Expert: James Yee - 5/15/2007

Question
Hello again James,

I've got my humidor running PERFECTLY, thanks to you, and I am looking to expand my cigar selection. I live in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada; I'm looking for something cheap, under $5 a stick to try and stock my humidor with. I was wondering if you could suggest some decent smokes (of any strength) for me to try. Also I was wondering if you know of any reputable cigar retailers online that are situated in Canada so that I don't get swamped with shipping and customs fees? I know that smoking a good cigar means spending a bit of cash usually but I have a tight budget right now since I'm finishing university for the next year. As always I appreciate all of your help!

Thanks,
Rich

Answer
Hi Rich,

Glad to hear your humidor is working perfectly now.  As for cigars, because cigar prices are so high in Canada (due to the high cigar taxes), it’s quite hard to find cigars in the $5 range.  A decent cigar brand for around $5 is Jose L. Piedra.  This brand is Cuban but the cigars are not entirely hand made (However, they are hand-finished, IIRC.) Piedra cigars also have short filler tobacco but for that Cuban “puro” flavour, $5 for Cazadores-sized Cuban cigar is a bargain.  Other inexpensive Cuban brands include Cabanas, Quintero, Rafael Gonzalez, La Flor de Cano and Guantanamera and these cigars normally cost under $6 CAD.  These are all genuine Cuban brands but it’s important to remember that for such a low price, these brands will also have low-end quality (ie: short filler, not handmade cigars.)

For a few dollars more (around $8-$9 CAD), you can smoke a more premium Cuban cigar such as a Romeo y Julieta Mille Fleur or Partagas Mille Fleur.  Mille Fleurs are quite popular because they make excellent “everyday” cigars, are extremely affordable (compared to other Cuban cigars) and pack a lot of Cuban flavour.  These cigars have lots of aging potential so it’s good to stock some in your humidor.

Because of the high cigar taxes in Canada, finding a cigar mail-order company within Canada is very difficult.  Reputable online cigar retailers in Canada are hard to find because the high cigar taxes would not make it practical to order via mail-order.  If you mail-order from within Canada, you would be paying the already high Canadian retail price plus shipping costs and possibly any provincial taxes.  Canadian cigar prices are already high enough that most people would rather just shop locally and save money on shipping and additional taxes.  Also, it’s recommended that you try to shop locally at your local tobacconist/cigar shops as you are able to visually inspect the cigars before you buy.  Buying through mail-order sometimes doesn’t give you any buyer protection and you can get stuck with damaged cigars, bad cigars or counterfeit cigars.

There are lots of cigar stores in the GTA so my advice is that you visit some of these shops (check the Yellow Pages for a full listing of tobacconists) and browse for shops with the best selection and prices.

Hopes this answers your question.  As always, if you have a question, feel free to just ask.

Regards,
James