Cuban Cigars

[pohibaba]

So, I'm going to be in Mexico all of next week and while I was there I figured I would pick up a few Cubans, but the problem is I don't really know anything at all about them. I normally like a full bodied cigar with a bunch of flavor, do any of you guys have suggestions for things I should look for while I'm there? Thanks.

[Kuya]

First of all, good luck not getting kidnapped, and second, no wait, that's it.

[Vandole]

keep an eye on your kidneys.

[Elesirdur]

I was always partial to Diplomaticos when choosing a good Cuban cigar. If the shop looks less than reputable be aware that you may be sold fake Cubans, probably made in Honduras or the Dominican Republic.

Other big brands include Cohiba and Romeo y Julieta.

[Jefe]

Dunno where you're going, but ugh I'd avoid TJ liek the plague. That's the shithole of the universe (makes sense since it's near the frontiere). About the cigars, there's a shitton of them, from the top of my head: Romeo y Julieta, Cohiba, Trinidad, Sancho Panza, Fonsesca, Gonzales Marquez... My bro is the one that smokes, his favourite is Romeo y Julieta...

[Churchill]

Montecristo or H. Upman's are best if you're going to smoke them, the others can have a lot of "sick" cigars.

[Plow]

oh lawd don't get me started on cubans, up until 2 years ago I could still get Cohibas at a little shop in Estes Park


nothing personal at all, but I'm going to assume that by "full bodied with a bunch of flavor" you basically mean anything stronger than a swisher sweet, just because to find someone that doesn't know about cigars and actually likes a truly strong and thick flavored cigar is about as likely as finding someone that doesn't drink and fully appreciates the taste of a good 100 proof vodka


Anyway, good luck actually finding any of these, especially the real thing, in Mexico, if you manage to you'll be richly rewarded. Just remember that you're not getting more than like 1-2 cubans mixed in with some legal stuff back into the U.S. pretty much period.

so here's a few things to look for


Churchills

H. Upmann "Sir Winston" about $35
Very rich, with many layers of flavors and an incredibly smooth wrap

La Gloria Cubano "Taino" about $30
hard to explain, burns weird so honestly if you don't know what you're doing and don't have a good lighter and ash tray, you can't fully appreciate it.

Romeo Y Julieta "Churchill" about $25
Probably about exactly what you're looking for, it's considered "medium" bodied but is the thickest you'll get in this style from RYJ, and would be too intense for your typical non-smoker trying stuff out. This is a fucking good cigar especially if you're into cigars but not that into them.


Figurados

Partagas "Serie P no. 2" about $25
A very oily cigar with a somewhat odd wrap, it's very similar to ryj's churchill but more of a creamy flavor and slightly lighter in general being a fig.

If you're willing to look outside the cubans (i.e. you can get this in the U.S.), Rocky Patel just put out one called the "Decade Torpedo" that is truly amazing, it's like drinking a cherry vanilla coke in a cigar, except the cherry and vanilla are just the slightest hints, and natural. Seriously incredible cigar, and it runs about $10 since it's Honduran.


Double Coronas (getting stronger and stronger from here on out)

Vegas Robaina "Don Alejandro" about $35
Amazing cigar that looks machine rolled it's done so well, this is a pretty strong cigar. It will leave a thick, rich aftertaste for a long time, this is one you enjoy after a meal and for an entire afternoon.

Ramon Allones "Gigantes" about $30
Another one that almost looks machine rolled, this one has a pretty strong coffee flavor to it, and leaves a long aftertaste, but this one's much spicier and will leave you smacking your chops all day if you're not an experienced smoker.


Corona Gordas

Cohiba "Siglio VI" Who cares? (about $45)
This cigar defines what all cigars should strive to be, in my opinion. Beautiful and soft to the touch, belying the intense flavor that blends unbelievably smoothly from first breath to long aftertaste, I can hardly explain it without sounding like a ridiculous wine snob or something. Seriously, it's like a perfectly designed 4 course meal where every dish is specifically made to meld into the next flawlessly. If you get a chance to smoke one of these and don't, you'll regret it until the day you see another.

No need for any others, Cohiba just does them too well.


Robustos

These will seriously, and literally, plant your ass in a chair if you're not prepared. This is where Cuba makes its name. They're basically churchills pressed into a thicker and more intense, albeit smaller, cigar. It's not uncommon for them to be much more flavorful as well, not necessarily a stronger version of the same flavor, but with a wider variety of more intense flavors.

San Luis Rey "Regio" about $25
Verrrrrry natural tasting cigar. Box pressed (i.e. squareish, and arguably more flavorful due to being virtually "bailed" like hay in with other cigars), not overly strong but with flavors you won't find in many others. (if you don't smoke you might consider the taste almost grassy)

Romeo Y Julieta "Short Churchill" about $30
This one's hard to explain. It's definitely stronger than the full churchill, but their robusto is very tight and therefore it, well, for lack of a better word, takes some sucking to get that flavor heh. It also makes it taste a bit more "tropical" or something not sure how to explain.

Ramon Allones "Specially Selected" about $30
This is a great cigar for first timers and old timers alike. It basically has the intensity to match almost anything out there, but in a much creamier, smoother flavor than what's typical of the style being very peppery and natural.






Anyway, the biggest things to remember are

A. The same companies that make cubans make cigars all over the area. Just because you see a RYJ or a Cohiba does not make it cuban.

B. If you can name 3 cigars that a shop owner doesn't know about, and he has high end (more than 5-10 a cigar) stuff at all, he's selling fake shit

C. Just because a cigar is from Cuba doesn't mean it's better than the next one. Cubans are infamous for the illegality more than anything, only the greatest cigar makers take advantage of the various qualities of the different islands well enough to make any real difference, and their cigars will be amazing regardless of if they're from Cuba, Honduras, or West Virginia.

D. Obviously, in Mexico, you can find all of these for much cheaper than what they're worth in Europe/Asia, but uh, yeah, see B.

[Churchill]

You're forgetting that half of the cigars you mentioned aren't always good straight out of the box, monte no.2's and upman 46's are some of the best to buy and smoke immediately.

[Plow]

You're forgetting that half of the cigars you mentioned aren't always good straight out of the box, monte no.2's and upman 46's are some of the best to buy and smoke immediately.

That's why pretty much everything I listed was made in 04-06 >.>

edit: definitely don't disagree on either of those by any means or anything

[Nystul]

I used to get Cubans back when I used to go to Cayman on vacations with my family. It's been a long time. I do remember though that Cohibas were too strong for me and that the Romeo y Julietas were absolutely wonderful.

[Sigi]

What do you recommend for a guy that prefers smoking maduros? My dad is a pretty heavy cigar smoker (and I think that Rocky Patels tend to smell like lit dogshit). I know he likes Gurkha and the cognac tubos from Gurkha.

[Plow]

What do you recommend for a guy that prefers smoking maduros? My dad is a pretty heavy cigar smoker (and I think that Rocky Patels tend to smell like lit dogshit). I know he likes Gurkha and the cognac tubos from Gurkha.

From Cubans or just in general?

[Churchill]

Cohiba's Robusto is good

[Plow]

Yeah, for maduro's in general

Hoyo de Monterrey "Excalibur Maduro Epicure" is real good, and like 5 bucks, it's a blend from a pretty wide area with a sweet but very natural leathery coffee flavor.

Cohiba "Maduro 5 Secretos" is a really special Cuban, it's hard to find but it uses virtually every trick to bring out the full flavor from late harvest to extended aging and fermenting etc. Would love to get my hands on a few of these heh.

Padron "Serie 1926 no 9" maduro is simply amazing, google it or something to find out more and get a hold of some, they're not too terribly hard to find being Nicaraguan, but they're pretty expensive and semi-rare at this point because they've been so heavily awarded and recognized.

[Quixon]

+1 for the Romeo and Julieta Churchill and H. Upman's

There is a lot of underhanded cigar sales, be very careful if you don't know what you're talking about. Also, even if the guy lets you try one (which is pretty common), you aren't going to necessarily get what you tried. Make them open the box and look at all of the cigars in the box. I've seen shit cigars Re-Wrapped and Re-boxed as Cubans all too frequently while in Mexico and in Dominican Republic.

It's also a lot easier to get them back home than people think. I brought 2 boxes back from Dominican Republic (flying into JFK) last year. Had them right in my carry on. Nobody searched carry-ons on the way out of Punta Cana, or once in JFK. You can also just remove the wrappers and re-box them, the wrappers and boxes will have references to the origin of the cigars.

[Brien]

Cohiba has to have raised gold lettering watch for fakes

[Quixon]

I forgot to mention....

You will find Legit Ones at the Duty Free Shop in the airport. They are sealed boxes though I highly doubt you will find any singles.

Every country I have been in (where I looked for cigars) had Legit Cigars in the duty free shops at the airport. Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Mexico (Acapulco and Cancun). You don't necessarily need to fly into a large airport for this either, Punta Cana and Acapulco Airports are tiny as shit.