Your favourite Cuban custom cigars

[HabanosLuva]

Found a few of these in the humidor. 

[Habana Mike]

On 12/9/2019 at 6:35 AM, nino said:

Understandable - she hasn't rolled for many years now....

Last April when we stopped in she was at the table rolling and I was able to coax her into a handful of sticks. @Corylax18 can corroborate.

[Doublesh0t]

On 11/9/2019 at 2:24 AM, alloy said:

I luv 'em all!

Club Havana Monsdale/ Alex Puntilla/ PAPO BHK 54/ HLP 54 

I sure wish there was a way to track down some older papos. Nothing like them! 

[Matt Holtz]

On 11/5/2019 at 10:36 AM, Fuzz said:

My favourites are La Puntilla, Alex's lonsdales and coronas, Reynaldo's petit coronas.

Hi @Fuzz is this at the Hotel Comodoro?

 

@Tstew75 Where does Papo roll?

 

On 11/9/2019 at 6:04 AM, Corylax18 said:

Prietos are a cut above the rest, I think. Smooth flavorful and well constructed. I describe them to people as smoking a stick of butter that's been rolled in dark brown sugar. Hector is a great guy too. 

Alex rolls a phenomenal stick as well. I've enjoyed every cigar I've gotten from him. Puntillas, Princes, Pyramides, double lanceros, all tasty and very well rolled. Alex is also a great guy. Humble, knowledgeable, and always has time for a chat. 

La Chine also rolls a mean cigar, but arthritis in her hands prevented her from rolling for a period. I believe she is back to rolling on a regular basis though, atleast she was in April when I was last in Havana. 

@Corylax18 Where does Prieto work?

 

On 11/9/2019 at 1:17 PM, Habana Mike said:

Taboada, Hamlet, Mons, La China, Reynaldo, Alex, HLP,  Jorge, Santos, Papos I've enjoyed along the way. First few are no longer with us, rolling much anymore or working on the island.

HLP, Alex and Reynaldo are what I'll be bringing back this year.

@Habana Mike do you know if these folks are still there? It sounds as though Alex & Reynaldo left recently, and Hamlet & Mons passed? HLP, Jorge, Santos and Papos... I'm not familiar with those folks. 

 

On 12/3/2019 at 1:18 AM, Astar20 said:

I have not had a bad custom roll yet, only had an Alex salomones (which was phenomenal), and Johnny-O custom which are some of my favorites. Really looking to get more into the custom rolled cigars. 

@Astar20 What are the Johnny-O customs / where can I find them?

 

On 12/3/2019 at 8:35 AM, HDGSN said:

I have been fortunate enough to try several vitolas from Reynaldo, Alex and Yolanda as well as some picked up at Nacional and a few Johnny-Os back in the day. All have been great. The most memorable have definitely been the Reynaldo Robustos and Yolanda “Dalitos”.

I’d love to try Prieto’s sticks at his Casa, actual Monsdales, the new Jorge Monsdales, and Alex’s Churchills and Double Lancero.

I’ll be a repeat buyer of anything Reynaldo or Alex.

@HDGSN do you know where Yolanda worked previously? I can't seem to find her these days.

[Corylax18]

2 hours ago, Matt Holtz said:

@Corylax18 Where does Prieto work?

At his farm, in San Juan y Martinez. HLP, Hector and Prieto are all the same guy. 

2 hours ago, Matt Holtz said:

do you know if these folks are still there? It sounds as though Alex & Reynaldo left recently, and Hamlet & Mons passed? HLP, Jorge, Santos and Papos... I'm not familiar with those folks. 

Hammy is very much still alive, he left Cuba a long time ago, blended for Rocky Patel for a number of years and is now working with Rob on the "Nudies" line of cigars and with some others on their own custom blends. They aren't Cuban, but the reviews are very good. 

[Matt Holtz]

5 hours ago, Corylax18 said:

At his farm, in San Juan y Martinez. HLP, Hector and Prieto are all the same guy. 

Hammy is very much still alive, he left Cuba a long time ago, blended for Rocky Patel for a number of years and is now working with Rob on the "Nudies" line of cigars and with some others on their own custom blends. They aren't Cuban, but the reviews are very good. 

@Corylax18 Thank you very much, Cory! I look forward to trying the Nudies. I'm just getting into custom-rolled cigars now because the prices for my favorite sticks are no longer within my budget. If you had to choose just one roller to visit while in Cuba, who would it be, and are his/her cigars comparable to the those at the higher end of the market (e.g. Siglo VI) in your opinion? 

[Corylax18]

8 hours ago, Matt Holtz said:

@Corylax18 Thank you very much, Cory! I look forward to trying the Nudies. I'm just getting into custom-rolled cigars now because the prices for my favorite sticks are no longer within my budget. If you had to choose just one roller to visit while in Cuba, who would it be, and are his/her cigars comparable to the those at the higher end of the market (e.g. Siglo VI) in your opinion? 

Hector Luis Prieto's are #1 for me. Easily. La Chine's would take 2nd place, but she's smart and has raised her prices along with HSA. I've never been a big Cohiba smoker, so I really don't have the experience with them to compare fairly. However, I used to smoke a lot of Trinidad's and I think good customs compare favorably to them. For what its worth, I shifted 75-90% of my cigar spend to customs around 2017, when I started travelling to Cuba regularly. I find the variety and value to be at least on par with what HSA provides. 

[Matt Holtz]

I was planning to visit La China on my next visit, but now you're making me think I ought to reconsider! Do you know if Hector's customs only available at his farm in Pinar del Rio, or can you find them in Havana as well? Thanks again for all of your help!  Matt

[Corylax18]

13 hours ago, Matt Holtz said:

I was planning to visit La China on my next visit, but now you're making me think I ought to reconsider! Do you know if Hector's customs only available at his farm in Pinar del Rio, or can you find them in Havana as well? Thanks again for all of your help!  Matt

The Partagas shop is a Great place to enjoy a smoke and a coffee, the staff is amazing. Stop by, try one or two of her cigars (there are often some pyramids and lanceros ready to go) even if you decide they are too expensive for a large purchase, it wont be a waste of a few hours. 

Generally, you have to go to the farm to get your hands on Hector's cigars. I have had them delivered to Havana once, but a couple of us where staying at his apartment in Havana and he was making the trip into town anyway. They aren't sold off the shelf at any of the LCDHs in town. 

[Matt Holtz]

@Corylax18 Thanks so much for sharing! I'll definitely be making a trip out to Pinar del Rio when I'm there next time, and I'll check out the farm. I think I found it on Google Maps as "Hector Luis Prieto Tobacco Plantation" unless I'm missing something.