The Cuba Question
The definition of insanity, the saying goes, is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. The same logic can be applied to the leaders of the United States, who have maintained an embargo on Cuba for more than 60 years. Its original intent was to punish the Cuban government, but it has only hurt the Cuban people. It is failed policy, plain and simple, and it’s time for it to go.
We speak about Cuba often in this magazine, and if you love cigars as much as we do, it’s hard not to have a passion for the country where great cigars were born. While it’s a nation that’s struggling today, it’s a land of beauty and culture and one that’s simply synonymous with cigars. Both of us have been there again and again. If you enjoy a good cigar, it should be on your bucket list to smoke one in Cuba. If you have ever spent time with the Cuban people, you admire their friendly, welcoming nature and their upbeat demeanor despite the challenges of the country. Looking around, you know it’s time for change.
Back in 2016, it seemed like change was in the air. There was a brief window during the Obama administration when many travel restrictions were lifted and the ridiculous ban on buying Cuban cigars (and other Cuban goods) was dropped. For a few years, Americans could purchase Cuban cigars nearly as easily as non-Cubans. Their sale remained illegal in U.S. stores and their importation via mail-order or Internet was still banned, but anyone traveling abroad could buy cigars and bring them back to the United States without a hassle. It was the closest we’ve come to normal in terms of Cuba in decades.
But the Trump administration erased the Obama Cuba policy, making travel tougher and making it illegal once again to bring back Cuban cigars to the United States. The Biden administration has done nothing to bring our two countries closer. For Americans today, getting to Cuba is tougher. And for Cuba in general, the past four years have not been easy on the country or its people. Tourism is tremendously important to the Cuban economy. When the world cut back on travel in 2020 due to the pandemic, it also hurt the Cuban economy. The return to more restricted tourism for American citizens only hurt it more.
Cigar Aficionado returned to Cuba this year and we found changes aplenty. The money system is new, the dining scene has changed, the travel rules have changed. And the cigar situation is dramatically transformed. If you last visited Cuba a few years ago, you might remember prices for cigars on the shelf topping out at $30, with most selling for around $10 apiece. Those $10 cigars are now $20 or $30, and those $30 cigars are now $80 or $100. The days of bargains in Havana are over.
Despite the changes, Cuba still has so much to love. Is it easy to travel there? Not so much. But is it rewarding? Absolutely. Turn to our Cuba cover package, which begins on page 40, to find all about what Cuba is like today. We bet it will inspire you to fire up a Montecristo No. 2, sip a little Caribbean rum and book a trip there yourself.
