Bringing Cuban Cigars into U.S.

Is there a point where respect for the law kicks in?

Ask Occupy.

DonDiego suspects that point would be apparent if the potential small-time smuggler knew at what number-of-cigars the enforcement of the Cuban Assets Control Regulations would be enforced by US border officers.

President Obama signed the continuation of the Cuban Assets Control Regulations, 31 C.F.R. Part 515, . . . the Cuban embargo law, . . . on 13 September 2011. The regulations are quite restrictive; f'rinstance: "Technically, . . . an American citizen cannot even purchase or smoke a Cuban cigar while traveling abroad, . . "
Ref: Cuban Cigar Embargo

For the Record: As the Statute of Limitations has run out on any violations of the Law which poor old DonDiego may or may not have committed in his past, . . . he would be hesitant to start the clock again by importing contraband into the USA, . . . if, in fact, the clock had ever been started before on any Statute of Limitations, or not.

This is a "law" hidden behind the real political agenda which is to avoid alienating the voting block of Cuban Americans who still have a hard on for Castro.

It's not my intention to get into a political discussion but IMO INdianapaddler has it nailed. How many times have we as a country vacillated as to ally vs. enemy status between the same foreign political regime?

If you want to have a discussion on human rights or political/social ideology, I'm thinking we need to visit China, et. al. before we talk about Cuba.

As for the cigars themselves, I agree with Don the Dentist. At the height of popularity, quality of construction was compromised in favor of getting finished product to market. It was during this time that I experienced many plugged and overall poorly constructed Cuban cigars. That's no longer the case today. I also find that the prices are more in line with equal quality Honduran and DR cigars.

There, Chilcoot, is the answer.

It is a matter of civil disobedience not a lack of respect.
If one disagrees with a Law, one may disregard the Law. What is usually lost on the one engaging in civil disobedience nowadays is that he must be willing to accept the penalty against disobeying the Law or there is no honor. Reference the life of Mohandas K. Ghandi for examples.

I agree that unjust laws may be fairly resisted.

I also agree that the US embargo against Cuba is now completely ridiculous.

Nevertheless, the ballot box remains open, and our system is not so broken that the embargo cannot be lifted through political will.

Moreover, if you're going to resist, do so in a way that makes your point known. Be open and up front about it. Smuggling doesn't cut it.

Lastly, the greater good at issue here is what again? Supposedly superior cigars? I'm sorry, but that goal isn't worthy of comparison to the battles fought by Parks, Gandhi, or King. What a dumb thing to risk prosecution over!

I'll break the law, but I'll need a pretty good reason to do so.

I have exceeded the speed limit.

Thank you all for everyone's thoughtful and interesting input. I'm not a cigar aficionado. I quit all forms of nicotine years ago. The Habanas I've acquired are, Romeo y Julieta and Jose L. Piedra I'm paying USD equivalent $6 for the Romeo's and $9 box of 5 Nacionales for the Jose L. Piedra I asking Dan, Don or PJ, who have some expertise in cigars, if I'm getting true Cubans or am I maybe smoking camel dung. Please all reply, I enjoy the diverse philosophies on here.

I dont smoke 'em as much as I used to. I am trying to learn from my father's mistakes who is now suffering lung problems resulting from decades of cigarette smoking. I can count the number of cigars I consume annually now on one hand.

Having siad that I think its difficult to recommend cigars for the same reason its difficult to recommend beer. Some people like light Lagers like Budweiser; other people like Dark Stouts like Guiness. They are totally different brews and almost like comparing apples to oranges.

In the cigar world I like the dark robustos - ideally thick and short. I dont like them to last more than 30 minutes. Sometimes the spiced cigars are ok for me too. Cohiba makes some good robustos and they aren't outrageously priced. Acid has some good spiced flavors. They are a little trashy - but then again, so am I.

$6 (US) for a Romeo y Julieta seems low, unless your talking about a cigarello (cigarette sized cigar).
For a true Cuban Churchill sized cigar (7x50), I would expect the price to be in the $15 - $20 range.