Expert: James Yee - 3/28/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi James,

I have a friend of mine who's going to Cuba. He's going to bring me back some
cigars. What should I be looking for?

ANSWER: Hi Frank,

In terms of cigar authenticity, the safest precautionary measure your friend can take while in Cuba is by shopping at only Habanos SA-approved stores such as government shops, cigar factories, hotel shops, duty-free and La Casa del Habanos (LCDH) shops.  If your friend shops at a Cuban street vendor or store that is not an authorized Habanos SA retailer, the authenticity of the cigars will be questionable.

As for cigar brand recommendations, some brands may be too strong for some people so here is a simple list of major Cuban brands and the strength category they usually fall in:

Mild-bodied:
Guantanamera
El Rey du Mundo
Saint Luis Rey
Vegueros
Jose Piedra

Medium-bodied:
Romeo y Julieta (mild to med.)
H. Upmann (mild to med.)
Hoyo de Monterrey
San Cristobal de La Habana
Vegas Robaina
Trinidad
Juan Lopez
Punch

Full-bodied:
Cohiba (med. to full)
Cuaba (med. to full)
Partagas
Montecristo
Ramon Allones

Hope this answers your question. If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I'll be happy to help.

Regards,
James


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I meant more in terms of novelties?

Answer
Hi Frank,

By "novelties", do you mean limited edition cigars and humidors?  Habanos SA releases annual, commemorative humidors and cigars as well as annual limited edition cigars (ie: Edicion Limitada) so if your friend shops at a Habanos-approved store such as a La Casa del Habanos store, he'll be able to see many of these items that are currently available.  (Availability of specialty products varies by store.)

You can view some of the current specialty products at www.habanos.com.

Regards,
James