A coworker of mine is heading down to Varadero, Cuba next week. She said she will bring back a box of cigars to Canada for me.

I have a small collection of Habanos in my humidor. I have some H. Upmann Coronas Major Tubos, Romeo Y Julieta No.2 De Luxe Tubos, Montecristo No. 3s, Cohiba Siglo Vs, Cohiba Esplendidos and Bolivar Tubos No. 1s.

My question is, What would be a good cigar that "should" be readily available in most cigar shops in the hotels that would be a good addition to my collection. I'm looking for something quite different to what I already have. (Not too strong though)

I know she is taking a chance by purchasing the cigars at the hotel instead of a LCDH store but she is doing me a favour and I really don't want to ask her to make any special trips for me just to hunt down my cigars.

I was thinking along the lines of a Partagas or a Hoyo Monterrey. Does this sound right to you?

Any specific brands or any other help would be appreciated.

BTW how do yo pronounce Partagas. Does the "g" sound like gas or like gene?

Depending on what resort your friend is staying at, she may be very close to a good shop anyway. The only inconvenience would be having to take her passport with her to the shop. There is a decent store on calle 31 or the plaza de americas mall. Partagas Serie D #4 should be easy to get in Varadero and should cost around 142 cuc.

Hey, thanks JWeb!.

Yes I remember seeing the Partagas factory in Havana years ago and have always wanted to try their brand.

Thanks again!

Don't buy in the hotels; don't buy singles ANYWHERE; don't buy 3 and 5 packs ANYWHERE. If you want to be certain of the product you are buying, buy only boxes from factory authorized stores with the factory invoices and receipts. Any other types of purchases in any other context (hotel, specialty store, anything) in Cuba...and I mean anything...you are taking a huge risk.

I concur with the Plaza de America mall. There is a very good cigar store there. I bought a couple of boxes there when I was there a couple of months ago. She will want to go to that mall anyways because it is the only real tourist shopping around.
If she goes on a tour of a cigar factory they will take the tourists to a reputable store where they can buy cigars,rum and coffee. Tell not to buy any boxes of cigars that don't have a hologram on it.
If she isn't buying cigars for herself I would be asking her to max out what she can buy for YOU! If you don't you will be kicking yourself. A box of Monte Christo torpedo #2's are about $190 USD, that's about $8 per cigar.... in Canada they are about $25-30 per cigar. Each Canadian is able to bring back 50 cigars (2 boxes) as long as they are there a minimum of 6 days without having to pay any duty. Is she taking a non-smoking friend?!? ;-)

Unless her hotel has an LCDH (La Casa del Habano), it would be risky to purchase there. Only shop at LCDH's to guarantee authenticity.

As for Partagas, some good choices would be PSD4 (robusto), PSP2 (pyramid) and the du Connoisseur series (1,2, 3).

Good Hoyo de Monterrey choices would be the Epicure #2 (robusto) and much of the Le Hoyo series (du Prince, du Roi, des Dieux).

If you're looking for something different, I would suggest a 50 cab of Por Larranaga PC's. Shouldn't be too hard to find them and they can usually be had for a good price in Cuba.

Remember, you have to shop at the right places or you're not going to get what you're paying for. Fakes are everywhere, even in Cuba. Since your friend doesn't know what to look for, chances are she WILL get taken if she doesn't shop at an LCDH.

Thanks for your replies all!

Plaza a Los Americas. There is a Characol, and a Casa Del Habano there. Lots to see in the mall. The mall is fairly central, and a mere 5-10 minute taxi ride from most resorts. I usually stay at the Breezes Varadero, the cigar prices in the shop there are a tad inflated. Your best bet is sending him to the mall.

It's "c-a-r-a-c-o-l" which means "shell" in Spanish...like 'seashell'.,

Once again...if you want authentic cigars in Cuba, DO-NOT-BUY-FROM-HOTELS-MALL-STORES,-RESORTS,-OR-ANYTHING-LIKE-THAT. And avoid singles altogether.

quote:

Originally posted by OttawaCigar:
Plaza a Los Americas. There is a Characol, and a Casa Del Habano there. ...Your best bet is sending him to the mall.

The Plaza Las Americas tobacconist is called La Casa Del Tabaco. It is a good place to buy cigars. It is a Tiendas Caracol managed store.

Here is a pic of the entrance to La Casa del Tobaco at the Plaza Las Americas.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v213/kechke/elmonarca-1.jpg

Thanks for the correction QM. I remember now, the Casa del Habanos is right across from the Casa del Ron in town. Thanks again!

What's the deal with La Casa Del Tobaco anyways? Are these places as safe as LCDHs in Cuba?

quote:

Originally posted by kwijibo:
What's the deal with La Casa Del Tobaco anyways? Are these places as safe as LCDHs in Cuba?

The general stores and cigar stores in Cuba can be managed by Tiendas Universelo or Tiendas Caracol or other chain store management.

These management firms can manage the Partagas Store in Havana, the RyJ store in Havana, La Casa del Tabaco in Pz L Americas in Varadero, La Casa del Habano on 1st & 63rd in Varadero and any number of hotel convenience store and hotel tobacconists.

Just take a look at your credit card receipts and you will see Tiendas Caracol or Tiendas Universelo very, very often.

It does not matter which chain manages the shop. They do not take boxes out of a very tightly controlled inventory just to sell singles. Singles come from other sources. But hey - who am I to say...it's your money. Go for it!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ryj7x47,

quote:

Originally posted by ryj7x47:
It does not matter which chain manages the shop... Singles come from other sources. But hey - who am I to say...

You are correct.
Store personnel can populate the singles inventory with bootleg cigars. This is easily done in hotel stores where the singles counter has two or maybe five types of singles on display. This can be done with or without the collusion of management. The profit is selling a 10cent cigar for $5. This is not good for the buyer whether he is a naive tourist or a cigar afficionado.

Furthermore, as you well know, genuine singles can be surcharged $1 to $5 per cigar. Also a tidy profit. I find this to be somewhat of a free enterprise, what the market will bear, business attitude, pay for your convenience, get my piece of the pie, attidude.

How many singles did I buy this year? One. I looked at the hotel inventory and that was it. The prices were all jacked $3 per cigar. AND I knew the the staff here.