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Havana Cigars - Cuban Cigars
Havana cigars are famous for their quality and taste
but what do Cubans smoke? And what about counterfeit cigars?
Cuba Cigars
Havana cigars are tightly rolled bundles of dried and fermented tobacco, one end of which is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the smoker’s mouth and lungs.
Havana Cigars manufactured in Cuba are generally thought to be without peer, thanks to both the uniqueness of the Vuelta Abajo district in the Pinar del Río Province at the west of the island, where a microclimate permits unequalled tobacco to be cultivated, and to the expertise of the nation’s cigar makers.
Partagas cigar factory
Related Cuban Cigar pages:
Cheap Cuban Cigars
What do Cubans smoke? With their low salary they can not afford to buy a box of real Cohiba or Romeo and Julieta cigars..... The Cuban Cohiba cigar
The Cohiba cigar, longtime the cigar of Fidel Castro, is a Cuban cigar of the highest quality but counterfeit Cohiba cigars circulate and in the Dominican Republic are non Cuban Cohiba's in production..... Fake Cuban Cigars
Counterfeit brand cigars is big business in Cuba and abroad read more.... Havana Cigar Store Online store for cigar accessories.... Trinidad Cuban cigar
The Trinidad cigar was made exclusive for Fidel Castro and became later just like the Cohiba cigars a gift for diplomats and foreign visitors..... Cohiba Behike
The Cohiba Behike cigar is one of the most expensive and exclusive cigars in the world..... Learn more about Cuban Rum
A high quality cigar and a the best Cuban rum..... Cuban Cigars Illegal Why are Cuban cigars illegal in the United States? The Cuban Trade Embargo and the OFAC regulations. Cheap Cigar Cutters Buy your cheap cigar cutter online, easy and safe.
Selecting a Cuban cigar
Three of your five senses are involved when selecting a Havana cigar: Sight: the wrapper must appeal to the eye. The range in color of a cigar depends on:
a) how the plant was grown, as shaded plants have lighter colors, while fully exposed plants are darker
b) the section of the plant the leaf came from, as bottom and middle leaves are lighter and the top leaves tend to be darker
c) the fermentation period, as longer fermentation leads to darker leaves. Touch: your cigar should feel solid but cushiony to the
touch.
Smell: rich aromas should surface from both the box and the foot of the cigar.
Fake Cuban Cigars - Cuban Cigars Illegal
Cuban cigars are looked upon as one of life’s most generous luxuries. There are a lot of advantages to being a cigar counterfeiter, although the money is not quite as excessive as in the drug trade. The number one rule of recognizing counterfeit Cuban cigars is the age-old saying “caveat emptor” – buyers beware.
The truth is that most “Cuban cigars” that Americans smoke, are not Havanas at all. Counterfeit Cuban cigars are frequently put in authentic used boxes and then sold as singles in clubs, bars and restaurants. Here are some tips that might save you a few bucks:
1. If you see others smoking cigars that are said to be Cuban, look at the ash. Cuban cigar ash is a distinctive dark gray, unlike most non-Cubans that tend to have almost white ash.
2. Look at the cap wrapper. Cuban cigars are finished in such a way that the cap wrapper has 3 individual wrappers that you can easily see.
3. There should be no cellophane on handmade cigars except in the 3/5 pak Petacas style packaging. Machine made cigars are typically packed in cellophane sleeves.
The counterfeit industry in Cuba is bigger and more organized than the genuine Cuba cigar industry. The bottom line is, any cigar not bought from a government-licensed merchant in Cuba is most certainly guaranteed to be a counterfeit of some kind. US Americans are easy targets since most of them have never seen, much less smoked, a legitimate Cuban cigar.
From the planting of seeds to nailing the box shut, Cuban cigars require upwards of 100 steps to complete the coveted masterpiece. Counterfeit cigars, although appearing genuine, are inevitably a disappointment, due to poor quality tobacco and inferior construction. With so many new smokers looking for Cuban cigars, the fake-cigar situation is more widespread than ever these days.
Legal Cuban Cigars
Some Cubans have left the country and started their own production of Cohiba cigars in the Dominican Republic,
This are good quality Cohiba cigars, but not the Cuban originals.
Because of the manufacturing is done outside Cuba without Cuban
tobacco this Cohiba cigars are legal in the United States.
Good quality 'Cuban style' cigars made in the Dominican Republic
can be legally bought online.
Interesting Cuban Cigar Facts
Q. What is that cedar sheet doing in my cigar box? A. This cedar is used to light your cigar. Traditional matches tend to give cigars a bad sulfur flavor, so you can just tear of a strip of cedar, light the end of it, and use it to light your cigar.
Q. What are the bands on the cigars really for? A. In 18th century Russia, the Empress Catherine II decorated her cigars with delicate silk bands, so that her royal fingers wouldn’t get stained while she was smoking. This inspired the bands that you will find on most cigars.
In October 2004, US President George W. Bush’s administration tightened the ban on US Americans importing Cuban cigars. A notice released by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control stated “there is now an across-the-board ban on the importation of
Cuban-origin cigars.” The rules formerly permitted Americans licensed to travel to Cuba to bring back to the United States up to 100 dollars’ worth of Cuban goods including cigars.
View inside the PARTAGAS Havana Cigar factory
near the Capitolio in Central Havana
Why buy Havana Cigars from Spain?
Spain is and always has been the spiritual home of the Cuban cigar. Here’s why:
· Cigars as we know them today were first produced in Spain using Cuban tobacco – this even predates Cuban cigar production.
· The Spanish-owned Habanos S.A. is the sole company in Cuba responsible for the export of Cuban cigars around the world.
· Most of the classic Havana cigars of today – Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, Fonseca, Hoyo de Monterrey, Flor de T. Partagas, Ramon Allones, Jose L. Piedra – were first created by Spanish emigrants living in Cuba. Only Cohiba and Trinidad cigars were created by native Cubans.
· Spain is and always has been the largest importer of Cuban cigars.
· Spain has a large group of official “estancos” or government-controlled tobacco shops, unlike most countries that have only specialized stores for Cuban cigars.
· The Spanish government has the longest history of dealing with the problems of fake cigars. The ratio of fake cigars to the real thing is more or less inverse to the situation in the USA, i.e. in Spain the estimated proportion of fake Cuban cigars is nearer to 5% than the 95% of the USA.