JR Cigar to be the USA Habanos primary retailer?

[forgop]

If Private Importation of Tobacco Products in the US works anything like Canada or Aus, you'll have to pay import duty on them once they arrive in the US

It would still be slightly cheaper than buying locally, but you'll still be at the mercy of the Tax Man

Only if they're "declared"

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

[polarbear]

Only if they're "declared"

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

From my experience, once our Annual 12.5% tax rises started to kick in, customs became a lot more diligent with checking incoming packages regardless of what they were declared as.

5 years ago I used to run at a 80% pass rate, these days its more like 15%

I imagine something similar will start to happen in the US

[Steens]

From my experience, once our Annual 12.5% tax rises started to kick in, customs became a lot more diligent with checking incoming packages regardless of what they were declared as.

5 years ago I used to run at a 80% pass rate, these days its more like 15%

I imagine something similar will start to happen in the US

x2

[msm1771]

I don't see how the embargo lasts more than three years max. The majority of Cubans down here don't even want it anymore.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Almost all the cubans i know down here (especially cigar smokers) hate cuba and especially hate cuban cigars. They are all about padron and say cuban cigars are awful value have no power and consistency blah blah blah

Sent from my 86" White Testarossa

[NSXCIGAR]

From my experience, once our Annual 12.5% tax rises started to kick in, customs became a lot more diligent with checking incoming packages regardless of what they were declared as.

5 years ago I used to run at a 80% pass rate, these days its more like 15%

I imagine something similar will start to happen in the US

Tobacco taxes wouldn't be any more or less for Cuban cigars than from anywhere else. NC cigars aren't particularly expensive in the US on average. I don't think Cuban cigars would be any more expensive than any other retailer located in a reasonably taxed area. Premium cigars are all imported from somewhere.

Also, the US is pretty hands-off when it comes to importing goods for personal use. If customs isn't confiscating illegal Cuban cigars now (that are often declared as "cigars") than I highly doubt there will be any problem when the embargo is lifted. I have never, ever heard of anyone I know getting tagged for import taxes for one or two boxes/cartons of cigars or cigarettes from anywhere in the world in the US.

Also, not sure why anyone is thinking JR Cigars is going to have anything to do with Habanos. No one is going to be forced to buy Habanos from JR Cigars. Sure, the few JR retail outlets may carry them on the shelf but they'll just be one of many retailers. This Tabacalera appears to simply be a management arm under which Altadis and JR will operate in the US, likely continuing what they're already doing. Habanos is still Habanos. I have no doubt Imperial/Habanos will seek to continue the model of exclusive regional distributorship and LCDH locations and having this home-grown Tabacalera group in place well before that time makes sense.

My thought is, why wait? They're exactly right to be positioning themselves for when the time comes. They don't want to be caught with their pants down and no distributor arrangement if, say, the embargo ended before Obama skips town (as unlikely as that may be.) You don't really think they would let some outside company handle 100% of the distribution of the world's biggest potential market if they didn't have to.

When big companies know they're going to need something done they either create a new company to do it or buy one that already does it.

[Lasabar]

From the beer fueled research I've done, in the US it depends on the state you are in on how much cigars will cost.

For example, Wisconsin taxes tobacco products and cigars at 71% of wholesale price or $0.50 per cigar, whichever is lower. So that means a box of 25 cigars is inherently $12.50 more expensive to import.

BUT, our neighbors to the West in Minnesota the tax is 95% of the wholesale price or $3.50 per cigar making the same box $42.00 more expensive.

This is just rough math and from other sources with minimal math done. I may not be 100% accurate but overall the cigars price can bite us in the ass depending on the state you live in.

[El Presidente]

From the beer fueled research I've done,

Best Type

[OZCUBAN]

From the beer fueled research I've done, in the US it depends on the state you are in on how much cigars will cost.

For example, Wisconsin taxes tobacco products and cigars at 71% of wholesale price or $0.50 per cigar, whichever is lower. So that means a box of 25 cigars is inherently $12.50 more expensive to import.

BUT, our neighbors to the West in Minnesota the tax is 95% of the wholesale price or $3.50 per cigar making the same box $42.00 more expensive.

This is just rough math and from other sources with minimal math done. I may not be 100% accurate but overall the cigars price can bite us in the ass depending on the state you live in.

Still luxury, $42.50 more a box I 'd jump on those sort of prices

[AlohaStyle]

More than likely there will only be 1 Habanos distributor in the US and this definitely looks like Altadis is trying to be that. I imagine they have a leg up and have already discussed with Cuba. But money and promises talk, who knows.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ryan]

I'll make a prediction. The embargo will be gone before the end of 2018.

[Duxnutz]

From my experience, once our Annual 12.5% tax rises started to kick in, customs became a lot more diligent with checking incoming packages regardless of what they were declared as.

5 years ago I used to run at a 80% pass rate, these days its more like 15%

I imagine something similar will start to happen in the US

By and large the U.S. isn't fanatical about ripping duty out of ordinary citizens through postal mail like Aus is. Also, tobacco taxation is taxed differently by the States vs at a Federal level here. The various States don't have the resources to open mail and tax you, there's just typically too much.

[anacostiakat]

There is a JR's in Washington, DC as well.

[CigSid]

Really doesn't matter to me either way... I am very happy with my "supplier"...

[Jah]

Interesting. Where do you think the first US based La Casa Del Habano would be?

The two Cigar Inns in Manhattan.

[GasGuy82]

Interesting question, what is the "franchise fee" for an LCDH?

[Elvis]

.

.

.

Also, the US is pretty hands-off when it comes to importing goods for personal use. If customs isn't confiscating illegal Cuban cigars now (that are often declared as "cigars") than I highly doubt there will be any problem when the embargo is lifted. I have never, ever heard of anyone I know getting tagged for import taxes for one or two boxes/cartons of cigars or cigarettes from anywhere in the world in the US..

.

.

U.S. Customs has a long history of seizing Cuban cigars. That hasn't changed, they just don't catch every shipment.

[Orion21]

If Cuba had a huge untapped source of oil or rare earth minerals I could see the embargo being lifted at anytime. However, since neither of those exist the lifting of the embargo won't occur until Fidel dies and the regime shows a willingness to move away from their anti-American communist rhetoric. The Obama administration is a very poor litmus test for true American foreign relations. Point being the deal they put together with the Iranians, which has very little domestic support, and probably won't last beyond his Presidency if it ever even gets implemented. The Obama agenda is not linked to public opinion or the will of the majority of Americans. Obama neither has the House or the Senate to propose and pass any legislation lifting the embargo. Additionally, even his use of Executive orders has limits - demonstrated by the 5th district court of appeals blocking his executive amnesty. To be honest, I don't think most Americans would really care if the embargo was lifted because Cuba is not a threat to the US. Politically, lifting the embargo means "forgiving" Cuba for allowing Russian nuclear weapons instillations to be built and manned less than 100 miles from Florida. I don't think anyone, but the most left-wing communist/socialist leaning politicans, want to attach their name to legislation forgiving that until those responsible (the Castro's) are gone.

P.S. I won't change my buying habits just because some group in the US will get distribution rights.

[KGM]

Will still buy outside the US. It'll still be cheaper than what our government will tax them.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

Don't really care about taxes. For me it's the service quality and knowing someone personally reviewed the quality before selling to me. If an LCDH were to open in my city, I'm guessing I'd probably split purchases. No intention of buying online from a vendor like JR.

[CigSid]

Don't really care about taxes. For me it's the service quality and knowing someone personally reviewed the quality before selling to me. If an LCDH were to open in my city, I'm guessing I'd probably split purchases. No intention of buying online from a vendor like JR.

I agree with this except for splitting my purchases... I have not had great luck buying from LCDH's... It is usually their limited supplies of what I want, and the quality of what I find. I have found "some" great boxes, but most (almost all) of the time not so good... Before I found FOH, it was a crap shoot online... It was a blessing I found this place.

[forgop]

U.S. Customs has a long history of seizing Cuban cigars. That hasn't changed, they just don't catch every shipment.

Do they even seize 1% of all CC shipments to the US? I highly doubt it. It's another government bureaucracy that just oozes ineptitude and inefficiency like every other US government agency we pay for.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

[MPS]

If Cuba had a huge untapped source of oil or rare earth minerals I could see the embargo being lifted at anytime. However, since neither of those exist the lifting of the embargo won't occur until Fidel dies and the regime shows a willingness to move away from their anti-American communist rhetoric. The Obama administration is a very poor litmus test for true American foreign relations. Point being the deal they put together with the Iranians, which has very little domestic support, and probably won't last beyond his Presidency if it ever even gets implemented. The Obama agenda is not linked to public opinion or the will of the majority of Americans. Obama neither has the House or the Senate to propose and pass any legislation lifting the embargo. Additionally, even his use of Executive orders has limits - demonstrated by the 5th district court of appeals blocking his executive amnesty. To be honest, I don't think most Americans would really care if the embargo was lifted because Cuba is not a threat to the US. Politically, lifting the embargo means "forgiving" Cuba for allowing Russian nuclear weapons instillations to be built and manned less than 100 miles from Florida. I don't think anyone, but the most left-wing communist/socialist leaning politicans, want to attach their name to legislation forgiving that until those responsible (the Castro's) are gone.

P.S. I won't change my buying habits just because some group in the US will get distribution rights.

You do know a Republican actually sponsored a bill to end the embargo right?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/07/27/gop-house-member-files-bill-end-us-embargo-cuba/30736855/

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MPS]

Do they even seize 1% of all CC shipments to the US? I highly doubt it. It's another government bureaucracy that just oozes ineptitude and inefficiency like every other US government agency we pay for.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

I thank them for their ineptitude!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KGM]

I agree with this except for splitting my purchases... I have not had great luck buying from LCDH's... It is usually their limited supplies of what I want, and the quality of what I find. I have found "some" great boxes, but most (almost all) of the time not so good... Before I found FOH, it was a crap shoot online... It was a blessing I found this place.

I have not had the opportunity to visit an LCDH before, so for me it would most be about the experience. That and walking in to pick up singles to sample. Chance to browse and meet others. Box purchases will likely still be made here unless something strikes my fancy while browsing.

Although I'm getting way ahead of myself, as I doubt I'll see an LCDH in my city in the next decade.

[forgop]

I thank them for their ineptitude!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not complaining about missing my packages either, but you can be certain that we'll still far much better buying from our host with the 1% or less risk of seizure than paying the price for CC's here.

Just like the TSA, they have all the responsibilities in the world with no idea of what the heck they're looking for.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

[MPS]

Not complaining about missing my packages either, but you can be certain that we'll still far much better buying from our host with the 1% or less risk of seizure than paying the price for CC's here.

Just like the TSA, they have all the responsibilities in the world with no idea of what the heck they're looking for.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

I would much rather it be legal, pay more and have no embargo. I want my local to stock Havanas, my trips to Havana easier, rollers on site to roll fresh custom rolls etc.

In the meantime I cheer on their inefficiency.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk