IMHO, "pre-embargo" tobacco is a marketing gimmick. This doesn't mean cigars that have it are bad, only that the pre-embargo tobacco added doesn't really add anything of worth. Any "pre-embargo" tobacco that exists is surely scarce (meaning that not very much is added to the cigar), and very old (meaning chances are good that it's kind of bland). At the same time, it adds a lot of marketing value by making the cigar pseudo-cuban.