I am leaving tomorrow for a cruise to Catalina and Ensenada, and I was wondering of anyone knows of a reputable store selling authentic Cuban cigars in this area.
No, no, no, no no! Sorry to have to tell you but there are no legit dealers of Habanos in the area that you are visiting.
You will see many MANY MANY fakes. You will talk to people who have great stories about a family member that works one of the factories... they are all lies and they are all fake cigars. The prices are going to be great or atlest negotiable but that is because they are fake cigars. Do yourself a favor and don't bite. Keep your money. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. You may have a legit shot at finding some Cuban Rum though. :-)
---------------------------------------------------------------- #423 "O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, That I am meek and gentle with these butchers." Julius Caesar
Posts: 1951 | Location: NOR-CAL-USA | Registered: June 22, 2003
You will talk to people who have great stories about a family member that works one of the factories...
That's not correct. You don't hear those stories there, or even with dealers in Cancun or Cozumel. That's the line in Cuba...not Mexico. Unless they recently started ripping off that line, too. Not many Mexicans have family in Cuba, although some Cubans have been fortunate enough to make it to Mexico (though not in the cigar business).
And the rum will be counterfeit too.
If you go on a cruise on the Mexican Riviera, don't EVER think you'll have the chance to purchase authentic Cuban cigars, and simply by asking the question reflects that, even if you saw them, you would not be able to discern the difference and would be ripped off.
___________________ Santa Cabilla...patron saint of Quericæstan. VIVE COULTER (not Ann)! VIVE CPD! Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go...(Oscar Wilde)
Posts: 10603 | Location: Avenida de las Nalgas, Quericæstan | Registered: May 02, 2002
You will talk to people who have great stories about a family member that works one of the factories...
That's the line in Cuba...not Mexico. Unless they recently started ripping off that line, too.
They have. I heard it more than a handfull of times while in Puerto Vallarta two years ago. One of the times it was from what couldn't have been more than a 12 year old boy selling tubos on the corner with other nick nacks. I saw Ryj Churchill tubos for $6.00 american. I told him "great price" and asked him why so cheap just for kicks. It was as if he were remebering a line of text, like a bad actor, that he recited the line. I thought about engaging him and asking what factory but then I just figured, hey... the kids just trying to make a buck and walked away. It appeares that a good scam doesn't stay quiet for long.
CD
---------------------------------------------------------------- #423 "O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, That I am meek and gentle with these butchers." Julius Caesar
Posts: 1951 | Location: NOR-CAL-USA | Registered: June 22, 2003
Originally posted by ryj7x47:And the rum will be counterfeit too.
You have picked up counterfeit rum in Mexico? Or just heard about it?
---------------------------------------------------------------- #423 "O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, That I am meek and gentle with these butchers." Julius Caesar
Posts: 1951 | Location: NOR-CAL-USA | Registered: June 22, 2003
Heard about it first; then saw it with my own eyes. Havana Club 7 year old and Anejo Reserva with metallic twist off caps, no stopper. Also saw bottles that did not have the break-off seal under the cap. Appeared as if every bottle was different, with different tops and caps...didn't seem right or look like anything I'd ever seen in Cuba. Saw this at a store in Guadalajara, in TJ at various places (no surprise there...lots of those little liquor stores), in Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa, Cancun and Cozumel... Also saw authentic bottles at the Duty Free stores at the airports in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Ixtapa, and Cancun, and at a couple of small liquor stores in Zihuat and Cancun. Need to know what you're looking for...but someone at a port of call on the Mexican Riviera will be hopelessly lost...whether it is cigars or rum...and I have never seen a bottle of Cuban rum in Ensenada, Puerto Nuevo, or anywhere else in that area. But that's just me...and you know what everyone says about how I'm the only one who ever has anything authentic, like the $15 Rolex, my $10 Maui Jim's, my $4 RyJ Churchill, and my Gucci loafers (spelled Guchi). Funny thing is, with the Rolex, the wrist was still attached!
___________________ Santa Cabilla...patron saint of Quericæstan. VIVE COULTER (not Ann)! VIVE CPD! Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go...(Oscar Wilde)
Posts: 10603 | Location: Avenida de las Nalgas, Quericæstan | Registered: May 02, 2002
Discouraging about the line being used in Mexico now...never heard it before down there.
___________________ Santa Cabilla...patron saint of Quericæstan. VIVE COULTER (not Ann)! VIVE CPD! Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go...(Oscar Wilde)
Posts: 10603 | Location: Avenida de las Nalgas, Quericæstan | Registered: May 02, 2002
I am going to learn Spanish and open up a string of Authentic Shops selling Cuban cigars at a reasonable mark-up in the Mexican Riviera area and make oodles of moolah.....and settle this long standing problem once and for all.
Sorry for the bump, but finally a legit source in Ensenada
(Nearly identical posts found on Virtual Tourist and Trip Advisor):
quote:
It is a place where you can buy genuine cuban cigars and rum. They are not counterfiters or rip off artists. I have beeen buying from them for 3 years now and every purchase has been a great deal.
Ask for the Monte Cristo seconds. Monte Christos cost about $15.00 each but the cosmetically flawed ones are about $2.00 each and taste the same. I buy them in packs of 50 at a time. Also they have Havana Club rum. Don't get the white rum. Bacardi is just as good, get the dark rum. It is the smoothest you have ever tasted
$2.00 to $25.00 per cigar. $15.00 for 750 ml of rum.
Now this guy obviously knows what he's talking about.
I'll be there Saturday. May have to drop in just to have a look. Anybody need a glass top box?
Good luck finding any real cigars in Ensenada, Puerto Nuevo, or Rosarito.
Tijuana has two legit shops. La Casa del Habano and La Villa del Tabaco. LCDH has slightly better prices. Go anywhere else than those places and you are buying fakes.
As for Havana Club, stick to the big supermarkets. Gigante, Soriana and Calimax. Most of these stores carry the Havana Club Anejo Especial, Anejo Reserva and Blanco. Finding the Havana Club 7 and Barrel Proof is a bit harder as only a few carry those more expensive bottles. The Soriana on Blvd Aguas Calientes by the "Torres" has the best selection with all the varieties of Havana Club. The Blanco goes for $7 the Anejo Especial goes for $9, the Anejo Reserva is $12, Havana Club 7 is $22, and the Barrel Proof is about $35.
I would stay away from the little liquor stores because they are known for selling fake bottles to make some extra money off each bottle.
The bigger supermarkets don't do this as Havana Club is a slow seller for them. Most people buy Tequilla in Tijuana.
I am still currently trying to find a place in Mexico (specifically Tijuana) that sells Cuban coffee like Serrano or Cubita. I have yet to find any in Tijuana. Online stores from Europe sell it at a very high price and the shipping cost make it a ripoff... i should have bought more while in Cuba.
