My cigar consumption has been on the rise again. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing. However, this Ramon Allones Double Corona Habana was definitely a good thing.
I've got a good friend who travels to Havana regularly and occasionally seems to have Cuban cigars somehow drop into his carry-on bag. He's a kind-hearted soul and often shares with me.
He tells me that all the major Cuban manufacturers are gearing up and believe that the ban will be lifted in the next 12 months.
That will be all good and I hope it helps continue to open up Cuba to everything else, but I will miss Cuban's being a secret and rare pleasure. I'm sure the huge initial demand will also really bring quality down for a long time. I can't say that the best cigar I've ever had was a Cuban, but I can say that I've never had a bad Cuban cigar. That's because most Cuban cigars are now smoked by Cuban's who know what a good cigar should be and won't tolerate anything else. Open to the U.S. market, I doubt that they will be able to maintain that uniform quality.
