I am a playwright, and I am writing a play that includes a couple of guys who smoke cigars in 1966. The characters are upscale entertainment types in NYC. Can anyone tell me what cigars these two guys might smoke in that region and era.

(I, myself, am from Central Florida and remember the myriad of brick warehouses in Tampa when I was a kid. Now? Not so many.) I was just in Cuba a year ago and took a cigar rolling tour. The people that ran the cigar rolling business were very unfriendly, but the rollers were quite friendly.

Anyway, if anyone can give me a history of cigars in the 1960s, I would greatly appreciate it.
[Reply]

If they were upscale entertainment people and had home humidors, they might still be smoking Havana cigars that they obtained before the embargo Kennedy put into place in February of 1963.

One of the upscale domestic brands in the 1960s (as well as before and to this day) was Arturo Fuente, who ramped back up production in West Tampa following implementation of the embargo. Certainly Fuente cigars would not be out of place in your scenario.

Padron also started in Miami in 1964, but they were mostly regional until after 1967.

Not much, but it's a start.
[Reply]

And right before JFK "banned" Cuban cigars he ordered 2500 H.Upmanns
[Reply]

I love that story no matter how many times I hear/read about it. I wonder what ever happened to those Upmanns...
[Reply]

Image
[Reply]

Ohhhh so that's where they went!! :-)
[Reply]

Image
[Reply]