Merged: US Cuba policy change

[CaptainQuintero]

One thing to remember is that Cuba owes a lot of money to US companies. Castro seized the assets of of many American companies and citizens to the the tune of 1.8 billion dollars when the embargo was enacted. There is still a lot that needs to be worked out before the embargo can be lifted. 

 

http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2014/04/18/cuba-you-owe-billion/jHAufRfQJ9Bx24TuzQyBNO/story.html

Nationalisation is perfectly legal though. Cuba doesn't legally owe anyone anything from nationalisations.

[MIKA27]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/12/18/our-man-in-havana-for-real.html

Google is a beautiful thing

AMEN - And thank you Rob

[Smallclub]

Capitalism is what makes me think so.

There is no reason to think that one wouldn't sell the tobacco a Cuban brand might not feel posseses the appropriate qualities, to a non-Cuban cigar manufacturer. In simplistic terms it opens up another potential brand to the market.

• Premium Cuban tobacco exported to the NC manufacturers is unlikely to happen.
• NC manufacturers purchasing and growing tobacco in Cuba won't be permitted to happen. The Government has a monopoly here.

[Jeremy Festa]

And then, JayZ and Puff Daddy and some investors come along, with some money, and exceptions are made.

[Fosgate]

Posting press articles randomely found on the web without citing the source should be prohibited, IMHO. By doing so you put the Washington Post, the Ku Klux Klan Tribune and the Al Qaeda Gazette on the same level…

I agree, for example. Link seems legit right? Click on the tiny link at the bottom that says "Hosted by" to see who published this page.

http://www.martinlutherking.org/

[MPS]

Yoani Sanchez

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/19/opinion/yoani-sanchez-a-new-era-for-cuba-and-the-united-states.html?_r=0

[Paul3]

• Premium Cuban tobacco exported to the NC manufacturers is unlikely to happen.
• NC manufacturers purchasing and growing tobacco in Cuba won't be permitted to happen. The Government has a monopoly here.

Both points quoted could be countered with long lists of examples, again choosing your industry, in which "unlikely" and "won't be permitted" became "very likely" and "encouraged" with little more than a bank roll placed in the right pocket. Find me the government that doesn't feed on power and money and I might start to sway in the other direction. In this case however, I maintain my original answer to your question.

[Jeremy Festa]

Both points quoted could be countered with long lists of examples, again choosing your industry, in which "unlikely" and "won't be permitted" became "very likely" and "encouraged" with little more than a bank roll placed in the right pocket. Find me the government that doesn't feed on power and money and I might start to sway in the other direction. In this case however, I maintain my original answer to your question.

So true. Yet I prefer my rapper analogy.

[Paul3]

So true. Yet I prefer my rapper analogy.

Fo schnizzle boyyeeeee

[cigcars]

I agree, for example. Link seems legit right? Click on the tiny link at the bottom that says "Hosted by" to see who published this page.

http://www.martinlutherking.org/

Yeah. I did just that. Stormfront.whatever. I also clicked onto some of their forum members' statements. Very, very, very sad and unfortunate. Deeper psychological problems than they're even aware of. Shame

[DrunkenMonkey]

What can make you think that Cubataba would sell premium leaves to the NC industry? It would be counterproductive and even stupid when they are assured to sell huge quantities of cigars on the US market.

But if they can grow more than they can roll/sell, which could happen, it could become more profitable to sell tobacco than stockpile it.

And anyway, if Padron/Fuente/Pepin are willing to pay enough, there is some price at which it would make sense to sell leaves.

[DWC]

I don't know a whole lot about anything but I could see Cuba selling off the crap tobacco they don't want or wouldn't use themselves to NC mnfr's. They will put this in their NC blends and tout that they have genuine Cuban tobacco in their cigars. Not just Cuban seed tobacco.

(You'll then see them change the story about Cuban seed being as good or better than the real thing.)

[tjohn7]

Looks like Obama has already found his way into Raul's humidor...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2880549/Barack-Obama-sniffs-Cuban-cigar-party-hours-lifting-52-year-trade-embargo-Communist-state.html

[sw15825]

Looks like Obama has already found his way into Raul's humidor...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2880549/Barack-Obama-sniffs-Cuban-cigar-party-hours-lifting-52-year-trade-embargo-Communist-state.html

The Ramon Allones Imperials Ancient humidoor and The Partagas Serie E #1 book are in the air on the way to the White House as we speak! !

[Ryan]

Yoani Sanchez

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/19/opinion/yoani-sanchez-a-new-era-for-cuba-and-the-united-states.html?_r=0

This one quote sums it up. How fast real change might come to Cubans, indivdually and generally.

"Sara is a teacher I know at an elementary school in the Plaza of the Revolution municipality. Without the help sent by her daughter every month she couldn’t survive. “Now everything will be easier, especially because we’ll be able to use American credit and debit cards here and my daughter is thinking of sending me one so I can get a little help whenever I need it,” she said."

Cubans, living in Cuba, spending with US credit cards.

[CaptainQuintero]

I could be wrong buy I cant see Cuba selling any tobacco to their competition at any price, the risk of ruining the reputation and mystique of Cuban leaf would be too high.

Maybe the dregs to some of the European dry cigar makers but never to the premium hand rolled competition.

[FLB03TT]

The Holy Grail for NCs is the Puro. Padron and Fuente's Opus line, among a few others are held in the highest regard and, arguably, are considered the finest and command the highest price in the NC world.

A Cuban Puro should continue to rule the roost in the Puro world even if Cuban leaf were to sold to NC producers for a blended product. I can think of very few serious Scotch drinkers who even consider a blended Scotch when seeking out the best example of Scotch whiskey.

My bet is that when the dust settles serious cigar smokers will still gravitate to a Cuban Puro as their choice of smoke.

[DrunkenMonkey]

The Holy Grail for NCs is the Puro. Padron and Fuente's Opus line, among a few others are held in the highest regard and, arguably, are considered the finest and command the highest price in the NC world.

A Cuban Puro should continue to rule the roost in the Puro world even if Cuban leaf were to sold to NC producers for a blended product. I can think of very few serious Scotch drinkers who even consider a blended Scotch when seeking out the best example of Scotch whiskey.

My bet is that when the dust settles serious cigar smokers will still gravitate to a Cuban Puro as their choice of smoke.

Whisky is not cigars. Every cigar is blended, and most living people have never had a non-puro cuban cigar. But it used to be very common, and I would want to taste the blends in question before making the declaration that "puro is better".

[tippexx]

But it used to be very common, and I would want to taste the blends in question before making the declaration that "puro is better".

But down in the Minors I think DM. And could a NC/CC blend be anything other than a Limited Edition, because to get year on year consistency would require some degree of proprietery control over fields and production.