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Cigars in St. Martin or St. Thomas

mebetj15

By mebetj15,
in St. Thomas/St. John

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mebetj15

mebetj15

Posted
Posted

Looking for some Cubans or other quality stogies to buy while in Port. I realize there is a HUGE counterfit market, but since cigarettes seem to be cheap in St. Martin, I thought I could do some shopping for my only :D vice... Any thoughts for me? Thanks in advance!

 

T. J.

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Ms411

Ms411

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Even though you can legally buy Cuban cigars outside the US, there's no guarantee the Cubans you're buying are authentic.

 

You're better off getting a quality cigar that's made in the Caribbean and is legal for you to take to the States. You might want to try the Virgin Islands rum cigar or the Royal Barbados cigar that is made from Cuban tobacco (as opposed to Cuban seed) and hand-rolled in Barbados.

 

Most of the cigar stores in St Thomas buy from authorized US distributors for the major brands. Stores with humidors are Captain's Corner on Main St, A.H. Riise on Main St, Dynasty/Dazzlers on Main St, and in Havensight, Tobacco Discounters. Probably not a good idea to buy from stores without humidor for quality control issues. Prices may or may not be higher than Stateside depending on where and what you buy.

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suehal

suehal

Posted
Posted
Looking for some Cubans or other quality stogies to buy while in Port. I realize there is a HUGE counterfit market, but since cigarettes seem to be cheap in St. Martin, I thought I could do some shopping for my only :D vice... Any thoughts for me? Thanks in advance!

 

T. J.

We have timeshare in st martin. Alot of the stores on front street sell cubans. Just walk into one of the actual cigar shops. There's one with an upstairs that has every cuban you could ever want. My husband loads up every year. There is so many timeshare owner on the island, they don't know if you're on the ship or local, so they make sure they're selling the real deal. They want you to come back. I think it's the cigar emporium.

 

good luck,

Sue:)

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  • 2 years later...
blue_water

blue_water

Posted
Posted (edited)

Cuban made cigars are readily available on both islands of course. But being Cuban isn't necessarily a big deal anymore. Sure there are great Cuban brands like Cohiba and others, but many excellent, highly-rated cigars are made in the DR, Honduras, and other areas.

 

You will also see very high prices in the islands, and the humidification is questionsble at souvenir stores selling cigars so stick with cigar shops and not clothing stores selling cigars.

 

So don't limit yourself to Cuban-made cigars as many of the great cigars are grown from transplanted Cuban seeds by Cuban masters. And do some research before you leave so you're not sold a full flavored stick when you want mild. Macanudo is just one excellent mild cigar.

Edited by blue_water
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blue_water

blue_water

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Some look for cigars in STT that are of Cuban seed and grown elsewhere like the DR but these are not true Cuban cigars in that sense.

 

I enjoyed some wonderful Cubans last month in different ports and also in Mexico earlier in the year. But I see no real difference between these and the Macanudos and other premium cigars I buy from the DR, Nicaragua, and Honduras. Lucky for me because I live in the states!

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Genessa

Genessa

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we were picking up cigars for someone - we don't smoke them and know little about cigars, so we thought we'd buy them on St. Thomas - as US citizens, can't go wrong, right? LOL

 

Then, being an accurate and law abiding type person, I declared said cigars on our paper.

Customs agents pulled us out of line, went through all my dirty laundry, took the cigars, said they were Cuban despite our receipt from the store on St. Thomas.

 

To top it all off, while we were in the store buying said cigars, I accidentally broke a bottle of expensive wine. Those cigars cost a small fortune, bottle of wine, even with manager taking over 50% of listed price off was more than I normally spend on wine.

 

my personal moral - don't buy souvenirs for anyone but yourself!

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Finbar127

Finbar127

Posted
Posted (edited)

I agree with what others have said regarding finding high quality cigars. Don't get hung up on Cuban. That said, if you really want a Cuban cigar you have to be very careful in the Caribbean. Caribbean ports are loaded with fake Cuban cigars. Unless you are very good at spotting fakes, you are taking a chance even if you buy from what looks like a reputable cigar store. IMHO if you are looking to buy authentic Cubans the only place to go would be La Casa Del Habano. In the Caribbean they have stores in Aruba, Barbados, Grand Cayman, and Marigot St Martin.

Edited by Finbar127
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blue_water

blue_water

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I know that people have a desire to smoke true Cubans when traveling (or bring them home if not smart) because they can. There are excellent posts on other non-US forums with info helpful to those not familiar with cigars. There are great cigar bars in places you would least expect (West End, Roatan, for example). Walls and walls of premium Honduran, Nicaraguan, Dominican Republic, and Cuban cigars - Heaven with a torch lighter and a Red Stripe!!!

 

I actually bring DR-grown Macanudos with me when we travel, I know they're fresh and in good condition, and generally much cheaper than in ports ($6 at home and $20 in many ports). That doesn't help someone looking for Cubans of course. But the cigars I buy from these other countries are just as good as the premium Cubans I buy when traveling. We'll be staying in Bermuda next month and Grand Cayman in Aug and I will buy some Cuban Cohibas while there because I can! But they are so expensive I'll also be buying my wife something very nice too, I'm sure!

 

You can always buy Cubans on the ship if you can afford them!

Edited by blue_water
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blue_water

blue_water

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Going to St. Maarten in June. Can someone tell me several good brands of Cuban cigars to look for. Not a big cigar smoker, but I always wanted to try a few to jsut say I have had a good Cuban cigar.

 

There are several premium cigar names, some are both Cuban and non-Cuban. For Cuban brands Cohiba, Montecristo and Partagas are regarded as 3 of the best but these are generally medium to full-bodied cigars and you'll want something on the mild side to enjoy. Some examples are Romeo y Julieta, Bolivar, Hoyo de Monterrey, Davidoff, and check Cigar Aficionida for great advice. My favorite is a non-Cuban Macanudo which was originally developed in Jamaica and is now manufactured in the DR.

Good luck!

Edited by blue_water
typo
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  • 1 month later...
CannonFodder

CannonFodder

Posted
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S10Catman has graciously compiled an extensive list of La Casa Del Habanos (LCDH) in the Caribbean and a few other reputable stores which sell Cuban cigars. The post below even has a price list (from October 2011) from the LCDH in Marigot.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=32806291&postcount=1487

 

If you really have an interest, I would highly recommend the "Cigar aficionados!" thread on the Carnival forum from which the post originated. It's rather lengthy, though - over 1500 posts and still growing! It's served as a gathering place for cigar lovers on Cruise Critic for the last three years or so...

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  • 9 months later...
uncfes

uncfes

Posted
Posted

number one rule when buy cigars is to check the seals and labels... any good cigar seller in Mexico and all the islands will tell you there are three different places to look. the biggest is a laser etched seal...... never buy off the street and in the mini marts......

 

 

:mad:

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