www.CostaRicaTicas.com

This place advertises cuban cigars for 180 a box???
anyone ever bought any fromthem?

http://crtropicaltour.com/english/cuban ... stuno.html

I have never heard of them but I certainly would be very leery of a company that claims to be able to ship genuine Cuban cigars to the United States.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Ditto what ID said.

I do not know about that place, but the cigar factory in Puriscal uses good quality cuban tobacco filler with a wrapper from somewhere else. Price is good, the cigars are good etc. (Apparently the Cubans will not sell wrappers........)

_________________
Providing humanitarian assistance to self employed chicas, one cash grant at a time.

Experts will tell you (I'm not one but listen to my betters) that Cuban cigars are nothing like they used to be. Castro tore up some of the best growing fields to grow sugar cane and the better, older cigar makers were replaced by those who had better Socialist credentials. I understand the fascination with the legendary but prefer to smoke (and drink in re: Havana Club rum) the best of the present day. I think that you'll find that's Dominican, Nicaraguan or even one of the fine Costa Rican makers (one of whom is a CRT VIP sponsor).
And to echo Brother ID, I'd be more than leery about trying to import--still highly illegal to import into the U. S. Wonder what ruse they're using (reboxing? re-banding?) and how then you could tell thay were genuine Cuban? My 2 cents...

_________________
"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

I agree El Viejo. According to Cigar Aficionado the better cigars do come from Nicaragua and Republica Dominicana. Cubans are right up there.

The last ratings I read, while puffing on a Cuban at the cigar bar in a place that used to be called Zona Blue, the No. 1 cigar hailed from Nicaragua. To me, Cubans are good but made significantly better because they are theoretically forbidden to U.S. citizens.

Excuse me, I was commenting on Jazzbo not on El V's post.

A friend checked into importing and said the company offered to take the bands off and let him take the bands with him at purchase. They would then ship the unbanded cigars and he could put the bands back on in the US. Sounds like a lot of bother to me.

I also understand that, when the embargo was placed, the major companies transplanted some of their better cigar makers and tobacco to other countries in order to continue to reap US profits. No real benefit to a Cuban cigar other than the fact that it is naughty to have in the US. Kinda like when Coors was not readily available. There are a lot of better beers but we always drank Coors when we could get it because of the scarcity.

_________________
"Your love gives me such a thrill
but your love don't pay my bills,
I NEED THE MONEY!" - John Lee Hooker

Disclaimer: The above is merely the opinion of the author unless specific scientific data is included.
Your mileage may vary. https://costaricaticas.com/phpBB2/viewto ... 978#206978

I also agree that Cuban cigars are usually overrated. I get to try them pretty often when I'm traveling and usually they are too strong for my taste. I tend to prefer mild Dominican cigars and Nicaraguan cicars. Drew Estates from Nicaland had some great selections.

_________________
Providing humanitarian assistance to self employed chicas, one cash grant at a time.

Jazz asked me to clarify my post above.

The specific cigars I mentioned as being very good are from DREW Estates. Their operation is located in Nicaragua (not Nicaland). Sorry for any confusion. I have not checked to see if Drew Estates has a website, but I'm, pretty sure that they do. I have found these cigars at a number of US cigar shops on the East Coast and believe that their products are becoming more popular.

_________________
Providing humanitarian assistance to self employed chicas, one cash grant at a time.

Not only does quality vary sometimes the prices are significantly different.

I may have shared this experience on another thread so forgive if I am repeating myself. Just in case I am, I'll try to make the story better.

Several years ago I purchased a Costa Rican made cigar at a shop in San Jose, CR. When I returned to the US, I had to go to Sacramento where I went to my favorite little tobacco store in Old Town, near the River. There I purchased the same cigar for substantially less than I had paid for it in CR.

My favorite CR cigars from Don Tuto's on the Pan American highway west SJ in San Ramon cost more than the same product via their Miami based website distribution site. Go figure.

_________________
Providing humanitarian assistance to self employed chicas, one cash grant at a time.

To back up Brother El Viejo: Drew Estate does indeed have a Website and here 'tis-- www.drewestate.com

_________________
"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

For all the reasons people try to say the Cubans aren't as good as the Dominicans or Nicaraguans, I totally disagree. I am a cigar lover and have had just about most of them. And nothing compares to a good cuban. Yeah, there not all good. But a good quality cuban Cohiba(hehe), Romeo y Julieta are top notch. I have some aging in my humidor approaching 10 years and they are phenomenal. Also, the best cuban I ever had, best cigar period, comes from an old school cigar roller in Havanna. No business...no shop...no bands...just an old guy with great tobacco.

The worst part of Cuban cigars, of course, is the high price. But a treat, and worth it especially when arriving in a country that sells them. Before brother ID chimes in now, my cuban friends in the US will say the worst part is that Fidel gets the revenue, but that's another issue.


PURA VIDA! and enjoy any cigar.

_________________
Livin' & Lovin' in Key Largo....oh....And the one in The Keys, too!

I'm not trying to start a pissing contest. Truly. But my only point is that commercial-grade currently readily available Cuban cigars are surpassed by makers elsewhere and Brother Captain Cohiba back- handedly makes my point (1) his best are 10 years old and (2) his best current cigars are made non-commercially (for which I applaud him).
Sometimes the iconic objects once they are more widely available don't live up to the reputation (Coors Beer AKA Colorado Kool-aid, Absinthe*) and I think that CURRENT Cuban cigars fall into this category. Wouldn't I just love to be proved wrong in this!

* Absinthe--check this Thread: www.costaricaticas.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=282362

_________________
"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED