Heading for a shortage of Cuban cigars?

Shortage is the word on everyone’s lips at the moment. After toilet paper during lockdown, it is now the turn of food and fuel. But aficionados and specialists in the field are also reporting a shortage of cigars. Here is what lies behind it.

The Covid effect has slowed production

Like the rest of the world, Cuba has been through the health crisis caused by Covid-19. Even though most of the population has been vaccinated with a locally produced vaccine said to be fairly effective, activity remains subdued on the Cuban island and in its capital, Havana. Alongside struggling businesses, the supply system is also running slowly, which sometimes leads to delivery delays.

The largest cigars and the exclusive collections are missing from the shelves. 5th Avenue Trading, the importer of Cuban cigars for part of Europe, has been saying since January 2020 that limited editions were hard to obtain. The current situation is more worrying still, since close to 90% of Cuban cigars are out of stock in many French specialist shops. Robustos have disappeared from circulation, as have the largest ring gauges.

In Italy, Germany, Switzerland and France, large cigars are now hard to find in the best tobacconists. Some specialists are still short of a number of cigars.

What are the reasons for this cigar shortage?

First, the long-standing methods that have been kept in place cannot meet very strong global demand. Then come the supply difficulties linked to Covid and the excessively high prices charged by carriers, which are also a major problem.

Lastly, health conditions on the island are an aggravating factor, since only half the workforce has been present in the factories since January 2021. As this is craft work, machines cannot replace people. The strong demand created by lockdown has also driven consumption up in recent months.

Even so, cigars are still crossing the Atlantic, if only in dribs and drabs. But rising demand, falling production and persistent rumours have been enough for buyers to stock up in large numbers, creating a genuine shortage.