tkoepp
Lil' RASScal
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2006
- Messages
- 3,008
Well I have had alot of people asking how my trip went, so I thought about writing a small summation of our trip. I won't bore you with the "honey, let's go shopping" details and such.
First let me say that this place is GORGEOUS, we were at a resort called the Bavaro Princess, and we had no problems. MiamiCubano gave me alot of advice about the country, what to look for etc, and I heeded all his advice, thanks bro..
First day til the last we were on the beach, it was great..
OK, I get the hint, GET TO THE CIGARS !!!, Well I must tell you guys, if your looking to score GREAT deals on DR cigars and find some ISOM's, your outta luck in Punta Cana. I went into this knowing about the ISOM's in fact, I only saw 2 places that were legit ISOMs, one was the Duty free shop in the airport and more on the other later.
Such cigars as La Aurora, OpusX, and other premiums are hard to come by much less afford. For example when I did find Opus, it was $1020 for a box of Super Beli's, and La Aurora Perfideos were as high as $45 per stick. Most of the brands smoked by the locals were (what I saw) pricipales, nativo's, some Vivaldi, Gloria Dominicana, etc. I tried some of these and to be honest, I might consider buying a box of the Gloria's and Vivaldi's.
One afternoon, I went to a local roller/producer that sells their cigars worldwide. The Don Lucas Cogar factory was pretty interesting in the fact of how small it is and the amount that they produce, they have 4 rollers, that produce about 300 cigars daily per person.
Don Lucas Cigars
Workers sorting leaves
Rollers preparing to fill the molds and some putting on the wrapper.
Don Lucas's aging room (boy was the ammoina smell strong in here)
Me sampling one of the Robusto Maduro
The cigar that I tried was a very good cigar, it was never bitter nor harsh, and never got hot. The draw was super smooth but not too loose. It had a very earthy flavor, with hints of leather and cedar. It was a med-full flavored cigar that also produced a firm even ash. I noticed that this cigars' attributes is not its strength but its profile, it was easy on the palatte, but did not linger long. The cigar had a strong finish that left you satisfied.
We had a great time visiting the country, we went catamaran sailing, parasailing, relaxed and drank ALOT.. I took my own cigars to smoke but I brought back plenty to sample. Possibly I can aquire a box of the ones I enjoy.
I also found out the we LOVE the local coffee, Santo Domingo is a very nice blend... Also found out that Brugal Rum is not one of my favorites, it is rather harsh as a sipper, but mixes well.
First let me say that this place is GORGEOUS, we were at a resort called the Bavaro Princess, and we had no problems. MiamiCubano gave me alot of advice about the country, what to look for etc, and I heeded all his advice, thanks bro..
First day til the last we were on the beach, it was great..
OK, I get the hint, GET TO THE CIGARS !!!, Well I must tell you guys, if your looking to score GREAT deals on DR cigars and find some ISOM's, your outta luck in Punta Cana. I went into this knowing about the ISOM's in fact, I only saw 2 places that were legit ISOMs, one was the Duty free shop in the airport and more on the other later.
Such cigars as La Aurora, OpusX, and other premiums are hard to come by much less afford. For example when I did find Opus, it was $1020 for a box of Super Beli's, and La Aurora Perfideos were as high as $45 per stick. Most of the brands smoked by the locals were (what I saw) pricipales, nativo's, some Vivaldi, Gloria Dominicana, etc. I tried some of these and to be honest, I might consider buying a box of the Gloria's and Vivaldi's.
One afternoon, I went to a local roller/producer that sells their cigars worldwide. The Don Lucas Cogar factory was pretty interesting in the fact of how small it is and the amount that they produce, they have 4 rollers, that produce about 300 cigars daily per person.
Don Lucas Cigars
Workers sorting leaves
Rollers preparing to fill the molds and some putting on the wrapper.
Don Lucas's aging room (boy was the ammoina smell strong in here)
Me sampling one of the Robusto Maduro
The cigar that I tried was a very good cigar, it was never bitter nor harsh, and never got hot. The draw was super smooth but not too loose. It had a very earthy flavor, with hints of leather and cedar. It was a med-full flavored cigar that also produced a firm even ash. I noticed that this cigars' attributes is not its strength but its profile, it was easy on the palatte, but did not linger long. The cigar had a strong finish that left you satisfied.
We had a great time visiting the country, we went catamaran sailing, parasailing, relaxed and drank ALOT..
I took my own cigars to smoke but I brought back plenty to sample. Possibly I can aquire a box of the ones I enjoy.I also found out the we LOVE the local coffee, Santo Domingo is a very nice blend... Also found out that Brugal Rum is not one of my favorites, it is rather harsh as a sipper, but mixes well.
