www.CostaRicaTicas.com

We will be open from 10 to 8 every day in December. Featuring a large selection of Cuban and Nicaraguan smokes. They make great presents.

Are Cuban cigars still Verboten to bring into the U.S.? What about Nicaraguan?

Cubans are still banned from the USA but that could change in the next year if Congress acts. Generally you can get away with a few even if you get stopped but I wouldn't try bringing in a full box unless you're willing to take the chance. While it is technically illegal, all they'll do is confiscate them and send you on your way...

Nicaraguan cigars can be equally as good as Cubans and they have no restriction besides your duty free allowance.

Hope that helps.

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"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" - Maybe Shakespeare was a CRT member?

You can bring into the USA any cigar that does not contain Cuban tobacco - from Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominican Republic - from wherever, so long as it was not made in Cuba nor contains any - even a scrap - of Cuban tobacco.

Cigar companies know this and while they may use "Cuban seed Tobacco" in their products, this does not violate the embargo, b/c the tobacco is grown outside of Cuba, which is fine

(Interesting story - tobacco seed is the size of a grain of sand thus easy to smuggle a huge amount out in a fairly small package - this is how it was done when Castro nationalized cigar production and tobacco farms after the revolution - and they went on to establish cigar operations mostly in Nicarauga, Honduras, and Dominican Republic).

Now, if you go to Cuba currently as part of a sanctioned group - religious, commercial, humanitarian, family visit, whatever so long as its "sanctioned" by the UA Government - you can bring back $100 of Cuban product(s) including cigars - but since Cuban cigars are expensive even in Cuba <ignoring the BS of "My mother works in a Cigar Factory, and she wants to sell this box of Cohibas for $100 - sure to be fakes, no mater how good the box - or the cigars for that matter - look) , $100 is not gonna buy you very many. Legit Cubans in Habanos authorized stores are $10 - 25 a cigar, depending on the brand.

I'm a cigar guy; I normally smoke 1 - 2 a day - I LOVE cigars, and one of the most pleasant things I like to do when in San Jose is to hang out with Bruce and Rick at the Havana Humidor Room located at the front of Zona II.

I think most seasoned cigar smokers have tried Cubans when they traveled outside of the USA - so while there is still that "Cuban misteaque" I thin many Americans are not prepared to pay the premiums Cuban cigars command - also, for YEARS, Cubans had quality control issues - it was common to buy a box and figure on 2 - 4 cigars having to be thrown out - totally unacceptable.

While quality has improved in recent years, I don't know if they have the means to increase cigar production while still maintaining quality to supply an American market.

Right now, the embargo remains in place, so these are just discussions on what issues Cuba will face as it gears production for the American marketplace.

My personal opinion is there will be a spike in sales after the embargo is lifted, and a small number may switch over to Cuban brands
( Brands.........that's a whole other issue - brands - for many popular Cuban brands, there is a registered brand made outside of Cuba - for example, the most famous Cuban cigar, Cohiba, has a Dominican made counterpart).

Further, some may not find the Cuban cigars to their liking <its a myth that they are much stronger....Cuban cigars run the gamut from light bodied to full - i e strong> get a bad box or two and conclude its not worth it - I suspect many experienced cigar smokers will stick with their existing brands.

Personally, some of the greatest - and the worst - cigars I've ever smoked have been Cubans - so they have the ability to still make fantastic cigars - I just know me - a cigar is an everyday thing for me - so I'm not on the search for $20 puros - maybe if it was a once or twice a month thing.

I have lived in Miami for over 35 years and understand the emotions many Cubans hold for their former homeland and that while the Castro government made strides in education and health care, Cuba is a textbook example of how a socialist/communist economy will fail over time. I also understand the cold war dynamics at play.

But the embargo has not - under any reasonable theory - worked - all its done has been to hurt its poorest people (along with foolish, outdated Cuban Government policies ) - so rather than follow the classic definition of insanity, its time - long over due in fact - to try something else. While not a great standard, we have relationships around the world - notably in the middle east and Africa - with plenty of governments as bad as Cuba.

Final point on this - the Carter and Clinton administrations sought much of the same things as Obama - and Castro always managed to screw it up by shooting a plane down or some such nonsense - b/c he needs the big boogeyman in the form of America - it will be interesting to see if anything once again rears its head to derail the baby steps being taken and contemplated in recent weeks.