Topper believes that part of the recent ten-fold sales increase can be traced to a previous lack of awareness outside New England and Pennsylvania concerning Connecticut broadleaf's quality. After all, he stresses, "If you don't have good tobacco, you can't make a good cigar." But as tobacco prices continue to escalate, customers are often surprised that Toppers still sell so inexpensively.

Basically, Chris thinks people are tired of spending $10 for a cigar. "We offer them an in-between option," he says. "Maybe they smoke imported cigars on the weekends, but this is their every day cigar." In his view, Topper's machine-made cigars bridge the chasm between mass-market cigars in the same price range and expensive hand-rolled imports.

In addition to its Old Fashioned Perfecto line, Topper markets the Breva, Grande Corona, and Ebony machine-made cigars (lengths range from 4 1/2" to 6 1/8" and ring gauges from 44 to 49). The company has also acquired the Rosedale brand, which Chris describes as a sleeper. "No one ever heard of Rosedale cigars, but they're affordable and good and they're generating a big demand," he says.

Along with Topper Centennials, Topper Grandes constitute the company's present imported line. Grandes are handmade in Nicaragua of Nicaraguan long filler and binder and Indonesian wrapper. Both brands are available in handmade Spanish cedar boxes of 25, and neither cigar's price exceeds $6.

To introduce a new product like the Nicaraguan Grande - which displays artwork from Topper's original labels on its bands and boxes - Chris often headlines at a cigar dinner or other event for tobacconists. The dinners typically draw from 30 to 200 smokers and gives them a venue to experience new cigars with others, he says. "They're fun - I get to promote our product, meet people, and tell them about our history."

In other direct contact with buyers, Topper calls on stores in New England - just as his father did - but must rely on reps and distributors as he expands into other areas of the country. "Dad was very service-oriented and liked to visit customers," says Chris. "As the company grows, though, I can't just visit stores but must deal with big wholesalers, too." His plan is to build on Frank's success by taking the business to the next level - a broader national market with a commensurately larger customer base. (During the first half of 1997, sales were already up 60 percent over last year).

One of the benefits Chris expects to get out of the current cigarsmoking boom - which he partially credits to the arrival of glossy magazines, celebrity endorsements, and a reaction to anti-smoking fervor - is Topper's presence in more outlets. This trend, he points out, has been fueled by increased import consumption - but many premium cigars are becoming unaffordable. "Growth of imports has risen because of the glamour and stars - but now it's reality-check time, because of most of their prices," Chris says.

While Topper carries both imports and domestics, Chris predicts that the sales volume of the latter will climb dramatically, since they're as enjoyable to smoke as an expensive cigar. "Domestic sales are three years behind imports, so I see consistent growth over the next three years as more people discover good, moderately priced cigars," he says. "My domestic line is definitely in an expansion phase."

Topper's optimism was reinforced last July at the Retail Tobacco Dealers' Association (RTDA) show, when he repeatedly heard that he has "good cigars for the price." Of all the companies represented at the show, he notes, no one else was selling a $1 Connecticut broadleaf cigar. "I sold more broadleaf there than ever," he reports. The challenge will be finding enough tobacco to support the coming years' climbing sales. Topper uses the same quality tobacco for its $1 cigar as other manufacturers do for their premiums, so the search becomes more difficult as more players enter the field.

Nurturing supply-side relationships is one answer, but another may be found in developing new blends, which both Topper and Craig Smith have on the drawing board. With younger adults (Chris cites the smoking clubs on college campuses) and more women smoking cigars, tastes - and the industry itself - continue to evolve. In representing his company as it addresses constant and new customer needs, Chris likes to emphasize his family's long and adaptable history and his personal interest in the business. As he puts it, "I'm not just jumping on the '90s bandwagon - I know the product."

Then there's the Topper grasp of the essential cigar-smoking experience. Chris, who defines lighting up as a form of relaxation, uses Frank's words to explain: "My father used to say, 'To smoke a cigar is a way to relax; to smoke a good cigar is an event."' If the fifth generation of Toppers - perhaps in the person of little Curtis - comes to understand this deep sense of satisfaction as well as the first four generations have, the future of this family business will rest in good hands.