Where to buy cigars on Eastern CB stops?

[NthernLgts]

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.:)

[Dreamer333]

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)

[SailBolt]

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!

[SeaTrailer]

If by "good" cigars you mean Cuban, St Maarten will be your only choice (don't know anything about buying cigars on Princess Cay).

[NthernLgts]

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?

[Colo Cruiser]

Be cautious as there are a lot of fakes in the Carib.

[TEXASMUNK]

stale..Be careful

[Colo Cruiser]

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.

[torpeedo]

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.

[TheParrotHeads]

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

[SailBolt]

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!

[NthernLgts]

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.

[NthernLgts]

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?

[torpeedo]

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