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| Silver-Plated Cigar Cutter |
Since President Kennedy placed an embargo on Cuba in 1963, Cuban cigars have been illegal to import. One little known fact is that JFK had one of his assistants go to Cuba and bring back a large supply of the Cubans before the embargo took effect so that he would have them for his own personal use. Partly because they are the best and partly because they are forbidden, the Cubans are highly desired by cigar aficionados. The only way that one can legally bring back cigars from Cuba is if you go there on an officially licensed trip, but even then you are only allowed one hundred dollars worth. You need to know that buying, selling, and trading Cuban cigars in the United States is against the law and you can be fined over $50,000 for doing so.
If you are considering buying a complete box of Cubans you can expect to pay heavily for them, they aren't cheap at all and a box can set you back as much as $500. If you are shopping for these classic stogies and you are offered a box for less than a couple hundred dollars they are probably not authentic. This is largely the case with many internet sites so be careful when buying them on the internet.
So, with all that said, how in the world are you supposed to be able to find the real thing? One of the simplest ways to get them is to go to the Great White North, Canada. They aren't illegal there so you can buy them there, but you must camouflage them to bring them back here because it is still illegal to bring them into the U.S. Remove them from their original packaging, remove the rings, and put them in another box. With all the other things customs agents are looking for these days they generally don't check cigars that closely and it isn't really considered a huge offense to bring them in anyway.
