and expatriates in general who are
benefiting from the currency depreciation, some hotels say there
are as many locals as there are expatriates who smoke cigars. "In
our hotel, it's a 50-50 mix," said Satrio.

There are various kinds of cigars on the market with prices
starting from Rp 125,000 for a pack of five. Those with lots of
money, however, may spend Rp 200,000 for a single cigar. And the
sales here are quite good. A retail shop manager said she sells
on average about 1,200 cigars a week, even during the crisis.

The conspicuousness of cigar-smokers these days may be due to
the profile of the smokers themselves. They are not the portly,
old men often associated with cigar-smoking in the past. The
image of the modern smoker is one of young affluence borne out of
old money. And given the country's drab economic picture, the
colorful lifestyle depicted by these individuals may have become
an attractive distraction for some.

"Most of the locals who smoke cigars in our hotel are aged
between their late 20s and 40s, educated abroad and work for
multinational, especially oil, companies", said Satrio.

"Personally, I think that those who smoke cigars have not been
affected by the economic crisis," he said. "If they can afford to
pay more than Rp 200,000 for one cigar, they can't be affected at
all." According to him, since August last year, the hotel has
held several private cigar parties for customers at the Margeaux
restaurant. "They were young, upper-class Indonesians who ordered
expensive food, wine and cigars."

But some smokers reject the association of cigar-smoking with
wealth. "It's cheaper than going to a karaoke hall and picking up
girls," insisted Irman S. Joesoef, a regular at the La Casa Del
Habano, a cigar lounge at the Mandarin Oriental that has become a
second home for a handful of serious smokers.

"I come here and sit for a few hours, smoke a good cigar, chat
with the boys, maybe play some cards, and all it costs me is the
price of one cigar," he said. He said he began smoking more since
the krismon began to cope with stress. Now, he smokes four cigars
a day.

The La Casa is also a retail outlet and showroom for the
Pacific Cigar Co. Ltd. Headquartered in Hong Kong, the company
began distributing Cuban cigars in Indonesia two years ago. It
remains the sole agent for all Cuban cigars in the country and
distributes to 60 hotels throughout Indonesia.

Its manager, Wishnu Bintang, said the company's sales have
been steady in spite of the economic crisis. Still, she is hoping
for better sales after the general election.

Some believe there are sure signs that the trend is catching
on. "We've seen how trends like wine-appreciation emerged in the
past. What we are going through now with cigars is like what
happened in the beginning when people started drinking wine in
Hong Kong," said Humphrey Tay, a smoker.

Others agree. "At the moment, people are just experimenting,
maybe choosing cigars that are the most popular or most
expensive. In a few years' time, people will start having their
own preferences," said Randone, explaining the natural
progression of a trend. "It's an educational process, just like
other lifestyle products," said Wishnu.

Whether the trend will take off depends a lot on where the
country is going. But some believe cigar-smoking will survive
even in bad times. An optimistic Randone summed up the situation:
"There are two sides to a coin," he said. "When something is
down, another has to go up, creating a balance."