Expert: Bill Finck Jr. - 4/2/2009

Question
Hi Bill

In regards to an Q & A from James, I'd ask him, but I see he's on vacation, and you seem to have a vast amount of knowledge as well, in his answer about Reas ..(the name is actually spelled Reas)

"Rea cigars (the brand is often mispelled by people as being "Ria") are low-end cigars made in Canada using Cuban seeds.  This means that the tobacco in these cigars are originally derived from Cuban tobacco seeds but the tobacco itself is grown outside of Cuba and the cigars themselves are produced outside of Cuba.  As a result, these cigars are not considered genuine Cuban cigars and the only thing remotely “Cuban” about these cigars is that the tobacco once originated from Cuba."


My question is, are Reas illegal in the U.S ?

Thanks for your help

Al

Answer
Al,

Actually, the majority of tobacco being grown in Nicaragua, Honduras, the Dominican Republic and many other growing regions is Cuban seed, the same as you described as being used in Rea. There is nothing illegal about bringing cigars made with Cuban seed tobacco into the U.S. - our trade embargo prohibits products made in Cuba or shipped from Cuba from entering the U.S.

Bill