Custom Cigars - anyone well off enough to have their own made?

[Ghabanos]

I once met a person who had his own custom cigars rolled from cuba.

can this be done? I mean I know retailers do it for customers, but does anybody actually have their own rolled, with its own blend? or do you know of someone that does? what is the story? how do I get it done?

share share share....

[tmac77]

Other than retailers that have cuban rollers demonstrating their wares you pretty much have to go to cuba to get this done.

[rckymtn22]

All I would think it would take is money. Probably the best person to start with is Rob, he should be able to point you in the right way.

[Ryan]

Go to Cuba. Buy some cigars that have been rolled in store, tell people they were rolled to your request.

You wanted more "leather" than "cedar". Slightly more ligero, less seco. Whatever.

You won't find anyone who could prove otherwise.

Does anybody know anyone, really, who could blend cigars better than those in-store rollers who are already doing it?

I'm not trying to be smart, just asking.

Is there a specific type/blend of cigar you would like to have rolled that doesn't exist?

How would you know it was what you requested if a roller handed you one?

[Colt45]

Does anybody know anyone, really, who could blend cigars better than those in-store rollers who are already doing it?

I'm not trying to be smart, just asking.

Thinking about the cigars commissioned by David Tang, I'm assuming he had some say in the blending, or if you will, the taste of the final product. I'd imagine that he was able to try a number of samples before giving the OK for production.

Though his avenue might be a little different, Rob has done the same with his Czar customs. I imagine someone willing and able to pay for a similar commission could do the same?

[Ryan]

Those Tang Upmanns are interesting. I have no reason to doubt they were a different blend nor have I any reason to doubt they are very good and all well rolled.

Has anybody done a blind triangle test with a similarly aged regular monarch (for example) to see if they could pick it out? I'd love to know.

Has David Tang ever explained why he wanted his commissioned Upmanns? Are they a different blend? Besides, if it is a H Upmann Monarch with a different blend, is it still a H Upmann Monarch?

[Canadahamlet]

I buy pretty well only "custom" rolled cigars from Havana. Have been doing this since 2006. The term custom is a bit of a misnommer for many, I do not vary the blend of cigars from Club Havana, so they are not really custom cigars. I worked with one roller in particular to create a truly custom cigar. The custom part is in the blend and vitola I want. The way it works is simple, you taste three different blends from the roller, a mild, medium and strong blend. I settled on something between medium and strong. The roller is a master at replicating this blend for me year in and year out. You do not ask for it to taste like a behike. You work off the strength of the cigar for customisation.

I also do not smoke only my blend, that would become boring. But my blend is the one I smoke the most.

These cigars can only be carried out of Cuba. They cannot be mailed or couried and are subject to a limit of 22 or 23 cigars per person. I have friends that bring back 50 at a time and have not had a problem with the cuban export rule stopping them, 25 carry on and 25 checked.

Ryan is right about the rollers being master blenders, they reproduce more or less the same tasye year in and year out. They truly understand the strength of the tobacco. Factory rollers have not been taught the art of blending.

[Ryan]

Sorry, if I'm sounding argumentative on this, I don't mean to be, but I'm just wondering what we're chasing.

Are we looking for cigars that are good, that is, blended by people doing it for years, using techniques that go back centuries?

Or are we looking for cigars no-one else has?

[Colt45]

Those Tang Upmanns are interesting.......

Andy, I agree with you - it's doubtful anybody is going to reinvent the wheel, so to speak. But if one had the wherewithal to commission the requisite number of cigars, I imagine that there would be a little room to tweak an existing blend to personal preference.

If I wanted Hoyo Churchills that were slightly less woody, and just a touch richer, could afford to foot the bill, and Habanos agreed to produce them, I'd have my custom, or personal cigars.

Could they still be considered Hoyo Churchills - perhaps not.

[Ryan]

You're right. Of course it would be nice to get cigars made 'just right' for personal preference.

I wonder 'what then' though? What's next.

I like trying cigars other people like. This year I'm not going to the Partagas festival. A friend of mine who's going asked if I'd like cigars from Cuba. I don't need any but I asked him if he smokes one cigar this week that he really enjoys, if it's not rare or expensive and if he has space, to bring me one back. That's what I enjoy, sharing the experience.

[mk05]

These cigars can only be carried out of Cuba. They cannot be mailed or couried and are subject to a limit of 22 or 23 cigars per person. I have friends that bring back 50 at a time and have not had a problem with the cuban export rule stopping them, 25 carry on and 25 checked.

I don't think that's true...

As for the Tangs, I have only heard stories re "commission."

[Smallclub]

I don't think that's true...

That's true unfortunately. 23/person.

[mk05]

That's true unfortunately. 23/person.

PM Sent

[Ghabanos]

interesting responses. I guess not necessary to be well off, but that we my experience that it happened to be such a person (filthy rich) that had his own "brand"....

but what I was getting at is not that I order some from a roller, but rather, like rob, go and select my own blend and employ a roller to roll my own customs.... and let say have that replicated every year..... like my own brand... but in smaller quantities I guess.

[tmac77]

That's true unfortunately. 23/person.

The limit that a Canadian traveler can bring back from cuba without duty is 50 cigars per person. No idea where the 23 came from.

[Canadahamlet]

The limit that a Canadian traveler can bring back from cuba without duty is 50 cigars per person. No idea where the 23 came from.

The 23 limit has been around forever. It is a cuban legal limit, an export rule, on exporting cigars without an official receipt. Official receipts are only given for production cigars bought at authorized shops. So you have your Canadian rule for importing and a Cuban rule for exporting.

[Ryan]

That limit of 23 has changed, it has been all over the place.

Somebody posted a link to the Cuban Aduanas page here before I think.

Here are the current limits leaving Cuba as I understand them.

Up to 23 loose, unboxed cigars with no receipt. This limit was reduced from 50 about 3 years ago.

and/or

2 sealed boxes of cigars with proper habanos markings/stamps with no receipt required.

and/or

All the boxes you want with full receipt ("La Factura de Venta" with passport number on it)

That's the official rule for getting them out of Cuba.

As for getting cigars into your home country.

Most countries have a 50 cigar limit without duty having to be paid.

In Ireland, over 50 and there's about €330 per kilo inc. VAT Customs duty to be paid. That weight is excluding all packaging.

A large wet cigar is about 20g. So for example if I return home with 8 kilos of cigars, that's 1 kilo free (my first 50 at 20g each). Then I have to pay 7 * €330 = €2,310 duty/VAT

The UK has similar rates.

Other european countries have much cheaper rates. Some have a standard small tax per cigar regardless of weight, it works out very cheap, especially for larger cigars. A case where size doesn't matter.

Some countries have another very low tax or no tax for "ethnic handicraft", so if you can brave it out and argue with the customs official that that's what your "custom roll cigars" are, well good for you.

[cottierm]

Does anyone know how much Canadian customs are charging per cigar/cigar box over the limit?

Thanks in advance,

Michel

[rckymtn22]

Not sure what the rates are, I think it depends on which province you enter through or the package is being shipped to.

[mk05]

Wow, at those rates, totally not worth bringing back anything. But if I had my own green or red banded cigars, then I wouldn't even care.

[Canadahamlet]

Does anyone know how much Canadian customs are charging per cigar/cigar box over the limit?

Thanks in advance,

Michel

Approx 200%, depends on province.

[LLC]

Does anyone know how much Canadian customs are charging per cigar/cigar box over the limit?

Thanks in advance,

Michel

Found out first hand last year. On $90 of declared value for the cigars that were over my limit of 50 sticks it would have been $120. Luckily the told me to gave a nice day and let me go without paying.

[polarbear]

In Australia you get a duty free allowance of 50g of tobacco and then anything over that is taxed at $417 per kilogram plus another 10% of the declared value (GST)

[shiva13]

That limit of 23 has changed, it has been all over the place.

Somebody posted a link to the Cuban Aduanas page here before I think.

Here are the current limits leaving Cuba as I understand them.

Up to 23 loose, unboxed cigars with no receipt. This limit was reduced from 50 about 3 years ago.

and/or

2 sealed boxes of cigars with proper habanos markings/stamps with no receipt required.

and/or

All the boxes you want with full receipt ("La Factura de Venta" with passport number on it)

That's the official rule for getting them out of Cuba.

As for getting cigars into your home country.

Most countries have a 50 cigar limit without duty having to be paid.

In Ireland, over 50 and there's about €330 per kilo inc. VAT Customs duty to be paid. That weight is excluding all packaging.

A large wet cigar is about 20g. So for example if I return home with 8 kilos of cigars, that's 1 kilo free (my first 50 at 20g each). Then I have to pay 7 * €330 = €2,310 duty/VAT

The UK has similar rates.

Other european countries have much cheaper rates. Some have a standard small tax per cigar regardless of weight, it works out very cheap, especially for larger cigars. A case where size doesn't matter.

Some countries have another very low tax or no tax for "ethnic handicraft", so if you can brave it out and argue with the customs official that that's what your "custom roll cigars" are, well good for you.

Do these rules apply to cigars posted to Ireland also?

From Rob for example.

IE 50 sticks = no duty.

[Ryan]

Do these rules apply to cigars posted to Ireland also?

From Rob for example.

IE 50 sticks = no duty.

No. There is no duty free allowance for tobacco or alcohol sent by post, either from outside the EU or within.

Cigars must be 'on the person'.