The author would have done better by presenting this book as a personal diary rather than a book which is supposed to supply information as to why Cubans are "The Ultimate Cigars."


easy to read and enjoy,for the aficionado   January 3, 1999
A very good book for both the beginner of fine "habanos" as well as the enthusiasts.It's a journey of cuba,its cigars and a man's (Mara) thirst for answers to a cigar lover "taboo".Easy to read format w/o all the spanish lingo,some may not understand.A quick "must" read for all cuban cigar lovers out there who want to escape to cuba to enjoy a cigar along with the "isla" they come from.


A compact, lively account of the history of the Cuban cigar.   September 11, 1998
For the most part, my own past cigar-smoking experience was limited to the venerable but pedestrian White Owls and those formidible, "separate the men from the boys" little Italian smokes that looked vaguely like blackish cat scats and rather tasted like them, too. But on a couple of occasions over the years I was presented with a genuine Cuban cigar and found the experience of drawing on it a unique and rewarding one, somewhat like driving a Porsche rather than a Chevy. It is easy to understand why the true Havana cigar possesses an enduring mystique all its own and why cigar afficionados - in spite of all the dire health warnings on smoking of any form - continue to revere, and to smoke them. I've since given up cigars for the pipe, but when I came across this compact little tome on the Cuban cigar I couldn't resist picking it up, if for no other reason than to learn the how's, why's and wherefore's of those fragrant Cuban cigars that I had tasted and enjoyed all too briefly in the past. I was not disappointed by my purchase. Author William P.Mara has clearly done his homework where it comes to the history and allure of the Cuban cigar, its many current incarntions, and the methods by which they are cultured, nurtured and manufactured. The book, although of small format (4 1/2" x 7 1/4"), packs a great deal of fascinating information within its pages, not the least of which is the author's "travelogue" chapter, in which he relates with flair his adventures in journeying to Cuba, today off-limits to Americans by federal decree, in search of cigar fact and fancy and the people who grow and make them. "Cubans" offers a wide variety of topics, including the history of the Cuban cigar industry, the complex process of the manufacture of the smokes, current popular Cuban brands, the effect of the continuing United States embargo against Cuba on the availability of the Cuban cigar, and the ongoing problems of smuggling and counterfeiting. The photographs, all taken by the author, are of excellent quality, and there is a very useful bibliography. In sum, I highly recommend this informative little book to both serious students of world-class cigars and to those readers simply seeking a lively account of just why Cuban cigars have long occupied such an exalted position in the annals of smoking lore. I give "Cubans" - both the Rolls Royce of smokes and the book - five stars - I know you'll enjoy them both.