Fri 13 Oct 2006
Ahh… isn’t that what we all would love to find. Well, folks you are probably aware that the quest for cheaper Habanos is never ending. With increased demands it seems that Cuban tobacco prices have really pushed their limits in the last few years. Even so called discount websites sell these prized smokes at prices that would bankrupt most people.
As I search and find different options, I continually move from one preferred dealer to another, though I almost exclusively buy my cigars at the local tobacconist to avoid paying top dollar for counterfeit cigars. The offer below caught my eye though, and chances are would tempt many newcomers. The problem is that unless it can be proven by word of mouth or by a careful examination by experienced smokers, the odds are that this, though it’s the cheapest offer of Cuban leaf I’ve ever seen, is not a genuine Cuban cigar dealer.
Their operation is based in Costa Rica and ships worldwide. Their prices are just amazing: A cabinet of 50 Partagas Shorts for less than $200 dollars; Cohiba Double Coronas Edición Limitada 2003 for just over $200 dollars; and how about the Montecristo Robustos Edicion Limitada 2001 and the Cohiba Esplendido for just over $150.00 a box.
Tempting as it may be to buy “Cuban” cigars at these prices, the fact is that without firm confirmation that an online cigar shop is real, it is simply not worth it to buy from a new and unknown shop. Tempting? Yes… but buyer beware!
October 13th, 2006 at 9:36 pm
Are you kidding me? You can’t offer Esplendidos for $150 a box. You couldn’t buy them anywere in the world for even double that price, so how could they be sold for that. No doubt they will be fakes.
October 13th, 2006 at 9:43 pm
Yeah, its funny cause even if there are some Americans that would buy fakes without really knowing the difference, these guys don’t deliver to the USA; the rest of the world, though, knows what a cuban cigar is, I mean, I can spot a fake a mile away. You’d think the word would spread pretty soon.
October 14th, 2006 at 12:21 am
Americans who buy fakes don’t really appreciate cigars to begin with. They’re poseurs who parade around nightclubs with their cheap styrofoam sophistication and five dollar Cohibas. Americans who really know and understand their cigars are super sensitive to authenticity and can spot a fake Habano from, well, maybe not a mile, but at least a couple feet…
October 23rd, 2006 at 8:10 pm
They have to be fake at those prices.
October 28th, 2006 at 8:02 am
[…] Cheapest Cuban Cigars Ever? Cigar Reviews, and TalkWell, folks you are probably aware that the quest for cheaper Habanos is never ending. With increased demands it seems that Cuban tobacco prices have really pushed their limits in the last few years. […]
November 13th, 2006 at 6:24 am
That is interesting. Has anybody tried them yet?
Its kind of tempting to order something just to see!
Having a look - the least expensive thing you can order is 5 x Montecristo #4 but they seem to work out at a similar price to here in the UK.
Comparing others with your Spanish prices (euros) - you saw Partagas Serie D No.4 for 212.50 and they have them for 115. Considering they go for about 350 here in the UK, it does all seem a bit unlikely…
November 25th, 2006 at 12:46 pm
For esplendidos, the Habanos wholesales price is over 200usd! And the price in Cuba is around 400usd. This website is selling fake!
I have emailed them already and question about the price and they don’t dare to reply to me.
January 22nd, 2007 at 7:50 pm
I travel to Cuba often. They claim that they buy their stock in Cuba. On my last trip at the government/state run stores a box Partagas Lusitania goes for $257 USD’s. The Costa Ricans are offering them for$152.00 USD’s. That price was valid five years ago. Also, there seem to be a number of Costa Rican based web-sites offering Habanos. You will also notice that all of their descriptions are verbatim and have been plagiarised from topcubans.com an authentic Habanos dealer based in Geneva, with whom I have dealt personally, impeccable service.
March 23rd, 2007 at 2:14 pm
If it looks too good to be true, it is…especially when it comes to Cuban cigars.
March 28th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
Just as a sidenote to this…There is a big market in selling fake Cuban Cigars. I have a good friend (actually now a member of my extended family) that immigrated from Cuba and for years worked at the Paratagas factory, also known in Cuba as the Real Fabrica de Tabaccos Partagas.
I have personally found a website that seems to be VERY competative on the pricing (without flying directly to Cuba) and have purchased a substantiaive amount of cigars from. EVERY box that I have received from a site called ***** I have handed over to Luis to look at, and review (aka. personally testing the merchandise), which has met with his ok in terms of authenticity.
Granted, he doesn’t always approve of my personal choice in cigar brands (and constantly tells me there is nothing better than a Partagas :) ) but I have never had him tell me that I have received a fake.
Check it out. They have a good selection as well as prices.
[this comment was edited to avoid the direct use of commercial URLs]
April 24th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
Well I bought a box of Unicos for 180$US in Cuba three months ago and these guys have them at 147… yeah right
stay away
April 28th, 2007 at 8:59 pm
I am pretty sure these guys are affialited-
www.royalhabanos.com
www.solocigars.com
Same scum buckets operating out of Costa Rica too.
May 2nd, 2007 at 3:36 pm
I don’t know why there is so much American Bashing to be honest. although true to some point it is very stereotypical. I do agree that A lot of American s have no clue as to what a really good cigar is all about but there are plenty of other Americans that do know. while Cuban cigars are great they are not what they were in past years and will never be as good as the pre-embargo Cubans for the methods that they use have changed. Also there are so many great cigars out there that Americans don’t have sweat the fact that they cant legally import Habanos. There’s a lot of great stuff By Fuente, La Flor, tatuaje, and Padilla. So to be honest while I do like Habanos half of Americans smoke cigars as a fad and because they think they look cool but not all Americans do just about half.
May 3rd, 2007 at 7:56 pm
Those prices are bs, just like the cigars would be. Has anybody tried top cubans dot com? Are they a legit website?
May 4th, 2007 at 9:57 am
I woild go with cigarofhabanos.com they have great prices and are legit
July 2nd, 2007 at 9:49 pm
does anyone know the dates for Festival de Habano X? thanks for the reply.
July 6th, 2007 at 11:18 am
My Brother and I bought form these clowns (solocigars.com) They are definitly fakes and not even good ones. We got a box of Punch Punchs that looked like they were rolled by a third grader. If it looks to good to be true… well you know the rest. We order from Topcubans and cigarone.com and have had good experiences with them.
August 16th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
solocigar is selling fake cigars but for the price its probely not a bad cigar its just not cuban
September 4th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
I ordered a box og monte 4’s through topcubans. They were without a doubt fake. The company offers very good customer service and I was able to get a refund.
Does anyone have any legitimate sources they feel 100% comfortable with?
September 10th, 2007 at 11:21 am
has anyone bought from dongabriel? they seem to have very good prices, almost 30% better than anyone. They seem pretty legit as they say they operate since 1998. I just bought 80 pounds worth of cigars from them, waiting to be delivered. Has anyone had any experience with them or have I gotten whacked…
September 14th, 2007 at 3:44 am
I have purchased from solocigars and topcubans.
I am fairly certain that the box of cigars from solo is fake as all of them are double capped and not triple. Plus they are slightly longer, fatter, and more crude looking than others. I am also fairly certain that these cigars are cuban… just not what’s on the label. The D4s I picked up from them started off horrible for the first 1cm, but ironically they finished amazingly better than my known real D4s. If you want good sticks at a great price (and don’t care if they are genuine) definately give them a shot. It’s all about whether the cigar is worth the price you paid anyway ;-)
Topcubans is outstanding but their prices are high especially on the larger sticks such as Lusitanias, or Hoyo Double Coronas. If you repeatedly check their sale page you can find boxes 20% off which brings the prices back down to earth. Also everything I’ve purchased from them has arrived at my door in less than 2 days!!!
September 14th, 2007 at 3:57 am
Dave… in regards to your Montecristo #4 from topcubans… I also ordered a box from them and smoked a few immediately upon arrival. They were extremely peppery and tasted very off. I ignored them for a month before smoking another and it was worlds different! Instead of pepper they were an amazing smooth cinnamon/nutmeg/nutty taste. The box didn’t live much longer after that point ;-)
I’m not sure if it was the taste, construction, or something else that led you to believe they were fake? If it was taste I can attest that they get significantly better in time. If it was construction obviously there is no excuse… perhaps they got a strange box!
September 14th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
By no means am I an expert, but you know what you know. My tasting for any cubans, no matter what brand or size, is a creamy smooth taste. I will usually smoke them till I burn my fingers.
The monte 4’s I had from top cubans appeared way to spongy to the touch, the box did not have that “cuban smell”. They were harsh and as you mentioned really peppery. I’m going to leave them in the humidor for 6 months and see what happens.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:14 pm
any reliable on line store ?
October 23rd, 2007 at 3:04 am
Solo cigars are as fake as can be, no triple caps that is all I have to say about that, bought from them before,Hoyo Petit robustos
They are quite tasty though, but fake