I've probably smoked more Cuban cigars than non-Cubans in my lifetime. A few notes:
1) Depending on where you come into, customs can be a pain or it can be a breeze. The few times I've brought them in I always go through JFK-NYC and I never, ever had a problem. Maybe it's because of the very high volume of passengers. Just remember that if you get caught bringing cigars in, they will be confiscated and you will be forever scrutinized whenever crossing into the US.
2) The majority of Cuban cigars I have purchased were authentic because I purchase them from credible sources and not some shady shop in tourist/port cities. On my last cruise I purchased smokes from some swanky cigar shop in the Grand Caymon Islands. They were real.
3) I have also had some "fake" Cuban cigars that were actually made from Cuban leaf, that is tobacco leaves from Cuba. In other words they were Monte #2, #3 & #4 in their boxes but they were not made in a Cuban cigar factory. Believe me when I tell you that the cigars were still good. How do I know they were made from Cuban leaf? Well a good buddy of mine has a father that grew and rolled the stuff until he left Cuba back in 1971 and he serves as our blood hound whenever we purchase smokes from shady characters.
4) I can't say I agree with the statement by some poster that 90% of Cuban smokes are fake. Again, don't buy from shady characters and in high turnover tourist/port cities. Buy from authentic Cuban government smoke shops and you will be fine.
5) It has been my experience that the chance of finding fake Cuban smokes in Europe is slim to none. If you're ever in Italy or Switzerland chances are you can walk into any smoke shop and find reasonably priced Cuban cigars. The airport isn't too bad a either.
My cruise leaves from Miami and we go to Nassau and Coco Bay, Bahamas, and I think Key West, FL maybe as well. I looked them up online and it says that there is a Casa del Habano in the Graycliff Hotel in Nassau, but to be safe i'll keep my fingers crossed.
Also, i'm about two hours from windsor canada and i saw online that they have a casa del habano there, i might go check it out just for the sake of science the next time i'm up there with friends.
i should have mentioned in this post that i ordered a 5ct sampler of the Camacho Pre-Embargo made from Cuban leaf filler from before the embargo was instituted from ccom, and that should give me some idea i suppose?
i should have mentioned in this post that i ordered a 5ct sampler of the Camacho Pre-Embargo made from Cuban leaf filler from before the embargo was instituted from ccom, and that should give me some idea i suppose?
probably not.
why do i say this? as tobacco/cigars age the taste mellows. this tobacco is so old that most of the flavor has probably "mellowed out" of it. ... not only that but it is only the filler leaf. the filler in its entirety only accounts for maybe 40-60% of the flavor. there are other countries mixed in there.
im not saying that the Camacho isnt a good cigar, im sure it is. (i havent had one yet) im just saying it probably doesnt taste cuban.
My cruise leaves from Miami and we go to Nassau and Coco Bay, Bahamas, and I think Key West, FL maybe as well. I looked them up online and it says that there is a Casa del Habano in the Graycliff Hotel in Nassau, but to be safe i'll keep my fingers crossed.
Also, i'm about two hours from windsor canada and i saw online that they have a casa del habano there, i might go check it out just for the sake of science the next time i'm up there with friends.
i should have mentioned in this post that i ordered a 5ct sampler of the Camacho Pre-Embargo made from Cuban leaf filler from before the embargo was instituted from ccom, and that should give me some idea i suppose?
If you purchase them form a Casa del Habano they will be real and it won't be cheap. But you will have peace of mind that they are authentic.
Maybe it's because I'm not all that familiar with many of the brands available, but this is the first time I'm hearing about Camacho Pre-Embargo..
I agree with the others regarding long aged tobacco: it only gets mellow and mellow and quite frankly it loses it's flavor after a while. I'm not saying that cigars shouldn't be aged: they should. But one thing is to age cigars for 12 months and it's another thing to age them for 120 months.
My cruise leaves from Miami and we go to Nassau and Coco Bay, Bahamas, and I think Key West, FL maybe as well. I looked them up online and it says that there is a Casa del Habano in the Graycliff Hotel in Nassau, but to be safe i'll keep my fingers crossed.
Also, i'm about two hours from windsor canada and i saw online that they have a casa del habano there, i might go check it out just for the sake of science the next time i'm up there with friends.
i should have mentioned in this post that i ordered a 5ct sampler of the Camacho Pre-Embargo made from Cuban leaf filler from before the embargo was instituted from ccom, and that should give me some idea i suppose?
If you purchase them form a Casa del Habano they will be real and it won't be cheap. But you will have peace of mind that they are authentic.
Maybe it's because I'm not all that familiar with many of the brands available, but this is the first time I'm hearing about Camacho Pre-Embargo..
I agree with the others regarding long aged tobacco: it only gets mellow and mellow and quite frankly it loses it's flavor after a while. I'm not saying that cigars shouldn't be aged: they should. But one thing is to age cigars for 12 months and it's another thing to age them for 120 months.
yeah, i get what you guys are saying, especially about the aging time being a little too long. something that is sealed in a controlled environment like wine compared to something that is constantly exposed to fresh air.... pretty easy to see why when you think about it that way. thanks for the input guys.]
anybody else got info about humidors? likes, dislikes, etc.
When I went to the Caribbean last summer on a cruise, I bought the tourist trap cigars with the band switching offer in St Maarten. The cruise line won't care if you bring them back on the ship. They said something to the effect of "You're welcome to bring them back on the ship and enjoy them, but when we dock in Miami you can't bring them off the ship because US customs will confiscate them." As far as whether they will or not, I have no idea. The advice from previous posters sounds right to me on that note. I just bought a few and smoked them on board. Maybe they were real, maybe they weren't. Probably not, but they were good.
I am going to Mexico on a cruise again in a few weeks and I am going to hit up casa del habana shops this time. I really want to try the isom version of the Sancho Panza.
I am going to Mexico on a cruise again in a few weeks and I am going to hit up casa del habana shops this time. I really want to try the isom version of the Sancho Panza.
I'd also recommend looking into a Bolivar Russ, I think the petit corona is to die for.
It's been 10 years since I've smoked a Cuban Sancho or Bolivar. I would imagine their taste has changed. But when I did smoke a Sancho Panza Belicoso (5.5x52) it was a medium bodied smoke with the typical Cuban earthy notes. The Bolivar Royal Corona (4 7/8x50) was probably one of the most full bodied, strongest cigars I've ever smoked. It wasn't overly spicey. It was just packed with earthy, cocoa & coffee flavors. I loved it. I've also had Bolivar Coronas and Belicosos. The Belicosos were similar to the Royal Cornoa and the Corona was milder but still a strong smoke.
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My cruise leaves from Miami and we go to Nassau and Coco Bay, Bahamas, and I think Key West, FL maybe as well. I looked them up online and it says that there is a Casa del Habano in the Graycliff Hotel in Nassau, but to be safe i'll keep my fingers crossed.
Also, i'm about two hours from windsor canada and i saw online that they have a casa del habano there, i might go check it out just for the sake of science the next time i'm up there with friends.
i should have mentioned in this post that i ordered a 5ct sampler of the Camacho Pre-Embargo made from Cuban leaf filler from before the embargo was instituted from ccom, and that should give me some idea i suppose?
why do i say this?
as tobacco/cigars age the taste mellows. this tobacco is so old that most of the flavor has probably "mellowed out" of it. ... not only that but it is only the filler leaf. the filler in its entirety only accounts for maybe 40-60% of the flavor. there are other countries mixed in there.
im not saying that the Camacho isnt a good cigar, im sure it is. (i havent had one yet) im just saying it probably doesnt taste cuban.
Maybe it's because I'm not all that familiar with many of the brands available, but this is the first time I'm hearing about Camacho Pre-Embargo..
I agree with the others regarding long aged tobacco: it only gets mellow and mellow and quite frankly it loses it's flavor after a while. I'm not saying that cigars shouldn't be aged: they should. But one thing is to age cigars for 12 months and it's another thing to age them for 120 months.
yeah, i get what you guys are saying, especially about the aging time being a little too long. something that is sealed in a controlled environment like wine compared to something that is constantly exposed to fresh air.... pretty easy to see why when you think about it that way. thanks for the input guys.]
anybody else got info about humidors? likes, dislikes, etc.
First time I've posted here.
When I went to the Caribbean last summer on a cruise, I bought the tourist trap cigars with the band switching offer in St Maarten. The cruise line won't care if you bring them back on the ship. They said something to the effect of "You're welcome to bring them back on the ship and enjoy them, but when we dock in Miami you can't bring them off the ship because US customs will confiscate them." As far as whether they will or not, I have no idea. The advice from previous posters sounds right to me on that note. I just bought a few and smoked them on board. Maybe they were real, maybe they weren't. Probably not, but they were good.
I am going to Mexico on a cruise again in a few weeks and I am going to hit up casa del habana shops this time. I really want to try the isom version of the Sancho Panza.