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.

Quote Originally Posted by monk View Post
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.