The Cuban embargo caught many off guard

In 1962 when Pres. Kennedy declared an embargo or what the Cubans called a
blockade, a lot of people were in shock. It caught many cigar smokers and
cigar maker's completely off guard including the whole country of Cuba. Did
you know that before the embargo Cuban tobacco sold for $150 a bale? This
price seemed very reasonable but right after the embargo, especially by the
end of 1962, the price was well over $1000 a bale. It was truly a
disturbing time in the Cuban tobacco industry, as smokers were snatching up
Cuban cigars wherever they could, because some feared that Cuban cigars
would never again be found outside of Cuba. It seemed that many cigar
companies were going to go out of business and the hobby of Cuban cigar
smoking would slowly become extinct.

Major companies who were selling Cuban cigars before the embargo started
looking to other countries like Jamaica and the Dominican Republic for their
tobacco. Now that sales to the US were completely forbidden, the Cuban
companies that survived focussed their attention on the international
market. Not only did this move save the Cuban tobacco industry, it
introduced the world to the joy of smoking Cuban cigars. Soon sales started
picking up, and the big guys in the Cuban tobacco industry were back on
their feet. Seeing this boom, the smaller factories followed suit and within
a few years most Cuban tobacco factories were once again stable.