Best Cuban Cigars Available NOW

[ErkRusselReserve]

I was told by a dedicated enthusiast of Cuban Cigars who is of Chinese descent that the Cuban market was cornered by Chinese manipulators. As the prices got kinda crazy, the Cubans decided that they were leaving money on the table and raised their wholesale prices. Now prices a stupid high.

All that being said, Trinidad Shorts are a flavorful smoke. Not long enough and scraps, but with just enough gusto to get that enjoyable Cuban twang.

 

[Toothpick]

When I win the Mega Millions tomorrow night I’ll buy a cigar factory in Cuba and supply inexpensive cigars to everyone here. It will be my personal cigar house.

 

[Kendoll]

When I win the Mega Millions tomorrow night I’ll buy a cigar factory in Cuba and supply inexpensive cigars to everyone here. It will be my personal cigar house.

Good luck with that. Half of Habanos SA is owned by the state. The other half Altadis. I suppose a newbie would have to buy a farm at market value, and then the state would own half. Plus I am sure Altadis would have something to say about it as well. Anyways, if you can get lucky at the lottery than you will be lucky enough to sell a 9 dollar stick for 23 dollars. Seriously, RyJ short Churchills at 9 dollars was a stretch:

 

[alpster]

Just returned from Europe yesterday. Smoked 4 Cubans while there and they were "Meh" at best. A box of Cohibas at the duty free shop in the Paris airport was $1500 euros. YIKES! It's good to be home having a Don Carlos with my coffee.

 

[DesertIguana]

Cuba has had couple of bad Tabacco years, and leaf that was use to be available is not. Supply and demand isshpen in pricing.

 

[Golden_Edge]

Good luck with that. Half of Habanos SA is owned by the state. The other half Altadis. I suppose a newbie would have to buy a farm at market value, and then the state would own half. Plus I am sure Altadis would have something to say about it as well. Anyways, if you can get lucky at the lottery than you will be lucky enough to sell a 9 dollar stick for 23 dollars. Seriously, RyJ short Churchills at 9 dollars was a stretch:

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Atladis sold its share in Habanos S.A. (which was 50%) three years ago. A newly formed company in Hong Kong bought it.

Imperial Completes $1.44 Billion Sale Of Premium Cigar Business | Cigar Aficionado

Today, Imperial Brands PLC completed the sale of its premium cigar business to an investment consortium for 1.225 billion euros ($1.44 billion). The sale includes a vast array of cigar brands, factories and companies. | Cigar Aficionado

www.cigaraficionado.com

The new co-owner re-structured the market in equalizing prices worldwide. Meaning that a same cigar will cost about the same regardless where you buy it. My opinion is that it did more bad than good, especially that it happened with the world coming out of COVID (which had already caused severe shortages).

 

[Golden_Edge]

Just returned from Europe yesterday. Smoked 4 Cubans while there and they were "Meh" at best. A box of Cohibas at the duty free shop in the Paris airport was $1500 euros. YIKES! It's good to be home having a Don Carlos with my coffee.

I am not surprised they were 'meh'. Cubans need to rest and be aged to be good or great; but we're talking months to years. It's like buying a sports car and having to wait to enjoy it. It makes no sense.

Cuban cigars prices drastically increased after the new co-owner (a company in Hong Kong) equalized prices worldwide. The reason a box of Cohiba costs $1500 in Paris now is because it costs $1500 in the most expensive markets in the world (London, Honk Kong, etc). I am not sure it makes a lot of sense since every country has different taxation when it comes to tobacco but it's their call in the end.

 

[Golden_Edge]

I was told by a dedicated enthusiast of Cuban Cigars who is of Chinese descent that the Cuban market was cornered by Chinese manipulators. As the prices got kinda crazy, the Cubans decided that they were leaving money on the table and raised their wholesale prices. Now prices a stupid high.

All that being said, Trinidad Shorts are a flavorful smoke. Not long enough and scraps, but with just enough gusto to get that enjoyable Cuban twang.

More technically, this happened:

Stockpiles that were sitting pilling dust throughout the world were swallowed up when China opened to the world in circa 2010. Prices were still low. Social media added to the frenzy with non-Chinese buyers worldwide. Before the frenzy, distributors had hard time moving quantities. To give you one example, the 2011 La Escepcion Selectos Finos (an Italian Regional Cuban cigars) was repackaged from boxes to jars to incite sales. You won't see repackaging today.

So in essence, supplies started to go down for about ten years (2010-2020) while prices continued to climb. Habanos would increase periodically and vendors would increase as they saw fit (if there was no law in the country dictating otherwise). COVID hit and it made things worse. It was borderline impossible to find Cubans. Then; just when one thought it could not get worse, Imperial (British company) sold its 50% share in Habanos S.A. to a newly formed company in Honk Kong. That company decided it would be wise to equalize Cuban cigars prices worldwide - a Cohiba in Spain (one of the cheapest market now costs as much as in Hong Kong or London, some of the most expensive markets).

 

[Toothpick]

The new co-owner re-structured the market in equalizing prices worldwide. Meaning that a same cigar will cost about the same regardless where you buy it

Cuban cigars prices drastically increased after the new co-owner (a company in Hong Kong) equalized prices worldwide. The reason a box of Cohiba costs $1500 in Paris now is because it costs $1500 in the most expensive markets in the world (London, Honk Kong, etc).

That company decided it would be wise to equalize Cuban cigars prices worldwide - a Cohiba in Spain (one of the cheapest market now costs as much as in Hong Kong or London, some of the most expensive markets).

I’m sorry,.. what happened?

 

[Golden_Edge]

I’m sorry,.. what happened?

Habanos S.A., the distribution arm of Cuban cigars was co-owned by Imperial Tobacco in Britain. Imperial sold its share (which was 50% of HSA) to a company in HK. This happened in 2020.

$1.3 Billion Deal For Imperial’s Premium Cigar Business | Cigar Aficionado

The transaction includes half of Cuba’s Habanos S.A., the world’s largest cigar factory, Tabacalera USA, Casa de Montecristo, JR Cigar and some of the world’s most famous cigar brands, including Cohiba and Montecristo | Cigar Aficionado

www.cigaraficionado.com

Imperial Closes on €1.225 Billion Sale of Premium Cigar Division

Nearly six months to the day after it announced an agreement to sell its premium cigar portfolio, Imperial Brands, plc has said it has completed the

halfwheel.com

 

[Toothpick]

Habanos S.A., the distribution arm of Cuban cigars was co-owned by Imperial Tobacco in Britain. Imperial sold its share (which was 50% of HSA) to a company in HK. This happened in 2020.

$1.3 Billion Deal For Imperial’s Premium Cigar Business | Cigar Aficionado

The transaction includes half of Cuba’s Habanos S.A., the world’s largest cigar factory, Tabacalera USA, Casa de Montecristo, JR Cigar and some of the world’s most famous cigar brands, including Cohiba and Montecristo | Cigar Aficionado

www.cigaraficionado.com

Imperial Closes on €1.225 Billion Sale of Premium Cigar Division

Nearly six months to the day after it announced an agreement to sell its premium cigar portfolio, Imperial Brands, plc has said it has completed the

halfwheel.com

Ahhh ok, makes sense.

 

[DesertIguana]

Two kind of Cubans, very good, very bad.

Cuban run the gontlet.

 

[Golden_Edge]

Two kind of Cubans, very good, very bad.

Cuban run the gontlet.

That's pretty much it. There is no in between.

 

[DesertIguana]

Good new is Honduras, Dominican Repulbic, and Nicaragua produce some Great Cigars.

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

More technically, this happened:

Stockpiles that were sitting pilling dust throughout the world were swallowed up when China opened to the world in circa 2010. Prices were still low. Social media added to the frenzy with non-Chinese buyers worldwide. Before the frenzy, distributors had hard time moving quantities. To give you one example, the 2011 La Escepcion Selectos Finos (an Italian Regional Cuban cigars) was repackaged from boxes to jars to incite sales. You won't see repackaging today.

So in essence, supplies started to go down for about ten years (2010-2020) while prices continued to climb. Habanos would increase periodically and vendors would increase as they saw fit (if there was no law in the country dictating otherwise). COVID hit and it made things worse. It was borderline impossible to find Cubans. Then; just when one thought it could not get worse, Imperial (British company) sold its 50% share in Habanos S.A. to a newly formed company in Honk Kong. That company decided it would be wise to equalize Cuban cigars prices worldwide - a Cohiba in Spain (one of the cheapest market now costs as much as in Hong Kong or London, some of the most expensive markets).

Wow, thanks for the clarification. I feel a little wasteful smoking a $4 new world stick. $50+ for handrolled long filler Cubans is kinda silly. 100 packs of RyJ Puritos for $120ish seem like much better value to me. Nice Cuban wrapper and Cuban filler. You can still get the flavor, but on a much smaller scale.

Edit- Nvm about the Cubans. Reading the stories linked above, it seems Cubans are now double communists owned, lol. Plus I won't give any more business to JR (also now commie owned). In addition, I will stay away from the named brands in the stories. There are plenty of other non-market manipulating non-communist sticks to smoke and explore.

 

[Golden_Edge]

Wow, thanks for the clarification. I feel a little wasteful smoking a $4 new world stick. $50+ for handrolled long filler Cubans is kinda silly. 100 packs of RyJ Puritos for $120ish seem like much better value to me. Nice Cuban wrapper and Cuban filler. You can still get the flavor, but on a much smaller scale.

Welcome. I hear you about ROI. Puritos are great and can often time be better than larger cigars.

 

[DesertIguana]

Well there are Cigar SNOBS, I see them at local Cigar Lounger, rolling their Cigar between their finder, trying to impress everyone they are big shot. because they Smoke something pricy like a Cuban or OPUS X. big deal, not impressed.

 

[Kendoll]

Atladis sold its share in Habanos S.A. (which was 50%) three years ago. A newly formed company in Hong Kong bought it.

Imperial Completes $1.44 Billion Sale Of Premium Cigar Business | Cigar Aficionado

Today, Imperial Brands PLC completed the sale of its premium cigar business to an investment consortium for 1.225 billion euros ($1.44 billion). The sale includes a vast array of cigar brands, factories and companies. | Cigar Aficionado

www.cigaraficionado.com

The new co-owner re-structured the market in equalizing prices worldwide. Meaning that a same cigar will cost about the same regardless where you buy it. My opinion is that it did more bad than good, especially that it happened with the world coming out of COVID (which had already caused severe shortages).

Wasn't aware that Altadis sold their half. I know from my heavy Pre-Covid travels to Europe, that prices in the EU were set by the state, so London, Paris, Spain, all the same prices, this would have been around 2012 to 2019. It was cheaper to buy them online and sent to the US back then. As for the normalization of pricing that occurred in May 2022, I think I read on Halfwheel, the market they normalized to actually was Hong Kong, which also just happened to have the highest rate of taxation on Cigars.

 

[bonjing]

Sadly at this point it’s whatever you can afford. I bought a few boxes during pandemic, but looking at prices now it’s just out right crazy. For us “older” smokers prices are ridiculous, for new smokers it’s the norm.

Heck I wasn’t wasteful during the “good years” but now it’s been a long time since I’ve pitched a cigar or didn’t nub it regardless of how bad it was no matter where it was made.

 

[Golden_Edge]

Wasn't aware that Altadis sold their half. I know from my heavy Pre-Covid travels to Europe, that prices in the EU were set by the state, so London, Paris, Spain, all the same prices, this would have been around 2012 to 2019. It was cheaper to buy them online and sent to the US back then. As for the normalization of pricing that occurred in May 2022, I think I read on Halfwheel, the market they normalized to actually was Hong Kong, which also just happened to have the highest rate of taxation on Cigars.

Prices are actually set by Cuba first and adjusted by the countries where they're sold (taxation, etc). London (one of the most expensive market) was always much higher than countries in Europe. Spain was one of the cheapest. France somewhere in the middle.

You're right, the price normalization was price based HK prices. It makes no sense. Besides, I don't how effective it was or will be in the long run.