Hello, dear reader,
Is it time for a classic? Or time for a change?
I ask this not as a rhetorical flourish, but as a genuine question, because what once felt permanent now feels fragile, doesn’t it?
Cuban cigars, and the wider culture that surrounds them, are entering a period of uncertainty that we can no longer ignore. Not because one catastrophe has struck, but because pressure is mounting from every direction at once. And when pressure converges, systems crack.
I’ve rewritten the lines that follow more than once, if only to temper the tone. But the reality remains, in most parts of the world, being a cigar smoker is no longer simple. And I believe it’s time we stop pretending otherwise and openly acknowledge what is happening around us.
Let’s begin where it all starts: Cuba.
Political pressure has intensified. Fuel shortages affect transportation, electricity, logistics, hospitals, the basic arteries of production, you name it… it’s impacted. There are empty roller tables in factories because the rollers can’t find the means to get to work. Gasoline prices reached 8$ and more per liter on the black market.
Tobacco may grow in soil and sun, but cigars require infrastructure, factories need power, distribution needs fuel and workers need stability. The romance of the vega cannot compensate for a grid that fails.
When tourism declines, when skilled workers emigrate, when shortages ripple across daily life, the Cuban cigar industry cannot remain untouched. Cuban cigars won’t just vanish, obviously, but the ecosystem that sustained its consistency, diversity, and rhythm is undeniably under strain. And when that rhythm breaks, quality and continuity eventually will suffer. We’ve seen this before, unfortunately.
If you are reading this article, you already know that Habanos SA has officially postponed the Habanos Festival .
For decades, the Habanos Festival has been the event that all Cuban cigar enthusiasts were looking forward to but it has also been a symbol of resilience, of celebration, of confidence. A yearly reaffirmation that the industry stands firm and our beloved cigars will continue to reach the shelves in our preferred shops.
The island’s most emblematic cigar gathering being postponed isn’t something that reflects a deeper issue, it shows that everything has to work and align for the show to go on. But still, for us aficionados it’s something that we can’t enjoy for the time being.
Let’s continue with something else we have all encountered. Scarcity being normalized
Beyond Cuba’s shores it has become normal to want to buy a certain cigar and not be able to find it.
In the UK, there are credible rumors of Cuban cigars being rationed. Allegedly. Whether fully formalized or not, the symbolism carries weight. Rationing transforms mindset. It shifts cigars from pleasure to privilege, from ritual to allocation.
Scarcity, once normalized, changes culture. Collectors tighten their grip, casual smokers retreat, sharing becomes selective and the atmosphere shifts from enjoyment to preservation.
We have seen this evolution before, and it rarely reverses. I know some LCDH stores that refuse to even put the stock on the shelf just to increase scarcity.
Let’s continue with an issue that is spreading fast. The disappearing right to smoke!
Across countries, smoking restrictions are tightening, not just indoors, where battles were fought years ago, but increasingly outdoors. Public spaces shrink, lounges close, patios disappear. The tolerance for a man or woman enjoying a cigar in peace is fading in Europe
This issue impacts all of us, no matter what we smoke, cuban or new world. If you smoke a Hoyo, a Cohiba, a Davidoff or a Fuente, you are in the same boat.
The erosion of space is the erosion of culture, because cigar smoking has never been only about smoking. It is about time, conversation, and presence.
When you zoom out, the question becomes unavoidable: What the hell is happening? Is our passion such a big problem?
Very recently there have been debates in the House of Commons where cigars are being defended from Generational Bans!
The cigar ecosystem, growers in Pinar del Río and Cibao, torcedores in Havana and Esteli, distributors abroad, retailers, lounges, writers, smokers, all rely on continuity. It relies on rhythm.
This is not a moment for hysteria but it sure is a moment for awareness.
Tradition will not defend itself and history will not preserve the present. Markets alone will not protect our passion, they will shift. In some countries you have marijuana smokers telling cigar smokers that the smell is bothering them… this happened to Rafael Nodal in New York!
If we care about cigars, Cuban or not we must act with intention. Support legitimate retailers and lounges. Smoke the cigars you buy, stop hoarding, defend reasonable spaces for enjoyment, talk openly about the pressures shaping our world.
Because once a culture becomes marginal, reclaiming it is almost impossible.
So again, time for a classic? Or time for a change?
Perhaps the real answer is this: Time to protect what matters, while adapting enough to keep it alive.
Because if we remain passive, decisions will be made for us quietly and permanently.
One day we will look back and realize that what disappeared was not only availability or comfort, but the simple, dignified act of sitting together with a cigar and time on our side.
Wishing you rich flavors and good company, until we meet again.