now that it will be easier to travel to cuba, what does this mean for us cigar smokers? will the trade embargo be lifted?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/travel_brief_cuba_american_tourism
The change that just took place only means that Cuba Americans will be able to travel to Cuba as they did about 4 years ago.
However there is this caution in the article:
"To control the flow, the government might tighten rules on visas. Currently, tourist cards can be purchased at airports outside the U.S. or through travel agents.
“The Cuban government may go, ‘Just because you say your people can come doesn’t mean we have to let everyone in,’” Kavulich said. “People forget the United States is not the only one with a say.”
Which is exactly what will happen, the US will lift travel restrictions and the Cuban government will impose some.
You can go to Cuba for a lot of reasons other than tourism as we speak. The restrictions that are to be lifted seemed more based on family relationships and not with tourism. But, that could just be my take on it.
But, will the trade embargo be lifted? I doubt it. There is still a lot of resentment on our side and Hugo Chavez is not helping Cuba out, politically speaking. There was an article on CNN.com --that I am still searching for-- that listed specific things the US Gov’t wanted from Cuba in order to lift the embargo.
eb
IMHO, paying extra for Cuban cigars is a waste of money. Today, a good cigar from the Dominican Republic is as good, if not better, that those from Cuba.
This is what I’ve always heard too. Many of the better growers picked up and moved when the embargo hit.
There are really good Cuban cigars. There are also bad Cuban cigars. But people are willing to spend a lot of money for the bad cigars too just to say they are smoking a Cuban.
I don’t see how there is a GQ answer here. I don’t see any US president lifting the sanctions against Cuba while Fidel is still alive. Raul will probably have to die too before there are any real changes.
Since no one on the board can factually answer whether the trade embargo will be lifted, let’s move this to IMHO.
samclem Moderator, General Questions
Personally, I’m as interested in just going down to check the place out. Last year we had a World Cup qualifier in Havana, and only a handful of folks were brave enough to buck the embargo and go down there. It’s practically in my backyard and I couldn’t go to the game. Love Cuban food and most every Cuban I’ve met has been incredibly friendly. The old architecture there is supposed to be amazing, even if it’s decrepit. And if you’ve seen the documentary “Buena Vista Social Club” it’s hard not to want to go check out the music scene.
A friend of mine is a buyer for one of the largest cigar manufacturers. His take is that it’s a lack of quality control for Cuban manufacturers. They know that they can get good money just because it’s Cuban, so don’t put as much effort into their product.
There is only one Cuban manufacturer, the Cuban government. The quality of Cuban cigars has taken a hit in the last 5-10 years for a number of reasons, as the price of cigars kept going up the Cuban government upped production to make the most of it, as a result the quality of leaves was diluted. There have also been a number of hurricanes that have gone through Cuba in the last few years so the harvest has been very much affected. And lastly, it is widely known in Cuba that tobacco is imported from Bulgaria to make up for the shortage of leaves.
That does not mean you can’t get a good Cuban cigar, just that you have to look a lot harder and pay more. I get mine directly from the source, I have cousins who are rollers in Cuba.
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