American cigar aficionados rejoiced Wednesday at the prospect of legally puffing on those coveted Cuban stogies for the first time in five decades.
After a 52-year ban on the cigars — which spurred a black market filled mostly with fake non-Cuban tobacco and high-priced auctions for cigars bought before the 1962 embargo — Americans can now bring home up to $100 worth of the authentic smokes.
Depending on one’s taste, that could buy a handful cigars or just one, as prices range from around $10 to $80 a pop.
“I think what we would see would be an influx of guys that want to run out and taste a Cuban cigar just to say they’ve had it,” said David Diamante, who owns Diamante’s Brooklyn Cigar Lounge in Fort Greene. “It’s like in Europe or Canada. People don’t run to the stores to buy Cuban cigars, because they can get them every day. It’s not a big deal. Plus, Cuban cigars are expensive.”
Despite the mystique of “Cubans,” cigars made in Nicaragua, Honduras and the Dominican Republic are reportedly as good, leading to a shrinking black market.
“There are so many quality cigars that are non-Cuban,” Diamante said.