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Another veteran visitor to the country, who declined
to be identified, reported that 15 percent of the cigars
coming out of any given factory there are unsmoke-
able. “The cash flow there is so bad that they don’t have
time to age out the tobacco after it’s brought in from the
field,” he said. “So if you buy them direct while you’re
there, you probably have to lay them down so that that
aging can occur.”
There are, however, good-quality cigars being made
in Cuba—you just have to find them. “You need to know
where to buy,” says Syris. “The sanctioned cigar shops in
Havana that have a master roller ambassador assigned to
them creating custom blends are one of the best places.”
“My understanding is that the farmers keep a percent-
age of their tobacco and that some of the most spec-
tacular cigars being made never make it to market—
they’re sold privately,” adds Cass, who notes that the
lack of consistency of product convinced him that, were
the embargo to be lifted and American retailers to have
access to Cuban cigars, their allure would be short-lived.
“For a few months there would be a rush on Cuban
cigars, but people would figure it out pretty quickly,” he
says. “It would take several years for Cuban quality and
volume to catch up enough to create a [healthy, sustain-
able] market.”
Yet strides are being made toward that goal, notes
Garofalo, who says that the Cuban government invit-
ed his counsel after he critiqued the state of Cuban
cigar-making facilities in a travel blog about his first trip.
“They invited me back for the Habanos Festival, and they
showed me that they were trying to improve their game,”
he explained, noting that on his return trip he was quizzed
on recommendations. “They took me to where they
stored cigars and showed me a dehumidifier they had put
in to get their moisture down to where it needs to be. They
seem genuinely interested in improvements. You could see
that they were trying to gear up to enter the U.S. market
now that the embargo was being lifted.”
While Cuba might not entirely live up to its cigar-
making reputation just yet, the tobacco being grown
there is undeniably special. “Cuban tobacco is a unique-
flavored tobacco, unlike anything else, and a wonderful
component of a cigar,” says Garofalo. “The real magic
will be when this ingredient becomes available to other
manufacturers. That will be a big winner.”
What’s more, despite the quality issues, cigar lov-
ers who visit Cuba universally rave about their travels
and offer the ultimate endorsement: plans to go back.
“Cuba’s attraction goes beyond a forbidden fruit mys-
tique,” says Garofalo, who is hoping to attend the 2018
Habanos Festival in February. “Traveling there gives
you a window into a whole different world—and it’s
great to be able to smoke a cigar in public without any-
one looking at you funny.”
TB
Is Travel
to Cuba
Still
Legal
?
Technically, tourist travel to Cuba has been prohibited for decades.
However, in 2014, President Barack Obama loosened restrictions on
travel to Cuba, allowing travel to the country as long as travelers applied
for one of 12 categories of authorized travel and kept records of their
travel schedules for at least five years afterward. This policy was prac-
ticed on an honor system under the previous administration but will
be more strictly enforced if the provisions outlined by President Trump
go into effect.
Trump’s policy will once again ban Americans from planning their
own trips to Cuba, requiring them to travel through a licensed tour
company under U.S. jurisdiction and be accompanied by a company
representative. Furthermore, Americans will be prohibited from doing
business with hotels and other businesses that are “under the control
of, or act for or on behalf of, the Cuban military, intelligence or security
services or personnel … its affiliates, subsidiaries and successors.”
Since all the hotels in Cuba are state-owned andmany aremilitary-run,
these requirements could curtail travel severely and make travel more
challenging. What’s more, according to
the U.S. Department of the
Treasury, which licenses travel to Cuba, the new rules mandate that a
“traveler’s schedule of activities must not include free time or recre-
ation in excess.” This essentially means that travelers will be following
government-approved itineraries, staying in preapproved hotels and
participating only in sanctioned activities.
That said, the restrictions have yet to be put in place and, because
they require the government to develop a list of Cuban entities with
whom Americans are forbidden to do business, they will likely take
time to enact and enforce. The upshot? If you act fast, you probably
have time to sneak in a trip before the policy changes. After that, you’ll
still be able to go to Cuba, but your trip will take longer to plan and you’ll
have a lot less flexibility once you’re there.
Nicholas Syris (second from right) leading a tour stop at the
tobacco farm of Hector Luis Prieto Diaz in Pinar del Rio.
Cuba
Continued
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TOBACCO BUSINESS
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