I know it is kind of old news now but for those of us that are lovers of cigars, how do you think this will affect the cigar industry? Do you think it will revitalize tobacco from Cuba? Do you think the prices will sky rocket because the demand will be higher now or do you think the price will drop because it is easier to access tobacco from Cuba? My only guess is is the price will rise because the embargo still exists and Americans are only able to bring back$100 of tobacco for personal use. That will not make much of a difference for the commercial importation(unless there are rules that changed with importing Cuban tobacco for commercial purposes). All opinions welcome.
It won't matter a bit. Cuban cigars are over rated and the best are coming out the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. Then they will have to decide who really owns the older labels. It will take them a decade to catch up.
Agreed. I am just curious as to what will happen as the relations between Cuba and the US loosen and if it continues after future administrations come and go, how the sales are going to be. Don't you think the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua only became the best because of the bad relations between Cuba and US?
In a way yes and a way no. What the Cubans and other will make you think is that the "best" cigar tobacco can only be grown in Cuba and that they still have the talent level, but very little of the new technology. THAT is clearly not true. This is what is true. The talent is long gone. Case in point are the Fuente's and their family brand. They're monsters in the cigar world. The old Cuban brands have re-established outside of Cuba, as new companies but with their old names. They are under new management and producing great products. Now there are the new brands with no ties to Cuba at all. Avo, Kristoff, Ave Maria, Greycliff to name a few are simply superb. Then there will still be the subject of just who owns the old Cuban brands, so that is likely to stay in court for some time. The Cubans themselves will have to invest heavily in new technology and be able to compete in the real world. Growing tobacco and making cigars are two different things and that will make it difficult for them. The long answer is no. The US market is just a small part of the world and the world passed up the Cubans a long time ago. Another good reason communism and socialism don't work all that well, especially if there is competition.
