1LegLance Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 I don't mean to be a Debby Downer but I gotta say the Havana cigar factory tours are not worth the money any more. My son and I just got back from a week in Havana and granted it has been 7yrs since my last trip but the same $10cuc tour is just not worth the money these days. We went through the new La Corona, the new Partagas & the Romeo factory and it was the same in each...you only get to see into the rolling gallery and a short talk about the rest of the process. In the past you got to see it all and that really helped to understand the process and how & why your cigars might have the variance they do. At all three factories were told it had to do with the Habanos SA vs Tabacuba split and A/C and security and all this other stuff. Basically it amounts to wasted money to me. I admit I miss being able to drop some money on a rollers bench and grab a fresh stick, I could live without that. It was the color sorting, boxing, bulk leaf stacks and all that I wanted my son to see in person. Now a video is just as good. I will try to get a full trip report up soon but wanted to at least post my thoughts on the tours and see what others think.
Hunter1974 Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 Been dreaming of doing this Thanks for the info. Lance .
Popular Post Ryan Posted April 4, 2015 Popular Post Posted April 4, 2015 Sorry to hear you had a bad experience but I don't know, 10 cucs? Personally I'd pay that just to smell the inside of a factory. But that's just me. 5
JWPlatinum Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 I look forward to reading about your trip experience and seeing some pics of the "inner workings"!
... Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 Visited the new Partagas factory last Monday in Havana and confirm. While nice to actually be there, we were not shown much.
laficion Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 Personally I'd pay that just to smell the inside of a factory. But that's just me. Your're not the only one bro. Guy
El Presidente Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 To bad... They just want money i guess:) Not really. They just want to cut down on the rampant theft. When someone plonks down and does a deal to purchase 20 freshies from the factory, it was common practice. Multiply that by 40 people doing the same thing in an hour (busy period). Multiply that by say 4 hours. Close enough to 3200 cigars stolen per day. They haven't got it right with the new rules. It is way too "plastique". Still, if it was your business being stolen from, you would do something drastic as well. 4
topdiesel Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 Now Ryan just needs to get into all of the factories with his go cam. I would be happy with that. Of course he would probably end up in some dank Cuban prison.
Puros Y Vino Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 To what the Prez said regarding theft. I recall walking through El Laguito several years back rather freely. Once the tour guide was out of sight, you'd hear a whistle or kiss sound from a roller who'd be holding up a fresh, unbanded bundle of 25 BHK56's and whisper "Senor, 75CUC". A year later, my tour to La Corona was book-ended by a tour guide and a security guard to ensure no shenanigans on either parties' part. The tour was excellent though. We went from top to bottom, were able to take photos, got our hats stamped with the current box code too. 1
riazp Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 To what the Prez said regarding theft. I recall walking through El Laguito several years back rather freely. Once the tour guide was out of sight, you'd hear a whistle or kiss sound from a roller who'd be holding up a fresh, unbanded bundle of 25 BHK56's and whisper "Senor, 75CUC". A year later, my tour to La Corona was book-ended by a tour guide and a security guard to ensure no shenanigans on either parties' part. The tour was excellent though. We went from top to bottom, were able to take photos, got our hats stamped with the current box code too. Yeah that was a fun tour. it was nice to see every stage from rolling all the way to them making the boxes and packaging the cigars. Rob is right regarding to theft. I think they had to put measures in place. 1
Bartolomeo Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 Sorry to hear you had a bad experience but I don't know, 10 cucs? Personally I'd pay that just to smell the inside of a factory. But that's just me. Ditto Andy Lance, look forward to your report 1
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