The Cigar After The Meal

[JPW]

(what does that mean "pre-Castro"???) wub:

Since Castro took over and the US launched the economic embargo against Cuba, real Cuban cigars cannot legally be brought into the US. So any real Cuban cigars here have to have been brought into the country before then. And yes, properly stored, they do last that long. Try signature cigars on Rockville Pike. They've got a whole cabinet.

[CrescentFresh]

I'm a fan of cigars, but not smoking in enclosed public places. My house, or a park, ok. All I can hope is that the airport sniffer dogs learn anything and everything they can about anything radioactively and biologically dangerous and ignore the personal stash of Havanas, cheeses and other foodstuffs I'd like to put in my fridge.

[Chris Cunningham]

I've been smoking cigars since 1993 and I have had some real Cuban cigars in my time. Whether in the US or when I travel abroad, I ocasionally induldge in a Cuban cigar, but for the most part, I really consider Cuban cigars overated. Yes at one time they were the shit, but many of the cigar makers and workers who left Cuba and moved to the Dominican Republic or elsewhere, took their craft with them and created some great smokes. It is a personal matter of opinion, but its nice to be able to enjoy your smoke after dinner without the tobacco cops adding their two cents

[starfish]

I've been smoking cigars since 1993 and I have had some real Cuban cigars in my time. Whether in the US or when I travel abroad, I ocasionally induldge in a Cuban cigar, but for the most part, I really consider Cuban cigars overated. Yes at one time they were the shit, but many of the cigar makers and workers who left Cuba and moved to the Dominican Republic or elsewhere, took their craft with them and created some great smokes. It is a personal matter of opinion, but its nice to be able to enjoy your smoke after dinner without the tobacco cops adding their two cents

actually, it is not merely personal opinion. after a late 80s hurricane, the cuban cigar industry made some significant changes that have had a quantifiable impact on the quality of the cigars.

1. a switch was made to a strain of wrapper leaf known as havanna 2000. this leaf, while more resilient against insect and viral infestation, does not absorb nutrients of the soil as quickly. so overall yield was increased but unquestionably, the quality suffered as the wrapper leaf imparts a disproportionate amount of taste in a cigar.

2. overall cigar production was increased by 25% (government mandate). cigars are a handmade product, therefore variations from cigar to cigar are to be expected. however, when you consider that it takes a longer apprenticeship to become a master cigar roller than it does to become a doctor or lawyer, you have to ask - who is rolling my cigars. rollers who were not fully trained were rushed into front line positions to accommodate for the increased production. this has resulted in a greater number of "plugged" cigars (those that are rolled too tightly to yield a satisfactory smoke) and "loose sticks".

the lore of a cuban cigar is so strong because society generally buys into the gravitational attraction to that which is unattainable.

by the by, i worked for three years as the director of training for a major local tobacconist.

my favorite after dinner cigars in no particular order

davidoff millenium blend lonsdale

la flor dominicana cabinet selection #1

padron anniversary maduro robusto

la aroma da cuba corona

avo signature lonsdale