Laura Chavin Cigars

Laura Chavin Cigars is a German premium cigar brand founded in 1992 by Helmut Bührle and headquartered in Hochdorf (Eberdingen). The brand is named after Bührle's daughter, Laura Chavin Bührle, who was born in 1988 and later joined the business. Bührle, born in 1948, had prior experience in marketing and design as well as in the tobacco trade of his mother, Sophie Chavin Bührle, and worked for luxury houses including Hermès, Enrico Coveri, Christian Dior and Zino Davidoff before launching his own cigar venture. With support from Dominican tobacco producer Siegfried Maruschke, the first Laura Chavin cigars reached the market in 1999 in six formats. The range later expanded to over 40 formats, along with humidors and accessories. The company operated subsidiaries in Austria and Switzerland and was represented in 14 countries. It also furnished cigar lounges at prestigious hotels and venues, including the Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa in Baden-Baden, Park Hotel Bremen, Wald- und Schlosshotel Friedrichsruhe, and the Laura Chavin Cigar Lounge in Uppsala, Sweden. Bührle's firm partnered with events such as the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, the Volvo Masters golf tournament in Spain, the Baden-Baden racing week, the Senses Award Berlin, the German Embassy in Japan, Cannstatter Wasen/Wilhelmers Schwabenwelt, the Handelsblatt golf tournament, and the Concours d'Elegance in Monaco. In March 2017 insolvency proceedings were opened over the company's assets. The specially founded Cigar Company Willi Knopf took over Laura Chavin Cigars GmbH in 2017 and acquired the brand rights in early 2019. Under the new ownership, the first cigar, "Virginy", appeared in 2019. The brand has received numerous awards, including Best Cigar from Caesar Magazine (Romania), a Red Dot award for the HUMID'OR humidor and its book edition, Cigar Smoker of the World 2000, Pipe & Cigar Cigar of the Year 2001, Intertabac 2002 Best Product of the Year for the HUMID'OR Laura Chavin, Ordre des Gourmets Suisse 2004, Best of the Best 2005/2006/2007 Greece, and more recent recognitions such as the CigarLoverMagazin Best Cigar Award 2020 (5th place worldwide for the Laura Chavin Classic No. 99), Best Boutique Cigars by CigarsLover Magazine Cigar Award 2021, and "Die Göttliche" as Cigar of the Year 2022. The brand has also faced criticism, with Die Welt in 2005 calling its cigars "overpriced, average cigars" that were "skillfully marketed". A legal dispute with Intertabak in 2006 over advertising regarding the origin of tobacco products led to a settlement in 2007 in which Helmut Bührle declared that neither he nor his company carried cigars with Cuban tobaccos for the Swiss market, and Laura Chavin agreed to remove the product Terre de Mythe from the Swiss market by 1 December 2007.

Helmut Bührle (born 1948) became involved in the tobacco business of his mother, Sophie Chavin Bührle, who traded in raw tobaccos, while he was still studying marketing and design in Nagold. After completing his studies, Bührle worked for several luxury houses, including Hermès, Enrico Coveri, Christian Dior and Zino Davidoff. In 1992 he began building and founding his own premium cigar brand, which he named after his daughter, Laura Chavin Bührle (born 1988), who later also joined the business. He received support from Siegfried Maruschke, a tobacco producer from the Dominican Republic. The first cigars bearing the name Laura Chavin were launched in 1999 in six formats. Over time the range grew to more than 40 formats, plus humidors and other accessories. The company, Laura Chavin Cigars GmbH, was based in Hochdorf (Eberdingen) and had subsidiaries in Austria and Switzerland. It was represented in 14 countries. Bührle also furnished cigar lounges at prestigious locations, including the "Master of Cigar Lounges" at Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa in Baden-Baden, Park Hotel Bremen, Wald- und Schlosshotel Friedrichsruhe, and the Laura Chavin Cigar Lounge in Uppsala, Sweden. His firm partnered with events such as the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, the Volvo Masters golf tournament in Spain, the Baden-Baden racing week, the Senses Award Berlin, the German Embassy in Japan, Cannstatter Wasen/Wilhelmers Schwabenwelt, the Handelsblatt golf tournament, and the Concours d'Elegance in Monaco. On 28 March 2017, insolvency proceedings were opened over the company's assets (Local Court of Heilbronn, 1 IN 704/16). The specially founded Cigar Company Willi Knopf took over Laura Chavin Cigars GmbH in 2017 and acquired the brand rights in early 2019. In 2019 the first cigar under the new leadership, "Virginy", was released. The brand has received numerous awards over the years, including Best Cigar from Caesar Magazine (Romania), a Red Dot award for the HUMID'OR humidor and its accompanying book edition, Cigar Smoker of the World 2000 from the World Smokers Club, Pipe & Cigar Cigar of the Year 2001, Intertabac 2002 Best Product of the Year for the HUMID'OR Laura Chavin, Ordre des Gourmets Suisse 2004, Best of the Best 2005/2006/2007 Greece by Petros Bourovilis, STATUS, and Genussverlag Smokers Press calling Laura Chavin the "Comeback of the Year". More recently, CigarLoverMagazin awarded the Best Cigar Award 2020, placing Laura Chavin Classic No. 99 fifth worldwide in the elegant Fino-Largo format. The brand also received Best Boutique Cigars by CigarsLover Magazine Cigar Award 2021, and art of smoke named Laura Chavin Cigar of the Year 2022. "Die Göttliche" from Laura Chavin was voted Cigar of the Year 2022 by readers of Zigarren Magazin; the Toro format of La Ligue des Divins was chosen as the best cigar of 2022. The brand has also faced criticism: as early as 2005, Die Welt judged the cigars of the Laura Chavin brand to be "overpriced, average cigars" that were "skillfully marketed". A legal dispute arose in 2006 when Intertabak filed a lawsuit not only against the company and its operator but also against Unico Cigars AG, concerning false advertising regarding the origin of the tobacco products. On 31 October 2007, a referee hearing took place at the Commercial Court of the Canton of Zurich. A settlement was reached: Helmut Bührle declared on behalf of Laura Chavin Cigars GmbH and in his own name that neither he nor his company carried cigars with Cuban tobaccos in their range for the Swiss market. To clear up misconceptions in the Swiss market, Laura Chavin undertook to remove the product Terre de Mythe from the Swiss market as of 1 December 2007. Based on this declaration and undertaking, the plaintiff withdrew the lawsuit. The parties each bore half of the costs arising from their dispute (Commercial Court of the Canton of Zurich, case number: HG060162/U/ei).

• 2022

  "Die Göttliche" voted Cigar of the Year 2022 by readers of Zigarren Magazin.

• 2021

  Best Boutique Cigars by CigarsLover Magazine Cigar Award 2021.

• 2020

  CigarLoverMagazin Best Cigar Award 2020: Laura Chavin Classic No. 99 ranked 5th worldwide.

• 2019

  Brand rights acquired by Cigar Company Willi Knopf; first cigar under new leadership, "Virginy", released.

• 2017

  Insolvency proceedings opened on 28 March; Cigar Company Willi Knopf takes over the company.

• 2007

  Settlement at Commercial Court of Zurich: Laura Chavin agrees to remove Terre de Mythe from Swiss market by 1 December 2007.

• 2006

  Intertabak files lawsuit over false advertising regarding tobacco origin.

• 2005

  Die Welt criticizes the cigars as "overpriced, average cigars" that were "skillfully marketed".

• 2004

  Ordre des Gourmets Suisse 2004.

• 2002

  Intertabac 2002 Best Product of the Year for HUMID'OR Laura Chavin.

• 2001

  Pipe & Cigar Cigar of the Year 2001.

• 2000

  Awarded Cigar Smoker of the World 2000 by World Smokers Club.

• 1999

  First Laura Chavin cigars launched in six formats.

• 1992

  Helmut Bührle begins building and founding his own premium cigar brand.

Premium cigar brand with luxury lifestyle positioning, associated with high-end events and hotels.

• Laura Chavin Classic No. 99

  Elegant Fino-Largo format cigar, ranked 5th worldwide in CigarLoverMagazin Best Cigar Award 2020.

• La Ligue des Divins "Die Göttliche"

  Toro format cigar, voted Cigar of the Year 2022 by readers of Zigarren Magazin.

• Virginy

  First cigar released under new ownership in 2019.

• HUMID'OR

  Humidor that received a Red Dot award and Intertabac 2002 Best Product of the Year.

• Terre de Mythe

  Product removed from the Swiss market by 1 December 2007 as part of a legal settlement.

1. 1Laura Chavin Cigars - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
2. 2Laura Chavin Cigars - Wikidatawikidata.org