When will we see Cuban cigars on Duluth shelves?

Cuban cigars haven’t been able to come to the U.S. legally since the 1950s, but President Obama is making an effort to have Cuban goods sold legally in the U.S. for the first time in over 50 years. The president believes that by lifting the embargo we can "..end 50 years of mistrust in our hemisphere.” Within the past 12 months, travelers have been able to freely bring back Cuban cigars from surrounding nations. With the president’s words of encouragement, we may see a domino effect. I spoke with several cigar shop or ‘smoke shop’ outlets in town and they say they are ready to sell them.

For the college cigar aficionado students in town, it may be time to start budgeting from the Swisher brand to the more pricey Cuban imported cigars.

“We have no idea how much they would be, but they are 30 dollars a piece in Canada,” says Mike K., cashier at Cigs For Less on Grand Avenue in Duluth.

Speaking further with Mike, he said that Canada’s distance might have something to do with the high price, but after double checking using cigaraficionado.com, this seems to be the standard price. Cuban cigars also cost $30 in Mexico.

At this point, there isn’t a lot of information to be had on the pricing, other than referencing our neighbor countries.

“Buying a box of the cigars might drive the price down, but it’s hard to know,” Mike said.

The anticipation is still high, despite the price.

"Could be anytime that we get them, and I hope it’s sooner than later,” Mike said.

Start budgeting ladies and gentlemen. Could be anytime now that this addictive high priced Cuban commodity hits the shelves.

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