22 November 2012

Cuban Cigars restrictions to the USA seem to be loosening up!

Cuban Cigars are considered to be the world’s best when it comes to this industry. What exactly makes them so famous and special as opposed to other cigars? The history of cigar manufacturing in Cuba tells the tale.

The quality of the tobacco used in Cuban cigars makes up for a lot of the ‘hype’ and reputation surrounding these cigars, as the climate, soil and techniques used by Cuban tobacco farmers make up a spectacular tasting tobacco. Though a date cannot be pinpointed as to when tobacco began being grown, it is expected that long before the first tobacco manufacturers began operating, that tobacco had been grown and smoked for years by the inhabitants of Cuba.

Tobacco was used as medicine, whereby history has revealed that the Aztecs were fond of smoking tobacco to help calm aches and pains, as well as the mind. The plant was introduced into western countries when Christopher Columbus visited Cuba, which rapidly spread to the rest of the world. The smoking of tobacco had spread like wildfire. Though smoking began to boom across the world, many people and their leaders declare smoking as a bad habit. Some countries enforced punishments against those who smoked tobacco. Although there were leaders who were against smoking, there were also others who encouraged it, helping to export it into their provinces -which soon made tobacco a huge export for Cuba, along with sugar.

Tobacco has become special feature of Cuba, with the country building a ‘second to none’ reputation when it comes to cigar and cigarette manufacturing. The manufacturing process has generally been of a handmade nature, where in fact the cigars were hand rolled by very skilled workers, which in the 1990s onwards, was followed by experts who checked the quality of the cigars. This meant that the cigars that Cuba exported were not only stuffed full of the finest tobacco in the world, but had been checked for quality, meaning every single one exported and smoked was faultless.

The good news for all avid US cigar smokers is that Cuban Cigars could legally be on their way to the country. The US embargo is now loosening up on Cuban goods, to further encourage American and Cuban trades, whereby trips to Cuba have been legally introduced when done through a legal travel operator. Although these are promising signs for Cuban cigars into the country, it has still not been legalized. The capital of Cuba – Havana is still forbidden for US citizens. Cuba and the USA are still under negotiations regarding their agreements, with USA wanting to benefit from Cuba’s exports and Cuba hoping to benefit from the USA’s tourism.

If you are an avid cigar smoker, there will be nothing more than to see the trade embargo lifted between these countries, leading you to hopefully one day, the ability to smoke legally imported, top quality Cuban cigars.