Allure of Cuban Cigars Has waned, Local Shop Owners Say

Source from:  Santa Maria Times 12/30/2014

Throughout Solvang's cigar and tobacco shops, the smell of Cubans is in the air following President Barack Obama's announcement this month that the U.S. would be working towards normalizing relations with Cuba.

With it comes the prospect that the taboo and allure of smoking a genuine Cuban cigar could be something of the past.

But shop owners say that although casual smokers will rush to stores to purchase the coveted Cubans, aficionados who smoke regularly won't care.

"We have cigars from Arturo Fuentes coming from Honduras and the Dominican Republic that are just as good, if not better than Cubans," said Larry Olivarez, owner of L&J Cigars.

Others, like Christine Garrido who works at VIP Tobacco Shop, say that lifting the ban will create an immediate rush to purchase the cigars, but the trend will quickly fade.

"I think the casual smoker would be more crazy about it than the people who are used to smoking," Garrido said.

In 2012, Cigar Aficionado Magazine named Flor de Las Antillas Toro, a Dominican cigar, the best in the world. Cohibas from Cuba were named No. 2.

But Garrido and other tobacco shop owners throughout Solvang say they will be quick to stock their shelves with the stogies if they are legalized, cashing in on what they foresee as a surge in popularity.

If the cigars can be imported, Garrido says they will yield at least $20 a piece. Most others in her shop range from $4 to $18.

"We don't have any plans with our supplier yet," Garrido said. "But we know that it will come."

Tourists from Europe or Asia are among those who request Cubans the most, said Azzam Achkar, owner of Solvang Cigars Tobacco and Accessories. If the cigars are legalized, he says those tourists who are used to smoking Cubans in their own countries, will be the ones who buy the cigars.

Following Obama's announcement, travelers approved to go to Cuba can purchase $400 worth of goods, including $100 in tobacco or alcohol. Congressional approval is required to allow cigar shops to begin selling the Cubans.

Still, diehard enthusiasts have been smuggling the cigars into the country for years, purchasing them in Mexico or Canada - where they're legal - and hiding them in their luggage.

Olivarez remembers when Cubans could be purchased legally, before the 1962 embargo. A few months ago, he tried one a buddy smuggled in.

"Originally the Cuban cigars were excellent cigars, but I don't know what's happened. It wasn't as good as I remember when you could buy them," Olivarez said.

He couldn't put his finger on what made the experience different. The flavors weren't quite the same; the cigar wasn't rolled as tight; the leaves weren't to his liking.

Others are more blunt.

"Some Cubans are just crap. The few I've had are miss-rolled and just poor quality," said a man rifling through cigars in the L&J humidor room. Still, he says that if the shop begins carrying them, he'll probably try one or two.

The mystique and intrigue of the once taboo tobacco product will drive customers through the doors, shop owners say.

"Everybody's going to come in and want to try them because of the reputation that Cuba has the best cigars," Olivarez said. "But I don't think they'll go back to them."

The Cubans, Olivarez says, have been surpassed by producers in other countries. Cigars from the Dominican Republic, including Arturo Fuentes, are among his top sellers - and if the Cubans are legalized and allowed for mass import, he doesn't think that will change.

"Everybody around here is pretty much set in their ways," Olivarez said. Enditem