i received some delicious cuban cigars duty free (sorry usa dudes i understand you cant -legally - bring them in there),

what is the best way to store them?

Dominican cigars are just as good or even better.cigar smoking is for idiots anyway.

If you don't have a humidor, put your cigars in a large ziplock bag and store it on top of the tank of the toilet out of direct sunlight. They stay cool and get humidity from the tank.

you can either buy a humidor (just do a search, you can find one for $20-100 on the cheap side), or depending on how many cigars you have, store them in tupperware or a cooler. if you are going to go that route, you will need some florists foam (the stuff that will absorbe water), and some distilled water. for instructions, visit: http://www.cigargroup.com/faq/

Good luck

But we do bring these in legally. Anyone on a licensed flight is allowed one box, but you can usually pass with two. I have three humidors packed with Cohibas(Esplendidos and Robustos, Montecristo, Partagas, Romeo y Julieta, Vegas Robaina, etc. They are so common in Florida that you can't even give them away.

Sonney, I'm presuming you're from the US. Anyone from the US who has official permission to visit Cuba is allowed to bring back goods totalling no more than $150.00. Cohiba Esplendidos retail around $350.00 US per box so I really doubt you brought back three boxes amigo. Even if you bought fakes on the street for $30-40 per box, US Customs will calculate purchases based on the official price.

I've seen too many Yank business types on conventions power smoking Cohibas in the lobby bar of the Golden Tulip in Havana after finding out they can't bring them home.

from a friend who know cigars & Cuba
'first you got to kill the bugs! 48 - 72 hrs enclosed in double freezer bags into deep freezer, after that approx. 24-48 hrs fridge then in room temperature let them adjust by opening bags, don't touch them you don't want the wrapper to crack. after a couple days put them back into the original boxes (that is if you don't have a humidor, these boxes are usually made out of cedar anyway) but be careful handling them. Then place entire box into large ziplock bag and add a little piece of moist sponge into the bag as well and close it. get yourself a small digital hygrometer/thermometer unit from Radio Shack so you can monitor both dimensions by placing it into each bag for some time. the cigar boxes are closed within the bags together with the sponge. Before you place cigars back into boxes you should have wiped them out with a moist sponge and had them dry a bit. Not as ideal as a humidor ( because cigars can't age as nicely) but cheap and effective.


- and yes, there are tobacco worms that can come to life under certain conditions and eat holes in your cigars.

I didn't say I brought back 3 boxes each trip. I have declared and brought back 2 boxes, but like I said, once the humidors are full, what's the point?

I know too many people who bring two boxes back for you to tell me it's impossible. Although my wife and I do usually bring back at least two boxes as gifts for friends that smoke.

The last trip(post 9-11) we even declared agricultural products like cheese, cascos de guayaba, casabe, etc., along with the cigars. Because the "hand" inspection line was shorter, we opted for hand check rather than xray.

Customs checked it all out, and everything was fine. The cigars were the least of their worries. I pointed out where they were in the luggage, but they really didn't even want to see them.

In any case, as far as value, there is certainly an argument that can be made for street prices paid, which don't even come close to $150 for two boxes. However, there is also a limit of 50 cigars, which means you can't have more than two boxes.

So, again, sorry to disappoint, but yes you can bring 'em back to the US, and yes, about half the time you can get through with two boxes, which is another reason that if you are into paying store prices, there is some risk in bringing 2 boxes back. Besides, they are just too easily had in Florida to sweat it.

the limit is $100 for cigars. And yes, there are plenty of Cuban cigars floating in Florida, 99% of which are fakes. Sounds like you have some. Street prices... ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ... too much!

falcon.. visit: http://www.ustreas.gov/ofac/cubapage.html
it will clear up what, and how much can be brought back from Cuba

thanks for backing me up. I guess they don't teach basic math anymore in Florida

Le me guess. The guy you bought them from knows a guy who has an uncle that works at the cigar factory. Because of production surpluses, workers are allowed to take a certain amount home.....or the "cigars" exited the factory via the back door....or...who cares? The stories are all the same and what you, sir, bought are most likely banana leaves or worse.

you mean all those nice young men hanging around the Capitolo don't work at the factory? Next thing you'll tell me is that sweet young thing was lying when she said she need so much cab fare.

Because they can.

You boys don't know shit about what you can bring in.

At least Sonney doesn't have his head up his ass........

I'm sure that you can bring in all the rolled horse hair and banana leaves, um, cigars...silly me (I forgot that Florida was overflowing with the real thing, even though demand outstrips supply) that you fellas could possibly want

TomCanty, why don't you just visit http://www.ustreas.gov/ofac/cubapage.html, and read for yourself what you can LEGALY bring in when on a licenced trip (if you were taught to read). $100 worth of Cigars. NOT ANYTHING MORE. Now, what a smart guy like yourself is able to SNEAK by.. well, that's your business. Bring back as many BANANA leaves as you like.

I brought back 2 boxes of cohibas esplendidos, of course black market ones (60$ for 2). None of my cigar amateur friends noticed it. The best deal and souvenir of my trip to Cuba.

Some friend you are...I'd be a really happy cigar amateur when I found out that my good buddy TomCanty was bringing me back some rolled horse hair and banana leaves with cohiba esplendido rings on em. What don't you understand about the principle of supply and demand?
I'll spell it out for you: Supply is outstripped by heavy demand for the real thing. Therefore the prices that you quote do not make sense, unless you are a sucker of the highest order or, you enjoy passing off fakes to friends and acquaintances. By the way, I have a glass-top box of partages that you might be interested in....

goes for you great_moghul

people can also buy in the street other cigar brands ranging from 15$ to 50$ (in fact for cohibas, the dealer asks first 50$ but you can bargain till 30$ if you are a sucker of the highest order like me... hehehe do remember, the average income in Cuba is only 10$/ month).

15$ for a box of cigars is a good price: if the cigars are banana leaves, you only loose 15$ (and you keep a beautiful wooden cigar box). And if the cigars are real (I think most of them are) you will make a REALLY GOOD DEAL.

$15 - $30 is a good price to pay for cigars because you have no clue about them. The cigars will NEVER be real for that price, and most cigars you get from the street are NOT REAL, regardless of what you might like to believe.

Here are some pointers from a site called www.cigarnexus.com:

The number one rule of identifying counterfeit Cuban cigars is the age-old saying "caveat emptor" - buyer beware. Always keep this in mind whenever you are purchasing Havanas, even when you are purchasing them overseas in what appears to be a reputable tobacconist's establishment. Many fake Cuban cigars are sold from storefronts in countries where they are completely legal and sometimes without the knowledge of the store owner. Remember counterfeiters are driven by profit potential and no matter where you are in the world the profit on Cuban cigars is always a tempting target for criminals.

Learn the true market value of Cuban cigars - you will find that many counterfeiters sell them at far too low a cost to ever be legit. The maximum discount below list prices ever extended on Cuban cigars is 25% and this is very rare. Typically such discounts are afforded to the very best customers at the close of season. There is no such thing as a "bargain" when it comes to Cuban cigars.

Do not buy Havanas from anyone that solicits you. There is a shortage of fine Habanas in the world market, they simply sell themselves and do not need to be pushed.

It is commonly estimated that greater than 95% of the cigars in the US reputed to be Cuban are actually fakes. In my experience this is probably close to accurate, as I see fake after fake. Also, keep in mind that there are far more on average counterfeit Cuban cigars circulating in Florida, New York, and California.

Always avoid purchasing cigars from anyone with a story that goes like, "I have a Cuban friend who goes from Miami to Havana weekly and buy cigars right in Cuba. He has a connection in the Cuban government, and he gets them real cheap then sells them up here for only $275 a box." These type of lame stories are typical of the cover these counterfeiters use. Trust me every counterfeiter is either Cuban, is married to a Cuban, has a cousin who is Cuban, etc.

Just because the cigars are from Cuba does not make them authentic premium Habanas. In fact, a good portion of the fakes on the market actually come from tourists who buy "Cuban" cigars from the throngs of street vendors. Most of these cigars are absolute crap. The only safe place to buy legit Havanas in Cuba is in a government state store.

There is no such thing as authentic Cohiba Esplendidos in a "glass top" box. This is one of the biggest scams going and the tourists from Florida, through the Caribbean, and right to downtown Havana buy these boxes of "Fauxhibas" like crazy. This is by far the most notorious counterfeit Cuban cigar scam going - please don't become another mark by purchasing a box of these cigars.