A. Based on the quality of the cigars coming out of the three major tobacco-growing countries, especially Nicaragua, no. They may have been at one time, and many Cuban cigars are still considered classics, but they're not superior.

You hit on a good point when you mention the "forbidden fruit" aspect of buying Cuban cigars. That makes them more appealing, but to paraphrase Nestor Miranda in a recent interview when he was asked what would happen if Cuban cigars were available in the U.S.: 'Once people get a taste for something they couldn't have before, they eventually get tired of it, because now they can have it whenever they want, so their desire is diminished.'