To Be Cuban or Not To Be: Optimo Cigars

Some long-time smokers of fine cigars will tell you that a cigar's point of origin - i.e., Cuba - doesn't automatically qualify it as the best cigar that can be had. Other countries in the Caribbean (the Dominican Republic, for one) and in Central America (such as Nicaragua and Honduras) have mastered the art of producing and curing excellent tobacco, some of it grown from Cuban seeds. Drew Estate, makers of Acid cigars, recently joined with Rocky Patel to produce the impressive Java, which has drawn favorable reviews to fine Cuban Maduro cigars.

A Cheaper Alternative

Optimo cigars, while never confused with Cuban tobacco, can give the casual cigar fan a big shot of flavor (and nicotine) in their Clasico line. Optimos and similar cigars (and cigarillos) come in an assortment of flavors, such as grape or peach, which are every bit as unappealing to the cigar aficionado as are filtered cigars. They are looked down upon, if only because nobody would ever peel the wrapper off of a Cohiba or a Montecristo to use for smoking marijuana (which is often done with Optimo blunts).

For Some, Only the Best Will Do

There are certain product brands that are always going to be associated with insurmountable quality - Rolls Royce, for instance - and in the minds of those with the money to afford such luxuries, there can be no convincing them otherwise. It doesn't have to be that way with cigars. Montecristo and Partagas may dominate the market because of their Cuban roots, but the only true barometer of a cigar's quality lies within the palate of the smoker himself (or, increasingly, herself).

It is worth noting, though, that on the eve of the Cuban embargo in the early days of the administration, John F. Kennedy acquired a batch of 1,200 Upmann Petites (his favorite type of Cuban cigar). Perhaps if the Internet had been around then, he wouldn't have felt such urgency to clandestinely procure his favorite cigars.