Cuban Politics and the American Embargo

[puros_bran]

With Fidel's official resignation today, what will become of Cuba? The Assumed successor Raul Castro has spoke of 'great changes' in the economic system bluntly stating that $19 per month is not a living wage (Gee Really? ).. Will the U.S. end the embargo if Raul or whoever takes the office gains full power? If so what will happen to the Cuban named brands (Punch,Partagas,Cohiba,Sancho Panza,RyJ, etc) selling in the U.S. markets today? Anyone even aware of how deliscious Cuban coffee is? Personally I'm not because having drank any of it since the 60's would be illegal .

 

[Carlos]

I would like to see out idiots in Washington sit down and talk to the folks down there. There is no reason we cannot have a friendly nation 90 miles south of Miami.

Oh, and to keep it on-topic. (seeing as how this isn't a political forum)

I would really like to try some of the cigars made from there that the rest of the world enjoys. I assume all the big names have Cuban blends.

 

[Slow Puffs]

Are Cuban cigars really better? Or is it a matter of the "forbidden fruit" syndrome? I'm not a cigar smoker except for the el cheapo's.

Paul

(I guess this would be a question for the international community )

 

[puros_bran]

Some are devine some are so so, it's like anything else.

RASS and PS4D are well worth the dough, some of the others are good too but those are my favorite.

 

[Davey]

Slow,

As an avid cigar smoker of about a decade+ now I have run the full gamit from what "my people" would call yard 'gars to the forbiddeen ISOM's ( Island South of Miami). There are fantastice Super Premium sticks that are made outside Cuban soil; real quality and delicious. But in my experience the best of the best has always been Cubans. Not to say that there is not a decent amount of Cuban garbage out there...I have smoked it ( counterfeits aside). Poor construction, immature/inexperienced torcedors(rollers), green leaf etc..are found in every factory.

Having said that, the best that is out there still seems to be from that little area of the world. Not really a matter of forbidden fruit ( though certainly there are those who cannot tell the difference but enjoy the idea of smoking contraband, or just the nostalgia that accompanies a Cuban burn) so much as the soil that the leaves are grown in is most ideal in that land...very frustrating to many a Cuban refugee that has been exiled and now producing cigars in other countries ( such as Rloando Reyes Sr. ,Nestor Placencia, Arturo Fuente ,et al). Ask these men and they will tell you that the soil in Cuba just has something that cannot be succesfully produced anywhere else ( perfect climate aside also).
Again, there is fantastic stuff coming from all over the world, and many of these from famous Cuban refugee cigar makers, but the best of the best is still Cuban...










....and I hate it! :x












ps I now consider pipe smokers as "my people" too. Thanks for the welcome arms here guys...you are all the best!



.

 

[earl]

The wife & I went to a tropical isle over a decade ago where 1 could buy Cuban cigars. Tried a variety of brands in a variety of prices. At that time the highest price per stick, name brands, (I tried) was $18. Interestingly, don't recall the brand-nothing I'd heard of before or since-but the 1 I liked best sold for only $4. Bought some Cuban coffee-loved it. Bought some H. Uppman (sp?) Cuban pipe tobacco even-but 1 bowl was so stomach-wrenching for me & I tossed the stuff out. :face: Earl

 

[frankluke]

Are Cuban cigars really better? Or is it a matter of the "forbidden fruit" syndrome? I'm not a cigar smoker except for the el cheapo's.

Paul

(I guess this would be a question for the international community )

yes, they are by far the best in the world .... look at all the international collectors, you wont find padron or fuente in there humidors.

 

[luckydogguy]

Best in the world? Maybe.... Cuba definately has the best climate for growing tobacco. So, in turn they have the best potential for making a good product. Whether a person likes it or not, or if the cigar is worth the price, well that's up to the smoker.

I know Cuban cigars had a rough time with the boom of the 90's because of the high demand. That made the factories just pump out lots of cigars that shouldn't have hit the market. That's when people noticed a decline in construction qualities and tobacco grades. That pretty much opened the door for the rest of the world to really capture the market from Cuba. I believe they did! Don't get me wrong, I like some Cubans but for my money I'd go with some of the Dominicans and Nicaraguan makers any day of the week.

As far as Cubans being in the "collector's" humidors. I believe it's maily because many Cuban cigar maker were kicked off their land. So, they had to start over and many of the "New" ( after 1959) cigar maker don't have stashes of cigars with tons of age on them. Not like the Cubans that sometimes have 40 years of age on them.


But, some Cubans are good, some aren't. Some Dominicans are good and some aren't. I also know some people that enjoy a nice ripe White Owl and prefer it over my nice expensive Fuente's! I don't know why but we both enjoy our ciagrs in the good comapny of eachother just the same. :cheers:




Lucky

 

[frankluke]

this is another thing people don't understand, habanos are cheaper and easier to get then high end non cuban cigars..

the quality of habanos over the last 30/40 months has been the best since the mid 90's, nothing like the cigars of the "boom" era '98-'00. it's also reported that the new crops from '07 will be some of the finest cigars ever to come from the island..JMHO

 

[Kea]

Hi All,

I am really sorry about how difficult/impossible/ilegal is for US citizen to enjoy a good Cuban cigar.
For me "cigar" means Cuban, since my first child memories of my Dad smoking "Habanos".

BAT ( British American Tobacco) has bought Altadis ( Spanish-French Tobacco company).
Altadis is the owner of 50% of Habanos S.A., with Corporacion Habanos ( Cuban Gov.).
All the Havana cigars are produced under Habanos S.A.
Altadis has helped to rationalise the cigar offers, stablishing sizing and production standards that have helped to ensure a consisten quality product ( difficult when mostly all are handmade), and a better segmentation of the branding strategies.

BAT knows that the US embargo is not forever, and that soon the US market will be open for "Habanos" cigars.

Now, with the evolution of the Cuban politic system into a more acceptable regime for the US Gov, the embargo will be lifted and ...... the US market will be open for the good "Habanos" to be available "legally", and you will be able to stop smoking those "pre-embargo" Havanas that now you are smoking ( legal activity, of course, as they are pre-embargo :roll: ).


The drawback, for the rest of the World, is that the US will become the biggest Havana market and the demand will probably push the prices up

I hope , one day, I will be able to enjoy my Habanos with some of you, US briar bros oncho:

Habanos, unique since 1942

( Habanos, únicos desde 1042)

Disclaimer: I have no direct links with Habanos S.A, or anything like that. I just enjoy smoking the cigars made in Cuba . :cyclops:

 

[Kea]

I would really like to try some of the cigars made from there that the rest of the world enjoys. I assume all the big names have Cuban blends.

100% Cuban, Carlos.
And exporting raw Cuban tobacco is forbidden.
The only way how tobacco can be exported from Cuba is "torcido" ( manufactured).
This is something closely watched by the Cuban Gov .
They also have their own seed bank and tobacco seed strain ( Corojo, Criollo, Habana 2000, etc.) .
Some seeds have been smugled outside Cuba, and grown in Dominica, etc. .
The soil and special climate of the countryside in Cuba, makes the diffence.

The different tobacco regions ( Vuelta Arriba, Vuelta Abajo, Partido, Semi Vuelta, etc.) they create tobaccos with different flavours.
They say that, even in the same valley, the tobacco grows differently from patch to patch.
I could go on, and on, ....

P.M sent to you

 

[Carlos]

The regions make all the difference. Kind of like why I like Nicaraguan cigars so much. Their spicy flavor suits me. I didn't know that they couldn't blend with other tobaccos.

 

[puros_bran]

Sadly if/when the U.S. market opens the counterfeits will pick up also. Buy from Casa Habanos or buy fakes pretty much sums it up now, it will get worse.

IMO the DR,Nic,Hod cigars are fine products for the most part. Yes Cubans are good, but lets not take from the rest of the producing countrys. Most of the sticks that don't carry Cuban names are available world wide, they wouldn't be offered if they weren't being smoked. The cigars that carry Cuban names (Partagas, Sancho Panza,RyJ) are the ones I worry about, will they have to be renamed or will the companys quit producing them?

 

[luckydogguy]

It will cretainly be interesting to see what will happen when this embargo stops. I wouldn't mind smoking a few legal Cuban smokes. It would for sure make th eprice of Cubans go up and hopefully as a result of that, the other cigar producing makers would have to lower their prices to compete. :scratch:


I love a lot of cigars that aren't Cuban and if I never smoke another Cuban again....I would be fine with that. I think Cubans are over priced as they are. Let alone if the demand takes a huge spike! I would love to see what the price of a box of Cohibas or Monecristos would be when it happens! :affraid:


Looks like for the time being I will be enjoying, as I have for over 7 years, nonCuban cigars.



I wonder what will happen........ :scratch:



Lucky

 

[luckydogguy]

By the way Kea, great info. Thank you for sharing!



Lucky

 

[Kea]

Sadly if/when the U.S. market opens the counterfeits will pick up also. Buy from Casa Habanos or buy fakes pretty much sums it up now, it will get worse.

IMO the DR,Nic,Hod cigars are fine products for the most part. Yes Cubans are good, but lets not take from the rest of the producing countrys. Most of the sticks that don't carry Cuban names are available world wide, they wouldn't be offered if they weren't being smoked. The cigars that carry Cuban names (Partagas, Sancho Panza,RyJ) are the ones I worry about, will they have to be renamed or will the companys quit producing them?

With the Cuban revolution, many of the cigar factory owning families left Cuba ( sooner or later) and opened cigars operations elsewhere ( Honduras, Nicaragua, etc.) under the same trademarks they were using back in Cuba.
The issue with the trademark ownership has already started with the name "Cohiba".
Cohiba is a trademark created after the Revolution, but bacause of the embargo, another cigar maker (General Cigar/Swedish Macth) registered the trademark in US.
Cubatabaco (Cuban Gov) sued Genreal Cigar for trademark infringement: won in the first instance, lost in apealtion, and is being reviewed.
We will see many trademark disputes like this .
We may also see how the right to use the Partagas, Bolivar, etc. trademarks will be split by countries ( Cuban Cohiba will not be able to sell under that name in US, etc.).
The fact that BAT is now co-owning with the Cuban Gov the whole Cuban cigar portfolio, will be adding a strong muscle on the Cuban side in this conflict.

Anyway, let keep enjoy our smoking while we can

 

[Davey]

Great info here, Kea.

Glasgow, huh? You don't play the pipes do you?

 

[puros_bran]

Its my opinion that the trademark belonged to the familys that owned the trademarks when they were seized. The problem is International conglomerates bought/stole these trademarks and muddied the 'who owns what' mystery. Obviously the World disagree's with my position of they wouldn't allow those trademark names to be sold by the 'wrong' owner.

Its easy to theorize the whole process but when its personalized its different. Imagine the US gov decided to 'socialize' transportation and seized SKN Trucking (socialism never creates it can only seize, but that's a whole other topic) naturally I would go elsewere and restart my business. Who has the true 'right' to the trademark I created?

 

[Davey]

Ya know, PB, that was really well said, and I never thought of it that way.

 

[Kea]

Great info here, Kea.

Glasgow, huh? You don't play the pipes do you?

I don't play pipes, I smoke with them irat: