Cuban Cigars

[wilfking]

We are leaving next week on a B2B on the Mariner doing the East & Western. My question is where is the best place to purchase Cuban cigars for a friend in the UK. As a non-smoker any advice regarding quality etc will be appreciated.

[jwlane]

best place to purchase Cuban cigars

Not sure it matters. Since they can't legally be brought into the US, there could be problems in getting them thru/to/thru customs.

[MrsBoo]

jwlane is correct - they can't legally even pass through the U.S. The safest way would be to have the store ship them directly to your friend.

[funforsun]

Buy them in the UK, they are legal there and you don't have the shipping. BTW, Cuban cigars are overrated as has been discussed in Cigar Afficionado several times. A good Dominican can be superior. JMHO.

[neverest]

All embargo-related issues aside, I've had good luck picking them up in St. Maarten although I couldn't speak for the western Caribbean ports as I've never been (but in a day I will be! :D ). St. Maarten has a lot of shops in downtown Phillipsburg that carry Cubans. I've been told by a salesperson that more often than not, the ones priced significantly cheaper than the other stores tend to be fake. In order to be sure, you can check the store if it has a "Habanos" sign out front.

 

I don't smoke cigars so I couldn't comment on the quality, but I do recall picking up a box of 5 individually wrapped Cohiba Siglo V for 60 dollars. The person I gave it to apparently enjoyed them immensely.

[rokcop]

I have purchase cuban "Cohiba" cigars and been able to sneak a handful back in luggage. Found prices in St Maarten the best. If you purchase a large box or more, you can ask the clerk to remove the labels and have the cigars put in a dominican or jamaican cigar box to avoid any problems. You can also do the same to have them shipped to USA or as previous poster suggested shipped directly to your friend.

[wilfking]

Many thanks for the helpful adice, I know that whatever questions one has you can be sure some kind person will be there with the answer.

[wilfking]

Many thanks for the helpful advice, I know that whatever questions one has you can be sure some kind person will be there with the answer.

[Jae748]

Not sure if the hurricane dammaged it but every time i am in Cozumel I go to the Havana club. I found them to be a reputable company and even though they are not the cheapest I feel they are selling a genuine product. It is a bit of a walk from the terminal (about 12 blocks from carlos and charlies) but to me the walk is worth it. They will package them for entry into the US for no charge if you are interested (remove labels and a reciept for mexican made cigars). Hope this helps.

[hermang]

It is called La Casa de Habana - I believe they have a store in one of the other islands as well.

 

St.Thomas may also be another place as well as St. Maarten.

 

I enjoy a good cigar and while I am not an expert by any means a Dominican Cohiba is as good as it gets. I really cant tel the difference between it an a Cuban Cohiba

 

As an other poster mentioned Cubans are overrated.

[Jae748]

You will not be able to purchace any in St. Thomas (US island). I agree most Cubans are overrated bit in my honest opinion the higher end cubans (cohiba, romeo y julieta) are much more enjoyable.

[Jae748]

....

[Palla]

We have been to St. Marteen twice and purchased cubans both times. In fact, last year we brought back 3 boxes. We always take taxi over to the French side of the island where there is a wonderful shopping area (have lunch on the dock area...wonderful). There are quite a few cigar shops in this area as well as a Davidoff shop (no cubans). I'm sorry, I can't remember the names of the shops. My hub. has ordered several boxes of cubans on-line from one of the shops and received in mint condition.

[TheWog]

Grand Cayman had a place called Churchhill's that had them there and they seemed to be very good quality.

[cmason]

Cuban cigars are very expensive in the UK, so I can understand your friend asking this of you. Unfortunately, cuban cigars are often counterfeited, perfect for selling to unsuspecting American tourists. I have found that the Caribbean is not cheaper than elsewhere (espcially Europe), but is cheaper than UK. No matter where you go, please try your best to avoid the fakes. The best way is to purchase from a dealer that displays a sticker like this:

 

 

This is the official Habanos SA (cuban cigar "company") franchise sticker, and it helps to assure you that the store is reputable regarding sell ing cubans. While not all stores that sell cubans have this sticker, the ones you can trust do. This doesn't protect you from unscrupulous dealers of course, but it is a good indication vs a dealer that does not display the sticker.

 

Here is a list of stores for the Caribbean: http://www.lacasadelhabano.cu/imprimir_i.asp?z=2&p=&c=

[atlcple2]

We actually picked up a few cubans in St. Martin in September and brought them back home with us. We took them out of the cigar tubes and put them in separate bags just in case. We have done it once before as well. You won't have any problems. I don't think cuban cigars are what they are looking for. lol I will most likely do it again the next trip as we gave them out to people and they liked them. They weren't terribly expensive. There is a cigar ship in the shopping area in St. Martin that carries them. Good luck!