So here we are. Where to for the Cuban Cigar Industry?

[phantomwhiff]

On 6/3/2022 at 10:57 PM, PigFish said:

Totally disagree with you mate.

I cannot speak for others here, but there are many people who say enough is enough regardless of who makes the product. Capitalism through completion keeps most industries in check around my country. We have monopolies still certainly... government for one, media and some high tech.

When the airlines price themselves (or are priced by market forces) above the threshold of pain, people stop flying. When beef is too high, people move to chicken and pork... We do the same here to our capitalism comrades all the time.

Me, I am rooting for Tabacuba to fail. I have been for a decade. I was way... way... out in front of this pack. They have been destroying the traditional concept of the cigar, cigar smoking, smoking evolution for decades now. I hope they have to pay the piper! I am glad some people are pissed! I hope more get there.

Look, I do not want this to go awry... but your analogy is power companies!!! At least 50% of the population everywhere knew that the greens were going to destroy the energy sector as we know it, sooner or later. That is not capitalism. That is a minority ruling the energy sector via fiat. And for those who voted for the fools running the show... you, me, we... get what we deserve.

Go to one of our gas pumps and see who is raping the end user. It is not the driller or the refiner. It is those in the capital domed buildings collecting the taxes. While the refiner makes a few cents a gallon, in my state, the government (collectively) is taking a buck or more! ... and the roads still suck... and the government still wants more money to fix them!

Cuba has been in a sweet spot for the blame game for decades now. A lot on this forum over the years. People have been giving them a pass and protecting them (typically our resident socialists) for years and years. Blame America...  blame the embargo... I have read and seen it all. Their economic and political system is a shambles. That is because it is build on the ideas of losers, thugs and charity cases. 

 

This is likely going to lose everyone, but I will pitch it. Look at what is happening with the CC. You happy? Look at what your dependence on a communist country with socialist/communist leadership has gotten you. F'd.

Now look abroad. What has Europe gotten by being lead by the greens... and other socialist groups/philosophies. Dependent on Russia for oil (another good reliable communist run country). And what do they always do with the money.... ? Expand the empire!

Look at America... who runs it currently? The greens and other socialists... Where has it gotten us? Same boat. I paid $6.99 a gallon for fuel in the Peoplez Republik of Kalifornia (the capital by the way...) yesterday.

A plainer lesson on capitalism vs. socialism right down to your favorite hobby. One needs to be blind not to see the correlation.

Cheers! -R

The thing is, historical and extant communist countries were/are not 'green' at all. That agenda is entirely pushed by the elites of the 'capitalist' West. You would say of course that it is the work of 'socialists' in the West but these people bear little relation to the project of communism as it is understood by actual communist countries. Russia is not a communist country, this isn't the cold war.

You're stuck in an outdated libertarian understanding of what 'capitalism' and 'socialism' are. There are no 'capitalist' countries in the sense of not having a government which intervenes in the market. Every state does this. It's not even a question of 'how much?'. The question is simply a what kind of intervention is there and toward what end. 

Actually, in many respects, 'socialist market' economies such as China and Vietnam have freer markets at the level of small to medium sized businesses than the US does (far fewer regulatory barriers to entry, much less capital is required to enter the market). And they're definitely not complying with the Western demands to reduce carbon emissions! 

It's understandable that your understanding of what a real communist is might be something like a green party European social democrat except more extreme, because most 'communists' in the West are basically staging a kind of elaborate performance to assert their rebellion against their conservative parents, but are actually just extreme liberals, underneath the Che tshirt. These people aren't actually of the same ilk as communists in historically existent communist countries.

 

[SmokyFontaine]

It's all value-based for me. Was spending $6 on a Cuban robusto with a far higher chance of construction issues worth the allure of a phenomenal and unique smoke? Yup. Is it at $12 for me? Nope. I'll smoke a $6 NC that I know I like, will taste like each one I've smoked before, and have great consistency. I'm glad I stockpiled when I did, and personally I'm sitting out until/if value becomes reasonable again. Still strikes me as so shortsighted. 

[Cigar Surgeon]

Well I'm certainly one of the small number of NC and CC smokers as @Puros Y Vino pointed out and I'm certainly thankful for it. I can't see this ending up as anything other than utter disaster for HSA as I see it resulting in an overcorrection and them losing significant numbers of long time CC smokers.

I'm sure many of them would return if prices returned to normal but HSA is about to get a masterclass in brand and customer loyalty.