Tampa tobacco companies survive Cuban embargo

[Professor Twain]

From the Tampa Tribune. Interesting information on how the embargo affected the Tampa cigar industry. Interesting tidbits about the Fuentes and Newmans.

http://tbo.com/news/business/tampa-tobacco-companies-survive-cuban-embargo-20141221/

[Habanos2000]

Great article, thanks for sharing.

It's interesting to read the spin of how non-Cuban tobacco/cigars are just as good if not better than Cuban. I'm sure that once the Fuente's are allowed to use Cuban leaf they'll admit it is a step up in quality.

[El Presidente]

From the Tampa Tribune. Interesting information on how the embargo affected the Tampa cigar industry. Interesting tidbits about the Fuentes and Newmans.

http://tbo.com/news/business/tampa-tobacco-companies-survive-cuban-embargo-20141221/

Great read.

They are fighters and they will find a way of staying ahead of the game.

[Rye]

Good read! Thanks for posting it!

[Professor Twain]

Great article, thanks for sharing.

It's interesting to read the spin of how non-Cuban tobacco/cigars are just as good if not better than Cuban. I'm sure that once the Fuente's are allowed to use Cuban leaf they'll admit it is a step up in quality.

Yes, this same theme comes across heavily in Savona's video announcing the Cigar Aficionado Cigar of the Year (an Oliva).

My understanding is that Rob doesn't think that the Cubans will allow others to use Habano leaf in their cigars. I think that's a very wise move.

[Professor Twain]

Great read.

They are fighters and they will find a way of staying ahead of the game.

I thought you would be interested in this Rob. Tampa has a special place in the history of cigars. It was great to have you here and to have you see that up close.

Yes these are very smart businesses, they will find a way to do well long after we have Habanos in the US.

I hope that you will be an owner or have some major role in one of the eventual LCDHs in the US. Chuck used to dream of being a part of such an operation once the embargo was lifted.

[saintsmokealot]

Great read. Thanks for sharing.

[El Presidente]

I thought you would be interested in this Rob. Tampa has a special place in the history of cigars. It was great to have you here and to have you see that up close.

Yes these are very smart businesses, they will find a way to do well long after we have Habanos in the US.

I hope that you will be an owner or have some major role in one of the eventual LCDHs in the US. Chuck used to dream of being a part of such an operation once the embargo was lifted.

They were great times indeed mate. I think of Chuck regularly.

I don't think I would ever really want to get involved with the LCDH red tape

An FOH divan (or small group of them) as a JV with the right person/people is something that has always been in the back of my mind. The biggest downside is continuous legislative change.

Always hard to work a business plan when you have such a high political risk.

[Hunter1974]

Thats Whats exciting !! these master blenders that had to adapt to the embargo with out the use of cuban leaf. can you imagine the cuban blends they would create? I do love my cubans but I love some others too! but cuban blended with cameroon sound good to me !

[beparrish]

Great read - thanks for sharing !

[Professor Twain]

Thats Whats exciting !! these master blenders that had to adapt to the embargo with out the use of cuban leaf. can you imagine the cuban blends they would create? I do love my cubans but I love some others too! but cuban blended with cameroon sound good to me !

I don't think that's gonna happen. It would be like the French selling their grape harvest to an American wine company to make a French/US wine blend. The value is in having a unique product, the Cuban cigar, coveted throughout the world... with very limited production capacity.

[TiminBC]

Might Cuba stretch there sales with multi country blends. Make a slightly cheaper cigar with 50 Cuban leaf . they are unlikely to want to give up rolling jobs to others.

[El Presidente]

Might Cuba stretch there sales with multi country blends. Make a slightly cheaper cigar with 50 Cuban leaf . they are unlikely to want to give up rolling jobs to others.

Making cheap cigars is not the problem (Quintero/Jose Piedra etal). From a marketing perspective if you lose the advantage of "Terroir" you lose everything that makes your product unique. Dumb asses they may be in many things....I just can't see them being that dumb.

[nick2021]

Thanks for sharing the link, appreciate!

[TiminBC]

Sadly for the Cuban people I do not see change in the short term.

[Smallclub]

Why a Piedra or a Quintero is a better cigar than a NC cigar of the same price, made with leaves from 3 or 4 different origins?

Because it's a puro, the expression of a terroir; even if in the case of Piedra or Quintero it's a modest expression, it's always better than a $4 Casa de Fernandez y Martinez de la Cruz de Plata con Oro…

[tippexx]

Making cheap cigars is not the problem (Quintero/Jose Piedra etal). From a marketing perspective if you lose the advantage of "Terroir" you lose everything that makes your product unique. Dumb asses they may be in many things....I just can't see them being that dumb.

I would agree. And if they have notion they do something similar to the way in which French Regional wines are protected. Many sparkling wines are produced worldwide, but most legal structures reserve the word Champagne exclusively for sparkling wines from the Champagne region etc. The words Cuba and Havana have a unique status when associated with cigars, they could take steps to prohibit the use of those words if related to tobacco products produced outside Cuba. Likewise Pinar del Rio.

[Colt45]

Great read - thanks PT.

[Hafner32]

Great article, thanks for sharing!

[BulldogUK]

Great read! Thx!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SCgarman]

Sadly for the Cuban people I do not see change in the short term.

X2 Nothing but rhetoric for now. We are still a looong way off from Habanos being legally available in the States. So please do not hold your breath for a miracle or you might suffocate.

[Hunter1974]

I don't think that's gonna happen. It would be like the French selling their grape harvest to an American wine company to make a French/US wine blend. The value is in having a unique product, the Cuban cigar, coveted throughout the world... with very limited production capacity.

I see your point . But I know what some blended cigars taste like . They may not catch on at first because of the forbidden fruit factor that Cubans have Trust me I love my cubans But I would love to try a blend just to try it. There is absolutely nothing that tastes like a cuban . I would just like to see what they could come up with. If and when the embargo lifts it would probably be damn near impossible to get them in the USA anyway because of supply and demand even people who dont love them like we do are going to want them just to say HEY I SMOKED A CUBAN! lol

[SmittyinAZ]

Much respect for both companies. Good read. Thank you.

[kuma]

The cigar companies from around the world will jockey for position to be able to grow in Cuba.

The companies that are in good standings with the Cuban Gov. will I'm sure get

the ability to buy land and then grow massive amounts of tobacco.