OT: Going Han Solo on some Cuban Cigars
I'm in Recife, Brazil for work for a couple of weeks and I'm looking to bring back some decently cheap Cubans. Anyone got any good advice/stories related to getting cuban cigars back into the US?
I had a British Lit professor when I went to Toledo who put me on to Padron. He just so happened to run track at Michigan while a student there. Obviously a great guy.
Get a couple Cohiba and some single malt on your verandah there and go to town.
So what you're saying, is if you want Cuban cigars, drive to Windsor after you get back from Brazil, and buy some.
Instead, just stay home and get a couple Padron, Davidoff, Macanudo, Upmann etc.
It's not like the wheels fall off b/c they aren't Cuban.
All Cubans are not created equal. Just do some research and you can make your own decision.
And taking the bands off is solid advice.
I was actually just looking on Thompson Cigars website to figure out how I would like to spend my $60 voucher. Does anybody have any experience with smaller cigars/ cigarillo types? I want something handmade(no Smoker's Best, Dutch Masters, etc.)...and probably flavored as this is just for more of a casual smoke.
Any advice? Or if nothing on small cigars, what is something you would recommend?
My advice would be to buy swisher sweets, slice it down the middle, take out the tobacco and replace it with weed. Sprinkle a little angel dust on there if you're feeling ambitious, and then roll it back up. Beats the hell out of a cohiba.
What kind of weed would you recommend then? And what about Molly?
Well, in my opinon, weed is kinda like pizza and blow jobs - even when it's bad it's still a pretty good time. But if you can get the California medical grade stuff, you're in for a fun night.
how do you seal it back up after you roll it?
I used to love blunts but now I think I just prefer wraps. Less work and more flavor options.
If you want cigarillo style,it is pretty much the same with regular cigars. If they are cheap,they smoke cheap.
I know you specifically mentioned hand rolled, but I'm going to completely ignore that and suggest http://international.villiger-cigars.de/en/round-and-pressed.html . Specifically the box pressed, maduro variety.
I have very little experince with cigarillos or flavored cigars, but those little Villigers cheap and a really excellent short smoke.
IMO its not a cigar if its flavored.
If your just looking for a casual smoke then get one of many smaller style of cigars so your not puffing away for an hour.
Personally, I like Toro's as the size and gauge is perfect for a smoke on the golf course. Its also a perfect size for me when enjoying a drink on the patio at night as its about a 1/1 ratio.
As far as brands I'm not a big brand stickler as I like to just try things that catch my eye, I just picked up a box of Jose ???? from the clearance section for $30 bucks which were handmade and long filler for my golf trip and everyone loved them. Plus you cant really go wrong with Thompson Cigar, I ordered a new lighter from them, it was broke when I got it but then I broke it even more trying to fix it and they still accepted my return even though I told them what I did.
Thanks for your service and the sacrifices you made during your deployment. Know that you are appreciated!
+1 for the title.
my suggestoin: rectal insertion.
You're going to shoot first?
On the topic, I'm no cigar expert but I really like Acid Blondies and every Macanudo I've tried. My cousin gave me a Brickhouse the other day too and I liked it.
Not sure I can adduce any swell smuggling advice. I came back from my honeymoon in Jamaica with my lungs chock full of Cohiba and weed, liver swollen of scotch and rum. Seemed the right thing to do. No regrets.
Don't just remove the bands. Replace them with bands from another cigar to ensure that they will not get confiscated anyway since this does happen if you meet the wrong CBP officer. They know the little tricks. Chances are that you will be fine and your luggage won't be checked but if your gonna go Han Solo then don't give the Jabba's and Fett's of the world any reason to doubt your sincerity, and definately don't dump your cargo at the first sign of an Imperial Starship.
Cool story, Bro alert:
I was once a young naive traveller and bought some "Cubans" overseas. I brought them back and within a month tobacco beetles had ruined my entire humidor. Gotta be careful with fakes.
But yeah, a Cuban Cohiba or Montecristo #2 are worth paying for and smoking once. Dominican cigars are often better and improving by the year.
Bringing back Cubans, if you must, is a risk but like others said, it is possible. If you take the wrappers off, there is no way to know they are Cuban and can't be taken from you. I've brought back some before and told customs I had them and not gotten a second look, of course once was the time they were fake and maybe the customs people assume that more often than not that they are fake.
and ask for a non-Cuban box to put the cigars into. If you are really paranoid, put fake labels on them. Of course, nobody here will believe they are Cubans, but you shouldn't have any problems.
I would just put the cigars in my carry-on as US customs will likely not search you.
I think you should be okay buying a few cigars and enjoying a good smoke.
First off Dominicans are actually better now for the most part. Due to the ban on Cubans, the Dominican farmers bought a lot of the top Cuban plants, grow it in the Dominican Republic and produce higher quality cigars.
However if you want one my advice is to purchase some Cubans and some cheap Dominicans or Hondurans that come in cigar tubes. Remove the cheap cigars, smoke them, remove the bands from the Cubans and insert them into the tubes. If you are truly paranoid, swap the cheap cigars bands onto the Cubans.
Coming in from Canada you can carry the tubes on your person (cargo pants are your friend). It's hard for Customs to build a case to search your person than your vehicle typically. However given you are engaging in air travel and facing metal detectors, that might not be the way to go. So maybe the carryon.
Although in reality, my advice is smoke one nice quality Cuban in Brazil and then smoke a nice Dominican. You'll likely end up thinking "The quality difference is not worth the potential headache of Customs catching me with a Cuban."
Also, I high recommend trying some Lancaster wrapper cigars. Lancaster County produces some amazing broadleaf so if you want to splurge hunt some of that down and buy American in the process.