Cuban customs...

[treberty]

In Canada???

So I am in Windsor, ON on business.  Driving to the hotel I spotted a cigar shop, so I obviously stopped by to check out the selection and maybe grab a stick for after dinner.

Looking at the cigars I thought prices were insanely high because of the America s crossing the river (Windsor is North of Detroit, across the river). 

Before leaving empty-handed I noticed some bandless cigars that looked stunning.  I assumed they were from Nicaragua, but the guy said they were customs from Cuba.  I told him that I had a hard time believing that Cuba was exporting customs, but he assured me that a wholeseller could import them to Canada.  I purchased the cigar out of curiosity event though I was still very sceptical. 

I just felt like going back to the hotel after dinner so I will not be smoking the cigar tonight - tomorrow perhaps.

Forgot to mention: the cigar was 6,99CAD.   A Picadores was 29.99CAD (+tax).

Has anyone heard of or seen importes Cuban customs in Canada or Europe?

cheers!

 

[rabidraccoon]

I have not seen Cuban customs in any shops in Europe but I have seen NC customs in those shops. It’s not inconcievable, I just haven’t seen it personally. 

[helix]

$7 Canadian is less than in Havana...………... 

[nKostyan]

Bad rolled, wrapper-artificially created maduro, heat treatment or ink. Nothing interesting...

[stogieluver]

That cigar wasn’t rolled by anyone who knew what they were doing, & certainly not by one of the trained factory rollers, much less a Master roller like Alex, Reynaldo, etc. 

[El Presidente]

That's a real farmie ......

[JoeyGunz]

Sautter's sells his Cuban Custom Roll's in England.

It is possible, Laurence discusses the process of importing them in one of his reviews.

[shlomo]

Importing Cuban tobacco into Canada is certainly possible and is done by some retailers. They then could have somebody roll the tobacco in Canada. There is almost no way to know for sure where that ugly cigar came from however. 

Prices are high across Canada due to taxes.

[nKostyan]

Importing Cuban tobacco into Canada is certainly possible and is done by some retailers. They then could have somebody roll the tobacco in Canada. There is almost no way to know for sure where that ugly cigar came from however. 

Prices are high across Canada due to taxes.

Cuban tobacco leaves exports are prohibited by the Cuban government. It is easier to take out the finished product from Cuba

[rcarlson]

Ugly.  Phallic.  

[Puros Y Vino]

That looks horrible.  There's no way at that price point that it's a Cuban cigar. Whether it be house roll or farmie.  Even a  Correnti cigar which, in the past, was able to import Cuban tobacco, can sell you a cigar at that price.  Any tobacconist in Canada would be crazy to sell any house rolls or farmies that they would either mule in themselves, or from others. If they get caught doing so, they'd be screwed. Goodbye tobacco license, hello fines.  They'd have to officially import them.  And that would add to the cost due to taxes. They'd have to be pretty damn cheap cigars to be sold for $7CAD retail with the tax load.    I'd bet they're either Dominican, Nicaraguan or even Honduran.  

[benfica_77]

18 minutes ago, bundwallah said:

That looks horrible.  There's no way at that price point that it's a Cuban cigar. Whether it be house roll or farmie.  Even a  Correnti cigar which, in the past, was able to import Cuban tobacco, can sell you a cigar at that price.  Any tobacconist in Canada would be crazy to sell any house rolls or farmies that they would either mule in themselves, or from others. If they get caught doing so, they'd be screwed. Goodbye tobacco license, hello fines.  They'd have to officially import them.  And that would add to the cost due to taxes. They'd have to be pretty damn cheap cigars to be sold for $7CAD retail with the tax load.    I'd bet they're either Dominican, Nicaraguan or even Honduran.  

Correnti can't import Cuban tobacco anymore??

[Puros Y Vino]

2 minutes ago, benfica_77 said:

Correnti can't import Cuban tobacco anymore??

Not 100% sure.  Their cigars are not Cuban puros.  The Cuban tobacco they seem to have is 20+ years old. It gets used in the filler blend. The other tobaccos are NC.  El Prez was there years ago visiting with some other FOH members and the manifests for the tobacco, were old. Not recent.  @El Presidente Do you recall the details of your visit there with Tom?  

[Brian24]

I bought a custom from a shop in Windsor. Same street as the former LCDH that closed. I can’t remember the name but it was a tobacco only shop with a walk in, as opposed to one of the convenience stores that had a couple boxes only.

The guy threw in a Cuban custom when I bought a box of RG Panetellas. Way overpriced due to insane Canada tobacco taxes. I smoked it 6 months later. It was not very good and did not have the genera profile I tend to associate with Cuban cigars.

The shop seemed legit and was nice. But can’t vouch for the custom roll authenticity.

[MD Puffer]

You smoke it yet?  Care to share your tasting notes?

[benfica_77]

2 hours ago, bundwallah said:

Not 100% sure.  Their cigars are not Cuban puros.  The Cuban tobacco they seem to have is 20+ years old. It gets used in the filler blend. The other tobaccos are NC.  El Prez was there years ago visiting with some other FOH members and the manifests for the tobacco, were old. Not recent.  @El Presidente Do you recall the details of your visit there with Tom?  

Wow that's good to know. I was planning on putting in an order with them for some cigars for my wedding and get bands done. If it's not a pure CC I don't want it. Looks like I need to come up with a Plan B

[El Presidente]

3 hours ago, bundwallah said:

  @El Presidente Do you recall the details of your visit there with Tom?  

To be honest I don't think that as part of the discussion with them. 

Unless by subterfuge, "raw form" premium  tobacco leaf is not exported from Cuba unless for roller exhibitions. 

[Puros Y Vino]

21 minutes ago, benfica_77 said:

Wow that's good to know. I was planning on putting in an order with them for some cigars for my wedding and get bands done. If it's not a pure CC I don't want it. Looks like I need to come up with a Plan B

Yikes. Don't take my word for it. My knowledge on the matter is secondhand. They still might be your best bet for a bundle of cigars.  

[Brian24]

I’d purchase a nice box from FOH, in my new and limited experience the quality is second to none and you know you’re getting authentic cigars while supporting a community of like minded folks.

[treberty]

I will hopefully smoke it tonight.

Shouln’t last too long ?

[helix]

I have tried a few of the Correnti cigars available from a local shop in Ottawa. Researched it a little , machine made on old equipment and apparently for quite so time now only a tiny sprinkle of the almost  depleted stock of 30+ year old Cuban leaf was/is added.  

[shadowACE]

I live in Windsor and the B&M I shop at(mostly for accessories) has these "house sticks". The owner claims they are Cuban tobacco and gets them from a roller in the Toronto area. He gifted me a few and they were just ok. Never would spend my own coin on them however even though they are pretty cheap.

Sent from my SM-N960W using Tapatalk

[shlomo]

14 hours ago, nKostyan said:

Cuban tobacco leaves exports are prohibited by the Cuban government. It is easier to take out the finished product from Cuba

Prohibited. Yet still found.

[dominattorney]

22 hours ago, El Presidente said:

To be honest I don't think that as part of the discussion with them. 

Unless by subterfuge, "raw form" premium  tobacco leaf is not exported from Cuba unless for roller exhibitions. 

So that guy in Mexico was lying to me?  I am taken aback.

[NSXCIGAR]

On 2/27/2019 at 6:32 AM, mtapia3 said:

The LCDH in Tijuana, Mexico has a house roller who was supposedly a high ranking roller at the Partagas factory, and uses pure Cuban leaf for his customs. Honestly, I think the whole thing is a gimmick. And it doesn’t help that the store manager claims these custom rolls are the same as a Behike. This manager usually gives me a free stick or two with my purchases. Because of my doubts about these things though, I have yet to try one. I probably have close to a dozen sitting at the bottom of my humidor right now. 

That's Carlos Fernandez, and yes, he was a level 8 roller at the Partagas factory qualified to roll all vitolas.

As far as the tobacco he's using, I think it's fairly consistent with most of the customs I had in Cuba.

Personally, I don't believe that leaf used for customs is top tier even in Cuba. And no, Carlos' cigars are far from anything Cohiba let alone BHK. I've never liked any of his customs even after he tweaked the seco and ligero blend several times for me in different vitolas. Just can't warm up to them.

I'm fairly close to the owner of that LCDH and he has mentioned to me that he can get extra leaf off the fincas but it's not easy and I would certainly assume Tabacuba is taking the top 90% of the leaf and leaving the farm with the bottom 10%. 

I would love to know, among many other things, how the leaf for customs is distributed and to who, but in my experience, all Cuban customs seem to taste quite similar to me.