Cuban Cigars, Ready or Not, Here They Come……. I Think…
Since John F. Kennedy signed the Cuban Embargo in 1962, nine straight U.S. presidents have come and gone, with so much talk of lifting it. Now we have the most liberal president in the history of mankind, and the question isn’t “if” the embargo will end, the only question is “when.” Okay, this is only my personal opinion, but it sure seems to be a popular opinion of many.
Many a cigar fan wants this embargo that is approaching half a century to end for selfish reasons. If you love your smokes from Havana, then you are excited about the availability of real-deal Monte #2’s, Hoyo DC’s, Bolivar Gigantes, and Partagas Serie D Robustos becoming a reality at a cigar shop near you.
If you are a pro-Castro Cuban, you want this to come to an end so you can visit your homeland and family again. If you are anti-Castro and your family came over in the Mariel Boat Lifts, then you are for the embargo and want the U.S. government to continue to squeeze Fidel’s cajone’s until he is as dead as a doornail.
As you can see, there’s a lot of mixed sentiment here. Now some of you reading don’t give a rat’s ash about Cuban smokes and are happy as a clam with your sticks from Honduras, Nicaragua, and the DR. But some of us really do enjoy the hell out of the cigars named two paragraphs above and would love to have them readily available to enjoy. But the question is: At what cost?
There are many that believe the cost of Cuban made sticks will double because immediate demand will be off the charts. And don’t kid yourself, demand for legitimate Habanos products will be utterly insane when they are readily available in America.
“There’s no way you can serve Europe and the US if Cuban cigars became big in the US,” Swedish Match Chief Financial Officer, Lars Dahlgren, who declined to say when the ban might be lifted. “If consumers would demand the same quality of cigars, prices would skyrocket.”
It’s hard to say what pricing will be, but I personally think it will cause a kind of mini-boom here in the U.S. But the smoke Nazi’s will see this coming and raise taxes higher and fight to stop the Cuban invasion, but it won’t matter. People will want their Habanas and that’s gonna piss off a lot of Hidebeast and Pelosi supporters.
Now the interesting thing is, if prices go thru the roof in the U.S., that will again cause people to purchase them via mail order from outside of the country, but now it will be LEGAL to do so. So, to combat this, I’m sure the government will place some insane tariff on imported Cuban smokes and that’ll take care of that brief loophole.
At first, most people will go ga-ga and buy Cuban smokes at a crazy clip and smokes from the other countries will take an initial hit. But if the prices for Cubanos are ridiculously high, within a couple of months we’ll all go back to our favorite domesticated brands.
I think the thing that hits me the most is that it will no longer be considered an act of treason to purchase a real-deal stick from the Island 90 miles south of Miami. Travel will open up to Castroland and they are just going to love the U.S. dollar down there. And, you’ll see a boatload (poor choice of words?) of Cuban players in Major League Baseball. Wow, almost 50 years of talking about this and it looks as if it’s really going to happen in our lifetime. I remember Lew Rothman telling me that when the embargo was first put in place, all of the cigar companies completely believed that it wouldn’t last more than a few weeks. Well, a few weeks became a few months and it started a frenzy in the industry.
Well, I say get ready for a new frenzy in the industry, as handmade premium Cuban cigars are about to make their long awaited U.S. return…
… I think.
Tommy Z
JR Cigars Blog With the Zman
January 17th, 2010 at 11:21 pm
The embargo was Castro’s greatest asset when he was in power. Any problem Cubans had, blame on the rotten USA and their infernal embargo. No matter that they could freely trade with the other 190 or so countries of the world. Uncle Sam was keepin’ them down!!!
When they become legal here, Cuban cigars will be prohibitively expensive. And I can’t see the quality of the smokes being maintained when they ramp up production. I’d wait a few years for the smoke to settle, so to speak, before venturing into buying any Habanos.
January 17th, 2010 at 11:23 pm
First Z-man congrats on an early blog. I’ve had many a Cuban cigar and in many cases I’ve been disappointed. There are so many great cigars made in other countries, I’ll feel no real effect one way or the other.
January 17th, 2010 at 11:55 pm
> >
> > Brian W Says:
> > January 17th, 2010 at 11:23 pm
> >
> > First Z-man congrats on an early blog.
> >
AMEN to that! Right on, Z…
As for the Embargo – I really don’t give a rat’s. The quality of Cuban sticks sucks bad, and when the quality IS there, the consistency of the roll sucks. Screw paying BIG BUCKS for crappy cigars! I think a 601 Green is every bit as good (if not better) than any Habano. I’d rather smoke a Cain than a Cohiba (actually, I could smoke THREE Cains for the price of a Cohiba).
Sure, ending the Embargo would be a good thing, ultimately, for cigars. It might take 10 years, but eventually, I think there might actually end up being some good tobacco and good cigars. But my expectations are very, very, very low for anything good in the years immediately following the end of the the restrictions. I don’t give a flying eff…
January 18th, 2010 at 12:18 am
Zman, you paint a promising scenario.
Your contentions seem sound – well
thought out, even though 48 years of
embargo seems to says “No way, José…”
What will it take to make the “tall wish”
become a reality? Will our liberal selected head of state have an Epiphany? Will Nanny Pelosi and the Hbeast be visited the Spirit of Christmas yet to come and see what a bane they
have wrought upon the lovers of the leaf and thus melt dispirited like the wicked witches of the west they are?
What say you, my brothers of the leaf?
Just what will it take to turn nearly five
decades of oppression into victory and
the return to our shores – the singular, incomparable Cuban cigar?
January 18th, 2010 at 12:46 am
Another thing that I failed to mention is that all of the Nic, Hon, and DR cigar companies can now purchase Cuban tobacco to mix with their cigars. Now THAT’s interesting… eh?
January 18th, 2010 at 1:27 am
Do you think that there will be enough good quality Cuban leaf for that to work? Won’t they be looking to use every scrap that they harvest to make their own cigars?
January 18th, 2010 at 1:28 am
Don’t know, but it’s an interesting scenario.
January 18th, 2010 at 1:35 am
Tommy,
You know very well that Cubans are available in the US as we speak. IIRC,I sent you a nice 5 pack when your Giants won the Super Bowl….that being said, Cuban will be bought offshore by the knowledgeable smokers.
My former company legally sold millions upon millions of goods to Fidel, my buddy actually shook his hand at a summit….so the embargo ended years ago we just need to open up the commercial end of it.
And for the blow hards that have no clue of Cuban sticks but just talk a big game, the quality of said sticks are just as good as being rolled in any other country.
Smoke what you like………
gg
January 18th, 2010 at 1:41 am
If they start making Papayos outta Cuban tobacco, what a world this would be.
January 18th, 2010 at 2:07 am
What makes a person think of something so foul?
January 18th, 2010 at 2:31 am
duckboy, kick zman in the jimmies for dissing the greatest cigar ever rolled…
about time you got this out on time.
January 18th, 2010 at 4:12 am
I smoke a Cuban stick once in a while, but not often. I suppose that I would probably smoke them a bit more often if the embargo was lifted. I’ve always thought that the whole thing was pretty stupid anyway. But then again, I’m sort a cheap bastid, so I can’t see me cranking up the Cuban intake to any great degree. I’m all for lifting that stupid embargo, though.
What is going to happen with trade mark rights as far as “domestic” Monte, Partagas, Cohiba, etc., etc., versus the Cuban sticks of the same name? Isn’t that going to be an issue?
January 18th, 2010 at 5:35 am
The embargo has failed miserably. History has shown us that the quickest way to get rid of a communist dictatorship is to infuse the economy with capitalism. Once people start getting more income and seeing what that money can buy vs. what the government can provide then the seeds of freedom are sown. The USSR and it’s Warsaw Pact allies fell as their citizens started to realize that black market money was giving them a better lifestyle. “Communist” China isn’t really so communist anymore. Capitalism is running amok.
As for Cuban cigars. I like them, but they aren’t the runaway best. For the money that you pay, get some top notch DR, Nicaraguan, or Honduran sticks. In my experience the allure is in the “forbidden fruit” realm. Now visiting Cuba would be nice. I’ve been there once for a Pan-Am sports competition. Absolutely beautiful. The Cuban coach did take us to a cigar factory where I was able to get some really nice smokes for a fraction of what they cost in Canada or Europe.
January 18th, 2010 at 9:16 am
Benny, the trade mark thing is going to be a pain in the ass for some, but not Altadis, who owns Habanos and take for instance the Monte name in both the Dr & Cuba.
January 18th, 2010 at 10:38 pm
The embargo ending? I’ll believe it when I see it. Until then, its still business as usual. The embargo needs to go like the Berlin Wall did twenty years ago. Fuggin’ stupid its gone on for decades.
As for Cuban cigars, they are like like any cigar, quality-wise. I’ve had great ones and I’ve had dog rockets. I remember the Cigar Boom of the 90s with DR/Nic/Honduran/Etc. cigars. I won’t particpate in any Cuban boom. In fact, if the embargo ends, I’ll go on a post-SCHIP/pre-Embargo-ending buying spree of non-Cubans, seeing as the price effect might hit them too.
Z, seeing the J-E-T-S in the AFC Championship game must be killing you as a Giant fan. Jets’ D looks very, very good. Enough to pull another upset this week against Indy?
January 19th, 2010 at 1:20 am
IF the Jets beat Indy, they could be on the same path as the Giants 2 seasons ago. But I still maintain that a rookie QB won’t win the Super Bowl.
January 19th, 2010 at 2:45 am
I hope the embargo ends, but I don’t think it’ll happen until Castro is gone. People were saying the same thing about a Democrat president lifting the embargo over ten years ago, and it didn’t happen. When Bush took office, people pretty much relegated the idea to a distant dream once more. Now that we have another Democrat, will it really happen soon? Perhaps the only thing that makes it more likely this time around is the fact that Castro’s older and closer to the grave.
As for cuban cigars, yeah, I enjoy them now and then, but once they become legal, I probably won’t smoke as many until the hype (and the resultant exorbitant prices) dies down. I’m going to dread every other dolt in the world who couldn’t tell a Partagas from a Dutch Master trying to impress me with his cuban that he paid $50 for.
January 19th, 2010 at 3:44 am
Maybe they’ll make Cuban Dutch Masters?
January 19th, 2010 at 3:52 am
I’m going to hold out for Cuban Backwoods.
January 19th, 2010 at 6:54 am
Or maybe Swisher Dulces.
January 19th, 2010 at 8:26 am
Grape Habana Phillies
January 20th, 2010 at 2:18 am
DeNobili Habanos would rule!
January 20th, 2010 at 2:35 am
The key, if you want some, will be to order them immediately from overseas, where they are already in stock, before the quantity ramps up and the quality goes down. Cuba had gotten pretty sloppy making cigars for a while, but the last 5 years, their quality control has really gone up. Monte 2’s are about $12 currently, and lots of people pay more for Dominican, Honduran, or Nicaraguan cigars. The only Cubans that are ridiculously priced are Cohibas, and 3 specifically are worth it; Coronas Especiales and Esplendidos in the original blend, and Siglo VI’s in the Siglo series. All are magnificent. The rest of the Siglos suck, and I wouldn’t pay 1/3 the prices they are asking for them. You just have to know what’s good.
Also, if you order from overseas very quickly after the embargo lifts, you can probably avoid SCHIP taxes.
January 20th, 2010 at 2:44 am
Nice post, Lizard man.
January 20th, 2010 at 6:36 am
I know that Z is pissed that the Giants fell apart. As a matter of fact, ALL Giants fans are exceptionally quiet right now that the JETS are kicking asses all over the AFC.
With that said, I don’t propose that they will win this weekend; then again, I also didn’t think they’d win LAST weekend (man, it took me two days to come out of that haze).
However, if they DO beat Indy (and I won’t say that they will or won’t), I may have to contact that Lizard Man and make myself a purchase!!!
Anytime a JET can smack around a Manning, I am game.
January 20th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
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January 21st, 2010 at 8:01 am
Absolutely nothing to do with the Blog topic, but pretty funny:
The IRS decides to audit Grandpa, and summons him to the IRS office.
The IRS auditor was not surprised when Grandpa showed up with his attorney.
The auditor said, ‘Well, sir, you have an extravagant lifestyle and no full-time employment,
which you explain by saying that you win money gambling. I’m not sure the IRS finds that believable.’
I’m a great gambler, and I can prove it,’ says Grandpa. ‘How about a demonstration?’
The auditor thinks for a moment and said, ‘Okay. Go ahead.’
Grandpa says, ‘I’ll bet you a thousand dollars that I can bite my own eye.’
The auditor thinks a moment and says, ‘It’s a bet.’
Grandpa removes his glass eye and bites it. The auditor’s jaw drops.
Grandpa says, ‘Now, I’ll bet you two thousand dollars that I can bite my other eye.’
Now the auditor can tell Grandpa isn’t blind, so he takes the bet.
Grandpa removes his dentures and bites his good eye.
The stunned auditor now realizes he has wagered and lost three grand, with Grandpa’s attorney as a witness. He starts to get nervous.
‘Want to go double or nothing?’ Grandpa asks
‘I’ll bet you six thousand dollars that I can stand on one side of your desk, and pee into that wastebasket on the other side, and never get a drop anywhere in between.’
The auditor, twice burned, is cautious now, but he looks carefully and decides there’s no way this old guy could possibly manage that stunt, so he agrees again.
Grandpa stands beside the desk and unzips his pants, but although he strains mightily, he can’t make the stream reach the wastebasket on the other side, so he pretty much urinates all over the auditor’s desk.
The auditor leaps with joy, realizing that he has just turned a major loss into a huge win. But Grandpa’s own attorney moans and puts his head in his hands.
‘Are you okay?’ the auditor asks.
‘Not really,’ says the attorney. ‘This morning, when Grandpa told me he’d been summoned for
an audit, he bet me twenty-five thousand dollars that he could come in here and piss all over your desk and that you’d be happy about it!’
Don’t Mess with Old People!!
January 21st, 2010 at 12:18 pm
When the embargo is lifted, the market will be flooded with every shred of scrap that can be stuffed into leaves basically resembling “tobacco” so it can be stamped with the magical word “HABANOS”… and you will be charged an arm and a leg for those Cuban scraps to boot if you’re not smart…. or smart but incredibly unlucky…
I would bet dollars to donuts that there is an order to lift the embargo somewhere under glass, like in one of those emergency boxes: “In case of Castro’s Death, break glass”, with a Federal Agent standing right next to it, periodically touching his ear, talking into his watch, and adjusting his sunglasses…
Not only do we have an incredibly liberal and globally-minded president, we have a liberal, globally-minded president who SMOKES… maybe he’ll put in the call to engage that particular Federal Agent if our international intelligence gets word of Castro even just having a tough time on the toilet or satellite photos show him even just briefly clutching at his chest…
“…it’s the big one this time… break the glass…”
January 22nd, 2010 at 2:52 am
Great joke, Lou!
redbaronx71, that imagery of the embergo-lift order is hilarious. Maybe that’s what the president will have in the “football” these days instead of nuclear launch codes.
January 24th, 2010 at 12:00 am
Monte # 2
Partagas Serie D 4
Hoyo de Monterrey Double Corona
Vegas Robania Belicoso
Bolivar Belicoso
I’d like these, thank you
February 15th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
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