On island you cannot help but notice all cigar shops and lounges scattered along Seven Mile Beach road and of course they all brag about their offering of genuine Cuban cigars (Cuba is a short plane ride away from Grand Cayman – all of about 45 minutes). Indeed at one of the Cuban cigar lounges, you can watch a Cuban expert hand roll a cigar for you. These shops and lounges are pretty popular with Americans, who tend to smoke themselves silly, simply because they cannot purchase Cuban cigars in their own country (It has something to do with some sanctions that the Americans slapped on Cuba decades ago and really have changed nothing in Cuba).
I am definitely not a cigar connoisseur, but it seems that for those seeking to indulge in Cuban cigar smoking, you have to be careful as you can easily buy fake Cuban cigars. Especially in the US, as it is estimated that more than 80% of the Cuban cigars sold there (smuggled in of course) are fake.
A number of local merchants now sell their cigars online, deliver world wide and have money back guarantees.
Filed under: Life In Cayman
It is also estimated that more than half of the cigars sold in Cuba are counterfeit!
- Zman