Are Cuban cigars available in the Dominican Republic?

[Firridge]

Take your own CC or NC. When you find a cigar worth smoking you will be saying "I'm not going to pay (Fill in the Blank) for that cigar that I can buy in the states for (Fill in the Blank)". Bottom line, lots of fakes and high prices. The Duty Free out of Punta Cana is an option to slip in a couple of CC's, not that anyone would do that or anything.

[Only Fuentes]

Originally Posted by krisko

Isn't there an Opus X that you can only buy in the DR? Do you buy it in a duty free zone or something? And what about tours...does anybody arrange a tobacco tour and can you get some tasty samples?

No, there is absolutely no such Opus X. ALL Opus X and every other Fuente for that matter and made in the manufacturing duty free zone and are for export only. You can't buy them on the island inside the duty free zone other than the airport, etc... To buy a legit Opus in the D.R. it first has to be exported and re-imported with an additional duty added to the price. I know that you have to be invited to tour/visit Chateau Fuente and can't just show up for a tour. There are however several lesser known cigar factories that are more than happy to arrange a tour for you. It is ironic when you think about it : the D.R. is 2nd in the world for cigar exports and 99.99% of all cigars you see there are fakes. It's a beautiful island and just take any smokes you might want with you and relax. Relax and enjoy looking at all the Opas X, Cohibos and my personal favorite : the elusive Dan carlos.

[Mullet]

Originally Posted by Padron42

An idea for you if you're renting a house down there for a week. My cousin had a wedding in the dominican and wanted to give all the men in it some cubans but knew the cubans were fake there so she had them shipped to the house they were staying at a few days before she left home and they got there alright.

that's a great idea.

[bobarian]

I believe there are also charter flights available from DR, if you are so inclined.

[Jbailey]

Originally Posted by Blueface

Or, better yet, like in the tv shows, "I am 150% sure that child is not mine". How the heck does one pass 100%?.

I'm with you 110% Carlos!

[fsjonsey]

Originally Posted by Only Fuentes

the elusive Dan carlos.

And I thought "Don Brotto" was the worst cigar name I've ever heard.

[Moro]

Yeah, but do not, I repeat DO NOT buy from the bloke that goes: "Ye're interested in some cuban cigars, there?" while relaxing at the beach. Buy them at decent, respectable places (ask around at the hotel and places were ye won't get scammed as a tourist).

[bobarian]

Originally Posted by Moro

Yeah, but do not, I repeat DO NOT buy from the bloke that goes: "Ye're interested in some cuban cigars, there?" while relaxing at the beach. Buy them at decent, respectable places (ask around at the hotel and places were ye won't get scammed as a tourist).

I thought those guys selling Cohiba's out of duffle bags had great prices due to the low overhead.

[KingJunior]

Originally Posted by MNWanger

I just remembered that the duty free shops in the airports might be a good place to look for real Cubans. The one in Punta Cana was very good.

I second this. Bought a box Montecristo 2 on my way out of the punta cana airport.

While in the resort I couldn't find any cc's. Went to the shopping district right outside of the resort and there weren't any there either. The name brand DR's were more expensive than in the US, but I did find some brands I never heard/had before that were great.

[chenvt]

The cubans will be fake, but if you're lucky, you'll have that rare opportunity to buy an authentic cohibo

[boonedoggle]

When I was in the DR last year, there were ton's of beach cigar vendor's...many of them were quit agressive sales people. Of course, I didn't buy any, but I did find several "butts" on the beach of Cohiba's and Monty's. Upon examining them, every last one of them had super-chop filler in them. Almost looked like sawdust.

[zipa]

If you want authentinc cigars, buy them at the airport or the factories. At least La Aurora has (well, had some years back, can't be sure anymore) guided tours which of course include a visit to the factory shop. I seem to recall that the prices were quite reasonable there.

[44MAG]

Originally Posted by Moro

Yeah, but do not, I repeat DO NOT buy from the bloke that goes: "Ye're interested in some cuban cigars, there?" while relaxing at the beach. Buy them at decent, respectable places (ask around at the hotel and places were ye won't get scammed as a tourist).

im sure if you stick to the well established 4star resorts(like atlantis in bahama) you can get some cc's however youll pay for them!

[hangman]

My parents brought me back some glass top Cohiba Robustos () from the Dominican which actually didnt taste too bad (I've had much worse) but the nagging voice in my head saying "what's actually in this cigar?" makes them impossible to enjoy so I threw them out. They did bring back some legit Guantanameras which were actually quite a nice mild smoke, considering how cheap they are for Cubans.

[Shervin]

Now thats a damn shame...being Dominican, it hurts to see what unscrupulous individuals would do to "earn" a buck. On my next visit I will make it a point to find a reputable dealer of CC's or domestics for that matter!!!

It just cannot be that there is not ONE decent location that could be trusted outside of the duty free zone....rest assured BOTL...it is there if your looking hard enough.