Nervous cigar lovers rush to stock up
Puffing on a cigar at Cuba’s annual Habanos cigar festival, American aficionado Paul Segal says he will buy as many boxes of cigars as he can carry home, in case United States President Donald Trump tightens regulations on visitors to the communist-run island again.
Segal, who writes a cigar blog, said he took 25 boxes back on a trip last year, shortly after former US president Barack in October removed the US$100 limit on the value of rum and cigars American travellers could bring back. An inexpensive box of 25 cigars costs about US$100 (NZ$140).
Trump, who took office in January, has threatened to reverse the US’s detente with its former Cold War foe.
Segal and other American visitors to Cuba are not taking any chances, and are stocking up on their favourite smokes.
‘‘This may be the last trip on which I can bring back cigars,’’ said Segal, who had several different brands sticking out of the pockets of his guayabera shirt.
‘‘So far, I have only got about 10 boxes, but I still have five days left before I head home. ‘‘
The US is the biggest market worldwide for cigars, but its trade embargo on Cuba has prevented the Caribbean island from selling its Cohibas, Montecristos and other legendary brands there for more than half a century. US cigar aficionados have long had to make do with non-Cuban brands, such as those made in Honduras, Nicaragua or the Dominican Republic.
Despite his drive to normalise US-Cuban relations, Democratic president Obama was unable to lift the trade embargo, which requires action by the Republicancontrolled US Congress.
He did, however, ease some trade and travel regulations since announcing the detente in December 2014.
These had been a game changer for US cigar lovers, Habanos festival participants said.
Nicholas Syris, who hosts an Atlanta radio show about ‘‘the cigar lifestyle’’, last year started leading cigar tours to Cuba due to interest from listeners. He said travel had become a lot easier, due partly to the re-establishment of commercial flights.
Smoking with other American festivalgoers in the gardens of Havana’s iconic Hotel Nacional overlooking the Caribbean Sea, he said he brought up to 20 aficionados to Cuba each month and could not keep up with the demand.
Meanwhile, the fact that American travellers could now bring back as many Cuban cigars as they wanted was affecting the US market, said Rene Castaneda, head of the North American operations of Swiss cigar manufacturer Villiger.
‘‘We are seeing more Cuban cigars in the United States than ever, and that hits sales of nonCuban cigars,’’ he said.
Syris said some of his tour participants were buying thousands of cigars at a time. In many instances, Habanos stores did not have enough supply to meet the the demand.
‘‘People reckon they had better buy now, because they don’t know if it will be legal next year,’’ he said.
‘‘You just tomorrow.’’ don’t know about