I'm headed to Rio de Janiero in July. Are there any good, reputable shops that sell authentic Cubans? What about other top cigars?

Much appreciated...

are you gonna eat or drink these cubans?

charloods.......in his defense, he will be traveling which is also what this section is for, but.......how about introducing yourself first supermacxx to the forum. You will get more help by being a contributing member......especially when inquiring about cuban cigars on your first post......

i was only breakin chops anyway.....it was done to me when i was a newbie, and i made plenty of mistakes. so welcome supermacxx..... dont be offended.

Yes, you definitely can authentic Cubans in Rio...I was there over New Years....there is a La Casa del Habano in the Centro section of town (just beyond Botafogo)...there is another excellent shop/lounge owned by Edgar Esch (he also owns the LCDH mentioned above) in the Leblon section of town called Esch Cafe. It's not really considered a LCDH since he sells some local Brazilian cigar brands alongside a decent selection of Cuban Cigars. Esch Cafe has full bar service, live music on weekends, and offers excellent food at very reasonable prices. When I was there last, there was a roller from the Partagas factory working at the shop. Leblon is one of the most upscale sections of Rio and is only 5-10 minutes from Ipanema and +/- 15 minutes (by cab) from Copacabana. You can find out more about this shop/lounge by doing a search for Esch Cafe on the web.

Give us some feedback on the Brazilian cigars you try!

Found Esch Cafe web site....hope the "experts" on this site don't flame me for recommending this place:

http://www.eschcasadelhabano.com.br

Thanks all for your wit/humor and information. I greatly appreciate it! Yes I'm a newbie on this forum and probably should have read the rules to at least have gotten a sense of the etiquette and protocol. So thank you for admonishing me.

I've been smoking cigars for 4 years now and thoroughly love the Cubans...robustos in particular. In my travels abroad, I make it a point to seek out cigar shops...you should see me, I'm like a kid in a candy shop! I recently went on a cruise and found some great bargains...especially in Nassau, Bahamas.

I hope to be able to help and contribute...and if I'm going down the wrong path, I don't mind an admonishment.

Regards,

supermacxx

well let us know what you pick up...

Make sure to check out Mistra Fina in Leblon as well, and listen to Roycigar, he knows his shyte on Rio.

O Man:

Good to hear from you...I definitely need to go back again...Mistura Fina is excellent--great restaurant, view, and music to go with a cigar friendly atmosphere and a humidor where you can purchase cigars if you forget to bring your own--how could I forget.