Gentlemen:

At BluesTraveller's suggestion, I'm kicking off a Cigar thread, which, hopefully will turn into a Cigar Topic in the Off-Topics forum.

So,to start things off, if you are ever in Fortaleza, the "Habana Cafe" is the place to go. It's in Iracema, a big orange building on the next corner inland from Desigual (by the Sao Luis supermarket and across form the Internet Cafe). Good smokes, knowledgable and honest owner, and three lounge areas to smoke in - upstairs, downstairs, and in the small garden out back. From Cuba, they had Punch, Romeu e Juleita, and Cohibas on display and more in their walk-in humidor. $230 for a box of 25 Cohiba Esplendidos in August, when I got them home,they were a little tight, but some time resting in the humidor fixed that. My local experts concurred that they were authentic Cohibas, and everybody is enjoying them (me and the "experts").

Hilarious side note - they were proudly displaying several boxes of Philly Blunts right behind the bar. I managed to keep my mouth shuit this time....

BS

romeo y julietas - good stuff - how much were they going for in brazil?

$260 a box of 25 or so, but this was Fortaleza, a bit cheaper than Rio.

BS

i have yet to smoke the cuban varietal of r&j's - only the dominicans (i think) and are excellent!

The cubans are supposed to be even better (especially R+J #2), I'm stil kicking myself for not buying some in Fortal. DonGringo, where art thou? That's your smoke, ain't it?

BS

I have purchased Cuban cigars in three places overseas.

1. San Jose, Costa Rica - There is a place near the Presidente as you walk up the hill toward the Blue Marlin. It is before you hit the internet cafe. Note: There is also a little cigar shop inside the Presidente, that is not as good. This is probably the best cigar shop I have tried. They had a very wide variety of Cubans and I averaged about $10 a cigar after a little negotiation. Additionally, they all came in tubes.

2. Rio de Janiero, Brazil - The first place that I tried was a small shop in Copacabana on Avenida Copacabana. It is right before the blockbuster. Their selection was poor, none of the cigars came in tubes, and lastly, I later learned that some of them had cigar worms. I talked to Don at RioTrips, who smokes about 5-6 cigars a day. He told me about a place right by the termas 4X4. Very nice cigar bar, and they had a much better selection, but only a few in tubes. I averaged about $10/cigar after a little negotiation.

So in summary, the best place I have found so far to buy Cubans is in San Jose between the Presidente and Del Rey.

BT

Although this thread says "overseas" I can give anyone pointers on Tampa and New Orleans cigar shopping if you'd like. Email me (externally) when you're looking.

Book-guy: Thanks. Can "illicit" sticks be bought at these U.S. shops? Authentic? And what kind of prices? I understand if you don't want to name the shops here.

BS

badseed:

from what i have heard and seen, there are actually shops in the us that do sell or can get their hands on cubans - however, it is price prohibitive for many people - about 2x the price.

crafter

if you are interested, I have a contact in BA for Cubans. He is a member of the Cuban-Argentine community....a recent immigrent....

ezy:

that would be much appreciated, nothing like a nice bistec, vino, and cigar to top off the meal.

Gentlemen
For what is worth, cuban cigars can be purchased on the island at very reasonable prices.

Generally the price in the official stores is $150 box of 25, or about $7 each. Street prices for the same is $35, or about $1.40 each. Be aware that current cuban law permits you to bring only 2 boxes per person out of the country w/out a receipt from a state store.

If you truly value your cuban cigar smoking experience, one might almost consider the price of the airfare as being "complementary" after purchasing two or three boxes on the street. The savings are sweet indeed. Buying a third box to enjoy while on the island is a good idea, and the unsmoked portion of that box is not included in your limit to take off the island.

The process of buying cigars on the street is frought with pitfalls. Some suggestions to avoid getting ripped off follow:

1. Visit a state store and buy one or more of your favorite cigars. Note the markings on the box, and on the labels. Compare this to the boxes you are presented outside of the official stores.

2. Check all of the cigars in the box you are being sold. Blowing into the cut end, you should notice a slight air pocket form in the other end. If not, it's rolled too tight or has a blockage in it.

3. If you have your sample of the same cigar purchased at the state store, compare the quality of the printing on the label. The "copies" will have substandard printing quality.

4. Instruct the vendor that he is to bring the cigars to your car for you, where he will receive the money for the cigars approx 5 blocks away from his casa when you drop him off. Why? Sometimes the cops will be in on a phony sting operation and will stop you within a block or two of leaving, and confiscate your cigars. Of course, once you get to know and/or trust your vendor, this won't be needed.

Sorry I can't add to the discussion as to where to purchase good turds anywhere else in the world.

DonGringo:

Great info, thanks!

BS

Fine cigars are like fine wines and fine women. I doubted if the famous name brand Habanas (R&J, Partagas, Bolivar, Cohiba, Trinidad...) are selling at $35/box.

It takes every manufacturer at least 5-7 years to age the leaves for a specific line. They absolutely can't produce enough to keep up with worldwide demand. And even if they could, they wouldn't want to anyway. Rare things skyrocket demands and prices.

Sake
I have routinely paid $30 for Cohiba Robustos, and $35-40 for R&J's. In addition, The Trinidads were $40. Some Punch's I bought for $35 were fakes, but they're still good enough for the money. Furthermore, I bought a box of 50 Montecristos for $90. It's a sampler pack of 5 sizes. This box was given to our favorite Don in Rio. He never doubted the quality while he was smoking several sticks/day.

Remember, these are street prices in a country where the average state wage is $15/month. The "underground" market recognizes that the purchaser must get the cigars out of the country 2 boxes at a time, and the price is commensurate with the risk.

What street prices have you paid while you were in Cuba?

DG

Anywhere closer by in Mexico to buy Cubans? I'm in L.A. and could make a day trip to grab some if it made sense and I wasn't getting duped or ripped off...

There are several cigar shops in TJ. Some have humidors, others do not appear to have them.
Remember you cannot legally bring cuban cigars back into the US.

Rexxx, the only place to get authentic Habanos in teejay is La Casa del Tobacco on Revolucion Av. The owner is Rudy Newman and he's Cuban. He used to own another store in downtown San Diego, but when the boom died in late '94, he closed it down.

This place is really nice and it also serves Cappucino & Espresso. They have a big humidor with quite a few selections. Pricing isn't cheap, expecting to pay $10-$14/single and $250/box. If anyone offers you $5 for a Habano, just smile and walk away. You just let your lung lasts a little longer to enjoy the stik.

Thanks Sake...what's your experience with getting the stogies back into the states? Haven't been back to Mexico post 9/11, so I'm curious how thorough the searches, questioning are now...

Rexxx,

After my last trip from Brazil in Nov 2002, I got the thorough search. They found the cigars, and asked me, "You know these things are illegal". Half asleep, I stammered, "Yes sir". He then put the cigars back in my computer bag, and let me go through. I have been told that they will let anything less than a cigar box go through.

BT

BT
That's amazing. I had no idea the customs process had lightened up to that extent. Do you think it is an indication of the governments half-hearted concern over Cuba, or that they're more concerned with terrorism? Either way, it's comforting to hear.

DG,

This is the third time that I have smuggled cigars into the USA and the first time I was searched. Of course, YMMV. I was coming from Brazil, and I only had about 20 cigars. The entire box was not full.

I never purchase more than I would feel bad if they got confiscated. To be honest, I have never heard of anyone having been confiscated? Any feedback on what happens on the TJ border?

BT

Rexxx,

Actually, there is a better shop than La Casa del Tobacco, and that is La Casa de Tabacco located on Revolution. It is an authorized La Casa store.

Even better than that is to purchase your cigars online...check out this web site. I have ordered many times from each of these retailers without problems. Good quality and the prices are much better.

http://www.members.tripod.com/habanos_r_us

I just ordered some Cubans from http://www.topcubans.com. They arrived 3 days after ordering. I compared what I ordered (Partagas Series D No. 4) with one that I bought in the Havana airport and it is authentic. Topcubans.com removed the bands and shipped the cigars in a box that labelled them as being Nicaraguan, so even if customs were to search the parcel there is no reason for them to confiscate the cigars. The price was about equivalant to a "fair" price in Mexico and about half of the price in Canada.
On another note, does anyone know where to get cigars in Beijing. I'm going to try to catch SARS and I'd like to die with a good cigar in my mouth.

Loser
An excellent website. I may know how the same cigars can be purchased for an even better price. If interested, I can be emailed at DonGringo@hotmail.com.

The subject line should state CIGARS so your mail is sure to be opened.

DG

Thanks for the above info. I would not exactly elevate my self to the status of cigar aficionado, but I feel I know a good cigar when I taste it. I prefer them moist and mild, with an easy draw.

In my favorite Mexican city of Hermosillo I have recently found a great tobacconist. The store is called Santa Fe and the address is Matamoros No. 124; entre Blvd. Luis Encinas y Jalisco. It is in the downtown area and close to the Sears store.

This tobacco store also sells gourmet Mexican coffee from Chiapas, Oaxaca and Vera Cruz. I bought one kilo of Chiapas coffee. It cost $100 pesos/kg. I think that works out to less than $5/lb, so that's a great price for good gourmet organic coffee. I taste tested it at the store and it's great!

I recently paid them a visit and bought some genuine Cubans. They were labeled Jose L. Piedra. They were 30 pesos each and were definately better than any $3 cigar I have been able to find in Tucson.

I also bought about 30 Mexican cigars from Tuxtla, Mexico near Veracruz. They had no label and the manager said they are produced by a cooperative there. I read a little about the area around San Andres Tuxtla on the Internet. Supposedly it is the best tobacco growing area in Mexico because of the combination of climate and great volcanic soil.

All I know is they are the best I have ever smoked. They are quite moist, mild and have a very easy draw. They have a lovely dark, silky Maduro wrapper. They cost $40 pesos each, after my discount. They were more expensive than the Cubans but in my opinion worth it.

I had the good fortune to meet and speak with the manager there. His name is Fabian Gastelum Lopez. He is a young man - looks about 30, but appears to be quite knowledgeable about cigars. He is very fluent in English - which helps me a lot! Fabian told me I could call him on his cell phone anytime for information or to order cigars. He said he can ship them to the U.S. I am not sure how that would work with US Customs.
Anyway his cell phone is 6622567677. The store number is (662)217-03-23.

He has a clerk named Luz that works there also. Luz speaks a limited amount of English so it helps if you know a little Spanish.

Despite the language difficulties, Luz was able to help me find a good cigar. She seems quite knowlegeable about them and it was a pleasure to talk with her as she is a very lovely young lady of about 20 years of age

Pattaya, Thailand now has a desent Cigar shop on the 2nd road end of Tipp Plaza. First thing you will note is the huge WINE sign seen from 2nd road that belongs to the Wine shop next door. Coffee World/SubWay Sandwiches are on the beach street side of Tipp Plaza. Not a huge selection, but the smokes are well cared for and they have most of your classics. Not a bargin shop, but cheaper than anything I have found in Bangkok.

If you're looking for authentic cubans, then you gotta try puroreycigars.com - no connection, just know the owner