I’m not saying Cubans are better than Nics, because that’s a generalization that doesn’t hold up. Some Cuban cigars are great while others suck, and the same goes for Nics. My current favorite cigar is the El Centurion, a Nic. Last night I smoked a [Cuban] RyJ Small Churchill. It was rated by CA (I don’t often agree with their ratings) at 93 (I think). I didn’t like it at all. That blend had little harmony to it. But the [Cuban] Hoyo de Monterrey and the Diplomatico have mouthwatering blends. It’s funny how two cigars that use virtually the same tobacco can be so different. Well, not different in the sense that all Cubans share a common flavor component, but that the blends make it or break it for me.
Bottom line is, I’m not endorsing Cubans over Nicaraguans, just suggesting you try a great cigar that happens to be Cuban.
* * *
Actually, I have had many excellent Cuban cigars. Thing is, 1) I’m quite satisfied with the cigars coming out of other countries – there are still plenty of those I haven’t gotten around to smoking yet – and 2) I’m just not willing to pay the Cuban prices.
Looking at it from the state of the industry, I believe the Cubans once did and in many cases still do produce some phenomenal cigars. Cuba may have set the standard for cigars as France has done for wines, but competitively speaking, they’ve pretty much all but lost the race.
That said, let’s rewind a generation or two. Thanks to Fidel Castro, some of the best cigar producing families left the island. Add to that the imbecilic embargo. Now, give the Cuban emigrants in Nicaragua, The Dominican, and Honduras time enough to cultivate the land, develop great tobacco and, this may sound like a stretch, but if you think about it, Cubans are still making great cigars – just not in Cuba. (Also, conspicuous by its absence, my friend above neglected to mention Padron cigars.)
On the other hand, no ardent cigar smoker should be denied the experience of being able to smoke a good cigar regardless of it’s origin. The best thing that could happen to both Cuba and the cigar business would be dropping the embargo.
~ G.K.
Executive Editor
Gary Korb has been writing and editing content for CigarAdvisor.com since its debut in 2008. An avid cigar smoker for over 30 years, he has worked on the marketing side of the premium cigar business as a Sr. Copywriter, blogger, and Executive Editor of Cigar Advisor. A graduate of the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, prior to his career in the cigar business, Gary worked in the music and video industry as a marketer and a publicist.
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