Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

So According to this Article Castro has Resigned. And the Article goes on to say that you can sell private items now and such.

So you think this means maybe sometime the Embargo could be lifted?

http://www.businessinsider.com/castr...ns-cuba-2011-4

Im a little hesitant to think this is all true.. Because it all sounds too good to be true? All the Sudden Cuba will be a Somewhat Free Country?? I dont think they will ever be Totally free.. but hey this is a start if its true.

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

:r ;s no

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

Man is gradually changing his ways?

Sure, why not?
Seems hell is inevitable and it must be now getting to him to know that he is so darn close to visiting the Devil.

May he rot in hell.

Remind me to express how I really feel.:D

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

Can I buy Cuban cigars now?

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

yup:noon

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

Only in glass-topped boxes, though.

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

As long as they don't layover in Chicago....:r

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

You can buy me if you want.:r

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

I have some real good ones to sell you Vin -- It's the real thing!

Just give me a little warning so I can go out and collect some recycled "tobacco" from my friends' stable, er tobacco warehouse...

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

It means the same thing it always means......absolutely nothing.

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

I like chili.

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

Nicaraguan chili is the bestest!

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

You know what's good? Mofongo!

OH.

MY.

GOD!

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

Wife made some of that last night:banger

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

Followed by chocolate cannolis?

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

I knew you reminded me of someone. Have a cigar!

http://www.mattfind.com/12345673215-...333_819209.jpg

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

Great Puerto Rican dish.
Anything with plaintain is always good.

That brings up a point?
Do you prefer Cuban plantain, v. Puerto Rican, v. Central American, v. South American?
Do we even bring in all of the Antilles as they too have plantain?
I am sure the Jamaicans want a part of this discussion too.
Wow!
What a mess to sort out.

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

You know what I love about me?

I live close to Moe.
:noon:noon:noon

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

Not to mention the debate over what the proper aging time is for a plantain after harvesting. 3 days? 3 weeks?

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

that was a mean thing to say.

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

OK, a real question...maybe ignorant, but pertinent none the less.

Is there any real reason to stock up now before prices skyrocket if that GD embargo is lifted?

I'm serious. I can barely afford them now, and not at all if prices go up.

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

:rolleyes: Not Cuban.

But thanks for the reminder........................ I owe ya one :D

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

I had Jamaican plantains this weekend, and they will scrumpdilicious.

You know what I like about you right now? :)

Not a GD thing. ;) :r

Chocolate cannolis. There, I'm a sadist. ;)

I would bet a month's salary prices will go up if the embargo ends.

I would not make the same bet that it will happen anytime soon.

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

That and quality I think would nosedive due to increased demand from the U.S. market.

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

Supply and demand are two great examples on how & why greed will drive up the price & quality to $H!T... :td

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

I'm hoping the embargo doesn't get lifted, people forget about the HUGE price increase it would cause.

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

Unless it's inadvertent, I can't see that happening.

I can see them rapidly ramping up manufacturing to meet the demand, but if in the process there is a lowering of the quality of that supply to get more cigars out there, they would turn off a large part of an entire possible customer base because they would be producing poorly made cigars. Couple that with it's almost a given that vendors will ramp up the prices regardless, you've got a combo for losing an entire market segment almost instantly. Once the novelty wears off, the populous won't pay a high price for a tent peg more than two or three times before going back to their Macanudos and NC whatevers that don't have the quality problems. If there is reduced quality, there will be a reduced demand and prices will have to follow suite.

By keeping supply tight and quality at present levels, they can ramp the prices through the roof, and if they don't, law of supply and demand will do it for them.

Does HSA, or more accurately, Imperial Tobacco, see this possibility? I don't know.

:2

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

No you can't Vin. It is against the law still. I will tell you when it is legal to buy Cuban cigars. Until then you have to smoke the crap you have in your coolers and humidors. :banger

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

Well hopefully it will give us an option for legally purchasing CC's. I have always wanted to see the island also, so US tourism would probably bring some money into the economy.

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

I agree with those saying prices would sky rocket and quality would go to hell. I can imagine hoards of non cigar smokers streaming into my local B&M demanding a "cuban". That being said I would much rather the price went up than the quality went down. Quality is always the most important thing to me.

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

who are you think you are?

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

This makes me a tiny bit sad

:sad

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

Doesnt matter origin, the ones from the internet eat/taste better :D

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

If they don't have cellophane

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

Thats what I was afraid of :(

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

Although I agree with you on almost everything here, I do hesitate to agree that the demand will drop dramatically because of lower quality cigars. I can assure you that there are enough douche bags out there who are willing to drop serious cash on these sticks simply because Cubans would now be the "in" thing to smoke and it would impress their colleagues and friends. Just because they are crap sticks does not mean that the palates of these idiots would become more refined. Although the purchases of these idiots would probably not be enough to create a large demand, it may keep the demand afloat for a few years at least until they realize their foolishness. Just my :2

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

You know I love you, Vin! :wo

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

i am partial to Nigerian plantains... it's all about the dodo :tu

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

Who's to say the new vanguard is not even more radical than an aged Fidel? There will be some reforms, but don't dust of the US Passport just yet. Cuba may be able to hold their socialist ideology and yet make some needed reforms.

This could be good news for the Cuban people. I worry that radical change could do just as much harm as doing little. We have seen up and down Latin America what happens when there’s revolution. Cubans aren't simple villagers like in Central America; they're more educated than Americans.

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

Just like China has improved.

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

Not only that, but fakes would be even MORE rampant... there's a lot of crap cigars sitting on shelves that, with the help of a few bands and a box, would fly off shelves at huge markups from unscrupulous shops preying on the "unwashed masses". :2

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

My take: Embargo ends...demand skyrockets ("CCs are the bestest thing out there")...price goes up as availability goes down of real CCs (due to all the people saying "CCs are the bestest" buying them all)...as availability drops, fakes skyrocket...sheeple saying "CCs are the bestest" continue to buy them, being influenced by the fact that "CCs are the bestest"...those of us who may know a little more about CCs get screwed because the country won't be able to keep up with demand (and what happens if there's another bad hurricane season?).

There are a LOT of people out there that think any CC is an awesome stick. They will buy what they can and smoke them before they are ready, or when they are "sick". But they will STILL say they're the best thing out there, because that's what they've been told for YEARS, and it simply "must be true". There are a lot of people who smoke crappy cigars and say they're great. Personally, my taste is more specific, but I can see a lot of people going for Cohibas and Montes if/when the embargo is finally lifted. Those are the most well known brands out of Cuba, IMO. But of the ones I may or may not have been given that originate from that country, I'd think that some of the lesser known brands like Cuaba, and some of the "non-American" type cigars (i.e. smaller and smaller ring gauge, like Partagas Shorts) would be less sought after.

As for what an end to the embargo would mena for the people of the island, I think it COULD be huge (not that it WOULD be, but COULD be). There would have to be a major shift in the wealth structure of the country. Private enterprise would have to be reinstated. If that did happen, I can see some major US tourism $ going there. The big hotel chains would probably swoop in and try to buy up the prime property and build monstrous hotels. What I'd love to see is some of the old school places bought and returned to their former glory. Some of the classic places that you read about from the 40s and 50s. An influx of US tourism dollars would be HUGE for the country, as it would become THE place to go if all that happened. I know I'd love to visit the country at some point in my life. :)

This is just my :2.

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

Wow, is whether cigars are going to more expensive is all that you guys care about in Cuba? There's suffering and inhumanity that is more important to me than any cigar. As much as Cuba has achieved, it has come at dear to cost to many. Hopefully, Cuba will find a happy balance of ideology along with self determination and freedom.

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

Obviously not, but this is a cigar board, so the predominant discussion will be about what brought us all here...cigars.

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

I wouldn't say "obviously not" considering the posts in this thread.

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

Could mean Castro has less than a week to live???:sh

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

I understand what you're saying, but to me personally, that's a given. We hear what it's like there, about all the corruption and the horrible conditions that the people there have to live with, but very few of us have actually been there, or can actually go there right now and say that they've seen it. Make sense?

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

:tpd: There are far worse plights befalling the peoples of countries other than Cuba. It's not that their welfare isn't in our thoughts, but that this board isn't operated to have those discussions here.

Re: Castro Resigns ?? What Could This Mean?
 

OP: Nada.