Boutique strippergrams I could accept.
Boutique should mean they're from a smoke shop, I think, like Illusione or Cuban Crafters or Taboo (a little shop in the Dallas/Fort Worth area). Not just something from a small manufacturer. I just guess the small breweries said "I'm not calling myself a boutique, are you?". And craft beers were born.
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Well said.
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My 2 cents (which ain't worth even that) is that boutique is an accurate term. To me the making of cigars is a craft or an art. And small batch is what everything starts out as...and if the demand is there...it doesn't stay small batch for long. I realize a lot of that has to do with marketing, but boutique is exactly what's out there. Limited runs or blends for specific retailers, as well as events, etc
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If you go with that description, then CI, JR, Famous and Holts own a few hundred boutique brands each, a notable portion of which have huge production numbers, much higher than the numbers of the ones you mentioned.
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Yep. Exactly. I thought of that after but couldn't remember any names. Produced for the store under their name, not necessarily by them. Could be from the biggest major manufacturer and still be a boutique brand. That's why the term is misleading, or not, if that's what you expect. It seems nowadays words only mean what you expect them to mean. I think I could write the next sentence and step on about three of the DO NOTs in the forum rules, words that don't mean their definitions. :-) Could start a whole thread about that.:-)
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Not sure what purpose redefining the commonly accepted definition of boutique in terms of cigars in that fasion would gain you besides making the term utterly worthless.
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If the definition fits, why stop using it?

boutique [buːˈtiːk]
n

2. (Business / Commerce) (modifier) of or denoting a small specialized producer or business, a boutique operation a boutique winery
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The definition I was referring to is included in "boutique operation", which could be a sub-department of a large operation, usually some fashionable home brand.

I usually associate the word with fashion, I must say I don't care much for fashion. The small shop definition absolutely applies, in most cases. What if General Cigar is just rebranding some major production cigar for someone? How would you know? Don't take the GenCig reference literally, please, I don't even know if they do that, just the only big cigar company I could think of.
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All I know is I love me some boutique ceegars!
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Then don't smoke them.

If you want to smoke them and the word "boutique" is associated with the cigars then remember that it doesn't apply to you and in no way jeopardizes your masculinity. I'm safe in mine and don't think that some word associated with a cigar could in any way threaten who I am.
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Immediately after 9/11, I proposed on another cigar board that we find a substitution for the oft-used term "bomb" to refer to gifting others with cigars. You can imagine with what disinterest my proposal was received.

I consider language to be a living entity which evolves naturally. As with morality, it seems bootless to "legislate" it.

No offense intended, just :-), and worth every penny.
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Boutique works for me
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Small batch or Limited edition sounds good to me but would most likely raise prices
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Blasphemy!
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I find this topic to be a bit boutique
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I agree. My thoughts are is the term boutique is mostly used by distributors to market a cigar and is heavily over used by CI, Holts, etc. whatever works to sell its I guess but I am Leary of any cigar claiming boutique as I guess I feel it's generally over reaching or I am just at saturation on the label. Sounds like perhaps I am not alone haha
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