A little history from an old cigar smoking person.
30+ years going to SXM as a cigar smoker. Only a couple places (Cigar Emporium/Casa de Cubana/Le Cigare/are guaranteed to be authentic). Others may or may not be so. Most cigars sold in the Caribbean are bogus. Huge discount? Normally are counterfeits. Most casual cigar smokers won't know the difference since counterfeits are still good cigars.
First few years when I could buy Montecristo #2 or #3 for $100/box, I learned that diplomatic pouches were going to Washington every day from Sint Maarten. Unfair but truth.
Embargo reversal will turn things upside down with the cigar sales in SXM. I expect prices to remain ($10 to $20 per Premium Cuban cigar for now but next year? Competition from Dominican Republic/ Nicaragua/Honduras will force prices for Cubans down. Truth be known, many cigar smokers already think other cigar countries produce a better quality and certainly better value cigar than Cuba. Making them legal here will prove my point.
Good news is that I won't have to haul my Dominican Fuentes to SXM anymore because their emphasis on Cubans will be reduced and their offering will be more diversified.
Thus, endith the gospel for today.