The Rings
Our Cigar Rings commemorate the Vicente brand and serve as a continuance of our masterpieces. Never are they meant to be torn and thrown in the ashtray like other brands’ cigars.
~ Vincent “Vicente” McGlone
ring
/riNG/
noun
“a small circular band, typically of precious metal and often set with one or more gemstones, worn on a cigar as an ornament or a token of appreciation, or authority”
“The Vicente Cigar Ring”
The Problem
A cigar’s band, excluding the actual tobacco blend and construction of the cigar, is the single most important aspect of any cigar. If you think about it, the band typically captures your immediate attention because of its colors and creativity as well as identifies the cigar brand or name. Aficionados are drawn to various colors and levels of creativity and/or simplicity of the band. And with the continual staring at your cigar while smoking it, isn’t the band looked at almost in the same amount of time as the cigar itself?
So not only are the bands used for marketing and identifying but they also permit the aficionado to posture while sitting among everyone just as a “car guy” may posture when he/she pulls up in a Lambo or Bentley to the front of a restaurant. Or a woman walks into a party with a “red bottom” heels. Knowing others will look. After all isn’t this all a part of this perceived status within our society?
Yes, every cigar brand tries to capture your attention with their embossed paper bands simply because this is the only visual marker to uniquely identify their product. Using paper bands has stood the test of time only with the evolution of embossing and various other graphical techniques to basically stamp the paper bands for unique identification.
The brands and their aficionados truly hold the bands in high regard, but I question one specific aspect of which everyone has overlooked.
You may say Vicente, “have you seen some of the sophisticated bands on the market? These bands have status and we love them.” Keep them coming!”
Vicente’s response, “Don’t get me wrong. I truly like and admire many of the current cigar bands. Many of the paper bands are truly sophisticated and complicated paper embossed bands which are practically miniature pieces of art almost rivaling the best art works of Picasso. I severely appreciate the time and effort put into creating paper bands as Vicente Blends also started at the beginning of my vision with paper bands embossed with gold and various other colors. So I have been through the process. Seriously, the time and effort being put into some of these bands is amazing.
But, even when we created our bands, I felt we were falling short, not only for ourselves and aficionados but also for the masterful blends we have created. Yes, our cigars required more than just a paper band.
I believe all cigar brands have been caught in this repetitive loop of trying to ‘out do’ their competitors, but fall short of potential purpose of the band.
So my question to everyone … Why create such amazing bands in paper while knowing 99% of them treated as trash, destroyed and thrown with the ashes when you are finished enjoying the cigar?
As a disruptor and cigar lover, I have serious issue with creating these Picasso-like bands with embossed metallic decoration that are designed so meticulously and creatively in order to capture your attention and symbolize the stature of the brand while permitting the aficionado to posture, but to then accept the fact that when finished smoking the cigar, these same pieces of art are simply ripped from the cigar, torn or crumbled up and then thrown into the ash tray with all of the ash you just smoked.
Honestly, does this make sense to anyone?
I want the bands to mean more and to be preserved as a keep sake to everyone reminding them that we treat every aspect our of cigar with same importance!
The Vicente Blends Ring
Vicente Blends regards our rings just as important as our blends. Just look at the quality and craftsmanship of our engraved and polished Precious Blends Collection Rings as well as the symbolism and grandeur of our Royalty Collection.
Our unique and sophisticated ring design completes every aspect of which a cigar band should encompass which completely separates us from any other brand in the world.
Any aficionado smoking a Vicente while sitting at a lounge or with friends will immediately find themselves in a conversation as to what cigar they are smoking simply because of the luster and status the Vicente Ring will provide.
Our rings represent a piece of our cigars – not to discarded as trash – but to be reused on other cigars or to be placed as a trophy next to or on top of your humidor to see and remember Vicente Blends every time you glance at it. The Vicente Rings are a symbol our name and should never be regarded as trash.
One thing is for sure, new aficionados will be drawn to our product by such magnificent visuals while converted Vicente Aficionados will covet our rings while truly understanding the merge of all aspects of Vicente which no one has every experienced prior.
The desire of gold is not for gold. It is for the means of freedom
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson