Andorra Report

[ChanceSchmerr]

Again....no pictures yet until I can get proper internet to load them up! Coming soon!

Hey Guys!

This thread will probably go in the Cigar Friendly Locations Forum eventually, but I thought I would put it here first....

So, as many of you may know, Recently my ship was alongside Toulon, France for a good two weeks of Maintenance, to allow the crew to get some rest and relaxation. I spent the first week with my fiancee, visiting Florence/Tuscany and then Nice/Monaco. I havn't seen her in 6 months, so it was A great time spent with her, we even got out to have a look around for a bit haha ANYWAY......the deal was you get one week off to spend with family on vacation, and one week you work on the ship while the maintenance goes on. However, during that work week, you work 2 days and you get a day off....which you can spend in the local area. I asked for, and received permission to use that day off to go visit Andorra with a couple of Helicopter Tech buddies of mine. My aspiration as a Geography fan has always been to visit all the cool tiny countries of Europe. Having Monaco and the Vatican out of the way, Andorra would get me to halfway, leaving only San Marino, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein on the list. However....they also are known for having some duty free items in Andorra..........

So! We set out the three of us to Andorra around 11 am in my rental Toyota Auris. After grabbing some quick food for the road from the Carrefour, and hooking up my IPod with George Carlin tapes to play for the journey, we were on our way. For the next few hours, it was easy highway driving all the way to Perpignan, with only the incessant Highway Tolls to bother us. I can tell why the French highways are in excellent shape - they sure collect enough to pay for the upkeep! We hung a right at Perpignan and began our climb up the Pyrenees Mountains. THe highways steadily got less and less wide until we were about an hour in and going around switchback roads.....as it was getting dark. Greaat! No problems, I'm a BC driver, I can handle this sort of stuff, so foot-on-the-gas, bring it on, baby! We rocketed onwards. Only saw one flash from a speed camera too! After about 2 hours of switchback highways, by now it was completely dark, we saw the sign for Pas-de-la-Casa. Up the mountain we went - avoiding the bypass tunnel to get in. As we approached the border, we saw some strange white material falling from the sky. Is that......snow? Holy crap! Certainly didn't expect to see that in our Mediterranean deployment! No worries, we can handle it! We cross through the border checkpoint and we're in Andorra! Whoohoo!

Pas de la Casa is right on the French/Andorra border, a town which appears to be geared towards 2 things - Duty free merchandise and Ski Resorts. We keep focus and head to the cigar shop in town. I will note - I will report what I found, but not specific retailers or prices, as per forum rules. If you're interested in that information, drop me a PM! Anyway, this shop came recommended by Guy, although the person I was to ask for was not working that day...a shame. However....the sight of the walk-in Humidor was Jaw-Dropping .....my God, can you be serious?!?!! You had

ERDM Tainos

Partagas Lonsdales

Punch Super Selection No. 1

Partagas Seleccion Privada No. 1

and that was at first glance! What a freakin' Gold mine!!!!!!! My buddies said I was like a kid in a Candy Store on Christmas morning

Needless to say, I made some purchases there! I will hold off to the end to describe what I was able to get. The Selection really was something to behold....there were cigars to be found here that I never thought I would see in my lifetime, that I thought were just mentions on Trevor's web page. Upmann No. 1s!!!!

Por Larranaga Lolas en Cedro!

We made our purchases there, and got back in the car to go to Andorra la Vella, the capital of this country. But, having bypassed the tunnel, we had to use switchback roads to get over the mountain....in snow that was by now falling heavily....Sweet! I pushed that little Diesel into 2nd gear and off we went. I think we passed at least 4 cars that had careened off the side of the road....all into a guardrail, and not down the mountain, thankfully. Each was being attended to.....I guess the Andorra authorities are used to this! I was certainly used to driving in Snow, so no problem for me, we made it over the mountain easily. 20 mins later, we pulled into Andorra la Vella. Shops had closed as it was past 8 pm, but we had a look around, went to a grocery store for some whisky and grabbed a bite at a restaurant. The capital (and indeed, much of the country) is very new and slick - there is a lot of new infrastructure going up here, and the duty free perfume/electronics/liquor/camera stores were everywhere - it really was like nowhere else I've seen. I've been to Gibraltar and strolled the high street there - Andorra was brighter. I've seen a lot of Duty free shopping in border towns - this place had so much more. And busy too -the streets were filled with apparently well-to-do people, even after shopping was all done! My theory is that once the construction that is everywhere has put into place a base infrastructure that can support high loads of tourists (they have bought land for an airport south of the country, because the only way in is by road or helicopter ATM), they will bring in some form of gambling to make it a year-round destination. I don't think ski resorts are enough for this place, when it's clearly building for something far grander than what it is right now. Anyway....off my soap box. After eating, we drove south to the Spanish border, as we were staying in Seu D'Urgell, 10 km south into Spain (following Nino's tip for shopping in Andorra ) The Andorran border checkpoint is useless, but the Spanish take it seriously. We pulled into a large inspection bay, where spanish border guards, dressed in what I swear looked like Castro-esque olive green fatigues and green pillbox cap, asked what we had and having a look in the trunk. FYI - 75 cigars per person, and 1.5 Liters of spirits. Got through there, and arrived at Hotel Nice in Seu D'Urgell. What followed was an awesome conversation with the night clerk at the hotel desk, bless his heart.

Me: "Thanks for the room keys - So, is there anywhere that we can smoke cigars inside the hotel, like a lounge or something?"

Clerk: "ehhhh No, they bring in a new law last year, and we canna have smoking in a rooms anywhere. Only outside"

Me: "Oh ok, thats a shame. Is there any patio or anything outside?"

Clerk: "ohhhh no, no patio, is no smoking anywhere but outside building. Used to be smoking in the rooms, but is not possible"

Me: "Well darn, that's too bad. I wish we had visited when it was possible! *my buddies and I chuckle, get ready to go up to the room"*"

Clerk: "Yes, is not possible. Well.....maayyyybe is possible"

Me: "Really?"

Clerk: "Yeeeees...maybe is possible if you smoke near window with window open, is possible"

Me: "Well, we can definitely do that!"

Clerk: "Ok yes is possible then"

Me: "Thanks very much my friend! Have a good night!"

For the rest of the trip....at random times....I'd turn to a buddy and say...."Is not possible?" "Is maybe possible......Yess it's possible!" Hahahaha I guess you had to be there.

We brought up our stuff and kicked back for the evening! Broke into a bottle of Glenrothes 1994 Whisky (stellar stuff!) and pulled out some cigars - my friend had himself a SCDLH El Principe, on my recommendation - he loved it and ended up picking up a box! I smoked a single of Upmann No. 1.....what an interesting cigar, with the old Upmann band with faded red inks. The cigar tasted like it had some potential that went unfulfilled....didn't need more time, but just seemed kind of tired. No idea of the vintage...but I have some theories....Still, it had a good dusting of dry cocoa on the palate, with some smooth nutty notes in there. Not a bad cigar, but not enough to make me get a box. After that, with a glass of Black Grouse I lit up a Juan Lopez Seleccion No. 5 RE Andorra...a little Perla that was Andorra's RE for 2010. Now HERE is a nice damn smoke! I love the Perla size, and they nailed the JL blend completely here. Just rich, dry nuts, with those thick baking spices that almost have you smacking your lips as you smoke it. A wonderful little cigar! Definitely worth trying if you can!

The next morning, up nice and early, we wolfed down some fruit and a coffee, and into Andorra we went! We found 3 stores with Cigars of interest in Andorra La Vella, as well as one magnificent source of Whisky. I won't delve on that too much, except to say that, if you are a whisky fan, and love your hard-to-find bottles, Cava Benito in Andorra is for you. Something like 600 whiskies on the shelves here, they have EVERYTHING, and we made good use of it! I picked up Bruichladdich Infinity 3, a couple of Port Ellens, some Rosebank Whisky, Big Peat for cheap, BenRiach 15 yr Pedro Ximinez....the only thing these guys didn't have was a great Ardbeg supply, all that I wanted was gone. Their website is very out of date, so beware if you go in with expectations from that - but they have lots and you won't be disappointed. And the tasting bar - they have 100 whiskies just for tasting!

SO - Cigars! Again, not naming sources (BUT NOTE - ANDORRA DOES NOT ALLOW SHIPMENTS OF CIGARS SO YOU CAN'T ORDER ONLINE FROM THEM - just need to make that perfectly clear) - one store I went to, where the website listed RA 898s....they did not have RA 898s. They DID have some rare cigars, like 2 boxes of ERDM Elegantes, and some Partagas Tres Petit Coronas...but the problem is....none of the cigars had any aroma, and some were quite dry. Essentially, the storage was crap. In the care of the ERDM Elegantes, that was a real shame, because i didn't see them again after that. I did not buy any cigars at that store.

The two other stores, one was a LCDH, and the other was a private-owned store. Both were Exceptionally well stocked My God!

There is something in those two stores to please everyone! They had it all, from the Original Behikes (Do not Touch sign lol) all the way down to impossible-to-find Machine Mades. I was in HEAVEN!!!

We spent the day shopping A la Nino....buying our limit, crossing into Seu D'Urgell....then retuning into Andorra and buying our limit again. This is a viable way to do it. There are some things to note. The border crossing is busy, and traffic can back up. We spent a lot of time in traffic jams, probably about 3 hours total all day. not just at borders too, from the border into Andorra La Vella was very busy single lane traffic for much of the way. Spanish border guards will inspect your car, but we never got a detailed inspection because we followed the letter of the law. Good luck to anyone that doesn't!

Andorra is a charming little town, once you get out of the bustling modern section of it. I fear that it will get lost under the glitz and gloss soon...but there are traces of the medieval village that was. The language was Catalan.....yeah no, I didn't bother trying. Most cigar store staff spoke enough English for us to get by.

After the last of our runs, we turned East and headed for the Spanish coast, sad to see Andorra in our rear-view mirror. That sadness was short-lived, as soon I was into over 3 bleeding hours of switchback single-lane highways to get out through Spain. It was exhausting, I was almost car sick and I was the driver haha! Worst part was coming around a bend to find un-fenced cattle....just hanging out on the highway. Nice surprise when you're driving around blind corners in the dark! Sheesh was that ever bad! We made it to the coast and headed north on the Toll Highway. A good trip all the way back, and our Andorran Odyssey was at an end!

So....THE CIGARS!

What did I find in this Glorious little Country? I'll detail what I found for myself...I did get a lot of boxes for other guys as well.

BOXES

El Rey Del Mundo Coronas De Luxe

SXF FEB 05

Here's one that I've been dying to get ever since I saw that box with mold all over it in Palma. There is a decent amount of boxes of these guys in Andorra and they are of good quality and construction too. A pretty rare find indeed!

Juan Lopez Seleccion No. 5 RE Andorra 2010

PRA MAY 10

These little guys look ready to eat and smell like they are out of the spice cabinet! Perfect little perla cigars that are great bang for the buck, when it comes to RE's. There is lots of these in stock right now, but I don't expect that to continue - I hear they are in very high regard. Exceptional quality, with oily wrappers and tons of aroma.

Partagas Lonsdales 50 Cab

OSU MAY 02

These were the crown Jewels of my finds. There were 5 cabs in Andorra that I saw....now there are Three (picked up one for a friend with his poker winnings). Just glorious cigars, aroma of deep deep barnyard, with perfect construction. Beautiful cabs. Of the 5, four were 2002 OSU's, one was a 2000 cab. Even the 2000 Cab had good constuction and aroma, but it couldn't match the 2002s. Boys - these are ripe for the picking. Cannot believe I found them still available on a store shelf.

Partagas Petit Coronas

NISU TTH OI

Got these in a LCDH - the only store that had them. They had only two boxes, and thankfully the construction was decent and the aroma good on one of them, the other was crap. Gotta be careful with the 1998 boxes, and this one was closely looked at before I picked it up. The aroma that is there was the kicker. I knew it had some life to it. I have smoked one so far, and can confirm they are good cigars, lots of what I take to be "old school" Partagas strength, power and pepper. Another Cigar I never thought I would see other than at auction.

Partagas Seleccion Privada No.1

OSU OCT 00

Piggy's favorites....Do my eyes deceive me? Great cigars from 2000? I found 2 boxes of these beauts, one for me and one for a friend - they a FIND. Wrappers of average colour, not too deep but not pasty tan colour either, and a little oil on the wrappers. A really cool presentation with the ribbon across the top row of the dress box! The aroma was spicy hay, and I was sold. I have smoke a single, and these are remarkably good. Extremely complex, in that each puff is almost a journey of it's own..starting from where you were from the last puff....truly amazing for a cigar. Astonished that they actually had these, and there is a few boxes yet remaining

Partagas Tres Petit Coronas

FPG OSSU

1998's, like the Party PC's. There was only one box in the country.....and it was great! Barnyard wafting up once you open the box and peel back the flap, and the construction was bang on too. I was very intrigued by these - wanted to see how they differed from the Party Shorts, as they are the same size. I have smoked a couple now, and I can confirm - they are a different blend, thats for sure. These cigars are Animal, just most spastic spice, with nuances of deep flavour that I've never seen in a Short. Highly worth finding, but don't expect to see them in Andorra, I got the last ones, at least that I saw!

Punch Belvederes

EAR MAY 01

I am suckers for these Machine-mades, and they are priced so awesomely that i couldn't refuse. There are lots to be had, so I had my pick and grabbed a great box. For my money, you can't beat a cigar like this that might not have the depth of a great RS 12 or Black prince, but still delivers loads of Punch sour fruits and spicy goodness. Love 'em!

Quai D'Orsay Panatelas

POS ABR 06

Finally I get to see these rare cigars! They had a number of boxes of them in Andorra, and I never saw a bad box wherever I looked. All in the 05/06 vintages, these little beauties smell like fragrant sweet hay, and are of great construction from what I see. Got a box for me and one for a friend. Can't wait to try one!

Rafael Gonzalez Slenderellas

RSE MAR 02

Really? Slenderellas too? Hot Damn! I am really getting my fill of the long and skinnies! FOund 2 boxes in the country, and both were 02's and looked great. I got the one with the deeper wrapper shade and better aroma, but the other box was no slouch either. Dying to try one but I am waiting and trying to be patient!

Ramon Allones Mille Fleurs/Belvederes

EAR NOV 02/EAR MAY 02

Two boxes of RA Machine Mades. Every bit as good as I'd hoped. Swear to God, I was smoking a Mille Fleurs last night, and the taste was reminiscent of a RASS. No joke - all the Ramon Allones flavour was present in this machine-made cigar! Extraordinary! Lacking only the depth of a RASS, I think I've found the jackpot here, as long as there are no plugs...which I guess you can never be too sure of with these things! Tons of boxes of both to be found.

Sancho Panza Coronas

SSU MAY 02

After watching Rob's review....boy am I damn glad I found these! Only one box in the Country that I saw, and it's mine...and what a find here! Perfect construction from what I can tell, and the best SP aroma i've seen on any box. I am in for a treat when I try one of these. A very surprising find!

SINGLES

I also picked up singles of a lot of cigars to try as well, some of which were not available in full boxes! The singles I got included

Bolivar Coronas 2006 - these are fantastic!

Bolivar Lonsdales - Very very nice cigar - Perfect construction....but not many of them left!

Bolivar Inmensas

H Upmann No. 1

Le Hoyo Du Dauphin

Partagas Churchills De Luxe

Punch Royal Selection No. 12

SLR Coronas

SLR Lonsdales

So thats what I found for me! What else is there that is hard to find? Where do I begin?

Alphabetically......

Bolivar Coronas...one full box, I bought it for a friend. Decent construction, from 2001. Only signles remaain now

Bolivar Londales - a few boxes there. Construction is variable, all from 2001. Buyer beware - the singles for sale are very good though

Bolivar Coronas Extra 50 Cabs - they had 'em....I shoulda got one. Not many but they are there

Bolivar Regentes/Bonitas/Belvederes/Gold Medals - Lots of boxes, didn't get to check the construction

Cohibas - yeah they are all there. Can't buy singles of Behikes from what I saw.

Diplomaticos - 1's, 2's and 3's only. Lots of stock of all three. Never looked in but should have checked out the 3's......oh well, next time.

El Rey Del Mundo Choix Supreme 50 Cabs - A few of these, and great cabs too. Almost got one but didn't have space.

El Rey Del Mundo Elegantes - Like I said, no aroma at all. Buy at your own risk.

El Rey Del Mundo Tainos - Some 2005 boxes to be had....my next purchase if I had had more money and space!

H Upmann No. 1s - A few boxes to be had....If I had liked the single better I might have considered it!

H Upmann No. 4s - Never looked inside but a couple boxes there at least.

H Upmann Monarcas - They had 'em!

H Upmann Half Coronas - Ridiculously cheap, and lots of them there! Just arrived, I'll wager

Hoyo Du Roi/Du Dauphin - There was a fair number of each. Didn't check them but they are there!

Juan Lopez Coronas - If you like 'em, they have good ones!

Juan Lopez Short Robusto RE Andorra - They had these in odd-shaped 50s cabs. I'm not a fan of short stubbies so I passed

LGC Medaille D'Or 1/3 - They had 'em both, and lots of them.

Partagas 898 Unvarnished - Found a couple of boxes but didn't check inside them. Might be a steal if they are good inside!

Partagas de Partagas No. 1 - A bunch of boxes of these, and decent construction too. Can't go wrong!

Partagas Lonsdale Dress Box - They had these too. Didn't bother looking inside them. A fair amount available.

Partagas Belvederes/Habaneros/Charlottes - Lots of boxes of these guys!

Partagas Churchills De Luxe - Construction is ok but crappy aroma. Bought a couple to singles to try, we'll see. Mostly 2000's

Por Larranaga Lolas En Cedro - They had a bunch of boxes of these!

Por Larranaga Robustos Extra Big Shiny Andorra RE 2011 - Yes they have these, the shopkeepers were happy to show me. Shiny Carbon Fiber box. Smelled the cigars and was overpowered by ammonia and the price. They are young! In a land where the cigars are ridiculously cheap, these were expensive. The presentation was 2nd to none, however!

Punch Coronas -A ton of these to be had

Punch Petit Punch - Really didn't have any good stock at all! kinda sad actually

Punch Royal Selection 12 - A decent number of boxes left, and good 07/08s too.

Punch Super Selection No.1/No.2 - they had a fair number of cabs of each! Did not check construction though.

Quai D'Orsay Gran Coronas - Got a box for a friend - lots of 05/06s

Rafael Gonzalez Lonsdales - You want 'em, they have 'em! Lots of boxes

Romeo y Julieta - They had TONS of RyJ's. I hate 'em so I didn't really look, but I did see boxes of Prince of Wales, so there are discontinueds among them.

SLR Coronas - Some good boxes available

SLR Lonsdales - Available in 50 cab or 25 box. Both looked pretty damn good!

Sancho Panza Sanchos/Bachilleres/Corona Gigantes - They had lots of boxes of each. Something tells me they aren't really flying off the shelves....

What DIDN'T they have? There are a few notables!

Diplomaticos 4s/5s - None whatsoever

El Rey Del Mundo Grandes de Espana - Kinda shocking to find none at all, actually!

El Rey Del Mundo Lonsdale - Nada

H Upmann Amatistas - Sorry Guy! Nothing that I saw

Partagas Coronas - Surprisingly None at all!

Partagas Serie Du Connoisseur 1/2/3 - NONE at all in the whole country. The storekeepers said they had been gone for a little while now. Someone bought out the country!

Punch Niftas - No Niftas notable

Ramon Allones 898s - Nothing available. Believe me, I asked. Everywhere.

SLR Petit Coronas - None at all.....didn't see that coming.

WHEW! So that is what can be found! Like I said, this country is a gold mine for guys searching for hard to find favorite cigars or discontinueds. I was served very well and the prices are great, check the internet for details. Note - the webpages are out of date, so expect not to find everything you see online. AND THEY DON'T SHIP!

Andorra was a damn great time....and I can't wait to go back. However...next time someone else is driving!

Enjoy, Amigos!

[Cigarjunkie]

WOW

KILLER cigars and Killer story man. Thats all there to it, I'M GOING! hahaha

You have some items listed high on my want list and on my really wanna have list.

Maybe next year. hmmmmmm Roadtrip!!!!

I do have a box of the Andorra Por Larranaga underway. Yes ridiculously expensive, but I love this brand and had an instand crush on the carbon box/humidor.

nice nice nice.

Enjoy your purchases.

[cottierm]

Epic, simply epic! I'll dream about your story and your finds tonight, for sure!

Bravo!

Michel

[Trevor2118]

....and which way is Andorra again?

[BENN]

Thank you so much for sharing

[El Presidente]

Brilliant expose

A cigar lovers Nirvana!

Thank you for the detail Chris. It will be a staple in the Cigar Friendly Locations section

[laficion]

Anyway, this shop came recommended by Guy, although the person I was to ask for was not working that day...a shame. However....the sight of the walk-in Humidor was Jaw-Dropping .....my God, can you be serious?!?!!

Chris, sorry that you didn't get to meet Manolo, he's a great guy and really knows his cigars.

Yes, Andorra is really a one of a kind place and I hope that next time we will be able

to go together and have a closer look

[Squarehead]

Excellent report and a very nice haul.Are you sure your ship doesn't need a trailer to take it all home?

[OZCUBAN]

Well done Chris ,

Best read I have had in ages ,my vote for post of the year

Well written and a killer tale .Gets you salivating at the thought of wondering into these little "Alladins "caves

Keep up the good work ,and thanks for sharing

OZ (Steve)

[Smallclub]

What DIDN'T they have? There are a few notables!

H Upmann Amatistas - Sorry Guy! Nothing that I saw

You couldn't find it because the Amatistas is commercialized in Andorra (and some other countries) under an other name: Grand Corona.

Too bad you didn't find any Grandes de España, however don't regret, it's such a chore to check construction… last time I was there, the boxes I have found were crap (either underfilled or plugged cigars).

As for the RA 898, they're gone since looooong…

Congrats for the Privadas, that's THE find!

[khomeinist]

I will try to join on one of these trips. Who needs a mule anyway?

Thanks again my friend!

[AlohaStyle]

Great report and story brother, thanks for sharing! Makes me very jealous though as I really wanted something from a shop there a couple months ago, talked to them on the phone only to hear they can't export. I'm sure some people might have some hook ups, but for newbies, no luck!?!

[CBL]

Amazing read! This Cigar-Narnia seems like a dream, your story makes the average LCDH look like an airport duty free shop. Can't wait to see some pictures and hopefully you'll find time to write a review on some of the rarer sticks!

GREAT post!

[mazolaman]

Great read Chance, good for you!

I'm glad you decided to go. I also am fascinated by these strange little countries/principalities that seem only to exist for tax reasons....they're like dens of iniquity in the middle of nowhere.

We went some years ago, and the construction projects were beginnig then, as they realised the alps had less snow, so they could capitalise on the skiing. I can't think how much more construction they can do, as the country aint that big....

I wish I knew more about cigars when I visited, as I didn't really know what I was looking at....doh, but I did know it was a cigar mecca, time for a return visit.

The drive is pretty thrilling, I recall we actually drove through the clouds, and stopping at a parking place to look down on the clouds...

It's worth having a look round the Pyrenees, it's a beautiful, historic area.

Nice to read your post.

[Michel1968]

Pictures or it didn't happen!!! (remaining at his desk for a few minutes to cover up for any visual embarrassments)

[Nino]

Wow,

a highly detailed and vivid description of a great trip, Chris - thanks for sharing !!

The pillbox topped guys in green are the Guardia Civil, seriously-No-BS-guys.

Good to read my advice was OK.

I am happy you got to smoke in Spain and it must have been fun after all, let's hope the new govt. will repeal the smoking ban.

We are planning a trip to Andorra again for next spring, so your rich report will serve us as a guide ( and make us poor :-)).

Thank you again and safe sailing

Nino

[kjellfrick]

I'm afraid me and my pals bought the last Partagas Serie de Connaisseur and RA 898 when we were there last Easter!!

Good Read! Thank you!

[aavkk]

wow, great write and up and congrats on some amazing memories that you have invested in. You have some outstanding never to be found again smokes. The OSU 02 Party Lonsdales and sel privadas are gems. I would have had to make room for the 05 Tainos though, they are so good and getting very very hard to track down.

[Ginseng]

Thank you for sharing the account of your travels. As for the cigars in Andorra...

Ho. Lee. Cow. :surprised:

Wilkey

[dB69]

So, you had a trip to heaven, it seems. How does it feel to be back in the cold cruel world?

Congratulation of you GREAT acquisitions! Mmmmm...Partagas...

It would be very nice to see some photos of your new jewels.

[Puros Y Vino]

Epic post Chris.

[DblToro]

Chris, thanks for the prolific post and the very nice email reply. You are #1.

[CanuckSARTech]

W-O-W. Chris, you've gone above and beyond with all this, my friend. Those are some really amazing grabs. I only WISH that my buds were as patient with my cigar hunting as it appears that your compatriots were. Well done, by all.

I seriously hope to have a nice trip to Europe within another year or so, and want to plan for a specific cigar side-trip like this. Great to see all your detail shared.

Thanks so VERY much for sharing this with us all, Chris.

Well done, sir! Now get back to work!

[jedipastor]

Wow, epic trip and acquisitions! Congrats.

[ChanceSchmerr]

hey Guys,

Glad you enjoyed my tales of discovery and Amazement! I look at the stash I compiled in that place and still cannot believe that I found so many of these cigars, and of good quality too! If I had any regrets, it's that I could not fit in some of the ERDM Tainos or Boli Corona Extra 50 Cabs. But hey, you can't have everything, and the fun is in the chase, right?

I hear you about the idea that this selection kind of moots the point of going to Cuba....but I don't think it does. Look at it this way - Andorra you go to get cigars. Period. And maybe some hard-to-find Scotch. But Cuba......Cuba you go for the whole package. The people....Havana...the nightlife....the architecture......the climate.....the friendships you might make. Andorra is cool to visit, very unique....but I tell you, it's becoming very westernized, slick, I saw changes everywhere that already hide what appears to have been a sleepy, restful little mini-country.

Go to Cuba and you may have a breathtaking experience. Go to Andorra.....hey, I mean, I had a great time - I was with friends, but cigar hunting was half the purpose of my trip - and it was a blindingly successful venture. If you go to Cuba just to hunt for Cigars, you are missing so much more of what it can be and what you can experience there. By all means, go to Cuba and pick up cigars - but open yourself up to the country as a whole, and you will have yourself a real vacation.

heh....and I havn't even BEEN to Cuba yet!

I will be posting Pictures in late January.....I have gotten word that I am being sent home from my deployment early......I should be back home in BC in mid-late January now. I'll be finally able to upload pictures then!

Stay tuned, fellas! Thanks for readin'!!