Why U.S. cigar companies can’t wait for you to light up Cuban cigars
*As things now stand, Americans traveling to Cuba can bring back $100 worth of cigars. But some U.S. cigar makers say the quality of the Cuban cigar is a myth. VL
By Bryan Llenas, Fox News Latino
The American cigar industry is looking forward to the day Cuban Cigars will be sold openly in the United States, and is not worried about the iconic cigar hurting business because, frankly, they aren’t as good as you think they are.
[pullquote]“The flavor profile of a Cuban cigar is going to be very different than most of the American corporations because we can get tobacco from the U.S., Ecuador, Italy, Brazil, and it creates such a wide profile taste value.”[/pullquote]“I welcome the cigars coming in from Cuba,” Kaizad Hansotia, CEO of South Florida-based Gurkha Cigars, told Fox News Latino. “It’s going to be great for the industry.”
As the CEO of one of the leading luxury cigar companies in the world, Hansotia believes the possible opening of Cuban cigars into the U.S. market will inevitably benefit everyone in the industry. There’s no question the “mysticisim,’ as he calls it, of the Cuban cigarro will be an allure for customers.
On the other hand, Hansotia believes the Cuban cigars do not pose a threat to U.S. companies because the quality of their product is lacking. When asked if he believes the Cuban cigar is the best in the world, Hansotia strongly dismissed it.
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[Photo by James Emery/Flickr]
