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Must be insane lume at night.

Just when the average Cuban cigar consumer outside Asia thought it couldn’t possibly get worse...I really feel for anyone who’s only gotten into CC’s since the pandemic.

It does look impressive. I don't get to Geneva much when in CH. Zurich is closer (family in Biel).

Gesto was the swiss retailer all French aficionados wanted to go to a few years ago but it no longer is. On the other hand the House of Grauer is still a REALLY impressive place 🤯

Yeah, we must be a lot te feel the same 😮‍💨 I've come across the 2015 Coprova (french distributor for Habanos) price list and i cried 🥲

I've seen this video a few days ago and it was VERY interesting. Between this and the "zapatón", i learned a lot already.

Does anybody have this one? My fave Omega by far!

This was one of the first 'corrections' I made, based on a post from last July showing a PLM box from 11. After seeing your post today, I was thinking it was either (a) @HDGSN's box was poorly stamped. (b) one of these two codes is for one of the factories that doesn't have a listed code in 2010-2012 or (c) this is from the same factory and there was a communication error between stampers or a technical error with a stamp. I was originally thinking that it was (b), as the missing '–' from HDGSN's box from the same exact month as your box is odd to see. However, after looking at Bond Roberts - and turning my OCD Gizmo switch on - I've found four unique boxes of Fundadores and a box of Connie 1 with the PLM code from May 11. (Direct links to boxes on BR: HUC1, TF1, TF2, TF3, TF4) Looking at these photos closely after some master photoshop work, we can see that these PLM MAY 11 boxes were stamped with the same funky stamp with the misaligned short P. Searching for BLM MAY 11 didn't show anything on BR, but there are three non-Fundadores boxes from July 11, which do have the dash seen on John's box. Here are all four images, with John's marked. (Direct links to boxes on BR: PCS1, VRDA, PCS2) I'm pretty convinced all four BLM markings are from the same stamp, with the month changed, as we can see the identical 1's in "11" and the odd shape of the M and curvatures in the Ls. I guess we'll never know for sure, given this is 13 years ago now, but I'm feeling that the correct explanation is (c) - a code communication error to one of the stampers in the Piloto factory in PDR or a broken stamp that didn't have the letter B available (very Cuba, if you ask me). Seeing so many fundies out of "PLM", and then another authentic box from "BLM" would also lead me to think it's the same factory. The original source document (I only have one for this specific timeframe, multiple for other years), does seem to show BLM. My conclusion is that PLM=BLM and there was a broken stamp or messy communication in mid 2011 in Piloto factory in Pinar Del Rio. I'm curious what others think! (Also - $261.60 for a box of fundies...I wish I had a crystal ball )

If they are plugged due to excessive leaf stems or simply too much tobacco packed during bunching, no amount of lower humidity/ drying out will rectify these issues. I have an '05 box of Juan Lopez#1 that were tent pegs when bought new around 2009, and they are tent pegs to this day in 2024. Hamlet explained the issue perfectly when he stated the tobacco is over moistened with water, which allows the buncher to "squeeze" more leaf together tightly, which results in poor/no smoke draw. Consider yourself lucky with the Monte4's.

That's what i thought too !

These looks great @JohnS - enjoy! Variation across wrappers is interesting.

Outside of Gerard and Portmann, I never had been too impressed with selection at most CH retail merchants. Never shopped at a Gesto.

Had a good cigar time with @X-Manand @morningdew last night!

This is sad news but it's no surprise.... I used to buy from La Couronne in Nyon and House of Grauer too, i assume the latter won't be a place i can afford to visit regularly anymore 😅😅

My experience has been that because tobacco is hydroscopic, more so when fresh, less so as it ages, that it can take a good long while for the cigars to acclimate to a smokeable RH. MRN states this in his encyclopedia somewhere. My Cuban cigars tend to be less problematic the older they get and I’ve had few plugged cigars lately because construction has been very good for a number of years. I have a box of MC#4 that were tent pegs when young and are now smoking beautifully.

Must agree. For about a year my Habanos specialist doesn't get anything almost. Hard even to find a D4. What a contrast with 2 years ago... Cohiba and Trinidad taking dust, full of small corona.

Zurich LCDH at the best of times had a so so selection and awful service.

Night of-- nuun tablet and 20 oz of water before bed

Very good article shining a light on some of the current shenanigans going on. https://www.finews.asia/high-end/41282-switzerland-havana-cohiba-habanos-intertabak-heinrich-villiger-hong-kong HIGH-ENDThursday, 25 April 2024 10:48 Is Switzerland's Havana Paradise Vanishing? Written by Florian Schwab | Publishing Director To date, Switzerland is the third largest market for Cuban cigars in the world. However, this status quo is currently changing, as the Cuban export monopoly «Habanos» is now cutting off supplies to Switzerland due to the priorities of the new owners in Asia. Hard times are approaching for Swiss «aficionados». When it comes to offering handmade premium cigars from Cuba, Switzerland has so far been a kind of island of bliss. The availability of Cuban cigars has been insufficient in this country in recent years. The background to this is production bottlenecks as a result of the Covid pandemic, coupled with storms in Cuba and economic challenges within the country. In recent years, around two million Cubans (up from 11 million in 2019) have left the island, including many cigar industry employees. Production capacities for hand-rolled Havanas are currently around 60 million pieces, around a quarter lower than in 2019. Cohiba, Trinidad, Partagas Despite the scarcity on retailer’s shelves, Switzerland, so far, has received a comparatively generous allocation of the sought-after Cuban cigars from Cohiba, Trinidad, Partagas, etc. The Cuban cigar industry has always held Switzerland in high regard due to their high purchasing power and the strong cigar culture with numerous lounges. That's changing now. «Delivery cuts» The Swiss special-interest magazine «Cigar» recently disclosed (article in German) that «Habanos», the global marketing and sales monopoly for Cuban cigars, will «cut back» its deliveries. This policy shift will impact «several markets,» including Switzerland, particularly targeting countries where sales structures «are not 100 percent under Cubans control.» Swiss importer «Intertabak» In Switzerland, «Habanos» has to share the fruits of its labor with the Villiger and Lévy families, who together hold 50 percent of the exclusive importer «Intertabak» (the other half of «Intertabak» belongs to «Habanos»). The board of directors of «Intertabak» consists of the now 93-year-old tobacco entrepreneur Heinrich Villiger, Louis-Charles Lévy as a representative of a Geneva trading dynasty and two representatives of the Cuban side. Reduction by 40 percent Research by finews.com in retailer circles shows that the supply cut by «Habanos» to the Swiss importer «Intertabak» could be aproaching around 40 percent. The decision is irrefutable and can only be averted by changing the ownership structure of «Intertabak». Similar cuts are expected for the markets of Germany, Austria and Poland, where Heinrich Villiger and his company «Fifth Avenue» (akin to «Intertabak» in Switzerland, a joint venture with «Habanos») is also the exclusive importer. Additionally, in Great Britain, where «Habanos» shares distribution with «Hunters & Frankau», a tobacconist with over 230 years of tradition, comparative adjustments are expected. Handwriting of the new co-owners Spain and France are not affected by the newly imposed shortage, where «Habanos» already skims off all the added value right up to the point of sale. The new policy shows the handwriting of the new co-owners of «Habanos». In 2020, the Hong Kong investment company «Allied Cigar Corporation» bought the 50 percent stake in «Habanos» from the British tobacco multinational «Imperial Tobacco», as part of a $1.44 billion transaction, as the trade magazine Cigar Journal reported at the time. The beneficial owner of the «Allied Cigar Corporation» is believed to be a conglomerate of Chinese investors, led by the Chinese-born gaming entrepreneur Chen Zhi (Suncity Group Holdings), who has also had Cambodian citizenship since 2014. Prior to this takeover, «Habanos»' business decisions were heavily influenced by Latin American norms, characterized by a great appreciation for established personal relationships. Empty humidors in sight Entrepreneurs such as Heinrich Villiger, Louis-Charles Lévy and Samuel Menzi («Casa del Habano» in Zurich) helped the Cubans for decades to establish the commercialization of their cigars in Switzerland. Menzi and Villiger received the «Hombre del Habano» award from cuban dictator Fidel Castro personally. This was at a time when Cubans were still orphans when it came to marketing and distribution. But unlike a good Havana cigar that gets better with age, gratitude has an expiration date. Cigar lovers between Geneva and Lugano are the ones who suffer most from this. The dealers' humidors will empty. And prices will rise further. When asked by finews.asia, Intertabak neither wanted to confirm nor comment on the shortage.

News > Cuba Argentina Refuses to Supply Fuel to Cuban Planes https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Argentina-Refuses-to-Supply-Fuel-to-Cuban-Planes-20240425-0009.html A Cubana de Aviacion aircraft. | Photo: X/ @minint_cuba The companies invoked provisions of the U.S. blockade to not supply the Cuban aircraft. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Cubana de Aviacion flights to Buenos Aires were canceled because fuel suppliers in Argentina refused to serve the airline. The companies have invoked "provisions of the United States blockade against Cuba" to not supply the aircraft of the Cuban state airline. Additionally, this measure has affected other airlines contracted by Cubana de Aviacion, preventing them from fulfilling commitments to passengers. This surprising decision took place despite the Cuban flights being approved by the Argentina's National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC). In response to this situation, the airline has decided to assist affected passengers in Cuba by sending them back on flights operated by other airlines connecting to Argentina. Other passengers will be eligible for a full refund of their airfare. Cubana de Aviacion resumed its flights between Havana and Buenos Aires in May 2023, after a period of suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also resumed flights from Argentina with a stopover in Cayo Coco and a final destination in Havana using a leased aircraft. Usually, Cubana de Aviacion operates a weekly flight between Buenos Aires/Ezeiza (EZE), Cayo Coco (CCC), and Havana (HAV) using an Airbus A330-200 operated by the Spanish airline Plus Ultra Airlines. During the first quarter of 2024, the Cuban airline transported 3,221 passengers with an occupancy rate of 61 percent. The number of Argentine travelers to Cuba increased by 44 percent compared to the same period last year, reaching 12,753 people.

Its been a year since all three of us have been together. Great to catch up again

Are the white numbers near the nine printed on glass on the dial or the backside of the crystal? Neat watch!

I was just thinking how funny it is that we finally had a similar, consistent experience with a cigar….. and it was a Habano!