I've smoked one cuban (that I know of anyway, which a good friend of mine brought back from a trip to cuba -- crack smuggler that he is) and was NOT all that impressed. In fact, I was (sad to say) disappointed. I've passed on several opportunities to purchase them in Canada, finding them to be grossly expensive (even with the exchange rate). Am I missing some magical experience or one of life's true pleasures? Maybe my education is lacking. Could it be hype, or perhaps my lack of pedigree? So far, I'm very happy with my Excaliburs, Upmann Imperiales, Cohibas (reds), High Octane Mayorgas, and yup ..... even, La Finca's. Come to think of it, I enjoy just about anything from the Central American countries? Y tu?

We are not in the middle of the glory days of cigar production in Cuba right now. There is always a good chance you were smoking a counterfeit, too. I recently bought a couple of Robaina (Cuban) torpedos at a good cigar shop in Paris and they weren't too great either. You'd think they would be, named after the current great one himself. Meanwhile, there are lots of great cigars in the Caribe for a lot less money.

Smoke what YOU like, not what is hype. Everyones tastes are different. I too find that I can do just as well w/ a Perdomo, or C.A.O. or whatever. There are a few (Monte#2, R&J) that I would pay for. eleltea makes a good point about quality though.

Agree with Delarob. There are some consistant brands of ISOMs out there. I enjoy the R&J cetros #2 on a regular basis, the Partagas culebras are a great strong smoke.....Just because it's cuban, doesn't mean it has to be good.

I'll chime in to that statement about quality of the ISOM's. Recently had a friend bring back 8 Cohibas from Havana. Three smoked and tasted like heaven, the rest were plugs and canoes. If I'm spending, I'm not going to gamble the big bucks on their "iffy" quality. I'll stick with Perdomos, Upmanns or Montes from elsewhere. Odds are much better. Paul

before the embargo less than 20% of cigars sold in this country were cubans. and that was during the best of their production.

Too many good legal cigars. Nicaraguan tobacco currently is the best IMO.

Bolivar Churchill, Juan Lopez Seleccion No 1, Partagas Serie D No 4, Bolivar Corona Gigante, Montecristo No 2 (though not as consistent as we would like). Smoke one of these and try to remember why cigars are made anywhere other than Cuba.

Are all cubans full bodied? My mild palate prefers the Dominican flavors, Mac's, Don Diego's, Monte tubos, etc. Being just a hop, skip and cavity search away from Canada, I've often thought of trying one. Any recomendations on a light to medium cuban smoke?

If you can find them, Sancho Panza, is a mild ISOM! I do not care for the milder cigars-at least not the Cuban ones! If I want mild, then I go for Don Diego or Macanudo! Charlie

Cuban cigars are sold throughout the world side by side with the cigars of other countries. They command a higher price but not an extraordinarily higher price. The high premium on Cubans in the US is that they can't be imported in commercial quantities. A reserve officer friend of mine, on active duty in Italy for two weeks, recently gave me a Cohiba Esplendido that he had bought in the PX for $3.00. That should give you some idea what they're actually worth without the import fees, value added tax, sales tax and hoopla. It was rich and full without being strong and actually rather unique in flavor. In fact, it was worth writing about, which is what I'm doing, but I'll never regret not having another one.