First tip: don’t buy cigars at the beach
On our first day at the beach, the lifeguard came to greet us and… offer us “good cigars that his uncle makes with top quality tobacco”. Everyone will tell you, it's not a good idea to buy a cigar at the beach and you risk being disappointed.
Cigars are sold in state stores found throughout the city and at the Plaza Las Americas shopping center. Prices should be the same everywhere. Right in front of the Cuatro Palmas Hotel (Calle 64) you will find Casa del Run Y Tobacco. There is a smoking room on the 2nd floor where you can try different brands while having a drink. You can also buy cigars at the airport.
How to choose a good cigar
Real connoisseurs know which brands they are willing to invest in. For beginners, we suggest asking for “light” rather than medium or “strong” ones.
Here are some suggestions from group members for good cigars: Cohiba, Romeo y Julieta, San Cristobal, Montecristo, Punch and Partagas.
Eddy Bouchard shared a very interesting link to consult the price list:
https://yulcigars.blogspot.com/
An alternative for the daring
Here is a share from Marc Therrien: “I was in Holguin in 2016 and a hotel employee seeing us smoking cigars told us he had a contact for cigars at a very good price, so we met the contact of the 'employee outside the hotel site. The guy arrived with several boxes, we chose a box of Cohiba and one of Robusto format Partagas. We opened the boxes, chose a cigar at random from each box, lit them and smoked them for a good fifteen minutes. The guy was waiting patiently. Satisfied, we specifically purchased these 2 boxes. The cigars were of very good quality.”
What cigar did Fidel Castro smoke?
Fidel Castro smoked big Cohiba Esplendido. They sell for 575 CUC for a box of 25 and are among the most expensive in Cuba.