[alfredo_buscatti]

There are a great deal of choices available to today’s cigar smoker, but anyone who is even moderately interested in cigars must make the decision whether or not to pursue the storied Cubans.

Looming large in that consideration is the December 2014 reestablishment of ties between thee US and Cuba, and the relaxing of several trade barriers; yet most of the provisions of the embargo remain. In any case the rationale for this historical divide became meaningless with the fall of the USSR in 1991. As of March 16 this year the Council on Foreign Relations, an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher, said that the trade embargo is unlikely to be lifted any time soon, and a February 24 report this year by Reuters said that this is due to Congressional intolerance for Cuba’s government and the difficulties it visits on its people.

Were Cubans legal the following remarks would have no value, but as we have seen that status is not going to happen anytime soon.

The biggest criticism of Cubans is quality control, especially that construction is weak. On the other hand the soil in the Vuelta Abajo has long been considered the best in the world for cigar tobacco. Also, though many of the cigar industry fled the island in 1962, those that remained apparently passed on their skills. The industry ranks 18th worldwide.

Many observe that Cubans aren’t better, but different. But price counterfeits oppose enthusiastic consumption. Procurement is not publicly discussed on the cigar boards. The long and short of it is that one has to trust what someone tells him, that vendor X sells the genuine article and then transfer that trust to the vendor, who trusts the intermediary that buys the cigars. Entire threads on Cuban boards discuss counterfeits at length, opinions resting on the quality of the maker’s stamp or details in the band, etc. Certainly dedicated smokers know how the Partagas D4 that they are currently enjoying compares to their conglomerate memory of the D4s past, which would appear to be the only valid test for authentication.

Counterfeits can be very good, but they aren’t what you ordered!

Many who want to smoke daily are challenged to afford their tobacco unless they go over budget or smoke cheap. But the auction sites offer the remedy of prices 20-40% below the discount cigar retailers. They offer a wide variety of cigars, but not every cigar, and the preferred size may not be available. The auctions sites have drawbacks, but price is not one of them.

The smart money would then appear to be on non-Cubans bought at auction, especially given that to acquire Cuban chops able to discern the real deal takes time and money. Why bother? Why not smoke non-Cuban and smoke up?

The bottom line then for those persuaded are the many fine cigars available from the Dominican Republic (DR) and Nicaragua. In the DR Arturo Fuente and Avo, among others, and Tatuaje, Drew Estate, Padron and My Father Cigars, also among others, in Nicaragua.

In the DR Arturo Fuente cigars are said to be made with relentless quality control, and they are a staple in both B&M and online humidors. The Don Carlos Belicoso was rated 4 in “Cigar Aficionado’s” top 25 in 2015. The magazine states that the Cameroon wrapper “tends to be quite expensive, rough in appearance and temperamental during the fermentation process” but is prized nonetheless for its “sweet and sour flavors.”

Another DR star is the Avo XO. Depending on which review you read, the cigar is rated in the low to high 80s.

From Nicaragua, the Pardon Anniversary 1926 and 1964 maduros are some of the highest of the high-end cigars. The ’26 blend is delightfully complex while the ’64 remains a more monochromatic maduro with a flavor sweet, toasty, earthy and profound. The exquisite tobacco in the Padron, aged four years, costs, but consider the price of heaven. Smoke up, smoke less; perhaps smoke cheap tomorrow.

Tatuaje cost more, but many smokers feel that that given the quality of the tobacco and the blends, that they are entirely worth it. The Brown Label established the company and such cigars as the Belle Encre 10 Year Commemorative, the Brown Label with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, which grounds the cigar’s flavor with earth, and La Riqueza, the richest and most flavorful cigar this writer has smoked, add to what has become a line of focused excellence.

The Drew Estate Liga Privada #9 is pricy, dark and smooth, not full-flavored as the Padron ’64 but every bit as delectable.

The My Father Original (formerly Blue) is a fine blend with full body, and a steal if bought from auction, while the Le Bijou 1922, also full-bodied, with complex flavors similar to the Avo XO, is balanced by chocolate.

So many great cigars to smoke!