Cuba After The Embargo • July/August 2022
For the last 60 years, the U.S. Embargo on Cuba has fostered a bitter relationship between the United States and Cuba, and ultimately, has caused great suffering for the people of this island nation. In this issue of Cigar Aficionado we enter a world of dreams, 10 years in the future, where the embargo has been lifted and Cuba has declared free elections, becoming a hub for business and tourism. We also look at the prominent role cigars played in the embargo, venture through Havana's colorful and vibrant world of street art, and dive into the history and secrets of the sacred grounds at Scotland's St Andrews golf course. Plus, we'll explain why high-proof and cask-strength whiskeys are the trend of the spirit world, an interview with cigar industry titan Rocky Patel, and profile a cigar and car collector with an absolutely stunning cigar room. We'll also look at some celebrities' favorite cigars, expert cigar reviews, recap this year's Big Smoke Meets WhiskyFest, and much more.
Features
Cuba Tomorrow
The year is 2032. On a Friday evening, all 50 gates at Havana’s newly inaugurated Aeropuerto Teófilo Stevenson, named for Cuba’s greatest Olympic boxer, are occupied by jets with …
Plugging The Embargo Loophole
Only a month after John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, in February 1961, the new president asked his Secretary of State for recommendations on instituting a “full embargo” against …
Havana's Street Art
Think of Havana, and you think of color—the painted facades, the bright hues of the vintage cars, the Caribbean sky. And another source of joyful, playful color is cropping up in …
The Home Of Golf
he Open Championship returns to St Andrews this July, more than fitting for the 150th rendition of the game’s oldest major. Yes, it’s the Open Championship, not the British Open …
The Proof Is In The Whisky
When you stroll through your favorite high-end liquor store, admiring the brown bottles of Bourbon that stretch from one end of the shelf to the other, you might find yourself …
Cigars
My Favorite Cigar
The global pop star’s refined taste for cigars may surprise a few, but the young artist often indulges in smokes as a way to relax and he shared his favorite with Cigar Aficionado.
A Conversation With Rocky Patel
Rocky Patel, 61, has cemented his legacy as a winning cigarmaker. He began selling cigars in the most modest of ways back in 1995, in the middle of the 1990s cigar boom. Now, …
Cigar Room By The Sea
Cigar and car collector Michael Weil has built one of New England’s ultimate man caves.
Big Smoke Meets WhiskyFest Returns
Premium cigars, exceptional spirits, quality food and the chance to meet industry luminaries were all part of the second-ever Big Smoke Meets WhiskyFest.
Connoisseur’s Corner: Flor Del Punto Dunhill Selección No. 305 (Circa 1970s)
After being kept in ideal conditions for decades, this large, toro-sized smoke performed remarkably in every respect.
Ratings from this Issue
Up Front
End The Embargo Now
Through no fault of their own, the Cuban people have suffered. The bitter issues between the U.S. government and the Castro regime have done nothing except punish the people of …
The Good Life
Cheval Blanc Paris
Paris has its fair share of grande dames, but the Cheval Blanc, on the shore of the Seine at the foot of the Pont-Neuf between the Marais, Ile de la Cité and the Louvre, offers …
Tabletop Lighters
Almost everything that sits on top of a coffee table is purely decorative—stacks of art books, a vase, a bowl of marbles. In a cigar room, the tabletop becomes far more utilitaria…
Glashütte Original SeaQ In Red Gold
Glashütte Original has dressed up its retro SeaQ dive watch in stylish red gold and black, giving the rugged tool watch a new sporty-chic persona. Since SeaQ launched in …
2023 Nissan Z
In a market full of SUVs and pickups, suddenly sports car fans have a reason to smile. Nissan is finally rolling out the seventh-generation Z car later this year. And after …
Summer Sangria
Alice B. Toklas brownies notwithstanding, the breakout social lubricant of choice for entertaining in the late 1960s was arguably the refreshing fruit and red wine punch known as …
Swim Shorts
While women’s bathing suits seem to work on the principle of the mood ring—changing every season at the whim of some designer who never has to wear them—men’s swimwear hasn’t had …
Wagyu Beef
You’ve probably heard of an elusive gold standard of beef that is so consistently marbled with tiny white spots of fat that it looks more pink than red. With a combination of …
EDC Knives
You can open boxes with a car key. And it’s certainly possible to tear a sandwich in half using just your bare hands. Or, you could execute these quotidian tasks like a gentleman—…
The E-Bike Revolution
Electric cars get a lot of press, but the world’s best-selling e-vehicles are bikes. And even as conventional bicycle sales exploded during the pandemic’s recreation boom, U.S. …