I understand that it is illegal to bring purchased Cuban cigars into th U.S.. Buying prescription drugs I understand is also no-no too,correct? I can't understand this? What does a box of real Cuban cigars cost in Canada? What is the name on the cigars wrapper called?
Cuban Cigar's.
- Thread starter Dispatch
- Start date
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 410
http://www.cubancigarsincanada.ca/
the 48th regulator
Army.ca Fixture
- Reaction score
- 1
- Points
- 430
Excellent place for fine cigars in Toronto;
http://www.cigarstudio.com/
http://www.thomashinds.ca/index.htm
Cuban Cigars Made in Canada with quite the History;
http://www.correnticigars.com/
dileas
tess
http://www.cigarstudio.com/
http://www.thomashinds.ca/index.htm
Cuban Cigars Made in Canada with quite the History;
http://www.correnticigars.com/
dileas
tess
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 160
Take the trip there and get the finest ;D
D
dutchie
Guest
Not to knock Cubans, but don't be blinded by the hype. Honduras, Dominican Republic, and even Mexico make very nice cigars.
But a Romeo e Julieta no. 3 is really nice. Or a Romeo Churchill. I prefer the #3's only because of the time required to smoke a Churchill. Smoking one of those bad boys is a real committment (30-45 minutes for me).
Speaking of Churchill, one of my favorite quotes from him:
" A woman is a woman, but a cigar is a good smoke."
But a Romeo e Julieta no. 3 is really nice. Or a Romeo Churchill. I prefer the #3's only because of the time required to smoke a Churchill. Smoking one of those bad boys is a real committment (30-45 minutes for me).
Speaking of Churchill, one of my favorite quotes from him:
" A woman is a woman, but a cigar is a good smoke."
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 410
Despatch you can legally bring Cuban cigars into the US if you purchased them in Cuba, flew directly from Cuba to the US, had prior approval for your visit from the US State Department, and did not exceed the allowed monetary limits placed on said approved visit.
Anything else including buying the overpriced stuff here in Canada would be a violation of the Trading with The Enemies Act passed over 40 years ago and still in force.
The act which dictates trade and relations with Cuba does not prohibit US citizens from visiting Cuba without the aforementioned prior approval (usually granted to families, journalists, professionals attending international conferences etc) but only prohibits them from spending money there and on Cuban products. That also means no bottles of 10 year old Havana Club rum, and/or Che T-shirts either.
Some US tourists claimed they were not in violation of the act by booking all inclusive air/hotel vacation packages in Canada or Mexico claiming they were spending their money in Canada not Cuba, but this loophole has been closed.
Besides as Castro frowns on tourists panhandling and there is a $25.00 US exit tax payable in cash now there is no legal way around the act.
Finally as I noted those with permission to visit are limited to $50.00 US IIRC in souvenirs. A box of 25 Cohiba Esplandidos goes for $325-350 US in Havana last time I checked (Oct 2005). That same cigar retails here in Toronto for $60-80.00 a piece hence my comments on overpriced. Mind about 8-9 years ago I was offered $1500.00 US a box in Lost Wages (Las Vegas).
Ceasar is right my humidor contains some very nice Honduran, Dominican, Filippino, Cost Rican and Mexican cigars as well as my Cubanos. BTW anyone heading down there for some fun in the sun should watch out for fakes. Most ( ut not all) of what is sold on the Black market to tourists by the jinteros is "fake" and sometimes crap.
Anything else including buying the overpriced stuff here in Canada would be a violation of the Trading with The Enemies Act passed over 40 years ago and still in force.
The act which dictates trade and relations with Cuba does not prohibit US citizens from visiting Cuba without the aforementioned prior approval (usually granted to families, journalists, professionals attending international conferences etc) but only prohibits them from spending money there and on Cuban products. That also means no bottles of 10 year old Havana Club rum, and/or Che T-shirts either.
Some US tourists claimed they were not in violation of the act by booking all inclusive air/hotel vacation packages in Canada or Mexico claiming they were spending their money in Canada not Cuba, but this loophole has been closed.
Besides as Castro frowns on tourists panhandling and there is a $25.00 US exit tax payable in cash now there is no legal way around the act.
Finally as I noted those with permission to visit are limited to $50.00 US IIRC in souvenirs. A box of 25 Cohiba Esplandidos goes for $325-350 US in Havana last time I checked (Oct 2005). That same cigar retails here in Toronto for $60-80.00 a piece hence my comments on overpriced. Mind about 8-9 years ago I was offered $1500.00 US a box in Lost Wages (Las Vegas).
Ceasar is right my humidor contains some very nice Honduran, Dominican, Filippino, Cost Rican and Mexican cigars as well as my Cubanos. BTW anyone heading down there for some fun in the sun should watch out for fakes. Most ( ut not all) of what is sold on the Black market to tourists by the jinteros is "fake" and sometimes crap.
- Reaction score
- 19,704
- Points
- 1,360
Caesar said:
In fact, I prefer Dominican..."Leon Jimenez" Churchills in particular. Cesar, I thought a Churchill was a #4? You're right about the larger size...anything that lasts 45min-1hr with no more than 1/2 burnt is right for me...nothing worse than getting "greedy" and trying to pull a bit more out of the cigar and getting a mouthful of crap when it gets too short! :-X
Cheers,
Duey
NL_engineer
Army.ca Veteran
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 410
Danjanou said:
When I was In Cuba, 2002, I got a box of Romeo e Julieta's, and H. Upmann's for under $50 US each. A friend that went down over Christmas bought a box of Romeo e Julieta's for around 40 EURO. I guess it all depends on where you buy them.
Just my $0.02
D
dutchie
Guest
You might be right about Churchills being number 4's, but that's a pretty big jump in size. I smoke a #3 in around 15-20, but a Churchill takes me 45 minutes. Either way, I DO like Churchills, but you gotta pick the right time.Duey said:
BTW, I actually prefer the taste when you get down to the end. I find the heat and the long ash makes the cigar nice and smooth.
mdh
Sr. Member
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 210
Ahhh Frank Correnti! - great place for fresh cubans prepared on the premises - warning though - his place can be hard to find - (down the alley behind Club 360 if it's still there) although I agree that cuban brands tend to be overpriced - especially Cohibas - Dom. Republic, Mexico, Honduras and Nicaragua all make nice brands as well - think Jamaica also has good stuff for sale....
cheers, mdh
the 48th regulator
Army.ca Fixture
- Reaction score
- 1
- Points
- 430
Myself with a Phenomenal cigar I purchased from Correnti Cigars, the staff was amazing yesterday, Cuban Leaf cigars hand rolled in Toronto...exquisite!!!1
dileas
tess
dileas
tess
NL_engineer
Army.ca Veteran
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 410
geo said:Cigars - great insect repellents
Amen to that, I found that out during an BEOC FTX in Gagetown last summer.
- Reaction score
- 6
- Points
- 430
Also an excuse to take a break... we had no smokers in our troop for a period of about 3 weeks at one point... as such, no smoke breaks... dutifully, I went out, bought a pack of colts (I know, shame on me, little better then cigarettes) and took up smoking till one of the smokers returned.
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 410
Hey tess now that you've discovered one of Toronto's best kept secrets I guess you'll be providing the smokes at our next pub nite brother. The D9er bought me a beautiful humidor for Christmas so I have an excuse to store not smoke my collection now. 8)
NL- R&J is a brand name like Cohiba, Monte Cristo, Partagas, Upmann etc all with different sized (and priced) cigars hence the difference in proces noted in this thread. As I said the Government there sets and controls the prices, at least in the official stores.
NL- R&J is a brand name like Cohiba, Monte Cristo, Partagas, Upmann etc all with different sized (and priced) cigars hence the difference in proces noted in this thread. As I said the Government there sets and controls the prices, at least in the official stores.
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 410
NL_engineer said:
If you bought them on the street, they're fake. Counterfeit Cuban cigars are big business, and what goes into them is pretty sickening - floor sweepings, paper, banana leaves, etc.
I second the shills for Correnti cigars, I quite enjoy them on the odd occasion that I smoke a cigar.
My personal preference is my Lebanese narghileh water-pipe. I don't have one that's "field capable" though.
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 410
Redeye said:
Redeye yes and no. While Fidel and or Thoma Hines the Canadian who has the monopoly on exports to Canada would have you believe that everything not bought in a Government store is a fake made from floor sweepings, banana leaves and/or animal excrement that is not the case.
Yeah that happened although in 20 plus trips to the island I’ve never come across one, and only heard of horror stories second or third hand. You’re right in that there is a demand and lucrative business for black market cigars. There is also a tendency for the locals to do anything and everything to make a buck for such frivolous luxuries as food and medicine in the socialist utopia.
The end of the cigar craze in North America has also helped to cut down on the demand for black market. Also most of the dumber and more aggressive jinteros were arrested during the big crackdowns in the mid 1990’s.
Defining fakes is a bit harder. A lot of the stuff passed off as Cohibas. Monte Cristos etc is in fact second rate tobacco rolled at home in the evenings, by the same guys who roll the good stuff in the factories for the bearded one. Counterfeit boxes, labels etc are made or stolen and the end product flogged to the touristas. Its Cuban tobacco rolled by Cuban rollers in Cuba so at what point do they become “fakes.”
In addition some of the stuff in the boxes is what it purports to be. The penalties for stealing a full box are almost the same for stealing an empty one and/or a supply of cigar bands, three years cutting sugar cane at one of the interior all-inclusives not advertised in the travel brochures.
As I said desperate times drive people to desperate measures and things are again on the downward spiral there I would say based don my visit last fall. I’ve even seen fakes for sale in the official stores after the trusted employers have switched boxes to sell on the street.
You have to really know your cigars and Cuba to buy down there, either on the black or in the tourist hard currency shops or you will get burned. My new passion is for the Peso cigars. These are the lower quality tobacco that are made for domestic consumption (and often sold to unsuspecting touristas with the popular bands on them). You can’t buy them in tourist areas, but only in towns an cities.
They’re called Peso Cigars,there a couple of brands, because they cost 1 Peso (Moneda Nacional) each or a bundle usually crudely wrapped in white paper for 25 Pesos. At the established exchange rate of 30-35 Moneda Nacional Pesos to 1 Convertible Peso ( equivalent to $1.00 US) that makes them about as nickel each in Canadian funds. There is also no limit on how you can export without a Government receipt. A bit of a strong cigar, but still worth it in my opinion.
NL_engineer
Army.ca Veteran
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 410
Redeye said:
If you buy them on the street, they do not give you an official receat, witch I just happen to have taped to the bottom of my box. BTW the box has the official seal on it, and they were purchased outside main torroust areas.
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 410
The good black marketers actually can provide receipts for a little extra charge believe it of not. In some of thos e factories over by Barrio Chino in Habana anything not nailed down an/or bigger than a bread box gets slipped out past security. 8)
BTW the latest (as of 3 months ago and subject to change) rule is no receipts are required if you are exporting 23 or less cigars per person. So buy a box of 25 on the black, smoke 2 and walk through customs. Then buy your second box at the airport duty free officially to make the 50 Canada customs allows. This does not apply to the Peso Cigars I mentioned earlier, you don’t need a receipt to export them form Cuba if they’re in the original package and it’s blatantly obvious what they are. Theoretically you could also bring back more than 50 and declare them. Hat would the duty be on a nickel?
BTW the latest (as of 3 months ago and subject to change) rule is no receipts are required if you are exporting 23 or less cigars per person. So buy a box of 25 on the black, smoke 2 and walk through customs. Then buy your second box at the airport duty free officially to make the 50 Canada customs allows. This does not apply to the Peso Cigars I mentioned earlier, you don’t need a receipt to export them form Cuba if they’re in the original package and it’s blatantly obvious what they are. Theoretically you could also bring back more than 50 and declare them. Hat would the duty be on a nickel?
Similar threads
