Cuban Cigars

[mackman1]

Will be heading down to Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta on Carnival Miracle. Does anyone know where I can get some Cuban cigars??

[donaldsc]

Will be heading down to Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta on Carnival Miracle. Does anyone know where I can get some Cuban cigars??

 

Real (a few of the vendors) or fake (most of the vendors)?

 

DON

[mackman1]

How do you find the real ones ?

[Aquahound]

Will be heading down to Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta on Carnival Miracle. Does anyone know where I can get some Cuban cigars??

 

I'm sorry, I can't answer your actual question. I do know you have to be careful in your selection because most are fakes. I was once told if it has a yellow band, it's fake. I don't know how true that is though.

 

Just so you know, it's still illegal to bring them back into the US so if you do find them, smoke 'em there. :)

[paggs]

 

Just so you know, it's still illegal to bring them back into the US so if you do find them, smoke 'em there. :)

 

 

There is a way to bring them back undetected. Simply take the band off and put in another part of your luggage until you get home. It's impossible to look at a cigar and say it's Cuban. I have done this and had no problems. Illegal? Yeah. But it's a stupid law in the first place and our forefathers taught stupid laws should be broken.

[Scurvy Seadog]

You only get away with it until you get caught. Play stupid games...win stupid prizes.

[mackman1]

There has to be some reputable tobacco store in Port ? Maybe the crew will know

[Flatbush Flyer]

At the risk of getting flamed by folks who don't want the secret location to get out or who possess no sense of humor):

 

In Puerto Vallarta, look for the sundries store on the block just north of the WalMart. You'll recognize it from the giant front window display of used walkie-talkies and rum runners made from old tire carcasses. It's right between the knock-off tee shirt shop and the pharmacy that sells the counterfeit prescription drugs. Across the street is a specialty Tequila store with some beautiful bottles (all filled with Cuervo swill) and next to it is a Diamonds International (?) that also has art auctions every day a cruise ship is in port (the best bargains are the "local crafts" -easily identified by the brand stamp that says "made in China.")

 

I'm pretty sure that, at least the sundries store (if not all the aforementioned vendors) have fake Cubans. The only exception is WalMart, which sells fake fake Cuban cigars.

 

For the real Cubans? I know a guy in Miami.

[GottaKnowWhen]

Does anyone know where I can get some Cuban cigars??

 

 

Cuba?

[Keith1010]

You might also want to ask about this on the Mexican Riviera Board.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=203

 

Keith

Edited May 29, 2016 by Keith1010

[notentirelynormal]

There is a way to bring them back undetected. Simply take the band off and put in another part of your luggage until you get home. It's impossible to look at a cigar and say it's Cuban. I have done this and had no problems. Illegal? Yeah. But it's a stupid law in the first place and our forefathers taught stupid laws should be broken.

 

Well, if AquaHound didn't know it before :rolleyes: I'm sure he thanks you for it now and it will be in the company newsletter. He works with the US Coast Guard. LOL . :eek: This kind of thing is one of the funny things about CC. You are doing something illegal and you come on a community board to tell us how you do it. Every single cruise line reads CC.

 

Why do you think they are more careful about alcohol smugglers?

 

p.s. I'm 100% sure he already knew this idea since he works on the East Coast.

[SWFL Cruisers]

I too enjoy a good Cuban cigar. If I am on a cruise away from the USA I will always enjoy a few before I get back. I hope this helps you find what you are looking for.

 

http://www.cigaraficionado.com/counterfeit

[mackman1]

Too bad the Cruise Lines make it so difficult to smoke good cigar or pipe on the ship. But no problem selling you hard liquor

[Aquahound]

Too bad the Cruise Lines make it so difficult to smoke good cigar or pipe on the ship. But no problem selling you hard liquor

 

Apples/Oranges. Casual drinking of liquor is not bothersome to others unless it gets out of hand. Cigars/pipes/cigarettes are bothersome from the first light. Plus, they are a fire hazard on a ship. Alcohol certainly can be a vice, but there's a big difference between alcohol and smoking.

[mackman1]

Apples/Oranges. Casual drinking of liquor is not bothersome to others unless it gets out of hand. Cigars/pipes/cigarettes are bothersome from the first light. Plus, they are a fire hazard on a ship. Alcohol certainly can be a vice, but there's a big difference between alcohol and smoking.

You do have a point but the ships put a very strong emphasis on alcohol. Too much in my opinion Great place for an alcoholic. Just glad those people are not driving home.

[donaldsc]

Too bad the Cruise Lines make it so difficult to smoke good cigar or pipe on the ship. But no problem selling you hard liquor

 

The reason that they do not allow cigars is that the vast majority of people feel that cigars smell totally vile. I doubt that the "good" ones smell any less vile. If I found that a ship or a cruise line allowed cigar smoker to smoke anywhere but in a hermetically sealed room, I would never cruise that line or ship again.

 

With regard to hard liquor, while some people get a bit too drunk and are annoying, you can walk away from. As long as you are downwind of a cigar smoker, you can't get away from the smell.

 

DON

[mackman1]

I guess for me it's more pleasurable to sit and enjoy a good cigar than drinking alcohol.

[mamkmm2]

Will be heading down to Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta on Carnival Miracle. Does anyone know where I can get some Cuban cigars??

 

Cuban cigars or cigars made by Cubans? I know that is kinda snarky but you can buy home rolled cigars made by Cubans here in the Tampa area ... and it isn't illegal or anything.

 

Nicahabana Cigars is down on 7th Ave in Ybor City here in Tampa. Very highly rated, hand rolled, etc.

Edited May 30, 2016 by mamkmm2

[mackman1]

I've never had a real "Cuban" I've often heard they are overrated. Plenty of good cigars out there

[mamkmm2]

I've never had a real "Cuban" I've often heard they are overrated. Plenty of good cigars out there

 

Good cigars are an art form. Never smoked one but the good ones you can tell from the smell. My husband is Spanish ... Cuban/Spaniard whose various family lines came over in the late 1880s to the early 1900s. A lot of the women rolled cigars until they married or after their children started school to help bring family into bring cash into the family coffers. I still have the "knife" my mother in law used to for cutting tobacco leaves while she rolled.

 

Funny thing is, my family raised tobacco in KY/TN up until my grandparents. I've helped plant, top, cut, tie, and hang. To create a cigar is a long and much more involved process than a lot of people realize.

 

LOL ... and that's my history lesson of the day. :rolleyes:

[mackman1]

Would love to visit a real tobacco farm and watch cigars being made. I guess some day

[donaldsc]

I guess for me it's more pleasurable to sit and enjoy a good cigar than drinking alcohol.

 

The problem is that when you are drinking a good alcoholic drink, only you know it and you are not impacting anyone else. When you are smoking your cigar, everyone within a 200 foot radius of you can smell your cigar.

 

When my kids were younger, they played soccer and we went to most of their games. There was someone on an adjacent field smoking a cigar and you could smell it on on our field.

 

DON

[cruisin2ccu]

I've been told tat La Casa Del Habano is a reputable source. there is one on Cabo (never been before but here is the address: Madero s/n Blvd Marina y Guerrero, Cabo San Lucas, BCS , México. The franchise is called J&J Habanos)

[boscobeans]

I've never had a real "Cuban" I've often heard they are overrated. Plenty of good cigars out there

 

I no longer smoke but did smoke cigars for many years.

 

Open a box of REAL Cuban cigars and the first thing you notice is the uniformity. Color, shape and size of each cigar is identical. No spots or blemishes on the wrappers. If you tear one apart you will be hard pressed to find any spotted or mold stained filler leaves like in almost any other cigars from the Caribbean. Once lit the draw on each is almost always exactly the same, never made too tight or too loose just right. Once you find a Cuban cigar that you like you will know it from others easily.. They are the only cigar that I would smoke down to a stub and not get tired of smoking it.

 

Buy only from official Habano stores that sell one thing CIGARS. There is almost ONE in every port. Cigar bands, cellophane wrappers or boxes are no proof as they are easily forged.

 

Expect to pay a price for what you desire as they are not on the cheap side.

 

bosco

Edited May 31, 2016 by boscobeans

[mamkmm2]

The problem is that when you are drinking a good alcoholic drink, only you know it and you are not impacting anyone else. When you are smoking your cigar, everyone within a 200 foot radius of you can smell your cigar.

 

When my kids were younger, they played soccer and we went to most of their games. There was someone on an adjacent field smoking a cigar and you could smell it on on our field.

 

DON

 

Complaints come about many different smells. The smell of cooking meat is often problematic for those that don't eat it or those on diets. The smell of some perfume/cologne often "wafts" for what seems like miles. We've all heard the complaints about the smell of marijuana and how far it can carry.

 

Each to his own. Personally, though I've never smoked, the smell of a nice, mellow cigar or cigarillo carried on the wind evokes fond memories.