As you gear up to travel this summer to international territories where Cuban cigars are legal to sell and smoke, be cautioned that many international vendors prey on American travelers to purchase Cuban cigar knock off’s. All industries are effected by knock off’s and Cigars are no exception.

Authentic VS. Fake Cuban Cigars:

1. All authentic Cuban cigars have a Warranty seal on the left front side of the box. The old seal is green and has been used since 1912. All cigars made after the year 2000 seals incorporated finer details including micro printing, denser color, serial numbers, and even a a hidden UV watermark. These new seals are much more difficult to counterfeit and are a huge improvement over the old style ones.

Cigar smoking in itself can be a religious experience especially when spirits are involved. It is purported that when you’re in the domains of Cigar Maker you are asked “Would you like a cigar?” followed by “Would you like coffee with it?” Which leads to further questioning among cigar smoker enthusiasts, “What is the best drink to smoke my cigar with?” Glad you asked that question. We’ve compiled some drinks that will compliment your favorite cigars.

When Cuba decided to nationalize the properties of the US citizens and corporations, the US government responded with a trade embargo against Cuba to sanction Fidel Castro’s communist regime in February of 1962. Castro would respond then with what is famously referred to as the Cuban Missile Crisis. Fidel permitted the Soviets (the US’s sworn enemy at the time) to use Cuba’s land to construct missile bases capable of striking the US. In October of 1962 the United States government blockaded Cuba to prevent Soviet ships from delivering the materials to complete the project.

Cuban cigars are illegal for U.S. citizens. The reason why Cuban cigars are not legal in the United States is ingrained in the memory of older cigar connoisseurs, but to younger cigar smokers, the reason can be found in the annals of history. Way back in February of 1962, President John F. Kennedy established a trade embargo against Cuba to sanction Fidel Castro’s communist regime, which seized control of the island in 1959, and then began to confiscate private property and other assets (including cigar companies). Castro continued to be a thorn in the side of the United States. In October of 1962, during the height of the Cold War, he permitted the Soviets to construct missile bases on the island capable of striking the Untied States.