Found some pre-embargo Cuban cigars

[MynameisBlarney]

while cleaning out my granpda's closet.
Luckily my new roommate works at a cigar store, and with advice from the owner, we have re-humidified them.
Smoked one the other night, it was incredibly smooth and mild.
Question...
Would they still be considered illegal?

[ret5hd]

1. No.

[PoliticAverse]

2. The ban is on importation, were these cigars imported before the ban ?

http://money.cnn.com/2006/04/18/pf/fortune_goodlife/index.htm

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/clearing/restricted/cuban_cigars.xml

[MynameisBlarney]

3. Yes

My grandfather used to work for Delta as a mechanics foreman, so he'd fly all over the place.
And I think he either picked these up on one of his trips, or they were a gift.

Also: Thanks for the info.

[dr.strangelove]

4. Nope, perfectly legal

just as any item brought in from cuba before the embargo went into effect.

The rumor is that JFK sent someone to buy 1000 cigars before the embargo was active.

[MynameisBlarney]

5. Good news.

I feel kind of silly keeping them, seeing as how I am not exactly flush with cash at the moment.
But...I would feel guilty selling them.
That said...a large cash influx into my starving bank account would help alleviate any potential guilt I may or may not feel.

[Mr.Bill]

6. Legend has it that JFK

sent his aides out all over the DC area to buy up every cuban cigar they could find the night before the ban was announced. Kennedy loved his cuban cigars.

edit: sorry, DrStrangelove, just saw your post.

[jmowreader]

12. Very close to the truth...

Kennedy's cigar of choice was the H. Upmann Petit Corona in Candela wrapper - a cigar 5-1/8" long, 42/64" in diameter, and with a light green wrapper. He sent his press secretary, Pierre Salinger, out to buy him 1000 of these cigars in one night.

It was a good thing that Salinger was also a big-time cigar fan, had been converted to Cuban cigars by Kennedy, and knew everywhere in the DC Metro area that sold Cuban cigars. He came back from his shopping trip with 1200 cigars. After inspecting them, he signed the embargo.

[awoke_in_2003]

15. The rich...

always manage to cover their bases, don't they?

[jmowreader]

18. Not so much in this case

I don't know Kennedy's cigar consumption rate, but these aren't very big and if he smoked three a day, the thousand sticks he wanted wouldn't have lasted a year. Kennedy could have easily sucked down three a day - one at midmorning, one after lunch and one after dinner - and still had plenty of time for his other pursuits, like presidenting.

This demonstrates severe hubris on Kennedy's part; that he only wanted a year's supply of cigars indicates he thought the embargo would get rid of Castro in a year. Castro outlasted eight presidents and most of a ninth.

[awoke_in_2003]

20. Ah, but how often...

do presidents and the wealthy go to Europe or Canada? Real easy to resupply- I doubt Air Force 1 has to clear US Customs.

[hifiguy]

21. The dad of a law school buddy of mine worked in London

and whenever John went over to spend a weekend with his dad a box of Cuban cigars - usually Davidoffs - came back with him. We smoked some damn fine cigars for a couple of years.

[jmowreader]

25. Kennedy had scruples in these matters

In some of the same places to read about Salinger's cigar hunt, you can also read about Castro giving Salinger a humidor with 250 cigars in it. He showed it to Kennedy, who ordered him to take it to the Customs bureau at Dulles Airport, turn it in and get a receipt.

[awoke_in_2003]

27. Had he accepted it...

it would have made headlines.

[MynameisBlarney]

7. They're Camacho Habanos

And I am having a difficult time finding any info with teh googles.
I found an image of the wrapper, but no real info on the cigar itself.
Would be interesting to find out what they're worth.

*edit*
I'd hate to think I'm smoking ridiculously expensive cigars since I'm so broke...

[ohiosmith]

8. How did you re humidify them? I've never had any success doing it.

[MynameisBlarney]

9. My roommate put them in a mason jar

with some weird looking moisture pack thingies, and "burped" them once a week, and re-moistened the packs, sealed them back up.
It took about 2 months to bring them back.

[OriginalGeek]

10. Shoot.

My brother brought some Cuban cigars back from the middle east in the 90s but he hadn't kept them right so when we tried one it was pretty dried out and nasty.

We threw the rest out.


And now I find I coulda rejuvenated them!? Argh!

[MynameisBlarney]

11. Aw man

That sucks!

[Joe Shlabotnik]

13. hope you enjoyed them, and good on you for the studious effort

but have you ever had a hand rolled Cuban cigar, and fired it up on the spot? A re-hydrated 50 year old cigar is not in the same ball park, and not worth much amongst aficionados. Smoke em if ya got 'em.

[IMG][/IMG]

[MynameisBlarney]

14. I'm no cigar afficionado by any means.

And no, I've not had a hand-rolled cigar, Cuban or otherwise.
My roommate is a cigar nut, he has all kinds of cigars and cigar stuff.

[Taverner]

26. Mmmmm I remember the hand rollers on the streets of Havana

And the cigars were like, $5....

Aw man, those were good!

That and some Havana Club Anejo...mmmmm good

Hang out by the Malecon

[awoke_in_2003]

16. Nice find...

I hope, in my lifetime, this stupid embargo ends. Chinese communists killed Americans in the Korean war- they are now a trading partner. Same thing with Vietnamese communists. How many Americans have the Cuban communists killed?

[MynameisBlarney]

17. For real.

It is well past time to end it.
I'm only about 200 miles from Cuba and would love to visit and get some true Cuban Cuisine.
And cigars too

[hifiguy]

19. A really good cigar

is one of life's great pleasures. Preferably smoked while sipping on some equally good brandy.

ETA: Cigars International has truly first-rate cigars at exceedingly reasonable prices. A friend sent me a sampler in a small humidor and every last one was superb.

[MynameisBlarney]

22. Quite right.

I've been sippin a bit of Scotch with mine.
Not much of a Brandy drinker.

[hifiguy]

23. Really good Scotch is even better than brandy.

But these days really top-shelf Scotch is so ruinously expensive.

[MynameisBlarney]

24. Yeah, I know...

And I can't afford either, lol.
My roommate is the one buying the Scotch.
I'm on a PBR budget.

[jennydaniels]

28. Scotch is really good

Yes. I'm agreed with you. But costly scotch having good taste.

[hrmjustin]

29. Welcome to DU my friend!

[jennydaniels]

30. Thank you

Thank you.......!!!!!

[hrmjustin]

31. Your Welcome! Glad you came aboard!

[Thourejo]

32. Cigar Expert

I would pay something for it just because I like the way the box looked and it would fit in nice in a smoking room. It would be something to talk about with some friends. I don't think I would ever try to open it because of how long it was sitting around for... [link:cigar-expert.com|cigar-expert.com]