Visiting Cuba

[Onsto]

First off, let me admit that this is not the 'perfect' trip to Cuba. We won't be hanging out at La Nacional and visiting all of the factories (much though I would like to); rather my wife wants a beach holiday and I pointed out that there are some lovely hotels with great facilities on the beachfront at Varadero - I've always been a fan of Iberostars' better resorts so we will probably book something like that. It mightn't be perfect, but its good enough for me (lying on the beach guzzling Mojitos won't suck either...).

We plan to go for a week in late March or early April (work commitments dictate), and I would like to pick up a reasonable stock (say 8-10 boxes) of cigars while I'm there. I understand the government shop in the Mall Des Americanas (forgive any spelling atrocities, don't speak Espagnol I'm afraid) is the best place to shop (although other / better suggestions welcome).

Main questions

1. What's the safest / most discrete way to get them home? I was thinking humi-bags, but have no experience with them...

2. What's a guideline price to expect? I will be buying; Monte 2, Diplo 4, CoRo, Party 898V and probably a few others that take my fancy (maybe some Siglo 6 and Trinidad Robusto T, undecided as yet). If anyone has recent experience with the pricing of these, it would be useful.

3. Any suggestions for stuff that's hard to get hold of outside of Cuba that's worth looking out for?

4. I know that I won't be buying boxes for $50 bucks and that the cigars they sell on the beach (Coheeba plastic tops) aren't going to be genuine - any other rookie errors that I should look out for?

Appreciate any responses / feedback anyone has.

[rckymtn22]

There is tons of info when using the search function but here is a link to a bunch of info. Click on the marty link near the bottom there is prices of cigars in Cuba on one of the pages.

Coming back to Canada you are allowed 50 cigars each. In the past I have just put them in the checked luggage. Now with the restrictions that might be the only option.

Enjoy your trip

[Onsto]

There is tons of info when using the search function but here is a link to a bunch of info. Click on the marty link near the bottom there is prices of cigars in Cuba on one of the pages.

Coming back to Canada you are allowed 50 cigars each. In the past I have just put them in the checked luggage. Now with the restrictions that might be the only option.

Enjoy your trip

Thanks -50 cigars each is nice - for 2 of us that equates to 4 boxes fully legally!

[Ken Gargett]

First off, let me admit that this is not the 'perfect' trip to Cuba. We won't be hanging out at La Nacional and visiting all of the factories (much though I would like to); rather my wife wants a beach holiday and I pointed out that there are some lovely hotels with great facilities on the beachfront at Varadero - I've always been a fan of Iberostars' better resorts so we will probably book something like that. It mightn't be perfect, but its good enough for me (lying on the beach guzzling Mojitos won't suck either...).

We plan to go for a week in late March or early April (work commitments dictate), and I would like to pick up a reasonable stock (say 8-10 boxes) of cigars while I'm there. I understand the government shop in the Mall Des Americanas (forgive any spelling atrocities, don't speak Espagnol I'm afraid) is the best place to shop (although other / better suggestions welcome).

Main questions

1. What's the safest / most discrete way to get them home? I was thinking humi-bags, but have no experience with them...

2. What's a guideline price to expect? I will be buying; Monte 2, Diplo 4, CoRo, Party 898V and probably a few others that take my fancy (maybe some Siglo 6 and Trinidad Robusto T, undecided as yet). If anyone has recent experience with the pricing of these, it would be useful.

3. Any suggestions for stuff that's hard to get hold of outside of Cuba that's worth looking out for?

4. I know that I won't be buying boxes for $50 bucks and that the cigars they sell on the beach (Coheeba plastic tops) aren't going to be genuine - any other rookie errors that I should look out for?

Appreciate any responses / feedback anyone has.

last time i was there, you could only take out five boxes plus an ever changing number of singles. have all your paperwork with you as they check baggage thoroughly and if you don't have it, you lose them. prices are normally a little better but these days you don't see too many great bargains.

you'll find it works the other way. there are quite a few cigars that simply are never made available in cuba that you can get offshore.

buy everything through the legit dealers there. you don't and you can end up smoking dog poo in banana leaves. no matter how sincere the waiter is that these are genuine as his cousin is a roller at the factory, he is lying.

[Onsto]

last time i was there, you could only take out five boxes plus an ever changing number of singles. have all your paperwork with you as they check baggage thoroughly and if you don't have it, you lose them. prices are normally a little better but these days you don't see too many great bargains.

you'll find it works the other way. there are quite a few cigars that simply are never made available in cuba that you can get offshore.

buy everything through the legit dealers there. you don't and you can end up smoking dog poo in banana leaves. no matter how sincere the waiter is that these are genuine as his cousin is a roller at the factory, he is lying.

Dog poo in banana leaves doesn't sound appealing - although someone gave me a Don Tomas maduro the other day that met that description pretty closely. I understand now why CA reviewers only smoke the first inch now - it was about as much as I could handle myself.

To your point though Ken, looking at the site suggested above there's actually very insignificant difference between the retail prices for Cuba and those offered by Czars (a little less but nothing noteworthy or substantial, frankly the difference is probably the postage cost to Canada) - something I find very comforting to be honest. Obviously the margin is in the wholesale / retail difference, but even so each box from Cigar Czar obviously represents a modest mark-up / profit when you factor in the carrying costs of a business. I'll have to buy a few boxes to bring back (criminal not to really) but will just keep it to duty free limits. The real fun will be seeing how many sticks I can smoke in one week of lying on the beach and not having any other distraction besides the books I have bought intending to read and subsequently ignored over the last year.

[bigfunkyg]

Thanks -50 cigars each is nice - for 2 of us that equates to 4 boxes fully legally!

Your allowed to bring back more that that, but you will pay punishing duties and massive taxes on anything about your allowance. I don't know about every province but think like 140% range.

G

[stargazer14]

I would agree with Ken and search out some smokes that you will not find outside of Cuba, those will be real gems.

Maybe not the best smoke you ever had, but you never know and you will never find out outside of Cuba.

MontrealRon brought back some local smokes and gifted me a couple - its enjoyable trying something that I will not be able to get from my Habanos dealer.