One of my co-workers is planning on ordering himself some Cuban cigars from a place in the UK as a Christmas present to himself but is worried about getting hauled off to some Treasury Department dungeon.
Me? I don’t smoke but I told him I knew the right place to ask.
So what’s the deal? I know Cuban products are embargoed in the US. But are Cuban products that have passed through another friendly company illegal? What’s the deal there?
its illegal to possess Cuban cigars in the U.S. They are contraband subject to confiscation.
most confiscations occur in Memphis, the hub of Federal Express.
if the cigars arrive in the US, in all likelihood they will be counterfeit and not even as good as some Dominican or Nicaraguan cigars that may be purchased in the US at much less cost and with much less hassle.
Not to mention that, according to an article in Polo Magazine, the quality control in Cuba is so poor that cigars from Dominican Republic and other nations are better anyway. One factor is that the demand for Cubans is so high due to the mystique and the prohibition factor that corners get cut with respect to leaf selection for quality, aging time in the tobacco barns (very important for imparting the correct flavor), etc.
What LemonThrower said. Although it is not unknown for cigars to make it through FedEx, or more often DHL shipping, specially if the shipper mislabels the cigars. It’s unlikely that the cigars, if they come form the UK, are counterfit, most of the Cuban cigar counterfit trade is centered around the Caribbean basin, Mexico, Jamaica, Bahamas, and of course Miami.
And I’ll second LemonThrower’s advice about the quality of Cuban cigars. In the past 2-3 years the Cuban government has more than doubled the production of cigars, which means that even with the best quality leaf and the best quality control the overall quality of the product has declined significantly for all brands. For a near-Cuban experience I’d recommend Padron cigars, which are now produced mostly in Nicaragua, but include leaf from Honduras, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, and probably Connecticut.
I’m not sure this is true across the board. A friend of mine went to Cuba on a medical mission. It was a trip which was approved by the State Dept. so he was allowed to fly directly. While there, he bought some Cuban cigars. He declared them at US Customs when he returned. They weren’t confiscated as contraband, so apparently no one told the US Customs agents that they’re illegal to possess.
Having just returned from a week in the Dominican Republic, and being a cigar smoker, I’ll second what was said above: the cigars are illegal in the U.S. regardless of how many friendly hands they passed through first. (In fact, I have been stymied in my efforts to get a particular scotch that, although obviously not Cuban, used Cuban rum barrels for their maturing and storage, which is said to have imparted a unique flavor and one I’m very keen to try - but not here, evidently, since the Helms-Burton Act forbids even that product, although it was made entirely in the UK).
I’ll also second the comment about Cuban cigars. While their fine reputation was once deserved, the sad fact is that what you get now is mostly a pale imitation of what used to be greatness. Try Dominican cigars: superb, hand-made, and entirely legal.
FWIW, I live 1 hour from the Canadian border. Now, I’m not an afficianado, but when I smoked a Cuban I couldn’t tell the difference. Also, when re-entering the US I was specifically asked if I had any Cubans.
Side note, what is a very good cigar, so I can set the base line to compare others? (maybe this should be in the polling thread)
You can look it up on the Treasury website, but those travelling to Cuba are allowed to bring back a limited number of cigars, 10 I think, for “personal use”. Your friend probably declared them as such.
Like everything else having to with taste good is what you like. Most beginning smokers will like a milder cigar but will choke on a stronger one. If there is a tobacco shop in your area just visit it and talk to the guys working there, if they know their business they’ll steer you in the right direction. Buy one or two cigars from each brand and size at a time and over time you’ll develop your own preference. As a general rule Dominican cigars will be milder and have a more even taste, Honduran cigars will be much stronger and have more complex flavors. Cuban cigars used to be like a very good Honduran cigar nowadays.
thaks bayonet. I’m a cig smoker so don’t really need to start mild, but I’ll begin with the Dominicans and work from there