Are all Cuban cigars....Cuban?

[benfica_77]

So on a FB cigar page I frequent. One "respected" member who happens to also sell his on Non-cuban line of cigars. Posted something very controversial. He said that Cuba imports tobacco from Dominican and Nicaragua among other central american countries when cuban leaf is low and gets mixed into production. He couldn't reveal his sources supposedly but said his source was one of his local producers. 

I smell B/S but thought i'd bring it up here and get some insight. Thanks!   

[Hammer Smokin']

one of my rules in life is to NEVER trust anything from facebook.

 

[Guest Nekhyludov]

I find it funny that there is always an equal number of simultaneous rumors that Tabacuba is a.) selling tobacco to Nicaragua and the DR because they need the money, and b.) buying Nicaraguan and Dominican tobacco because they need the material. 

[WABOOM]

I've heard those rumors. I definitely can't confirm or deny.

[Kitchen]

LOL, this is a common critique of the naysayers on Cuban cigars.  

Ask him for some evidence next time.  

Think about it, if this were true we are talking about tons of tobacco being ship from free open ports to Cuba, which have paid invoices, receipts, shipping logs, manifests, ships with captains, sailers, long shore-men loading and unloading the tobacco, all with cameras (aka cell phones) in their pocket ready to document proof of these shipments where they could earn a hefty amount selling the images as proof, with plenty of opportunities for such proof to be captured for the past few decades (according to the naysayers).  But ...

Any proof of this has yet to surface.  

On top of that, I have never smoked a non-Cuban that tasted like a Cuban.  

[NSXCIGAR]

If Cuba imports leaf then why do shortages in quality and production occur?

IMO, too much to lose if word got out about something like this, even for Cuba. Not that the government isn't above it but I think they have enough pride in their leaf to make it highly unlikely.

Also sounds like something a NC producer would say. 

[Kitchen]

8 minutes ago, NSXCIGAR said:

 

Also sounds like something a NC producer would say. 

The time I heard this was at a Tatuaje cigar event at a local B&M by the owner of Tatuaje cigars.  It was more of a sales pitch really, Cuban cigars aint nothing special, they dont even use all cuban leaf, or something like that.  

[TTP21]

11 minutes ago, Kitchen said:

The time I heard this was at a Tatuaje cigar event at a local B&M by the owner of Tatuaje cigars.  It was more of a sales pitch really, Cuban cigars aint nothing special, they dont even use all cuban leaf, or something like that.  

Pete Johnson said that?

[Kitchen]

3 minutes ago, TTP21 said:

Pete Johnson said that?

It was a combination Tatuaje and My Father event, so someone from those companies was passing that along, although I am pretty sure it was specifically Pete Johnson who did bring it up.  The event was at Holts in Philly, whom I know have never propagated this rumor and even trying to get some Cubans when you can.  

[NSXCIGAR]

NC producers are totally capable of stating such things. I've found over the years that the proponents of NC cigars are pretty much delusional when it comes to discussing CCs. They're still living off the 1999-2001 CC quality decline. They've never been objectively fair about CCs vs. NCs. They have no qualms making blanket statements like NCs have flat-out surpassed CCs in all areas. I would never even claim all CCs surpass all NCs. CC smokers have always--and I mean always--been far more fair and objective about the comparison.

I believe HSA about as much as I believe anything a NC producer says.

[duabley]

Ive heard this before (almost verbatim) too, but when asked for proof they almost always dismiss cc's at some point as inferior and promote thier own. Funny how then they go on to use words like "cubanesque" and "cuban seed". 

I enjoy cigars from all regions and have come to find thier flavors distinctive and unique. But when all things are equal, cuban leaf is just my preference...by a long margin. 

[SmokyFontaine]

35 minutes ago, NSXCIGAR said:

NC producers are totally capable of stating such things. I've found over the years that the proponents of NC cigars are pretty much delusional when it comes to discussing CCs. They're still living off the 1999-2001 CC quality decline. They've never been objectively fair about CCs vs. NCs. They have no qualms making blanket statements like NCs have flat-out surpassed CCs in all areas. I would never even claim all CCs surpass all NCs. CC smokers have always--and I mean always--been far more fair and objective about the comparison.

I believe HSA about as much as I believe anything a NC producer says.

I think it's an outright lie clearly, and as others have said, would be exposed by now. 

Having said that, in 2019, if I want an adventure, I'll smoke a Cuban and know that there is an illogically high chance that I'll cut and experience a bad draw, or one cigar from the box will be great, the next unsmokeable. CC's are wholly unique in flavor. But they're also unique in miserable consistency. There really is no other cigar producer I've encountered with inconsistency like Cubans. A NC I've enjoyed before, I'll enjoy again. A CC I've enjoyed before? I might as well take the band off because it's borderline irrelevant. I change my entire expectation level based on the origin.

I'm still buying CCs and want to build up some aged stock to really give a fair shake and because that transcendent experience can happen, but I just think it's bit of an overstatement to say that NC cigar smokers don't have an open mind about CCs. They're just a completely different animal, with each serving their role.

[Vito]

1 hour ago, NSXCIGAR said:

NC producers are totally capable of stating such things. I've found over the years that the proponents of NC cigars are pretty much delusional when it comes to discussing CCs. They're still living off the 1999-2001 CC quality decline. They've never been objectively fair about CCs vs. NCs. They have no qualms making blanket statements like NCs have flat-out surpassed CCs in all areas. I would never even claim all CCs surpass all NCs. CC smokers have always--and I mean always--been far more fair and objective about the comparison.

I believe HSA about as much as I believe anything a NC producer says.

This 1000%! I was told this same shit about cubans using noncuban leaf at the Davidoff dealer here in Denver (Cigars on 6th) and I just smiled at him and said “Well, I guess it could be.” with a dumb smile on my face then said “You know it’s unfortunate that there still has to be this blanket of bullshit that seems to envelope the NC industry when it comes to Cuban tobacco because myself, I like profiles from all the major cigar producing countries. Great black tobacco is great tobacco to me anyways.”  Then purchased a Year of the Dog, which was ok but not nearly as good as say a middle of the road RyJ Churchill, and walked out. 
 

[El Presidente]

I have heard the rumour for 25 years and always fed by those with a vested interest. 

I have never seen one scintilla of evidence. Not one bill of lading....nada. 

The Cubans have managed to screw everyone they have ever worked with. It is inconceivable that they wouldn't  have fallen out with Nic/Dom/Hond/Ecuadorian tobacco supplier/s and the end result wouldn't be plastered all over the world. 

 

Of course.....it would explain Anejados 

[Hoepssa]

 

Heard that all the time, but they have no clues anyway, and I believe this is too "complicated" for Cuba.

 

[IanMcLean68]

[Vortigan]

Nope, bovine faecal matter! I'm pretty far down on the list of people of significant cigar knowledge but one thing I'm very confident of is being able to tell the difference, fifty yards distant, blindfolded and upwind, between Nicaraguan tobacco and Cuban! 

[SCgarman]

Ask the folks who state these things to provide concrete EVIDENCE. Talk is cheap and everyone has a conspiracy theory.

[earthson]

11 hours ago, Kitchen said:

The time I heard this was at a Tatuaje cigar event at a local B&M by the owner of Tatuaje cigars.  It was more of a sales pitch really, Cuban cigars aint nothing special, they dont even use all cuban leaf, or something like that.  

Funny.  When I heard this rumor in 08, it was from a Tatuaje head who claimed to have seen photographic proof.  Not only did he not have a copy of said proof, he couldnt even describe what the photographic proof exactly depicted.

Like others, I generally dislike Nicaraguan tobacco and its associated twang.  I feel like I could tell the difference and I'm pretty sure I've been smoking Cuban puros.

[Puros Y Vino]

Everytime I've heard these rumors it was associated with someone working in the NC field.  

[bbguardsp]

Jose Blanco visited Havana and the factories and was allowed to go anywhere he wanted in 2014.  He stated there wasn't a leaf of non cuban tobacco anywhere.  This is a man who's entire living is based on non cuban cigars and for him to say that tells me everything I need to hear.

[CaptainQuintero]

  They can't even put cigars the right way in boxes, but they can supposedly organise a secret international conspiracy shipping thousands of tons of tobacco across oceans, paying off the thousands of people involved in that supply chain, unloading, sorting and storing NC tobacco with not one person letting slip, and all paid for by a nation with essentially non existent foreign currency reserves?

[Cigar Surgeon]

It's a silly rumor because when you bottom line it: How is Cuba going to pay Nicaragua or the DR for their tobacco? Neither country is going to take an IOU.

If there were Nicaraguan tobacco in any Cuban cigars I'd know immediately. Just like I know immediately when some brands claim (rightfully, or not) that their cigar contains Cuban tobacco.

[Cigar Surgeon]

13 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

NC producers are totally capable of stating such things. I've found over the years that the proponents of NC cigars are pretty much delusional when it comes to discussing CCs. They're still living off the 1999-2001 CC quality decline. They've never been objectively fair about CCs vs. NCs. They have no qualms making blanket statements like NCs have flat-out surpassed CCs in all areas. I would never even claim all CCs surpass all NCs. CC smokers have always--and I mean always--been far more fair and objective about the comparison.

I believe HSA about as much as I believe anything a NC producer says.

Come on man. The same CC smokers that smoked a Brick House once and think all 762 brands of NCs taste the same? The delusion runs deep on both sides of the aisle. I know it all too well as someone with a foot in both worlds.

NC smokers say CCs are overrated. CC smokers say NCs are overrated. NC people say Cuba buys tobacco from the NC world. NC people say CCs are $25 a cigar. And so on, and so forth.

[Puros Y Vino]

9 minutes ago, Cigar Surgeon said:

Come on man. The same CC smokers that smoked a Brick House once and think all 762 brands of NCs taste the same? The delusion runs deep on both sides of the aisle. I know it all too well as someone with a foot in both worlds.

NC smokers say CCs are overrated. CC smokers say NCs are overrated. NC people say Cuba buys tobacco from the NC world. NC people say CCs are $25 a cigar. And so on, and so forth.

I smoked a couple of Brick House Churchills when I started smoking cigars. They were pretty good for what they cost.    The Cuban tobacco conspiracy is pretty much a tall tale. I'm more interested in a certain NC conspiracy.  I'll call it The case of the missing "slurry" video that used to be on CA's site that can no longer be found.