In Cuba now. Price increases. Insanity.

[RockemSockem]

I picked up a couple sticks yesterday at Habana Libre (and a lighter). 

RASS $16.25 USD

Partagas Presidente $13.25 USD

Increases look to be high than I had expected. 
Cigar stores are closed or are not selling cigars until new pricing is in place. 

Even rum prices seem to have doubled.

I’m here until Friday. 
 

Dave

[RockemSockem]

I should also add, I haven’t been active in the forum and this might be old news for some of you that are better connected than myself!

[rckymtn22]

That is mental. What are they thinking, this will kill cigar tourism. Might as well get my cigars from Rob and go vacation somewhere were there is no shortages and better food. Feel for the poor Cuban people. 

Will be looking more seriously at NC.

[westg]

Have to have a laugh at you lot . I live in Australia and have been buying cigars for 15 years and have never seen them that cheap. You are actually complaining about paying 33 notes for a couple cigars. Good heavens it's the best tobacco in the world and you are at the forefront and having a winge. 

[Bagman]

8 hours ago, westg said:

Have to have a laugh at you lot . I live in Australia and have been buying cigars for 15 years and have never seen them that cheap. You are actually complaining about paying 33 notes for a couple cigars. Good heavens it's the best tobacco in the world and you are at the for front and having a winge. 

Every time there is a price increase we always get some comment from someone in a high tax country mention how good we have it.  We got it, sorry you elect officials that have implemented those tax rates.   This is about rising prices, not politics and countries tax policies. 

Sometimes all we can do is kindly vent about constant price increases.   This increase in Cuba impacts all of us equally.  At least those that buy on the island.

Oh, and thanks  RockemSockem for reporting on what you are seeing.  Let us know what else you see if you have the time.

[RockemSockem]

Sorry to complain. I guess pricing is relative. If you are used to paying something and it 2x or 3x then it feels terrible. Prices in Canada are outrageous like Australia. I can’t afford those. I was Unprepared to see these new prices in Cuba 😥

[porkchop]

24 minutes ago, RockemSockem said:

Sorry to complain. I guess pricing is relative. If you are used to paying something and it 2x or 3x then it feels terrible. Prices in Canada are outrageous like Australia. I can’t afford those. I was Unprepared to see these new prices in Cuba 😥

Don’t apologize. Everyone else has certainly taken their turn commenting on price increases. 

[La_Tigre]

1 hour ago, westg said:

Have to have a laugh at you lot . I live in Australia and have been buying cigars for 15 years and have never seen them that cheap. You are actually complaining about paying 33 notes for a couple cigars. Good heavens it's the best tobacco in the world and you are at the for front and having a winge. 

Have to disagree with your tone and sentiment. Prepandemic that’s 6.05 and 6.70 plus whatever street exchange multiple in the currency (oddly making the Presidente look the bargain of the two… 🙄) Making this trip far less purposeful by handing 3 times the cash to support the horrid government does not help the Cuban people. You’re cutting out the casas, paladars, drivers, random encounter, etc…support. Also, the influx of incredible amounts of free aid in the form of medicines, hygiene products, food, etc…

If the increased costs translates back to the well being of the people remains to be seen but…think we’ve already seen where the cash goes and it isn’t to the people.

There is also the increased corruption of fakes to consider…they were already selling fake singles at the LCDH’s/factories visited in Cuba…what’s that gonna look like moving forward…? Combine that with horrific conditions…why would anyone go?

Who goes to Australia to buy cigars or rum? Just not a fair metric. As in current Cuba, the purchases a savvy buyer will make will be few and highly selective. The average consumer is zero chancing a full box (or boxes) back from the island now.

Will only buy farm rolls or customs and hand over that cash for quality. Most cigar tourists aren’t going back or will cut the trips extremely especially that the best customs have vacated the island on multiple fronts.

 

[Hammer Smokin']

at least Australia sets their prices based on weight (if I understand correctly). Canada takes the tax off base prices. So our overall price went up 3x (closer to 4x actually), with the base price. 

wife and I were planning a trip to Cuba this September for our anniversary. That's out now. 

[SCgarman]

8 hours ago, RockemSockem said:

Sorry to complain. I guess pricing is relative. If you are used to paying something and it 2x or 3x then it feels terrible. Prices in Canada are outrageous like Australia. I can’t afford those. I was Unprepared to see these new prices in Cuba 😥

No apologies necessary. I used to buy boxes of RASS for $189 usd all day long pre-covid and now? $400usd. They can stick 'em. I'll just spend a few years smoking through my inventory and if this nonsense continues ad infinitum, I'll just quit and move more of my time to other sensibly priced hobbies. Just one bright spot, I seen a vendor based in Europe with boxes of Monte4 on sale in the $200 range. I will gladly buy Monte4 for $200. $300-400? No way.  There may be hope.....time will tell. 

 

8 hours ago, westg said:

Have to have a laugh at you lot . I live in Australia and have been buying cigars for 15 years and have never seen them that cheap. You are actually complaining about paying 33 notes for a couple cigars. Good heavens it's the best tobacco in the world and you are at the for front and having a winge. 

I guess those who live in Oz are accustomed to paying ridiculous prices for basically everything, so your perspective is obviously different than the OP. Not too long ago RASS was an $8usd cigar from many online vendors and likely cheaper in Havana. Likely sticker shock for some who are out of the loop. 

[El Presidente]

It is the new normal unfortunately. It has been well covered.

Let's see in 12 months how it all plays out.

One would expect Cuba cigar tourism to be dead for now.

 

[NSXCIGAR]

4 hours ago, westg said:

Have to have a laugh at you lot . I live in Australia and have been buying cigars for 15 years and have never seen them that cheap. You are actually complaining about paying 33 notes for a couple cigars. Good heavens it's the best tobacco in the world and you are at the for front and having a winge. 

Right now you are paying less in OZ for Cohiba and Trini than in Cuba. I would say that qualifies as insanity. 

[El Presidente]

1 minute ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Right now you are paying less in OZ for Cohiba and Trini than in Cuba. I would say that qualifies as insanity. 

maybe it best not to highlight the fact 

[NSXCIGAR]

Just now, El Presidente said:

maybe it best not to highlight the fact 

Sorry...I meant Hong Kong. 

[Chas.Alpha]

13 minutes ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Sorry...I meant Hong Kong. 

Thanks again. I knew we could count on you...😔

[Squarehead]

4 hours ago, RockemSockem said:

Sorry to complain. I guess pricing is relative. If you are used to paying something and it 2x or 3x then it feels terrible. Prices in Canada are outrageous like Australia. I can’t afford those. I was Unprepared to see these new prices in Cuba 😥

Come to Canada and you would have ample to complain about high prices

[Ken Gargett]

7 hours ago, La_Tigre said:

Have to disagree with your tone and sentiment. Prepandemic that’s 6.05 and 6.70 plus whatever street exchange multiple in the currency (oddly making the Presidente look the bargain of the two… 🙄) Making this trip far less purposeful by handing 3 times the cash to support the horrid government does not help the Cuban people. You’re cutting out the casas, paladars, drivers, random encounter, etc…support. Also, the influx of incredible amounts of free aid in the form of medicines, hygiene products, food, etc…

If the increased costs translates back to the well being of the people remains to be seen but…think we’ve already seen where the cash goes and it isn’t to the people.

There is also the increased corruption of fakes to consider…they were already selling fake singles at the LCDH’s/factories visited in Cuba…what’s that gonna look like moving forward…? Combine that with horrific conditions…why would anyone go?

Who goes to Australia to buy cigars or rum? Just not a fair metric. As in current Cuba, the purchases a savvy buyer will make will be few and highly selective. The average consumer is zero chancing a full box (or boxes) back from the island now.

Will only buy farm rolls or customs and hand over that cash for quality. Most cigar tourists aren’t going back or will cut the trips extremely especially that the best customs have vacated the island on multiple fronts.

 

we in australia have had horrendous prices for years. been covered endlessly. it is our reality and we either cop it or move to other hobbies, interests and so forth. fair enough. but people everywhere have bitched about high prices or at least price increases since i've been on this forum. welcome to the world.

what i really struggle with (and this is not an attack solely on La T, just a convenient place for this) is people using the plight of the cuban people to whinge about price increases. let's be honest, while the vast majority of us greatly sympathise with what they have endured and wish better for them, by indulging in this hobby we have all put our personal enjoyment ahead of that plight and their struggles. okay, some may be able to go to the island and stay with family or make sure that as much as possible goes to locals, but that is really only ever going to be helping a few enterprising locals. any of us who travel to cuba must surely know that we are putting money in the coffers of that very government we might oppose. anyone buying a cuban cigar is doing the same. do whinge because you are now expected to put even more in their coffers. 

if the plight of the cuban people really meant that much to us, we would not go there and we would boycott cuban cigars. we don't. so claiming we oppose price increases because it will hurt the local people and benefit the government is truly one of the worst self-justifications i can think of. like it not, we are doing that.

this is like the old joke (whether it be mark twain or churchill or wc fields or whoever) about asking the famous actress if she'd sleep with him for a million bucks. when she says yes, he asks how about five bucks. she replies, what do you think i am? he says, madam, we have established that. now we are simply arguing over the price. sorry guys, we are all that actress. 

 

also, a separate issue - anyone who has not seen this coming has not seen what has happened with wine and spirits and the massive increases in the products. the very limited, elite stuff. look at burgundy as just one example. the problem is that production is severely limited and always will be. yet more and more people want these great wines (and spirits). so prices have skyrocketed.

i have an invoice i keep at home for a bottle of DRC Romanee-Conti. $210. reminds me of a different world. today, current release (and unless you are extremely well connected, don't even bother trying to get one), would be $20,000 plus a bottle. a mate bought so much 78 la Tache that we actually asked him to stop serving it and open something else occasionally (what fools we were). nowadays, the chance to enjoy a la Tache is hens' teeth stuff. and many thousands of dollars a bottle. 

why on earth would the greatest cigars in the world not follow this path. sad but inevitable. 

that all does not mean that france, australia, many places, don't make great wines that are terrific drinking at lower prices that we can enjoy far more frequently. so it is with cigars. get used to enjoying a different level while the best cohibas and trinnies etc are special occasion stuff, if you have the funds. 

[SCgarman]

1 hour ago, Squarehead said:

Come to Canada and you would have ample to complain about high prices

OP is from Canada.

[El Presidente]

Talk about flogging a  dead horse. 

 

Cohiba and Trinidad price direction is contentious. I am not sure it will work. They are convinced it will. We will see. It  has been covered extensively. 

Outside of Linea Oro and Linea 1935, the rest of the range is at or near good NC. That is where they likely should have been.

High tobacco tax countries generally haven't moved too much (exluding Canada due to it's unique tax system).  Low tobacco tax countries have been slammed. Cuba same. Traditional arbitrage markets largely removed with the stroke of a pen and in a period of 6 weeks. 

Habanos s.a. attitude is clear. They don't care if we like it or not.  We are welcome to go smoke more NC's.  

If it pisses us off enough, that is what we should do. Bleating will get you nowhere. 

 

[NSXCIGAR]

39 minutes ago, Ken Gargett said:

if the plight of the cuban people really meant that much to us, we would not go there and we would boycott cuban cigars. we don't. so claiming we oppose price increases because it will hurt the local people and benefit the government is truly one of the worst self-justifications i can think of. like it not, we are doing that.

To complain about price increases in general is pointless. CCs are still fairly consistent with NCs. Take it or leave it says HSA. Fine. They're making the bed--they'll have to lie on it.

The only issue I have since this was announced is the prices in Cuba relative to everywhere else. That is something that I can't comprehend. 

[El Presidente]

1 minute ago, NSXCIGAR said:

The only issue I have since this was announced is the prices in Cuba relative to everywhere else. That is something that I can't comprehend. 

I haven't seen the final pricing. I assume they will tie them to HK/thereabouts. 

I said it 5 weeks ago and I will say it again. It will take months for prices to bed down globally.  2 months or 12 months? It will depend on unique circumstances and supply. 

[Squarehead]

13 minutes ago, SCgarman said:

OP is from Canada.

Oops my bad,should always read the whole thing

[Cairo]

46 minutes ago, Ken Gargett said:

if the plight of the cuban people really meant that much to us, we would not go there and we would boycott cuban cigars

I always tell folks that I have no claim to virtue--I smoke Cuban cigars on land we stole from Native Americans.

 

[westg]

3 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Right now you are paying less in OZ for Cohiba and Trini than in Cuba. I would say that qualifies as insanity. 

Incorrect. $140 for a Cohiba Robusto at local B&M . 4K for Esplendido. The initial post was complaining about paying 16 notes for RASS and 13 notes for a presidentes  . That is insanely cheap. A RASS here $86 . I had a laugh . 

[Bill Hayes]

10 hours ago, RockemSockem said:

I picked up a couple sticks yesterday at Habana Libre (and a lighter). 

RASS $16.25 USD

Partagas Presidente $13.25 USD

Increases look to be high than I had expected. 
Cigar stores are closed or are not selling cigars until new pricing is in place. 

Even rum prices seem to have doubled.

I’m here until Friday. 
 

Dave

I'd be interested to know if any of the custom rollers are still plying their trade? I think I read here that Reynaldo has moved on. When I was in Havana 3 years ago, I just bought his cigars. They were great. I figured I could get everything else here in Australia from Rob. Let us know if you happen to visit a roller, and enjoy your trip. Sounds great, regardless of pricing. Cheers.