Sure Inflation Indicator says UP

Better than gold prices, energy prices, or even farm prices as an inflation indicator is the international box prices of cigars (non-Cuban which I'll get to later). The latest catalog from a source I will not reveal shows that the first half (20 pages) has almost no cigars listed under $115 per box of 20. Gone are the days when you could pick up quality hand made cigars from Central America for around $80 with some on sale at $65 plus. Most of the pages had cigars at over $200 per box of 20 with one or two esoteric brands in the $300 plus categories; one brand at $20 per stick ($400 per box). This means that the least expensive ("cheapest") quality hand made cigar now costs $5 per, a major price boost from two years ago. I'd say the inflation rate has been more than 10% per year (20% plus over two years) with more people producing cigars in Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Honduras (all with soil similar to the Cuban volcanic) than ever before. So there.

Now for Cuba. Can I buy Cubans? Absolutely. Have I bought them lately? No, but not because of the price. It's the horrible quality. You will buy a box of the absolute best and find that three of the twenty are not smokable with two more that are so poorly constructed so that the quality is affected. Now the quality itself ain't so hot either with (not just my opinion) many Nicaraguan and Dominican cigars far better. Europe (Spain) is your best guarantee of quality Cubans (they are the oldest customers) and the many of the cigars from Spain turn out to be mediocre at best. Every once in a while you will get an aged Cuban that is absolutely the best ever, but I emphasize "once in a while." This is not good news for those seeking an end to the embargo so you can "get a good fucking cigar" because after you get burned once you will not go back. Cuban prices are now affected by the devaluation of the dollar so it's hard to tell if there is inflation on Cuban prices. I will not reveal phone numbers because the fucking Feds will put the clamps on them over taxes; you will have to fend for yourselves for sources but if you are a smoker you don't need directions.