Rare NthernLgts Posted August 26, 2005 #1 Share Posted August 26, 2005 Traveling on the CB 9-17. With the stops in St. Thomas & St. Maarten does anyone know what the decent shops are to purchase good cigars are? Thanks.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamer333 Posted August 26, 2005 #2 Share Posted August 26, 2005 I've heard that there is actually a good cigar shop on Princess Cays! (You can leave the main area of Princess Cays and there is a shop back there) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailBolt Posted August 26, 2005 #3 Share Posted August 26, 2005 Last year on the Mariner, my brother and I split a box of Romeo&Juliet Churchills from a store called Gifet World in St. Maartan. We shopped around a while and the guy at the store was very friendly and even let us smoke a sample. 2 locations; 21 Front Street 45 Front Street Tel. 011-599-542-0666 giftworld@megatropic.com Since St. Thomas is a US possesion, you will be unable to purchase Cuban cigars on that island. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaTrailer Posted August 27, 2005 #4 Share Posted August 27, 2005 If by "good" cigars you mean Cuban, St Maarten will be your only choice (don't know anything about buying cigars on Princess Cay). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NthernLgts Posted August 28, 2005 Author #5 Share Posted August 28, 2005 Last year on the Mariner, my brother and I split a box of Romeo&Juliet Churchills from a store called Gifet World in St. Maartan. We shopped around a while and the guy at the store was very friendly and even let us smoke a sample.2 locations; 21 Front Street 45 Front Street Tel. 011-599-542-0666 giftworld@megatropic.com Since St. Thomas is a US possesion, you will be unable to purchase Cuban cigars on that island. Good luck! Thanks, Sail. Did you find a significant difference in pricing between St. Maarten & the States? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted August 28, 2005 #6 Share Posted August 28, 2005 Be cautious as there are a lot of fakes in the Carib. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEXASMUNK Posted August 28, 2005 #7 Share Posted August 28, 2005 stale..Be careful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted August 28, 2005 #8 Share Posted August 28, 2005 That is so true, you walk into a store and they are just sitting in a cabinet or on a shelf in the open. They must be kept in a humidor regardless of the surroundings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torpeedo Posted August 28, 2005 #9 Share Posted August 28, 2005 If you are looking for Cuban cigars, try La Casa Del Habano at 24 Front Street Phillipsburg St. Marten. That's the main drag when you get into town. Very friendly staff. We have been there several times and will be there on the Sept 17th CB cruise as well. There are many counterfeit Cuban cigars for sale throughout the caribbean, so you have to be careful where you buy. To my knowledge, all La Casa Del Habano stores throughout the carribean sell only legitimate cubans. If you are looking for other than cuban cigars, try A.H. Riise in St. Thomas. He has a nice humidor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheParrotHeads Posted August 28, 2005 #10 Share Posted August 28, 2005 Almost 95% of all cuban cigars sold in the US and Mexico/Caribbean are fakes. I would advise you look over a few of these sites and familiarize yourself with the symbols of authenticity before purchasing. Here are a few sites which will help explain how you identify authentic cuban cigars. Please keep in mind there are many other types of cuban brands other than the infamous COHIBA brand. http://www.cigarnexus.com/counsel/counterfeit http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Counterfeits/Counterfeit_Gallery/0,3390,,00.html Hopefully these will help you to better understand what you are purchasing. Also, here is the company that produces all of the authentic cigars in Cuba. They have contact names and numbers for all locations around the world. I have called before and they have helped to identify authorized dealers in the area you will be visiting. http://www.habanos.com/distribucion.asp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailBolt Posted August 28, 2005 #11 Share Posted August 28, 2005 NthrnLghts, The cigars I bought were Cuban made Romeo&Juliet Churchill size, consistently rated by Cigar Aficiando as one of the best Churchill sizes. Being a Cuban made product, they are not allowed to be imported into the US, so there is no way for me to have a price comparison. The store I mentioned does keep the cigars in a humidor, they were fresh, burned cleanly and evenly and all of them were a delight to the very end. As with any other product, cavaet emptor. I have been enjoying cigars for about 15 years now and have educated myself about what I am buying and smoking. Life is too short to smoke bad cigars! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NthernLgts Posted August 30, 2005 Author #12 Share Posted August 30, 2005 NthrnLghts, The cigars I bought were Cuban made Romeo&Juliet Churchill size, consistently rated by Cigar Aficiando as one of the best Churchill sizes. Being a Cuban made product, they are not allowed to be imported into the US, so there is no way for me to have a price comparison. The store I mentioned does keep the cigars in a humidor, they were fresh, burned cleanly and evenly and all of them were a delight to the very end. As with any other product, cavaet emptor. I have been enjoying cigars for about 15 years now and have educated myself about what I am buying and smoking. Life is too short to smoke bad cigars! Thanks. Appreciate the info. & will put it to good use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NthernLgts Posted August 30, 2005 Author #13 Share Posted August 30, 2005 If you are looking for Cuban cigars, try La Casa Del Habano at 24 Front Street Phillipsburg St. Marten. That's the main drag when you get into town.Very friendly staff. We have been there several times and will be there on the Sept 17th CB cruise as well. There are many counterfeit Cuban cigars for sale throughout the caribbean, so you have to be careful where you buy. To my knowledge, all La Casa Del Habano stores throughout the carribean sell only legitimate cubans. If you are looking for other than cuban cigars, try A.H. Riise in St. Thomas. He has a nice humidor. Torpeedo, thanks.....what have you found (in general) to be the difference % wise in pricing between the states and the duty free shops? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torpeedo Posted August 30, 2005 #14 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Nthernlgts, Actually I find non cuban cigars to be cheaper in the US than in the Caribbean. So the only cigars I buy in the Caribbean are cubans. The ParrottHeads post is totally accurate about the counterfeit problem. That's why I would only buy at a La Casa Del Habanos store. You will probably pay a little more for the cigar, but they are authorized dealers and this eliminates the problem of buying counterfeits. I've done that, so I speak from personal experience. I look forward to meeting you on 9/17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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