Cuban cigars are illegal to import into the United States, but the embargo doesn’t just apply to cigars, it impacts most goods from the island. But why are Cuban cigars illegal? It all concerns the trade and travel embargo on Cuba and its products that President John F. Kennedy issued in 1962.
The Cuban embargo came to pass because of political turmoil, poor relations, and a growing divide between leadership. The history between Cuba and the United States is messy with the Cuban communist government at the tip of the spear.
After the Cuban Revolution, in 1960, Fidel Castro and the Cuban government nationalized many properties and businesses. US-owned property at the time was also nationalized spurring the U.S. government to retaliate. They did so with strict trade and travel restrictions, via the Cuban goods embargo.
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy announced a full-scale embargo on all imports from the region, including Cuban cigars. At the time, they were considered high-quality and some of the best made — many still believe that is the case today.
The embargo still exists. Many feel that it is unnecessary and some have even called for its abolishment. In 2014, the Obama administration did begin to ease restrictions, on Cuban cigars specifically. U.S. citizens were allowed to bring back up to $100 worth of cigars purchased during a visit.
That easement was eventually reversed by Donald Trump in 2017. Regardless of political standing, or how you feel about either of those administrations, the Cuban embargo still exists today.
The embargo doesn’t just exist because the Cuban government nationalized some U.S.-owned land. It nationalized virtually everything, including the local Cuban industry, businesses notwithstanding. That means any money spent on these goods, including Cuban cigars, directly or indirectly contributes to the Cuban government. For obvious reasons, the U.S. government wants to minimize that happening as much as possible.
The good news is that, while you can’t get authentic Cubans, legally, there are many alternatives you can acquire. A great example is the Warped La Colmena.
Briley has over 16 years in the publishing and content marketing business. He's been writing about cigars for nearly half that in various forms. What makes him a tour de force is he also smokes them.
Source: Yanik Flowers / Unsplash
Source: Joris Visser / Unsplash
Leave a Reply