Casa del Habano

[Lynchmeister]

Hey Guys,

I'm flying to Cancun this Thursday for my honeymoon and I'm curious about your thoughts on Casa del Habano. I'm still very wet behind the ears, but figure this would be a safe bet for sampling a CC without getting duped into a counterfeit.

Any and all feedback appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[jrohrer]

from what I hear...LCDH is the ONLY way to ensure your getting a legit CC :dunno:

 

[Mikes]

unless you know the tells of a fake then I suggest you only get your gars at the lcdh. Be ready to get bent over on price bro as all of the touristas will pay whatever for their cigars and the shop knows this. The new shop looks much nicer and seems to have a better selecttion then the old one. have fun and if yall decide to come over to cozumel for a day drop me a pm.

mikes

 

[jwintosh]

from what I hear...LCDH is the ONLY way to ensure your getting a legit CC :dunno:

ditto!

 

[Lynchmeister]

unless you know the tells of a fake then I suggest you only get your gars at the lcdh. Be ready to get bent over on price bro as all of the touristas will pay whatever for their cigars and the shop knows this. The new shop looks much nicer and seems to have a better selecttion then the old one. have fun and if yall decide to come over to cozumel for a day drop me a pm.

mikes

Yeah, that's just it...unless it was terribly obvious, I wouldn't be able to spot a fake.

As far as price...can you give me a ballpark figure? Would it be appropriate to try to haggle over the price? As much as I want to try a CC, I'm still so new to the game (3-4 months) and young enough (25) to have another opportunity that I wouldn't pay more than...$20. Hell, even that has me choking, since my favorite stick costs me less than $3 at my local B&M. For those curious, it's the Fresco Maduro.

Hehe, just thought of another one. Any recommendations for a first cuban maduro to try? I seem to be partial to the maduro wrapper.

Thanks for the feedback thus far!

 

[smokem94]

No maduro's in CC's per se......some of the EL's (annual limmited edition releases) have almost maduro/dark wrappers though. There is a Cohiba maduro coming out this year. To my knowledge, it is the first CC to use maduro word in a cigars name?
I would recommend a Monte Cristo #2 for some full flavor or a ERDM Choix Supreme for a milder smoke. The MC#2 in LCDH Mexico, will probably be close to $30, but the Choix close to $20???
MikeS will know exactly what they run.

 

[CWS]

Agree with the MC#2. Also recommend the Bolivar Royal Corona which may be in the $20 to 25 range. You should also be aware that it is illegal for a US citizen to purchase Cuban cigars, even outside the country. Buyer beware.

 

[Broadway Joe]

LCDH is the only place I would buy from. There are too many fakes, especially in touristy areas. When I was in Aruba, I went to their local LCDH several times and it was awesome! Enjoy the trip and take some pics for us

 

[Lynchmeister]

Illegal to buy and consume in Mexico? I was only aware of the illegality of returning home with them.

...and at those prices, I'm becoming a little discouraged.

Here comes the extremely subjective question of the day:

Are they worth it to the inexperienced smoker?

 

[smokem94]

Yes worth it and yes, illegal to purchase and consume even outside the US!

 

[tobby4]

Worth it? and not trying to sound like a smart ass, you are going to have to try that one out yourself. as you said, you are young enough to have another opportunity, if 20 bucks is too much then smoke your $3 sticks and be happy.. I would rather smoke my goto then something that I have high expectations for and not like it, or not appreciate it..

Go down there, go to the store, look around and see if there is something that interests you in the store for the right price and then take it from there..

 

[Mikes]

No maduro's in CC's per se......some of the EL's (annual limmited edition releases) have almost maduro/dark wrappers though. There is a Cohiba maduro coming out this year. To my knowledge, it is the first CC to use maduro word in a cigars name?
I would recommend a Monte Cristo #2 for some full flavor or a ERDM Choix Supreme for a milder smoke. The MC#2 in LCDH Mexico, will probably be close to $30, but the Choix close to $20???
MikeS will know exactly what they run.

I will give you their (Cancun lcdh) price paid to the Mexico city distributor. Maybe it will give you a bit of a bargaining chip but don't expect this to be the case. At the Cozumel lcdh we gave 15-20% discount only if you were buying 25 or more cigars. In other words, don't buy from anywhere selling the 2$ Cohiba lmao.

are you ready to see how low the prices really are?

monty #2 = $7.46 USD per cigar
ERDM Choix = $4.32 USD per cigar

keep in mind these are what the lcdh buys their cigars for

 

[Mikes]

btw,

I started smoking Cuban Cigars when I was 23 and NEVER looked back. Sure there are some good domestic smokes but dollar per dollar do they compete with Cuban cigars or tobacco in general? I don't think so. Hell, I even have a partial box from my first Cuban order still sitting in my walk-in. The great thing about getting into cigars at a young age (like us) is the fact that you still have many years to buy, age, and collect what you like. It would suck to just get in to Cubans when you are older and have less time to buy and age your on sticks. Just go to the lcdh look at the cigar sizes that interest you, then pick one or two out to smoke. I suggest smoking them in an environment that is relaxing and not so windy or hot. Maybe at night after a good meal, or in the morning after breakfast before the sun, humidity, and wind come out. Where and when you smoke is just as important as the cigar imo. I have wasted many a cigar on the beach in coz..either because of the wind, sweat dripping on the gar because it was like 110deg w 85% humidity lol, or even getting bit to hell on my apt porch by the mosquito's. Solved this problem by taking some 3$ Cubans for the day and nice higher priced sticks for the night/ better location or whenever I have more time to give to my cigar.

Don't worry about smoking in Mexico I am sure there won't be any OFCA agents there looking for US citizens burning one down...it is illegal for us citizens to buy and type of Cuban product even outside of the states.

mikes

 

[jwintosh]

Worth it? and not trying to sound like a smart ass, you are going to have to try that one out yourself. as you said, you are young enough to have another opportunity, if 20 bucks is too much then smoke your $3 sticks and be happy.. I would rather smoke my goto then something that I have high expectations for and not like it, or not appreciate it..

Go down there, go to the store, look around and see if there is something that interests you in the store for the right price and then take it from there..

ditto!

 

[Lynchmeister]

I will give you their (Cancun lcdh) price paid to the Mexico city distributor. Maybe it will give you a bit of a bargaining chip but don't expect this to be the case. At the Cozumel lcdh we gave 15-20% discount only if you were buying 25 or more cigars. In other words, don't buy from anywhere selling the 2$ Cohiba lmao.

are you ready to see how low the prices really are?

monty #2 = $7.46 USD per cigar
ERDM Choix = $4.32 USD per cigar

keep in mind these are what the lcdh buys their cigars for

First off, in regards to all of your posts in this thread, great info. Thanks!

With the above prices in mind, though, would $20-$30/stick be a reasonable expectation of what to pay? I was just looking at the weather forecast for Cancun and it doesn't look good...which is making this venture look that much better...regardless of the high price tag.

 

[smokem94]

It's the going rate for a legit Habano in a tourist area. If you like cigars, I would go for it and expand your horizons. Make your first, a fine cigar after a nice meal with a very fine alcoholic beverage in a relaxed setting. It will be memorable. Go with a MC#2 preferably from 2004 if available although the 2006's are also awesome!

 

[Mikes]

Well...I have no idea what you consider reasonable lol. Will you be able to find a real cuban cigar for the same price as your domestic favs in the lcdh cancun?...no, but what you can do is try a bunch of stuff and figure out what you like and dont like and then order from an online vendor when you get back to get you the best bang for your buck. Take a look at the ryj ceedros line especially the cronitas en ceedro, as well as the pc sized cigars, typically they are the lowest priced. It would amaze me to no end all of the cruse ship people would walk in the humidor and go right to the cohiba section, then see the prices, and move elsewhere ...and more often then not they walked out with our one quintero cigar and a mojito deal for 5 bux! lmao. I thought that the lcdh markup was insane but when the owner is making 30k a month on cigar sales alone that goes to show that someone is buying the sticks at the marked up price.

As for the weather...you cannot go by what weather.com or anyone says about rain chances bro. It will rain a bit and then clear up, if it rains at all. No need to worry about something you cant control anyway. Showers will give you and the new bride some 'alone' time anyway, and lets not forget that the bars are open rain or shine bro. Same sort of weather pattern for Cozumel as well....I don't even look at it anymore. \\

If you really wanna play weatherman here ya go:
http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/tropic/real-time/atlantic/movies/g8irnhc/g8irnhcjava.html

we use it to decide what beach / side of the island to go to...also to track hurricanes (thats the part ya gotta worry about)


Relax you are going to have a great time and find/smoke some great cigars while your at it. Be sure and have a few havana club rum and cokes and or mojitos!

 

[cvm4]

This is one of those cases where I'd advise to bring your own, if you had any.

 

[TexaSmoke]

What the Hell, You're on Vacation right?

Buy all the damn cigars you want and worry about it when you get home. You can always work more to pay off the debt to incurred on vacation, but you will never have that vacation back and regretting you didn't do something that would make that experience better is just what you don't want to do. Trust me on that one. Though I'm young, I wish I would have spent more money on the trips my wife and I went on instead of worryng about the cost. My advice, cut back on your day to day things (if you have too), and enjoy your vacation.

 

[CWS]

What the Hell, You're on Vacation right?

Buy all the damn cigars you want and worry about it when you get home. You can always work more to pay off the debt to incurred on vacation, but you will never have that vacation back and regretting you didn't do something that would make that experience better is just what you don't want to do. Trust me on that one. Though I'm young, I wish I would have spent more money on the trips my wife and I went on instead of worryng about the cost. My advice, cut back on your day to day things (if you have too), and enjoy your vacation.

Visa and Mastercard are your friends. :stretchgr