Where to buy Cohiba cigars online?

BenEadir

Hi all,

I need/want to buy some Cohiba cigars for a friend of mine who did me a favour recently. I know zero about cigars so I'm basically looking for a good online source where I can browse the various Cohiba products and select what I want to order. If it is good value for money (relative to a bricks and mortar specialist type shop) that would be a bonus.

Cheers,

Ben

BenEadir

Seriously, no replies at all in 24 hours in the smoking thread????

OU812

James Fox

Off the top of my head (will you buy me one for finding it for you ???)

nanook

Truthfully, go into a shop. They will give a better selection and advice.
You pay a bit more but hey you get it there and then

BenEadir

You're right. I went into a shop, got great advice and purchased some Cohiba Siglo VI's for my pal. See http://www.cubancigarsblog.com/cohiba-siglo-vi_1332.html and http://www.worldofcigarsblog.com/2007/11/review-cohiba-siglo-vi-95100.html

The fact that the shop was in the middle of the Dubai Duty Free village two days ago and it had a huge selection of cigars at attractive prices was a bonus

Ben

OU812

... so have you given any thought to one for me, since I guided you to bricks & mortar ???

godtabh

There is a decent cigar shop on Grafton Street. Decent Cigar Emporium. Decent

bugler

I thought I'd refresh this thread with my own recent experiences of online cigar buying.

First up, the savings when buying online are considerable. I don't really see myself purchasing much more than the odd single cigar from the stores around Dublin anymore, and even then only because I'm stuck or have left a cigar at home mistakenly. Of course, I have yet to actually order from some of these sites so don't take it as a personal endorsement.

I have seen the following stores recommended online to varying extents:

http://www.cigarterminal.com/ - Swiss based but targetting U.S. buyers primarily (like many sites). Good prices, tend to sell in larger quantities. Like many of the stores here the only credit cards they take are Visa or American Express. This hindered my buying as I have a Mastercard. Shipping is $25 flat. One thing I don't like is that it lists an awful lot of cigars/quantities that are out of stock. Not helpful.

http://www.cigarsofhabanos.com/ - Hong Kong based. Very keen prices, again expect to pay dollars. Free shipping is a big plus also. Again, they only accept Visa! They also deal in larger quantities.

http://www.topcubans.com/ - Swiss based. I actually like this site best, and will go back to it for the reviews and information on cigars. It is well laid out and "warmer" than some of the other sites. Unfortunately, they too only accept Visa. They do offer payment via bank transfer, but the response time to my query on this was not great, and it wouldn't be a preferred method of mine, particularly as you can expect pricing in dollars again.

Prices are good though not as good as the two sites above. What I do like about this seller though is that they sell sampler selections and combination offers, as well as smaller quantities (in 3s). For someone looking to try new cigars this is great. $20 shipping fee (free for orders > $250) I wanted to use this site but the Visa thing prevented me.

www.cigarworld.de - I actually only found out about this store from a recommendaton from quinnp on this forum. Thankfully they accept Mastercard - sold! I have an order dispatched from them, hopefully to arrive in the next day or so. Dispatch was made within 3-4 days (covering a weekend) so pretty good. Prices are not as good as the Swiss or HK sites. Delivery works on a sliding scale, the greater the value of your order the cheaper the shipping. On a order over €100 I was charged €15 shipping. I believe it goes as low as €10. a nice touch here was I was offered a free gift (presumably based on the value of the order). There was a selection of choices, from cutters to various cheaper cigars (Nicaraguan, Dominican etc). I also got a butane gas refill from them.

To step back from actual cigars for the moment, I also purchased an Adorini humidor from humidordiscount.com. I am quite pleased with it albeit I have yet to get it settled on the humidity level needed. It shipped quickly and is a nice unit.

I have humidification beads on the way from Heartfelt. They shipped very quickly (same day as ordered) but it will be a while before they arrive. If they are as good as they say this should put an end to any issue with my humidor/humidifier.

As an ending note, from just browsing the Irish stores sites there are big differences in prices on certain items (particularly accessories). A cheap plastic cutter (branded with a manufacturer logo) ranges from €10 in Fox's to €20 in DCE. Humitubes: €15 in Fox's vs €25 in DCE. Personally I don't plan on using either but just in case anyone else is.

Gran Hermano

Are you ignoring the charges for VAT, excise duty and handling charges on importing cigars?

bugler

That's a fair point actually - as I ultimately ordered from a German site that was not top of my list. I suppose the actual costs and the likelihood of them being levied definitely need to be kept in mind. I know some of the Swiss sites, being Swiss (and catering to the U.S after all) advertised their "discrete nature". Not that I condone that sort of thing.

I'll add this to my list of things to update to see how I get on personally. Does anyone have experience of customs intercepting tobacco products both inter-EU and from outside?

quinnp

bugler wrote: »

Does anyone have experience of customs intercepting tobacco products both inter-EU and from outside?

A friend of mine used to order from www.cubancrafters.com in Florida quite a lot
until he recieved an empty box from ups with a note inside stating the the contents had been seized by customs...:rolleyes:

As for cigarworld.de, I'm under the impression that, as the tobacco taxes have been paid in the the E.U. by the purcheser, it's perfectly ok to order cigars from them, without being in breach of our revenue regulations here? (I'm open to correction on this).

BeerNut

quinnp wrote: »

I'm under the impression that, as the tobacco taxes have been paid in the the E.U. by the purcheser, it's perfectly ok to order cigars from them, without being in breach of our revenue regulations here? (I'm open to correction on this).

Consider yourself corrected, so . VAT and duty are payable in the destination country, not the country of purchase. An exception exists for items which are transported by the purchaser personally, but goods which are shipped to Ireland incur Irish taxes. The Revenue leaflet on buying from abroad is here.

quinnp

BeerNut wrote: »

Consider yourself corrected, so .

I stand corrected sir...:)

An extract from the linky to revenue you provided.

Excise Duty is payable on excisable products such as alcohol and tobacco ordered for personal use from EU Member States over the Internet or from mail order catalogues - it must be paid before the goods arrive in Ireland.

No argument here..

BeerNut

Yeah, if you're ordering from an EU supplier it's up to them, not you, to sort out the tax. You have reason to assume everything will be fine, though if the cigars get confiscated because the shop didn't do the paperwork then it's you who loses out and will be billed by Customs.

quinnp

So, would it be safe to say that one can order within the E.U. under the assumption that if the cigars are seized, you can pay the excise duty to customs & reclaim them.?

My point being that it would probably still work out cheaper then buying them here..?

BeerNut

quinnp wrote: »

So, would it be safe to say that one can order within the E.U. under the assumption that if the cigars are seized, you can pay the excise duty to customs & reclaim them.?

Yes. Don't quote me, but you may even be in a position to go after the supplier who messed up the export to reclaim what you paid.

quinnp

I think I'll stick with ordering from Germany so, & be aware of the fact that 'the axe may fall' on one of my future orders if the supplier hasn't done their paperwork..

Cheers BN for clearing that up..:)

azul

Try and make friends with a Cuban, there's a community of them here in Ennis who often have Cohibas for sale. Helps to pay for their flight. I can ask if you want.

Faith+1

azul wrote: »

Try and make friends with a Cuban, there's a community of them here in Ennis who often have Cohibas for sale. Helps to pay for their flight. I can ask if you want.

But who's to say that they'll buy genuine Cohibas?

azul

Faith+1 wrote: »

But who's to say that they'll buy genuine Cohibas?

good point, there's probably an abundance of counterfeit available on the black market. Would a connoisseur know the difference if given an opportunity to try one?

OldGoat

Googling "Counterfit cigars" gives a mine of information about spotting fakes. It tends to be poor quality labelling that give the first obvious clue. Check the embossing on the cigar ring beside a genuine one.
Then check for excessively large veins in the wrapper, genuine cigars tend to avoid these. If you are buying a box then sacrifice one and cut it open to check the filler. (You can always pop the tobacco into a pipe after.)
Yet the easiest and most effective method of spotting fakes is the price. You get what you pay for and good Cubans ain't cheap.