A harsh Cuban? Not possible. They are renown for their smoothness, almost tasteless smoke. If it was a real Cuban it wasn't handled properly and became harsh because of that. There are a lot of counterfeit Cubans also. Tobacco exported illegally from Cuba and rolled elsewhere, usually Miami. The quality isn't the same and the rollers aren't as experienced. A poorly rolled cigar will have soft spots and also may burn faster on one side. Which makes the cigar burn hotter and thus harsher.
To the counterfeit eye, a cigar looks much like another. Even a knowledgeable smoker can be fooled. When it comes to paying $25 for a "Cuban" cigar you really want counterfeit. Interesting it isn't the cigar that you want to look at, it's the box. A cigar box legally exported has government stamps attached to it. So what the scam artist does is sell the cigars counterfeit or out of the box. He will explain that it was necessary to remove the cigars from the box to sneak them past security. Another ploy is to buy cheap cigars, remove the bands and replace them with a well known name.
The major growers outside of Cuba are mostly exiles from Castro's farm reform debacle. Patron, Vente, Trinidad, Cohiba are some of the big ones. As it is going on 50 years, these growers have managed to produce world class cigars outside of Cuba. Mind you, they took their seed with them. As favorable as certain regions of Cuba are to growing cigar tobacco that still doesn't mean they have the skilled growers of the past. The growing and manufacture of cigars is a labor intensive effort. Also requiring a lot of held up capitol, as a leaf generally takes 5 or more years from harvest to box.
That type of management is best suited for a capitalist endeavor and not so well under Communism, which tends to expect more rapid return for capitol outlays. Thus, Cuba may have the best growing conditions for tobacco leaf, but without the old time growers and the skill that they have, many cigars rival or surpass the legendary Cuban.
One more thing, Cuban cigars are not rolled between the thighs of virgins. But it is a nice thought none the less.
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