Cuban cigars  have been an integral part of the island’s culture for centuries. Their origins can be traced back to 1492 when Christopher Columbus and his sailors first encountered indigenous people smoking tobacco leaves. By the 16th century, Cuba had established itself as the premier producer of tobacco, with the first Cuban cigar factory set up in 1542.During the 19th and early 20th centuries, Cuban cigars became the preferred choice for royalty, celebrities, and world leaders. Even after the Cuban Revolution and the subsequent U.S. embargo in 1962, which prohibited the sale and purchase of Cuban cigars in the United States, their reputation only grew. The inability to legally acquire them in the U.S. contributed to their allure, making them a symbol of luxury and forbidden indulgence.

The Unique Terroir: Why Cuban Tobacco Stands Out.

One of the most defining characteristics of Cuban cigars is their terroir—a term borrowed from the wine industry that refers to the natural environment in which the tobacco is grown.Cuba’s westernmost region, Vuelta Abajo in Pinar del Río, is renowned for producing some of the finest tobacco in the world. The soil in this region is rich in essential nutrients such as magnesium, calcium, and iron, all of which contribute to the unique flavor profile of Cuban tobacco.

Magnesium: Balances acidity and enhances smoothness.

Calcium: Adds sweetness and improves combustion.

Iron: Contributes to the aroma and depth of flavor.

The climate, with its ideal balance of sun, rain, and humidity, further enhances the tobacco’s quality.

No other country in the world has been able to replicate the growing conditions of Cuba perfectly, which is why Cuban cigars continue to maintain their prestigious reputation. Cuba perfectly, which is why Cuban cigars continue to maintain their prestigious reputation.

Robaina Vegueros Flor De Cano Jose  L. Piedra Cohiba Juan Lopez Rafael Gonzalez Fonseca Por Larranaga La Gloria Cubana Punch Bolivar Ramon Allones Trinidad Saint Luis Rey Qual Dorsay Romeo y Julieta San Cristobal Rafael Gonzalez Cuaba Partagas Hoyo De  Monterrey H. Upmann Sancho Panza Flo Cano Diplamaticos El Rey Del Mundo Guantana Montecristo Edmundo Dantes San Cristobal Robaina

My Opinion:

I kind of break down my admiration of and for Cuban cigars in a few different ways. Before flavor, texture, and construction finally hit me over the head, I couldn't tell one cigar from the other​ and I saw and tasted them pretty much all the same with the exception of a few real cheap machine rolled sticks that who knows what they were made of. It took me somewhere around 2 years and a at the minimum of 50 different brands and series of cigars before something clicked in the buds of taste that literally shocked me to the point I was even scared. I could actually taste the different notes of flavor everyone was talking about that I thought was just a myth. To me it was an experience that shock me because all of a sudden, everything up to that point tasted, smelled and looked the same with looks having the only variation. It was one of those moments you can't forget like losing one's virginity. If you forget that, you're not of the human species. In any event, I wasn't smoking just to blow smoke rings but found smoking relaxing and I did enjoy the generic flavor I was getting until I wrapped a lip around an Arturo Fuente Hemingway. During the process of lighting the cigar I noticed something right off something was different.  right away I could distinguish a very distinctive flavor and aroma of coffee and cream with a slight hint of cocoa. This remained until about halfway down the body of the cigar until a mild bite of black pepper combined with the coffee and cocoa that to me, completely changed the flavor to a semi-bitter chocolate with an espresso hint. This flavor remained to the finish. So what happened? This is the part that was kind of scary, how could I all of a sudden start tasting things that weren't there before? Skipping all the experimental takes and wild ass guesses, it turns out that when I lit-up that Hemingway, I was tired, relaxed and pretty much empty of any serious thought and just wanted to sit back with a cigar and maybe watch some T.V. Absent any life anxieties I was able to focus on the cigar alone. I remember that Hemingway was my first AF cigar and I wanted to see if my generic taste buds could find any difference. They did. Now with that, I can't credit the fine flavors of that Hemingway alone for the magical moment, rather the psychological effect gets the prize. I no  longer question the effects one's mind can play into almost any situation. You may notice this effect yourself, for me it is profound. I no longer just grab a cigar a smoke it, I select a cigar and savour it. You will never see me working outside in the garden or doing anything that takes the bulk of my thoughts off the cigar. Imagine cleaning out your garage working up a healthy sweat then, in the heat of thirst, you chug down a fine white wine. To me that's in the same ridicules neighborhood of smoking a cigar not having any thought towards what you are smoking. 

So, after many many years of fine tuning my taste buds for premium cigars, I think I have come to a place where I can accurately describe what I am smoking, and at least to how flavours meet my particular and subjective pallette. I fully understand that these flavours can meet the pallet of others differently. This difference can also be found in they way we each interpret the flavours of food, drinks and the aromas of nature itself.  So now, I offer my opinion on Cuban cigars.

I think like all of us, I was very interested in what all the fuss was about Cuban cigars. Social media cigar groups were and still remain full of Cuban cigar experts. This experts are highly qualified individuals that have experience far above the standard aficionado. Their credentials include but may not be limited to: Many trips to Havana where they have toured all the factories, intimately know management personnel, are friends with founding family members of top Cuban brands, have visited tobacco farms throughout Cuba, toured aging and fermenting facilities and were taught how Cuban cigars are manufactured from start to finish by master rollers, blenders, and growers. They have dealt with hundreds of fake and replica Cuban cigars for years and can spot a fake from across oceans. Now if you believe all this, I have a football bat I'll sell you for cheap! The truth is, these so called experts are as full of shit as a Christmas goose! But it wasn't until I gained experience to call these fools out. The truth is, the majority of these clowns fit in 1 or 2 categories. 1, they can't afford Cuban cigars and/or 2. They can't obtain Cuban cigars. My observation shows that both of these apply. It's the can't have syndrome that has taken hold of these goofballs. Just like anything else,  your macho guy that can't afford something like that new Mercedes his neighbor got is a piece of shit and he knows so because he has either owned one, driven one or knows someone that has one and nothing but problems and under performance issues plagued the car. These creetons can be found everywhere and we likely know a few in our own circle.
Hot air asid on to my Cuban experience.

Again, another moment I won't forget but I'm not going to write a thesis describing my experience other than to say "it was another shocking discovery. My first was a Montecristo number 4 given to me by my buddy Keith Gills from Toronto. He was one that kept telling me I needed to try a Cuban. He simply shipped it in a small box labeled "toothbrushes". Anyway I unboxed it and opened up the bag it was in and I was hit by that unmistakable perfume like fragrance. I was thinking someone must of sprayed this thing with perfume so I called up Keith and asked him "who sprayed perfume on this cigar". He told me that fragrance is how all Cuban cigars smell. I didn't have anything to compare with so I had to take him for his word. Later I found out the real reason which is the minerals that make up the soil that are unique to Cuba. Okay, so i lit it up and yep, magic. Knowing I just had only one, I figured I best get the most of this guy. I did my best to close everything out and focus on the cigar. For me the difference was and still remains very different to that of RC's. While there are the same flavour tones involved, they come at me very different. I can' really put a nail to it but it may be the aroma of the smoke. To me the smoke from a RC is kind of lifeless and can be bitter. Not a bad smell, just not an odor I seek out. On the other hand, I very much enjoy the smoke aroma of Cuban tobaccos and oddly, so does my wife. Perhaps it's a double whammy, getting taste and aroma 2 different senses involved that are very pleasing together? Whatever it is, it is very different and far more pleasing than RC's. So this is where is began. There was no way I could continue to enjoy this past time without Cuban cigars. So umphyfedump years later, here I am with a colossal collection of everyday smokers and some of Cuba's finest. Discovering Cuban cigars has literally changed my life involving myself with much of Cuba. It's history, people, political system, landscape, and of course its number one domestic product, cigars. To me the most fascinating part is the culture and the people that built that culture. Inocencio Alvarez, Manín Garcia Inocencio Alvarez and Manin Garcia who founded Romeo j Julieta 1n 1875, the interesting foundation of who did what with Montecristo back in 1935, and German banker Hermann Dietrich Upmann and his brother, August Ludwig Upmann who founded H. Upmann way back in 1844. These are some youngsters when compared to Cabanas, founded by Francisco Cabanas in 1797.

I think I could write a book with all the information I have taken in and don't want to start it here. Each should make their own journey and see it the way it comes for them. As far as what I like, I like them all. However, there are several that I seek out and keep in my humidor. That list is below in no particular order of preference unless otherwise stated.

1. Romeo y Julieta: Belicosos, Churchill (all series), Finos, Coronas, and Dianas*
2. Montecristo: No. 2, Edmundo original, Petit Coronas, Supremos*, 80Th Aniverserio*
3. Ramon Allones: Specially Selected, Sir Henry*
4. Partagas: Serie E No. 2, Serie D No.4, Serie P No.2, Maduro No 2.
5. H. Upmann: Connoisseur A & B, Year Of The Tiger*
6. Hoyo De Monterrey: Serie La Hoyo, Epicure No. 2
7. Bolivar: Belicosos, Royal Coronas, Limitada*
8. Punch: Punch
9. Cohiba: Robustos, Siglo IV, Maduro No. 5*, Behike 54 & 56*, Pirimides*, Vistosos*
10. Trinidad: Vigia, Media Luna, Esmeralda, Robustos Extra*
* Cigars I smoke on special occasions and offer to connoisseur friends.