I just returned home froma cruise with my wife and some of her family. On board the ship I encounter an interesting reaction to my cigar which happened to be a C.A.O. Mx2. As I walked around the ship with my cigar unlit I recieved many "you're not going to smoke that thing are you" from the crew. In all the designated indoor smoking areas I was told that only cigarettes where allowed. This equated to me having to smoke outside where the temperature was in the sixties, no music, no friends, and few strangers to strike up a conversation with.

While in ensenada I visited four cigar shops that all claimed to sell cubans. Most of the cigars where obviously fake with bands that where not inline, bands that where not crisply print or had printing that overlapped. I did find a very nice trinidad that had a very good band, all in line, crisp printing, the cigar wrapper was smooth with small veins, three layered cap, tight construction, the box had the habanas label across the top right, the new government label on the front left, codes on the bottom, etc. When I lit the "thing" it tasted like sh@#, burned very uneven and extremely slow, and the draw was to tight.

Has any ever bought a real cuban from mexico, and if so where?

From your description of the Trinidad you smoked (excluding the 'taste' part) ... sounds just like most Cuban cigars that I've encountered ... especially the 'tight draw'.

As posted here many times before ... the only real place that you can be sure you are getting the real deal ... is an LCDH (La Casa del Habano) Habanos S.A.

These are an international mesh of stores, granted under the franchise of Habanos S.A. Corporation, that currently holds down 88 outlets in roughly 50 countries.

Excellent conditions for preservation, a customized service and the most exquisite desire to guarantee its customers' satisfaction are just the name of the game of these stores all around the world.

Habanos S.A. is a venture company, property to similar parts of Cubatabaco, company property of the Cuban State, and Altadis, a Spanish company that resulted from the fusion of Tabacalera and SEITA. The social object of the society is the commercialization of all the Cuban tobacco products, mainly cigars, and other related products, in Cuba and worldwide.

Habanos is the world leading company in the commercialization of premium cigars. It is present in the five continents and implanted in more than 100 countries. More than 90% of its global billing comes from its international activity.

What about all the online sites that claim to sell cubans and further claim to to be an autherized dealer of habana sa?

Further I have searched the net to find autherized dealers and have found little information. What is a good source of info?

Lance

lsfire --- there really isn't a good source of info on retailers of Cuban cigars on the internet, if you're asking me. The only good source is one that you can get from someone who has gone the 'trial and error' route ... and were satisfied that they got the 'real deal'. There is just too much room for 'bait and switch' with buying them sight unseen ...

Anyway, post your email addy, so that we don't break any of the rules of our hosts by posting 'sources' ... especially in posting info that which is illegal in the U.S., so those that are willing to give up (and many are not) that information to you.

"Has any ever bought a real cuban from mexico, and if so where? "

In a very upscale shop in Puerto Vallarta (outside the old city actually). I sampled cigars there for the whole seven days.

Sorry, don't remember the name.

I hope that you were at the La Case del Habano. They do a great job in PV. As Slim said the LCDHs are legit.

Thanks for the info

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