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What do the Cubans smoke?

S

spm248

New Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2010
Messages
15
So I did a quick search through the forum and didn't quite find anything that talked about my question, but forgive me if I missed a thread.

First off let me start by saying I have smoked a fairly wide variety of cigars, including a good number of cubans (R&J, Bolivar, Cohiba and Montis) and I do value and appreciate a good cigar. But during some of my travels in the past to Nicaragua and Miami I have bought and thoroughly enjoyed boxes of practically no-name cigars for about $50 a box (churchills). Now I am curious to know people's experience with these types of products. For me both places were factories (small ones no doubt) that produced cigars which they said they sold for much more for export and on the internet.

For the record the shops
A) Fenix cigars in Grenada, Nicaragua. Nice mild cigars I smoked maybe 4 years ago
B)Don Something or other (25 stick bundle) was a factory and shop in Little Havana in Miami

Ultimately my question is What do the cubans smoke? I can deduce that they don't smoke $350+ boxes of cohiba or monticristo. So what is good for them and do you have any recommendations and or experience with these brands.

The reason I ask is because I leave for Cuba in 5 days and plan on buying a couple boxes of cigars but don't have the cash to buy too many top end sticks. I am sure that a cuban $2 cigar is as good if not better than a Miami or Nicaraguan $2 cigar.

Thanks for any feedback. Hope I didn't make too many people jealous ;)
 
spm248 said:
So I did a quick search through the forum and didn't quite find anything that talked about my question, but forgive me if I missed a thread.

First off let me start by saying I have smoked a fairly wide variety of cigars, including a good number of cubans (R&J, Bolivar, Cohiba and Montis) and I do value and appreciate a good cigar. But during some of my travels in the past to Nicaragua and Miami I have bought and thoroughly enjoyed boxes of practically no-name cigars for about $50 a box (churchills). Now I am curious to know people's experience with these types of products. For me both places were factories (small ones no doubt) that produced cigars which they said they sold for much more for export and on the internet.

For the record the shops
A) Fenix cigars in Grenada, Nicaragua. Nice mild cigars I smoked maybe 4 years ago
B)Don Something or other (25 stick bundle) was a factory and shop in Little Havana in Miami

Ultimately my question is What do the cubans smoke? I can deduce that they don't smoke $350+ boxes of cohiba or monticristo. So what is good for them and do you have any recommendations and or experience with these brands.

The reason I ask is because I leave for Cuba in 5 days and plan on buying a couple boxes of cigars but don't have the cash to buy too many top end sticks. I am sure that a cuban $2 cigar is as good if not better than a Miami or Nicaraguan $2 cigar.

Thanks for any feedback. Hope I didn't make too many people jealous
wink.gif
Click to expand...

1) If you are an American, you can't buy cigars in cuba..if I recall.
2) From what I've heard they smoke a lot of 'farm rolled'. They also may smoke what the factory they work give them - daily allotment.
3) They may not smoke at all and only sell to the hethens!

johnny-o may have posted some info on this, I havn't looked yet.

A Canadian friend just had his son come back from holiday and the prices are cheaper there than what's found elsewhere.
Safe Journey
 
From all my research on my upcoming trip I have concluded that the only limitations on Americans and anything Cuban are put there by the US Treasury department not by anyone or any agency in Cuba.

Also from my research I know that cubans definitely have smoke a lot of cigars in the past, one Cuban singer telling a story about how his grandmother taught him to smoke cigars at 5 years old. But as of today, I'm not sure either.

Definitely doesn't make sense that people living off of literally pennies a day would be able to buy any of their export style product. Maybe you're right they give them the same cigars we smoke without the labels for $0.25!!!

Thanks for the feedback.
 
spm248 said:
From all my research on my upcoming trip I have concluded that the only limitations on Americans and anything Cuban are put there by the US Treasury department not by anyone or any agency in Cuba.

Also from my research I know that cubans definitely have smoke a lot of cigars in the past, one Cuban singer telling a story about how his grandmother taught him to smoke cigars at 5 years old. But as of today, I'm not sure either.

Definitely doesn't make sense that people living off of literally pennies a day would be able to buy any of their export style product. Maybe you're right they give them the same cigars we smoke without the labels for $0.25!!!

Thanks for the feedback.
Click to expand...


Oh, you'll do just fine around here.
laugh.gif


Back to number 1...my apologies, let me rephrase:
1) If you are an American, you can't buy cigars in cuba(legally)...if I recall.

As for number 2...I did not say it was the same premium stick...I said it was what the factory may give them as an allotment.

They may also smoke a lot of cigarettes...as they are cheap.

I'm sure if John see's this he'll have some feedback.
 
spm 248,

As a Cuban-American on my last, visit to Cuba to visit family I smoked cigars with my 90 year old uncle who has been smoking since he was 12. We mainly smoked homemade cigars and Selectos, and Moya which are brands made for Cuban comsumption.
On the other hand Americans are not allowed to go Cuba, unless you have special permission from the Office of Foreign Affairs, because if you do and get caught the penalty can be jail and up to a $250,000.00 dollars fine.
 
I just had a nice cigar with my friend from Canada. He said that the majority smoke 'farm rolled' - no names...at about 25 cents a stick. (Not really sure if that's pesos/canadian/us?)
laugh.gif
 
There are several different brands of so-called "peso" cigar that are consumed domestically. Reloba, Selectos, and Bauza are some of the more commonly-seen brands. Most of them are pretty rough-looking, some have bands, and most come wrapped in paper bundles. Some are machine-made with short filler, and surprizingly, a lot of them are actually handmade with long filler, but they don't use the premium Vuelta Abajo tobaccos (those are pretty much for export only), most of them are made with tobaccos from other regions of the country, like Remedios. I had a little petit corona sized one gifted to me by a fella with relations in Cuba but haven't smoked it yet. Those who have smoked them say they're usually pretty ho-hum, with usually just a strong or medium tobacco flavor. From what I've heard and read, the national taste is for cigars that are strong, tannic, and young.

Cubans don't really have a "cigar culture" like Europe, the USA, and Asia have. To the average Cuban, a cigar is just a commodity, just like drinking a soda or eating potato chips, so they tend not really analyze what they smoke, they just smoke it. If you were to tell the average Habanero about all the "subtle nuances of leather and spice" in your cigar, he'd probably just laugh at you. :p




And here's a link to a Cuban (as ethnic Cuban, not just the cigars) forum, scroll down for some pictures of peso cigars.
http://www.cubamania.com/cuba/showthread.php?t=23642
 
Black Plague said:
There are several different brands of so-called "peso" cigar that are consumed domestically. Reloba, Selectos, and Bauza are some of the more commonly-seen brands. Most of them are pretty rough-looking, some have bands, and most come wrapped in paper bundles. Some are machine-made with short filler, and surprizingly, a lot of them are actually handmade with long filler, but they don't use the premium Vuelta Abajo tobaccos (those are pretty much for export only), most of them are made with tobaccos from other regions of the country, like Remedios. I had a little petit corona sized one gifted to me by a fella with relations in Cuba but haven't smoked it yet. Those who have smoked them say they're usually pretty ho-hum, with usually just a strong or medium tobacco flavor. From what I've heard and read, the national taste is for cigars that are strong, tannic, and young.

Cubans don't really have a "cigar culture" like Europe, the USA, and Asia have. To the average Cuban, a cigar is just a commodity, just like drinking a soda or eating potato chips, so they tend not really analyze what they smoke, they just smoke it. If you were to tell the average Habanero about all the "subtle nuances of leather and spice" in your cigar, he'd probably just laugh at you. :p




And here's a link to a Cuban (as ethnic Cuban, not just the cigars) forum, scroll down for some pictures of peso cigars.
http://www.cubamania.com/cuba/showthread.php?t=23642
Click to expand...

Thanks a bunch for your input. I try and give you guys a good report when I get back in about three weeks. Be well!
 
Cuban's mostly smoke the cigars that are available in the Bodegas that can be bought for 1 Cuban peso or 5 US cents. They are veiny and rough looking, come wrapped as a bundle of 25. All of the brands mentioned above are available in Havana except Bauza which is usually found in the interior part of the country. Typically they will be 5 X 42, I have some El Credito's usually on hand for novelty purposes. These cigars are also used by Santero's (a mix of religions using traditions mostly from Africa) for religious ceremonies. Cigar factory rollers/workers usually receive 2 cigars daily, these are from the mistake table from novice rollers. These mostly make it to the Fauxhiba factory but some are smoked by the locals. Finally there are some casero or farm cigars available, but that is usually a regional thing. I will tell you this though, don't bring down your wood tipped Swisher Sweets as gifts as they like their cigars full bodied. John
 
Dave....I once tried to give the director of 5ta y 16 (Omany Rios) an Opus X and he almost had me deported. John
 
Some more great info on Peso cigars to be found HERE along with a couple of pictures! They are machine rolled and aren't anything special to look at, or smoke but for the price, the best yard gars I know of.

Personally, I've seen very few Cubans smoke cigars. There are several national brands of cigarettes (including those by the cigar manufacturers, RyJ, Cohiba, etc) that are extremely cheap. $0.60 CUC a pack up to $1.25, which is about $0.65 to $1.35 CDN a pack. I've tried the RyJ ciggys and holy geez, may as well try to inhale an Anejo.

They get the name because they are $1 CUP (People's Peso) each, and 25 of the CUP = 1 CUC (Tourist's currency). I've given gardeners $5 CUC for each bundle of Peso cigars and they're thrilled because they're making close to 400% profit, and I'm getting 25 reasonable smokes for less than a quarter a piece.

Good luck and enjoy the trip
 
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