This Week In Cigar History August 11 - 15

"Commandante" Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz continues to solidly defy rumors of his death, celebrating his birthday this week on August 13th.

Born in 1926, the mostly military attired Castro has been associated with Cuban cigars -- the culture and tradition -- for much of his life. Though he reportedly stopped stoking the stogies back in 1985, he used to regularly light up a Cohiba (Corona Especial).

Additionally, Castro briefly ceased smoking for a spell in solidarity with revolting field workers -- that caused a significant decrease in Cuban tobacco production in 1959 -- the year of the Revolution.

Castro's cigar loving ways began when he was 15 years old. His Spanish father loved Cuban cigars and introduced the youngster to the joy of lighting up after the main meal (which in many European countries, was/is lunch).

Recently, the oppressive dictator or lauded liberator (depending) Cuban leader has ceded much power to his younger brother Raul Castro. Whether or not this will lead to a softening of USA's iron clad embargo of Cuban goods and the hard-line opinions of the many voting Cuban-Americans, remains to be seen. Estimates are that Americans light up meaningfully millions of banned Cuban cigars already.

This Week in Cigar History

8/11/08

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