tsmckenney
Mick
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2007
- Messages
- 2,954
The wife and I just got back from Punta Cana. Fantastic beaches and a great time all in all. I did not, however, follow the advice of many. I only brought 4 cigars. I don't have a big humidor anymore, hardly have one at all actually, and I simply didn't get around to stocking up. So, I thought f-it, surely I can find some cigars in the DR. Well, they do have cigars at the resorts, but they do not have the cigars a person would think they had. The stock consists of some local brands, some fake Fuentes, and loads of fake Cubans. We are talking blatantly, pathetically, horrifically fake cigars. Poorly kept as well (cracked and miscolored wrappers). One line that looked decent all around was the Santa Ana. I couldn't find anything useful about this brand online, but after close inspection of the construction and a nice scent of spice and cinnamon from the foot, I decided to go on a mission to score 5 or 6. I found them in robusto and toro sizes. My troubles began with three separate merchants demanding at least $20 a cigar. I figured in the states, this was a $5-6 cigar. No fng way on planet Earth am I paying $20 a stick. I started to think my mission was going to be a complete failure. Then, I caught a dude slipping. I went into a fourth shop (located in a mall within a large resort connected to ours), found the Santa Anas and began inspecting a few. Dude walks up and starts going on about the greatness of this cigar. How much? "If you buy at least 3, $20 each." F......ck. I keep looking and Bam! I find some bundles of Santa Ana robustos. Ten to a pack, cheaply packaged in cellophane. Next to them are some Santa Ana flavored cigars, which again had me thinking, 'F......k'. Still, I pushed on. One of the bundles was marked $49. "I'll take these." He responds, "No, those are not the same cigar. Different. Very different. Not good like this one." A quick comparison and yep, they are the exact same cigar. As I am comparing, the dude takes the bundle from my hand, puts it back on the shelf and politely puts the single $20 robusto into my hand. That was pretty hilarious. So, I returned the robusto to its box, grabbed the bundle and walked up to check out. Dude was not amused, and not happy, but I walked out with that bundle and those cigars are actually pretty fng good.
So, if you're headed to the DR, bring plenty of your own cigars. Do not buy anything Cuban. Nothing. If you would like to try some local flavor, try a Santa Ana. If I had to compare them to anything, I would say they are similar to the Tampa Sweethearts line. They tasted much like how they smelled; cinnamon and spice, and medium bodied. Oh, and make sure what you are buying is coming from a shop with some form of controlled humidification. Everything I saw from outdoor vendors was disastrous.
So, if you're headed to the DR, bring plenty of your own cigars. Do not buy anything Cuban. Nothing. If you would like to try some local flavor, try a Santa Ana. If I had to compare them to anything, I would say they are similar to the Tampa Sweethearts line. They tasted much like how they smelled; cinnamon and spice, and medium bodied. Oh, and make sure what you are buying is coming from a shop with some form of controlled humidification. Everything I saw from outdoor vendors was disastrous.
Prices at that shop were very reasonable and the cigar selection was divine. I wouldn't go back to Cabo though. I prefer the Caribbean. Warm, slow rolling water. The waves in Cabo were pounding. Snorkeling sucked. It was also a huge party town, which was good for the time. I'm an older dog now. Chilling and staring at some topless French women, that's more my scene. Although, all the drunken nights did lend a hand in the creation of quite a few interesting experiences. Like a stripper clutching me by my shoulders and asking with genuine concern, "Are you going to be alright?"
