People in the United States have not been allowed to legally smoke a Cuban cigar since the embargo in the early 1960s. Cigars imported into the U.S. have always come from other companies, and unless you went to Canada or Mexico, you were not able to sample the forbidden fruit.

Of course, that brings up the question: are Cuban cigars worth the hype?

The Cuban Cigar

There is no doubt that Cuban cigars are considered the finest in the world. It has everything to do with climate, soil composition, latitude, and expertise. As with any country, the growing properties are unique, so on paper, a Cuban cigar cannot be 100% replicated, and as such, are unique in every way.

Cuban Seed

When Fidel Castro took over, many Cuban cigar makers fled the country and took bags of Cuban tobacco seed with them. They moved to such places as Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and other Central and South American countries. There, they set up tobacco plantations to rival their Cuban counterparts and began growing Cuban seed tobacco for importing cigars into the United States.

When Are Cuban Cigars Not Cuban Cigars?

The answer is when cigar tobacco is grown with Cuban seed at the same latitude, in the same climate, and with the same soil composition by experts.

Cuban seed tobacco grown like this mimics the exact taste of a genuine Cuban cigar. They have the same quality, the same texture, the same feel, the same aroma, and dare I say, the same taste. Unless you are a total cigar aficionado who was brought up on Cuban cigars, that was a cigar taster within the industry and you suddenly switched to a brand not made in Cuba, you would never know the difference.

Are Cuban Cigars Worth The Hype?

For the vast majority of cigar smokers, the answer has got to be … no. There are so many cigar choices from so many cigar companies, that either replicate a Cuban cigar or have their own distinct flavor, that it just isn’t worth the hype that surrounds the mystique of the Cuban cigar.