D-Man

Can anyone recommend a tobacco dealers who carry these cigars? Do people smoke these in public, as often a cigarettes? What about bringing a small quantity back to the states (&lt;10)? Would customs know a cuban from a honduran if you removed the bands?<BR><BR>Thanks!

karen blixen

it's illegal to bring any quantity back, as far as I know.<BR><BR>that said, many times they don't even come with bands - the good ones, too.<BR><BR>so no, customs wouldn't know. <BR><BR>Karen

anon

I always buy and bring back a few cuban cigars from France. Also, my husband smokes them occasionally there. We buy Cohibas usually at any tabac shop. Also bought a carton of the cigarillos at duty free shop in airport. Pack them in luggage.

Kathleen

I did the same--bought cigarillos at the duty-free. They were Cuban tobacco, but made in the European Union. A stamp on the box said they were eligible for export, and I assumed that meant I could take them to the US.

x

I bought five Cuban cigars (Partagas and Chohiba) last week at Davidoff's, a handsome and respected tabacco shop located at Jermyn and St. James streets in London.<BR><BR>I brought them back to the United States. I didn't bother to take the bands off this time, though other times I have.<BR><BR>No, they would not know a Cuban from a Honduran without the band.

el

London - Harrod's has a good smoke shop; so does Selfridge's. There are several good smoke shops on St James' St SW1 (Davidoff and Fox); Dunhill is not too far away on Duke's St.<BR><BR>Paris: La Cave a Cigares, 14 boulevard Haussmann (not far from the department stores).<BR><BR>I don't see a lot of cigars being smoked as people walk down the street; I've only smelled them a couple of times in restaurants. There are cigar "clubs" in both cities, and in London, those dark red lounges with big fat leather chairs in old hotels seem to gather cigar smokers. In Paris, there are a couple of cigar "bars"; the one I'm sure about is the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz; even has "tasting" evenings.

peter

you are not suppposed to import cuban cigars but in reality most us customs officials willl overlook 6-10 cubaan cigars if meant for personal consumption not resale. a while ago they overlooked i box of 25 but to manu anal orifices did this to resell at a large profit they clamped down on the practice. as usual moderation presents no great problem

Tom

The bigger question is...do you fit the profile?<BR><BR>If you do...be careful, if not it is no big deal to bring in a box of Cohibas, although my favorites are Monte Christos.<BR><BR>Just remove the bands, pack them in a baggy, put them in your suitcase and do it.<BR><BR>If they stop you, they'll most likely just keep them for themselves and you're out $100.<BR><BR>Big cigar billowing smoke to you and enjoy!

Theodora

For Cuban cigars, London is way too expensive. Also, in the little tabac shops in Paris you run the risk of fake Cubans. The best place to buy them is in Paris at the respectable LA CASA DEL HABANO on 169 St Germain Blvd. It is not far from the Pantheon. They have a good selection in their walk in humidor and downstairs there is a bar/lounge. The Cuban cigars are still a bit pricier than you can get in Frankfurt or Spain, but they are better than London or Canadian prices. To give you an idea: MonteCristo #4= 6.4E, #2=10.90E,Romeo&Juliette cedros delux#2=8.3E,#3=6.10E, Partagas Lusitanias=13.34E.<BR><BR>There are many Cuban bars where you can smoke them and listen to jazz in Paris.

ttt

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D-Man

Great advice all - my local tobacco shop gave similar advice. I thought if I got some, I might mail a small batch (no bands) and carry with me a small batch declaring them honduran.<BR><BR>Tom: What's "the profile"?<BR><BR>Here are my shops recommendations:<BR><BR>Dunhill Shoppe - London<BR>Davidoff Shop - Paris<BR><BR>Buy any...<BR>Partagas "Serie D" Robusto<BR>Romeo & Julieta<BR>Montecristo<BR>Punch<BR>H. Upman<BR>Vega Robaina<BR>Cubana

Theodora

D-Man, I would wait until Paris to buy the cuban cigars. You'll save a lot of money. Just to give you an idea using Heathrow airport prices and Paris, I will choose a popular cigar. When I go to Cuba the Montecristo #4 are 3.25US, in Paris they are $5.63US (6.4E), and in London 7.58US (7.58pnd). In Cuba the Partagas 898 is $5.50US, in Paris $9.52US(10.5E), and in London $11.44US (8pnd). Now if you are buying a box of them, the price adds up.<BR>

Theodora

Correction:<BR>MC#4 London 7.58US (5.63pnds)

kate

When in London I can recommend a bar/restaurant called "Che" on St James Street in Mayfair. It's a pretty fashionable, modern bar with a cigar room (very well air conditioned for those that hate the smoke) where you can book to have a cigar tasting evening.<BR><BR>I haven't done it myself, but have seen others do it, and it looked fascinating. They teach you about the different characteristics of Cuban cigars, which go best with which drinks (which they also give you on the night). Looked really interesting. It's also a very nice bar to hang out in for cocktails. Not cheap mind.<BR><BR>Che, 23 St James’s St  +44 20 7747 9380

FRED

JUST RETURNED AND FOUND VERY REASONABLE CUBANS IN JUST ABOUT EVERY TABAC-FAKE CUBANS?-had some probably-SMOKED IN PUBLIC PLACES? not many.FOUND GREAT SELECTION AT AMSTERDAM AIRPORT-REASONABLE AND IN 5 PACKS AS WELL AS BOXES.ENJOY!!!

Strive

D-Man,<BR><BR>The quality and quantity of advice on this web site never ceases to amaze me! I would only add a couple of suggestions:<BR><BR>1. Stay away from many of the "street corner" tabacs. While some of them are legit, many of them carry either fakes or cubans of inferior quality with their labels replaced.<BR>2. Whatever you buy, take most of it to the nearest Fed-ex office and ship it home. (Remove the labels first, of course, and throw them away--or ship them separately if you wish to keep them for prestige' sake).<BR>3. If you must take some with you through customs, remove the labels and either replace them with non-cuban labels or buy some cheap non-cuban tubed cigars and put the cubans in the tubes.<BR><BR>Be forewarned: although many customs agents are not strict on cubans, some still are. If you are caught and they decide to fine you, not only can you be fined per cigar but also additional base fines as well. <BR><BR>If you remove the labels and Fed-ex them, you are safe. Chances are, you will be safe too if you replace the bands on the cigars you bring in (or put them in tubes as I mentioned).<BR><BR>And by the way, no, without the cuban labels they cannot tell where the cigars come from (short of taking them to a lab--even then, many dominicans and hondurans are grown from cuban-seed tabacco so the tests would be useless).<BR><BR>Hope this helps,<BR><BR>Strive

xxx

Cohibas are by far the best. Its funny that the US is the only country in the free world that doesn't sell them.

xxx

How about a good place to buy cigars in Barcelona. Anyone actually done the Fed-Ex thing. I assume you don't list contents as "cigars"

Wayne

I find this hard to fathom: Let just one person mention cigarette smoking and all hell breaks loose, but talk about cigar smoking and , by god, that's cool!<BR><BR>Strange.<BR>

Marc David Miller

Off Ramblas, c/Ramelleres and c/Tallers I bought many in 2000. It is not very difficult to find good tobacs in Spain and wait till you see the pricing--probably 25% of London's prices (not 25% less, 25%!).<BR>