Nino

Found some pics of my visit to Santander yrs ago.

Pretty sure it was a majority Cuban. Estimate like 95% Cuban and maybe some from the Philippines. Ssntander was/is an important trading port with Cuba and Spanish Main. Seen old shipping firm signs there when I visited.

No. Just that 85 of the cases were infected by contact with people traveling from abroad.

I always have said that I wish to die in a bed in Cuba. A glass of rum in my left, a cigar in my right and her on top - errrrr .... OK ... smoking by my side .... :-) I don't give a flying f##k what the cigar is, as I am sure I will not come back to complain.

I would say that this season so far has been a good one, but let's await the overall results by late March. Indeed some farms are more skilled than others but overall in La Meca del Tabaco ( Vuelta Abajo ) the farms are quite competent.

Hmmm, ugly as hell. But how come all I see is a Mitsubishi sign ...

Last 3 days Cuba has had a surge at over 2500 cases a day. Ómicron does not forgive Cuba: three days in a row with more than 2,500 cases of Covid-19 A woman in Villa Clara died of complications derived from the disease, according to the MINSAP report https://diariodecuba.com/cuba/1641932979_36725.html "For Covid-19, a total of 35,815 samples were made for surveillance during the day, resulting in 2,685 positive. The country accumulates 12,243,000 samples carried out and 982,614 positive. At the close of yesterday, January 10, they have been admitted 21,626 patients, 10,293 suspects, 197 under surveillance and 11,136 confirmed active, "the MINSAP reported.

He just replied - it is first planting and will be harvested in March.

Some pictures of my friend with his Cuban godson at HLP, working at HLP and in Hong Kong where he came to visit me for a few days and I invited him to meet MRN along with my buddy Frank.

I have asked my friend if they are first or second planting and when they'll be harvested and will report back.

And pictures from my friend at HLP today - the sun grown tobacco ( as opposed to the shade grown wrapper ) growing nicely. Guess it is a second planting.

3 to 4 years mas o menos or +/- ...

As far as I am aware and I can prove it, Australia is a sugar mill town with some old locomotives at the entrance to the Zapata swamps - Bay of Pigs peninsula, Cuba .... :-) http://flyingcigar.de/travel-cigars/201204-cuba-playa-larga-australia-part-ii/ PS : Australia was Fidel Castro's HQ during the Bay of Pigs invasion. Fact !

Yep, makes perfect sense for the farmer to give his best product ( and his virgin daughter ) to the state/HSA and keep the crumbs for himself - that must have been one hell of a smart "expert" ... Irony off :-) You are right to chuckle, I would have rolled my eyes.

Correct on the first figure and might go up to the second but I would very much doubt it reaches the third .... :-) Big brother watches all. I happened to be there filming in the rain when a police car came up to pick up the daily ration of cigars ... it is a case of one hand washing the other ... :-)

Thank YOU @99call for the comment and I would have agreed wholeheartedly if the guy would merit it ( or if it would have been me in fancy clothes just in for a visit ). No problem with that. But this particular guy happens to live in Cuba for many years now, was on one of the first Chinese student missions sent there to learn Spanish, decided to stay and sometimes works for weeks or months at the HLP farm for nothing and a few cigars. I also have other pics of him in working or riding attire and I have seen him there myself working - he designed the woodwork for the roof "tower seats", he is basically one more of the crew when he is there. Otherwise I would not have posted the pics. He endures the same conditions as Cubans except he has friends and a car and can fly in & out. I am certain some other FOH'ers might have come across him at the farm. But thank you again - I understand where you are coming from and appreciate ( and would share ) your comment.

A good friend of mine just posted these pictures of wrapper harvest at Hector Luis farm yesterday. Looking good.

More trouble for the Joker : The guy lied on his entry form...

Very sad news - Ross will be missed. RIP

A video released today by a blogger of a daylong visit to the Havana Club distillery outside Havana. Very good talk by the Maestro Ronero and justly proud of his work and legacy for future generations. An interesting tour of the distillery including a few electricity black-outs. You can select English sub-titles.

Apologies if I misundertood you. I agree with your preference. My problem is that 90% of the Cubans relocating to the US are not political refugees or standing up for change in Cuba. It's a welcome win-win situation for the Cuban gvmt to let steam out of the pressure cooker and for Cubans to have the best of both worlds - after 365 days + 1 they become mules, fly back & forth and the perpetuum mobile continues ...

John, once upon a time Trinidad were exclusively rolled at the Francisco Donatien factory in Pinar del Rio ( along with Vegueros production) if my memory serves me right, I am getting old :-) I believe that is still the case for the Fundadores but I might be mistaken.

I think that "medical" post from @Elpresidente regarding blurry vision has affected me more than I thought ... :-) Thanks @BrightonCorgi and @Bijan

Thanks @Bijan - makes sense now and I should have caught the typo ! At first I thought Macron but that didn't make much sense - now it does. I am sure it baffles the Cuban gvmt as well, they were all but rolling the red carpet for that decision ... :-)

Farm rolled larger Piramide. Earlier two were plugged. This one is good.