Cubans

[since75]

Absolutely agree. I used to buy my cigars only from Vinny at CIGAR WORLD until they closed a few years ago.
The better resorts will sell real cubans in their gift shops, but they are expensive and you usually have to be staying there to get to the gift shop. Seashore Bay has a humidor now that does offer them, again expensive. I have been able to go into the Beaches Gift Shop a few times and get the R & J Tubos or Fonseca Cosacos at a decent price. I usually consider all else fake, but still decent smokes.
I still buy some at the airport on the way home, some have been real good, some have been bad. Good Luck.

the fact that you still see glass top humidors in Negril, in broad daylight is hilarious.

negril is full of 99% bunk cuban cigars. what you said deserves to be said again. cuban cigars are not cheap, especially with Jamaica's protectionist tariffs which practically make it impossible to have a good tobacconist selling legitimate cigars when there is so much counterfeiting.

there are several tell tales. no box or loose singles? please, lol. Havana doesn't sell cigars in bundles. bunk. last time I saw a shyte ton of "cohiba" torpedoes in cellophane. they looked like darts. no such animal exists in cuba. cigars of different shade wrappers in the same box? bunk. look at the cigars, if there are different marques and they all have the same color wrapper, bunk. The foot of the cigar can also be a tell tale- traditional cuban rollers use a "bookend" style pattern when they roll the cigar. Also the cap can be a tell tale if you know what to look for, due also to the style of rolling and applying the cap.

there was only one legitimate shop operating in times square years ago and they closed down. caveat emptor. there is from what I have heard a nice shop owned by the same people who had the shop in times square in Mobay and also they run the airport tobacco shops.

some of the cigars are cuban in origin, but if you buy a bolivar and a hoyo they will taste the same. they are not the marques they are supposed to be.

jamaican cigars are pretty good.

[monk]

Absolutely agree. I used to buy my cigars only from Vinny at CIGAR WORLD until they closed a few years ago.
The better resorts will sell real cubans in their gift shops, but they are expensive and you usually have to be staying there to get to the gift shop. Seashore Bay has a humidor now that does offer them, again expensive. I have been able to go into the Beaches Gift Shop a few times and get the R & J Tubos or Fonseca Cosacos at a decent price. I usually consider all else fake, but still decent smokes.
I still buy some at the airport on the way home, some have been real good, some have been bad. Good Luck.

Vinny was a champ. Last I heard, he was back in India at his family's restaurant. Man the cigars I used to smoke out of that shop, many rivaled stuff out of a keep I used to have in London. Bolivar Royal Coronas in el corojo, upmann no2s, rafael gonzales coronas extras, for awhile I had a shelf there...Punch DCs...the thing was it was very pricey (you will not find anyone really willing to make "a deal" when buying cuban cigars, like you won't find people wiling to make a deal when you go to buy other luxury items lol) and so the cigars would sit and sit and sit, I think he had SLR PCs from 92 in there once, in 98. They didn't last very long and were insane.

I believe they also had a shop in tryall.

This brings back some nice memories, my favorite thing to do on Sundays used to be grab the Observer, buy some donuts, hit Sunrise Club and smoke away the morning after some breakfast crepes and a few rounds espresso/cappucino.

and when things were really good every day was Sunday lol.

[Lido Lover]

Can Jamaican cigars be brought back into the states? I have a friends that asked me to bring her father back some. Not Cuban cigars, jamaican ones. Any help will be appreciated. Thank you!

[meinvancouver]

Yes you should be able to bring any cigars as long as they are not Cubans.

[Lido Lover]

meinvancouver,
thank yo for the fast reply

[rooster]

The past 3 years I stopped doing the taking off the bands...hiding them & getting a reciept for Jamaicans & just put the sealed boxs...3 (Cohibas) & 4 sealed boxs of Jose L. Piedra Cubans in my checked luggage without a problem. I check the NO box's on everything that's on the card they give us when coming back in the US. Not had a problem...I say they looking for Ganja for the most part & that WON'T happen with me!