Top 10 Cuban cigar buys right now?

[Outdoorguy84]

Hey everyone, going to Cuba in January for the first time and am so excited. I have a general idea of what I’m going to buy. If your going to Cuba what cigars would you buy? List your top 10!! ?

[Habana Mike]

For me it would be hard to find, anything in my range with some age, or smokes pricey off island. Cuba regionals too but mostly shop rolls from the well-known hotel torcedors.

Here's an idea of what you should pay on the island if you can find them:

http://yulcigars.blogspot.com/

Regardless, enjoy your trip!

[Outdoorguy84]

Yeah, that’s a great website. Already printed it off and have my top 10-20 I’m going to look for. Ok guys list your top 5 cigars you would buy in Cuba or off of 24:24. 

[ponfed]

Vegas Robaina Don Alejandro

Hoyo de Monterey Hoyo du Roi

Punch Royal Selection no 12

Saint Luis Rey Double Coronas

Rafael Gonzales Lonsdales

As an extra choice, pick up one of those Esplendidos in the glass top box

 

 

 

 

 

?

[mt1]

14 minutes ago, ponfed said:

As an extra choice, pick up one of those Esplendidos in the glass top box

Is this the exclusive Cubans-only special box released by Cohiba?  I've heard that's where they save the best tobacco for local consumption and you can tell because the box has a glass top, since all Cubans can tell if it's legit by just looking (so they never have to unseal the boxes to maintain freshness).  My buddy got one and said you have to have a local vouch for you to get it or get approached by a local, since it's not allowed for you to buy it direct.

[ponfed]

Yeah, that's the one. Although when I was there a few years ago, I got really lucky, cause I met a guy whose cousin worked in the Partagas factory and ... well I shouldn't say more....

[Pag]

Few weeks back there was a similar thread , post whatever you want to call it. The author said why go to Cuba to by something you can easily get. They said to buy all Custom Rolls. Something you can't get very easily. Made alot of sense... to me atleast.

 

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

[BrightonCorgi]

The biggest ones you can find.  A's, DC's, Churchill's, Sublime's...

[Derboesekoenig]

Hahaha oh man you guys are killing me. Please don't get anything that is not sold out of an LCDH, and no glass tops.

Custom rolls are great. Stock on the island changes constantly. When you do purchase, make sure to open boxes to get quality. And to make sure there are no beetle holes or mold, etc. 

For me besides the custom rolls, I would go for: Montecristo 1935 series, any 50 cabs of QUALITY sticks, jars, LCDH sticks (HU royal robustos, Boli Libertadors, etc.) are great deals!!!! Maybe if you find any discontinued hidden somewhere. It's possible. I also tend to look for sticks that are insanely expensive outside the island, which tend to be the larger vitolas.

Buena suerte senor!

[BarryVT]

Agree with others, would look for cigars that are not easy to find,  I would look for discontinued items myself. Hoyo churchills, bolivar gold medals, punch churchills, partagas series p no1 jars etc...

[Derboesekoenig]

57 minutes ago, BarryVT said:

Agree with others, would look for cigars that are not easy to find,  I would look for discontinued items myself. Hoyo churchills, bolivar gold medals, punch churchills, partagas series p no1 jars etc...

All of those are long gone my friend

[Outdoorguy84]

All great ideas but mainly was looking for what cigars are you guys smoking now that are great buys out of Cuba. I won a travel voucher from my work and I’m using it to go to Cuba baisically for free. So with that being said what cigars would be on your hit list? 

[BrightonCorgi]

5 minutes ago, Outdoorguy84 said:

All great ideas but mainly was looking for what cigars are you guys smoking now that are great buys out of Cuba. I won a travel voucher from my work and I’m using it to go to Cuba basically for free. So with that being said what cigars would be on your hit list? 

Cohiba anything.

[stogieluver]

What @Derboesekoenigsaid. 

Get all the custom rolls you can carry but be aware all but 20 may/may not be confiscated going through Cuban customs. Plenty of info on the Cuban Travel Forum about that and cigar availability on the island. It’s a crap shoot as to what will/will not be available when you get there. 

No one has answered your question because of the lack of certainty as to what will be available when you get there, and taste is so personal.  

The only suggestion I can make is to be sure to visit the Partagas Factory LCDH.  They seem to have hard to find stock not found in the other LCDH’s.  If you find some Sir Winstons buy all you can get.  Same with Cohiba Talisman (good luck with that).  RE’s and EL’s, if you like those, are good deals if you come across any.

Why don’t you pick your top 10 and compare the island prices from yul & compare those to what they would cost you over the internet and try to find those that are the best deals on the island.  Spend the rest of your CUC’s on customs from Alex, Reynaldo, and Yolanda.  

 

[NSXCIGAR]

Cuba ERs and other special production is my goal in Cuba. ELs if you can find them (unlikely). 

Cigars who's prices are too good to pass up there are RAS, any Trini, VR Famosos.

And of course, there are customs. 

I'd stick strictly to those.

[Derboesekoenig]

5 minutes ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Cuba ERs and other special production is my goal in Cuba. ELs if you can find them (unlikely). 

Cigars who's prices are too good to pass up there are RAS, any Trini, VR Famosos.

And of course, there are customs. 

I'd stick strictly to those.

When I went in July, there were no Cuba ERs. I asked, and literally everyone laughed at me. Have they released any new ones lately?

[Philc2001]

I just got back from the island a couple of weeks ago, and frankly I could not find any rarities or anything aged, and I wasn't really digging hard. I mostly looked in mainstream LCDH in Havana, and did not venture out to other areas. The best find was the Montecristo Linea 1935 Dumas at the Hotel Nacional, which were $224 (20 cigars). But by then I was already tapped out after buying a small boatload of customs, and it was either cigars or dinner and drinks, I opted for dinner and a bunch of $2.50 mojitos that were outstanding.

I'm not a Cohiba fan, but there was a decent lineup of Cohibas on the island. But IMPO if you're visiting the island I would recommend you buy some customs, they are a good value and much more rewarding than the stuff you can buy any time from our host. I sat down with Yolanda at the Melia LCDH and smoked one of her coronas, it was great, so I took what she had left, and I also bought a bundle of her Lonsdales. I then went and saw Alex and smoked one of the Puntillas, and I was hooked. Check out what Yolanda or Alex have to offer if you haven't tried them, and you can even pre-order and they will have them ready for you when you get there. These are excellent and a real bargain. 

[havanaclub]

Trinidads always best value in Cuba. 99 for a box of Vigia, 260ish for fundi and RAS for 57 are some of the best deals.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[NSXCIGAR]

9 hours ago, Derboesekoenig said:

When I went in July, there were no Cuba ERs. I asked, and literally everyone laughed at me. Have they released any new ones lately?

Probably not, but when they're there it's the time to grab them. 

Things go from everywhere to nowhere fast there. When supplies get low the stores usually have a couple boxes stashed away for those who they like. If you get a real good relationship down there in the right store you can snag things like Gran Reservas for the sticker price of around $400. 

Right now, there's nothing except the Monte Linea 1935 and you're really only buying those for the price as they're readily available worldwide at the moment. I'm sure you can turn up some Punch Regios, Party Serie No. 1 and Romeo Tacos as well at a good price. I don't believe the HU Propios or Boli Soberanos have been released yet but either may be weeks away. 

[Derboesekoenig]

9 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Probably not, but when they're there it's the time to grab them. 

Things go from everywhere to nowhere fast there. When supplies get low the stores usually have a couple boxes stashed away for those who they like. If you get a real good relationship down there in the right store you can snag things like Gran Reservas for the sticker price of around $400. 

Right now, there's nothing except the Monte Linea 1935 and you're really only buying those for the price as they're readily available worldwide at the moment. I'm sure you can turn up some Punch Regios, Party Serie No. 1 and Romeo Tacos as well at a good price. I don't believe the HU Propios or Boli Soberanos have been released yet but either may be weeks away. 

Yes sir, all luck of the draw + relationship with LCDH employees. And I guarantee you there are people that go to Havana 1-3 times per month (flippers). Oh well what can you do?

[unclepauly25]

On 10/16/2018 at 6:00 PM, Philc2001 said:

I just got back from the island a couple of weeks ago, and frankly I could not find any rarities or anything aged, and I wasn't really digging hard. I mostly looked in mainstream LCDH in Havana, and did not venture out to other areas. The best find was the Montecristo Linea 1935 Dumas at the Hotel Nacional, which were $224 (20 cigars). But by then I was already tapped out after buying a small boatload of customs, and it was either cigars or dinner and drinks, I opted for dinner and a bunch of $2.50 mojitos that were outstanding.

I'm not a Cohiba fan, but there was a decent lineup of Cohibas on the island. But IMPO if you're visiting the island I would recommend you buy some customs, they are a good value and much more rewarding than the stuff you can buy any time from our host. I sat down with Yolanda at the Melia LCDH and smoked one of her coronas, it was great, so I took what she had left, and I also bought a bundle of her Lonsdales. I then went and saw Alex and smoked one of the Puntillas, and I was hooked. Check out what Yolanda or Alex have to offer if you haven't tried them, and you can even pre-order and they will have them ready for you when you get there. These are excellent and a real bargain. 

Hi I was wondering what customs cost per stick or bundle, I keep hearing about Alex and Yolanda, im really curious now, I’ve never come across any, do you prefer to age them, or do they smoke well young? Thanks 

[cigcars]

      *IMHO you can't go wrong with:

        1) Ramon Allones  2) Bolivar anything. 3) Montecristo No.2  4) Partagas 898 Varnished  5) Cohiba Esplendido (6) Siglo IV (7) Siglo V  8 Por Larranaga

         9) Saint Luis Rey  10) H Upmann Sir Winston

[Ryan]

When going to buy cigars in Cuba, it's good to have a list but you also need to keep an open mind.

There are probably 12-15 good shops in Havana, maybe more. In one or more of them you will probably see a box that calls out to you that you hadn't thought of buying, so keep some "wild-card" money spare. There are very few places in the world, probably no place other than Havana, where you can visit 12-15 good Cuban cigar shops in 1 or 2 days.

Some examples, I found a couple of jars of H. Upmann Noellas last year, at $122.50 less than half the price of the next cheapest market in the world, at least that I've seen.

3 years ago I found a box of Quai d'Orsay Gran Coronas, discontinued since 2006, for $144.

Last year, good boxes of H. Upmann Sir Winston were available.

4 years ago, 25 LGC Medaiile d'Or No. 4 for $88 (the price has jumped a bit since then)

Last February, jars of San Cristobal Torreon for $498.

They are just some examples, but as far as I remember, every time I've been to Cuba I've seen boxes worth buying that I hadn't planned on buying, that's why I say "keep an open mind"

As I've said before, when in Havana, it's always worth considering the "La Casa del Habano Exclusive" releases. Compared to other markets outside Cuba, they are some of the best value.

https://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/cigar/releases#LCDH_Exclusive_Releases

The following should be available in some or most shops.

2010 
Ramón Allones Allones Superiores

2011

H. Upmann Royal Robusto

2012

Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure de Luxe

2013

Bolívar Libertador

2014

Romeo y Julieta Cedros de Luxe

2016

Hoyo de Monterrey Elegantes

2017

Trinidad La Trova (if you're lucky)

2018

Hoyo de Monterrey Escogidos (possibly not yet)

 

 

[Philc2001]

On 10/18/2018 at 3:11 AM, unclepauly25 said:

Hi I was wondering what customs cost per stick or bundle, I keep hearing about Alex and Yolanda, im really curious now, I’ve never come across any, do you prefer to age them, or do they smoke well young? Thanks 

This has been posted a few times in recent weeks. Yolanda and Alex are both master rollers, they work in shops in Havana. Depending on vitola size you can expect to pay between $4 and $10 per cigar. While smokeable young, I intend to give them a year or two, but I haven't had any aged beyond a few months as yet.