Catching Up with The Pacific Cigar Co.

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By Eric Piras

We meet Norio Hattori, regional marketing director of The Pacific Cigar Co. on a rainy morning in PCC’s beautiful Harbour Cigar Divan in Hong Kong, to talk about cigars (obviously) and more.

Norio Hattori is no stranger to the world of luxury, having trained as a gemologist and worked for very high-end watch and jewelry brands.

ALSO: Another Q&A session with Dag Holmboe

In his sixth year as regional director of marketing for PCC, Norio is also managing the very successful cigar accessories brand SIGLO and holds the revered Habanos Academia Master Trainer diploma.

Eric Piras (EP). When did you start smoking and do you remember your first cigar?

Norio Hattori (NH). I started smoking ‘seriously’ when I was in my 20s.

The first cigar experience... it’s almost like the first girlfriend, you never forget the first time! At the time I was living in Tokyo and was in Paris for holidays. I went to the Hemingway Bar in the Ritz hotel and Colin Jr, the Hemingway’s very famous bartender, came to me with his humidor and offered me to try a cigar. He did it in such an amazing way that it caught my attention and I have been an aficionado ever since.

EP. When do you usually have your first cigar of the day and what do you like about smoking cigar?

NH. My first cigar is usually in the morning, and if I taste a new cigar (a new release or an SKU new to our range) I will always taste it in the morning when my palate is clean and fresh. I don’t actually smoke every day and tasting cigars is often my homework, but I must say that the best cigar of the day is always social.

The connection you build with people through cigars is always quite special.

EP. Can you explain your work with SIGLO?

NH. SIGLO is a brand that PCC created in 2003; the idea was to create a line of accessories to complement the lines of cigars. I took over SIGLO’s management four years ago and it’s really a fun part of my job, as we get to be very creative and think outside the box. The brand is now getting an international appreciation, with a name recognized by aficionados. It is now distributed in more than 20 countries: Asia-Pacific, Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Canada, several countries in the Middle-East, and soon in Turkey. We also have some US retailers who are very faithful to the brand.

EP. What is the brand positioning?

NH. SIGLO’s reputation is that of a very high quality for fairly affordable prices, which is well summarized by the term ‘affordable luxury’.

We propose lines of lighters, cutters, cases, ashtrays, and humidors. Our aim is to reach different types of customers and we come up with new designs every year.

Essentially a humidor is a box, and its job is to keep cigars in pristine condition... and people tend to forget that the value of the cigars kept in humidors can be higher than the humidor itself. The market starts to see a lot of funky humidors, which might look great on the outside but might not always be very reliable. And this is where SIGLO makes the difference: our humidors perfectly keep cigars and they look different and original on the outside.

Our lighters and cigar cutters are very successful. We have recently launched a V-cut for the US market with modern designs, which has been extremely well received and proposes a new way to smoke cigar. The taste buds strongly react to the first smoke, and the cut of the cigar can have an influence on the first perception and completely change the cigar experience. We actually invite clients to try their favorite cigar with a different cut, to experiment.

I can let you in on some ‘en primeur’ news: we’re currently working on a new line targeting bikers - specific accessories that you can place on a motorcycle. I got the idea from my last IPCPR show in the US, where a lot of bikers are actually serious aficionados!

EP. We start to see more ‘New World’ cigars on international markets, coming from countries such as Honduras, Nicaragua, or Dominican Republic. How do you see the progression of these brands in Asia, which is very much Cuban-led? And if you retail some of these brands, how do you choose them?

NH. Indeed, Asia is very much driven by Cuban brands. Since the US had an embargo on Cuban products, the market has been open to ‘New World’ producing countries and they’re quite willing to trying new origins. In Asia, we’ve always had easy access to Cubans and the situation can be compared to wines: Bordeaux has led the way for many years, followed by Burgundy, but wine consumers have now learned to discover and enjoy different origins.

This is one of PCC’s aims: we want to become a one-stop-shop for cigars in Asia. We believe that we should be able to carry the best of each terroir and we choose the brands that we think will ‘hit something’ with our customers who are fairly used to the taste and power of Cuban puros.

When we want to launch a new brand or new products, we usually gather our retail managers for a tasting session. We always invite the brand ambassador to explain the origin, the rolling etc. Our retail team needs to be aware of what we launch, taste the cigars and discuss them.

For instance, we are now retailing Flor de Selva from Honduras, which has been very well received by our clients, especially the 20th Aniversario line which is well suited for the Asian palate. VegaFina is another example that our clients enjoy, and we are planning to add Ashton and Joya de Nicaragua to our selection.

Our DNA is to be firstly distributors of Habanos; however, we are trying to open more shelf space for these ‘New World’ brands. We combine the additional shelf space with an educative mission - we regularly organize events so that our members can discover new terroirs, and they are always receptive.

We believe that it is very important for the brand representatives to present their brand directly to our members: they like to see the maker and understand the background. For instance, Maya Selva was in Hong Kong for the launch of Flor de Selva and having such a passionate lady made a huge impact on members. It is also refreshing to see that a brand like this is not trying to copy the Cubans, but rather is striving to create the best expression of the Honduran terroir. And it is no surprise that cigars have been listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Honduras in 2016.

EP. Where do you buy your cigars?

NH. Obviously, PCC is my main source, but I am a bit of a cigar collector and I will always try to buy the regional editions when I travel. One needs to be careful about the origins of the cigars, and I always only purchase mine from official recognized Habanos tobacconists such as La Casa del Habano or Cohiba Atmosphere.

EP. What do you drink when smoking cigar?

NH. This is the million-dollar question, and there is no standard answer to it, as I usually drink just what I feel like at that moment. If I smoke socially, I really like port with my cigar, though I could be equally pleased with a rum. But if I try a new cigar, I want to keep a fresh palate and will drink water in order to focus on the cigar. Cigar tasters drink tea to cleanse their palate, and this is something I also enjoy.

EP. What is your most memorable cigar?

NH. Actually, I have two memorable cigars. The first one is a 1987 Bolivar Especiales, an incredible rare cigar that a very good client was kind enough to offer me. The other one is a very old vintage cigar that cannot be found anymore, and I thoroughly enjoyed it in Cuba with my wife to celebrate our daughter’s birth.

EP. How do you foresee 2018?

NH. Definitely an expansion year for Siglo! We will open PCC retail shops in more Asian countries if the opportunities arise, though we are already present in most of them. Our next one will be in Cambodia: a Cohiba Atmosphere in the Raffles hotel in Phnom Penh.

Last year was a milestone for PCC, as we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the company and released two regional editions for the anniversary celebrations: a Silver Jubilee Bolivar Robusto Extra with a “Drop Head” and a Ramon Allones Montesco.

Unfortunately, it has been a sad year as well, with the passing of our founder Sir David Tang.

Lastly, 2018 should be an exciting year with ambitious new releases from Cuba!