Share your Cuban haul

[Tomasito]

Come again

[havanaclub]

Come again

Very nice. That a box of punch DC on the bottom?
When did you go? Aren’t there still restrictions there?


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[Tomasito]

You got it. Double DC's. Late March. Everything shuttered since.

 

1 minute ago, havanaclub said:

Very nice. That a box of punch DC on the bottom?
When did you go? Aren’t there still restrictions there?


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[yadegari6]

9 hours ago, Tomasito said:

Come again

How much do the esmerelda run for on the island?

[Tomasito]

1 hour ago, yadegari6 said:

How much do the esmerelda run for on the island?

$11.30 per

[DSegal]

On 3/25/2020 at 2:40 PM, SmokyFontaine said:

Are the primary benefits of buying from the Island that you can peruse boxes, check dates, and have access to harder to find releases, or are they also typically much, much cheaper? Considering the risks with customs growing by the day (not to mention virus travel shutdowns), I'm trying to get a better feel for the benefits of traveling to Cuba for cigar purchases. I totally get it's a vacation too, but having never been and interested in the notion, I wonder if cigar pricing is way better, or it's about lots of other stuff coming together to make it a great trip. 

I know this topic has gone dormant for a couple months, but...since we are all wishing and daydreaming about going to Cuba: the people, the colors, the safety, the music, the food, the rum, the open-ness, the buyer's-market feeling that exists everywhere for travelers, the cheap and beautiful airBNB type accommodations, the glorious grand old hotels, the true neighborhood feeling you get walking side streets that has become mostly a thing of the past in the US at least, the warm nights, and then yes the cigars. For me it is about being in a cigar culture--THE cigar culture. For a cigar lover it is paradise and it is already kind of a warped paradise regardless. But going to cigar shops, buying a few singles to sample, sitting anywhere you want to smoke them, that is a treat. Lighting up a cigar in a cafe or at an outdoor table, after a meal or a with a Mojito or a Bucanero, and not getting dirty looks, but then realizing the people next to you are smoking too, that is a treat for me as a US citizen. Some shops have great deep inventory and others have so-so inventory but you always find something interesting in every shop--maybe just 3-4 year old box date of a regular production cigar, but that is always fun. Prices are way cheaper. To spend a few hours in a Havana cigar shop is a dream come true for most of us who read and post here...it is very hard to even find an apt analogy.

[Billybats]

On my 2018 trip, I went to pick out like $800 worth of cigars from LCDH (forgot which one), Cuba being Cuba, the card machine couldnt read my card..And staff weren't very eager to help (again Cuba bring Cuba). Needing to conserve cash , I ended up buying way less then I anticipated in that trip. I didmake an interesting purchase of these selectos from an old man selling bundles of these in paper wrapping on the street. Abundle of 25 for like usd5. Was great souvenir to bring back to to Hong Kong for my cigar smoking friends. Rough but weren't that bad. Lesson learnt always bring cash to cuba, euros even better.

[Kwenk]

I thought I would share my haul, I’m more than a year and a half late (went in November 2019). I forgot to do it when I got back, but maybe now my post will help fill the void with no travel going on currently. The customs are from Reynaldo at Conde de Villanueva (wrapped in plastic wrap) and  Milagros at Hotel Nacional (ziplock bags). I want to share my sincere thanks to the forum members for all the advice that I got on this forum. I have wanted to go to Cuba for more than 25 years, and my trip was so memorable, I am planning to go back again. I know what I got wasn’t that memorable, not sure there is anything unusual, but I was pretty proud of myself considering my wife only wanted me to get one box and spend only $100. I told her that they were super cheap in Cuba, and that I got some deals! 😉 (don’t worry, I knew enough from this forum to only buy at LCDHs, so no deals were had, but I had a ton of fun going to various shops)

[Corylax18]

[ha_banos]

That's like a dream trip haul! But here I could only legit bring back 50 cigars. Can you believe that! How could I ever fully sample all Cuba had to offer!?

[Corylax18]

8 hours ago, ha_banos said:

That's like a dream trip haul! But here I could only legit bring back 50 cigars. Can you believe that! How could I ever fully sample all Cuba had to offer!?

I'm technically not allowed to bring any home! I just smoke like a chimney while I'm there! 😁

Seriously though, most of these stayed in Havana with a friend. They're aging away in my "Carry On Humidor"