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OT- Cuban Cigars -OT

Beachbum28
Beachbum28 Posts: 50
in Off Topic
so I have a family member going to Cuba and I'm wondering what the price of Cubans(Cohibas) is down there for a case. Does anyone have recommendations on where to buy them? I'm looking to spend around $200 more if necessary. I'm also interested in Cuban rum any recommendations
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Comments

  • paqman
    paqman Posts: 4,815
    Cohibas will cost you more than 200$ for a box.  I am sure many will chime in and recommend that you buy from the “back of the factory door” but I guarantee you that they are fake.  “Towel guys” in the resorts can most likely get you the fake ones for ~40$ a box.  That being said, chances are that many places will try to sell you fake ones for wat more than that (200$ is not unlikely).  My recommendation if you want the real stuff is to purchase from hotel gift shop, casa del Habano stores in major towns or from the airport.  A good indication that you are purchasing real ones is that they may ask for your passport.

    For rum my preferences are:
    Vigia 18 años
    Havana Club Seleccion de Maestros
    Santiago de Cuba 12 años

    The rima mentioned above are in the 50-60$ range if I remember correctly.  Vigia is somewhat difficult to find.  You can also find bottles that are much cheaper than that but you can really taste the difference.  I don’t drink a lot but when I drink, I prefer the good stuff.

    ____________________
    Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage. •Niccolo Machiavelli
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  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,972
    FWIW, I’m not a cigar guy but I remember an avid collector told me a while back that Cubans were living off of a legacy. The soil conditions have deteriorated over the years due to overfarming and poor soil conservation efforts. The cigars aren’t of the same quality as 30-40 years ago.  
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  • GrateEggspectations
    GrateEggspectations Posts: 9,978
    edited November 2017
    DoubleEgger said:
    FWIW, I’m not a cigar guy but I remember an avid collector told me a while back that Cubans were living off of a legacy. The soil conditions have deteriorated over the years due to overfarming and poor soil conservation efforts. The cigars aren’t of the same quality as 30-40 years ago.  
    Can't speak to the quality of Cubans 30-40 years ago, but I will say that a lot of the stuff coming out of Nicaragua is dynamite right now. Just stocked my humidor with quite a variety (including Cubans)...
    The Oliva V Melanio Gran Reserva Limitada (hiding on the left) are a great example of Nicaraguans that are absolutely crushing the competition. 
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  • Killit_and_Grillit
    Killit_and_Grillit Posts: 4,326
    I would have them get a few for nostalgias sake at the gift shop as pacman said. (Or you will end up with god knows what.) A little conversation piece in your humidor. 

    But as has been said, they are just kinda “ehh”.

    Their hype has largely been around the allure of not being able to get them.

    spend the $$$ on the rum. 

    "Brought to you by bourbon, bacon, and a series of questionable life decisions."

    South of Nashville, TN

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  • Chicklet
    Chicklet Posts: 205
    Don't mean to hijack but I'm thinking of getting my husband a small humidor for Christmas.  Anyone have any suggestions on a good one and where to get it?  I see a ton on Amazon but that's overwhelming.  We have a cigar shop way across town but I don't really know what to look for.
    Eat, drink and be merry

    Huntsville, AL ~ LBGE noob
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  • stompbox
    stompbox Posts: 729
    DoubleEgger said:
    FWIW, I’m not a cigar guy but I remember an avid collector told me a while back that Cubans were living off of a legacy. The soil conditions have deteriorated over the years due to overfarming and poor soil conservation efforts. The cigars aren’t of the same quality as 30-40 years ago.  
    I am not sure about Cuban cigars not being as good, but I know other locations are making killer sticks now that rival or better the Cuban ones.   I think the others just stepped up rather than Cubans getting worse.
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  • stevez
    stevez Posts: 129
    Chicklet said:
    Don't mean to hijack but I'm thinking of getting my husband a small humidor for Christmas.  Anyone have any suggestions on a good one and where to get it?  I see a ton on Amazon but that's overwhelming.  We have a cigar shop way across town but I don't really know what to look for.

    Cigar shops are going to be very high but a lot of the great online retailers sell good humidors.  Like anything you can spend a little or a lot.  My wife bought me a glass top desk humidor through someone on Etsy.  She can't remember who but is engraved with my initials.  Really nice and I think she paid $75.  You can also check Cigar.com, Famouscigars, Cigars International online as they have a full range usually.  
    Steve

    X/L BGE

    Louisville, Kentucky
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  • GrateEggspectations
    GrateEggspectations Posts: 9,978
    Chicklet said:
    Don't mean to hijack but I'm thinking of getting my husband a small humidor for Christmas.  Anyone have any suggestions on a good one and where to get it?  I see a ton on Amazon but that's overwhelming.  We have a cigar shop way across town but I don't really know what to look for.
    Look for an interior lined with Spanish cedar (almost all are) and that the joints/seal looks solid and fit snugly. While you mention "small", I'd recommend going larger than you think. They fill up quickly, and it's better to have extra space than not enough. A few nice touches to consider: (i) hygrometer on the outside (allowing him to keep an eye on humidity without opening it), and (ii) "glass" top (a see through top allows him to admire his collection without opening it - i.e., letting the humid air escape).

    I would suggest you go to the local shop and ask them to make a recommendation. 
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  • Killit_and_Grillit
    Killit_and_Grillit Posts: 4,326
    @Chicklet

    https://www.cigarsinternational.com/mobile/ (No affiliation but bought a ton of sticks and my humidor from them). They have a sale going on this weekend. 

    Get at minimum a 50 (I have a 150...they are being generous). Just remember they are always shinier in real life. (Don’t go too flashy it may look tacky

    Also get him a few sampler packs. That CAO pack is a good starter one. And check YouTube to season it. Very important. 

    "Brought to you by bourbon, bacon, and a series of questionable life decisions."

    South of Nashville, TN

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  • Chicklet
    Chicklet Posts: 205
    edited November 2017
    Thanks so much @Killit_and_Grillit and @GrateEggspectations and @stevez !  This is great info.  I know nothing about cigars except that we love to grill and chill this time of the year.  
    I did buy him a nice sampler pack at that cigar store last month to celebrate his promotion.  He said it was a nice set for the price and gave me permission to buy them for him again.  I'll have to ask what they were.  What do I know?  
    I'll look into the CAO packs.  
    Thanks again! 


    Eat, drink and be merry

    Huntsville, AL ~ LBGE noob
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  • RockyTopDW
    RockyTopDW Posts: 338
    I will second Grate's comment about Nicaraguan cigars. A bunch of quality sticks coming from there.  
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  • CoMoBGE
    CoMoBGE Posts: 374
    @Beachbum28 getting Cuban cigars is a novel within itself. If the person going to Cuba doesn’t know anything about cigars you are better off ordering them online and taking the percentages that they won’t get intercepted by the USPS. Agree with earlier posts about how there are cigars that are as good and even better than the current Cubans. You need to know stamp codes to buy the best Cubans and that goes at a premium. Have used some overseas sources and have always gotten my shipments of Cubans. At the same time you need to age the Cubans for 6 months. 
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  • CoMoBGE
    CoMoBGE Posts: 374
    @Chicklet Buy a humidor online. You can pm me to get more specific but, you will get a lot less for the money at a local store. Find out if he likes Maduro or Natural wrappers. That will let you know what type of sampler to buy. 
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  • GrateEggspectations
    GrateEggspectations Posts: 9,978
    There are lot of resources online for people selecting humidors - many of which detail the best and worst of those avalaible on Amazon.com. You could always give those a look and let us know if you have further questions.

    As far as buying him more cigars, I would suggest that you may want to get a sense of the flavour profile he enjoys - for starters, mild, medium or full - and go from there. 
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