We’re no strangers to cigarettes, cigars, and tobacco at Cloud 9 Smoke Shop, but one thing you won’t find is Cuban cigars, and there’s a very good reason why. While our smoke and tobacco shop on 103rd Street between State Line and Wornall Road in South Kansas City stocks all the brand name cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars, and other tobacco products, Cuban cigars are not on the menu due to a series of events that happened way back in the 1960s.
Cigarette, Cigar, and Tobacco Shop Near Kansas City, Leawood, and Prairie Village
Cuban cigars are illegal in the United States due to a long-standing trade embargo that the U.S. government has maintained against Cuba since the early 1960s. The embargo was established in response to Cuba’s socialist government and its close ties to the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
The embargo prohibits most trade and financial transactions between the United States and Cuba, including the importation of Cuban cigars. This means that it is illegal for U.S. citizens to buy, sell, or possess Cuban cigars, even if they are purchased outside of the United States.
While there have been some recent changes to U.S. policy towards Cuba, including the normalization of diplomatic relations in 2015, the embargo remains in place, and Cuban cigars are still prohibited in the United States. However, some limited exceptions exist, such as authorized travel to Cuba and certain educational or cultural exchanges.
We do, however, carry premium cigars in our humidor from brands like Don Rafael, Factory Smoke, Gurkha, Black Marx, Rocky Patel, 500 Anos, Cohiba, Montecristo, Ashton, Excalibur, El Baton, Alec Bradley, Saint Luis Rey, Mark Twain, The Edge, Don Tomas, Macanudo, Cuban Mistakes, Arturo, Fuente, Cain Rub, Baccarat, and many more, the fact is that we may never be able to stock Cuban cigars simply due to politics.
