Thursday, February 26 2009
by Tom Johansmeyer (
Luxist.com)
"It happens all the time."
Ron Melendi, General Manager of De La Concha in New York, is tired of seeing guests walk through the door of his tobacco shop and ask for "Cubans." It's no secret that cigars from that particular island are illegal, yet people ask anyway.
It pisses Melendi off, and I don't blame him.
Cuban cigars are seen as a rare treat in the small, tightly intertwined community of upscale smokers. Since they have been illegal in the United States for more than 40 years, the act of cutting and lighting one implies unusual access, connections that most simply do not have. But, that's about it. A general decline in Cuban cigar quality, especially over the past decade, leaves the label as the only coveted aspect of the experience.
Cuban Cigars, Don't Smoke the Label continues...
