Cuban Cigars - The Holy Grail?

In my recent trip to Mexico I had the opportunity to sample - at length - cuban cigars. I had smoked what someone told me was a cuban a couple of years ago. I highly doubt that it was cuban, as you couldn't read the label, and it was by far one of the worst cigars that I had ever had. It tasted like dried horse shit, and drew like a broomstick. To say that it was rope would be a complement. Cuban cigars have been a hot topic by American cigar smokers - since they're outlawed here. I would submit that they are not all that they are cracked up to be.

The cubans that I had in Mexico were definitely good cigars - but I've had better from the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Honduras - even the good ol' U S of A. They had a strong flavor that was very good, but they weren't worth the 110 pesos (about 10 bucks) that I paid for them.

As I puffed on these products of Latin - American - Castro - Marxist- Leninism, I recalled a box of cigars that I bought a few years back - La Gloria Cubana. Literally - "The Glory of Cuba", there is a communist version on the Island of Palms, but don't confuse these with the new ones. This brand was started in Miami by a group of Cuban refugees that came across the water on the hood of a '54 Buick, so they know what they're doing. The started a factory in Miami, and recently opened a new one in Dominica. If you have a jones for a cuban, don't waste your money or risk breaking the law. In my humble opinion, a Gloria Cubana will be your smart choice.