Quote Originally Posted by DeeDubya View Post
Cuba grows and exports what, sugar cane (sugar), coffee and tobacco? Not much else. Although Cuba still sells many cigars to the rest of the world wouldn't you think that a lot (I mean mucho grande quantities) of surplus tobacco is regularly sold to Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, etc.? What is sold as "Cuban seed tobacco" is exactly that. Only it is actually grown in Cuba, shipped to another country where it is processed and then exported to the US.
Am I dreaming here? If so, wake me up and tell me why not?

Cuban seed is what it actually is, not the leaf. And ChefChris gave a great explanation! IT depends on soil, weather conditions, and other factors to produce that distinct taste. If the leaf was exported to another contry, the country HAS to specify where the leaf/binder/wrapper came from. AND if it came from CUBA, it will NOT go into the US. So, exporting tobacco leaves will be mute. SO, what manufacturers try to do is get the sead and plant it in Honduras, Nicaragua, Dominican Rebublic, etc and advertise the cuban seed part as a selling point, when in actuality it's a totally different end-product from a cigar you can get from Cuba.

Cubans are illegal, and the experiences I've shared actually came from a Cuban Pen-pal of mine (Pepe), and not my own.