? on cuban cigar boxes. (boxes not cigars)

[veteranvmb]

I have never recently seen a box of cubans in person, but I see the photos on this forum of a lot of peoples boxes of habano cigars.
A lot of them all the writing is in english, some with a smattering of spanish.
My question is how do the cubans handle their boxes. Do they have different languages on them, depending on where they are being exported?(Japan, China, France, India, Arab,German,Russian, etc?)
In Cuba do they sell cigars to their own people in cigar boxes also, or in bundles or singles?
When I was in Cuba, all the cubans we smoked were in wood boxes, but basically unmarked if I recall.
Just curious.

Much regards Jerry

[GrtndpwrflOZ]

What do you mean by "unmarked" wooden boxes?
cabs are slide lid boxes with very little markings. usually [in my circumstances] words such as the marca and the vitola burned in.
Marca = Brand/make
Vitola=Refers to the size and shape of a cigar - Robusto or Corona are examples.
I probably have that wrong. I was just trying to sound like I know what I am talking about.
Anyway......
As for the different languages for each country I can't help you there.

[K Baz]

I have been lucky to purchase cigars from alot of countries and everybox is the same. The only way I know its from a different country is the warning symbols on the box. i.e. smoking is bad in a different language or the symbols are different. Some countries mark it with a importer stamp or tax stamp. i.e. EMS or Canada Tax etc

I don't think 99 % of cubans smoke the cigar we smoke due to price.

[veteranvmb]

Originally Posted by GrtndpwrflOZ

What do you mean by "unmarked" wooden boxes?
cabs are slide lid boxes with very little markings. usually [in my circumstances] words such as the marca and the vitola burned in.
Marca = Brand/make
Vitola=Refers to the size and shape of a cigar - Robusto or Corona are examples.
I probably have that wrong. I was just trying to sound like I know what I am talking about.
Anyway......
As for the different languages for each country I can't help you there.

This reference to Cuba goes back to circa 1972 and 1975 if I remember correctly.
These cigars were purchased from civilian workers on the station. They were wooden boxes with no cellophane on the cigars. All we knew is that they were cuban if I recall. If there was writing on the boxes, I think they were burnt into the box, and a paper seal of some kind.

My memory is not 100 percent accurate from 35 years ago at this point. All I know is that I didnt enjoy them that much. Way to harsh for me. I had my wife send me my regular cigars, which I preferred. I am positive these were 100 percent cuban, as the civilian workers would have no way, of getting anything from off the island, unless Mr Castro purchased it for them. And if they were nationalized americans, they would of not been allowed to bring such an item onto station. LOL

Regards Jerry

Regards Jerry

[Frinkiac7]

Working off memory here as I don't have one in front of me, but I believe the regular box labels, vistas, etc. are all in Spanish. There is a slip inside in three languages, one of which is English, that gives you the schpiel on Habanos and how great they are. There may be an additional English-language label attached by the country you bought them from.

This is one of the things I always liked about Habanos, though, their boxes and bands are in Spanish. Never felt the need to translate absolutely everything for us gringos.

[Snake Hips]

Originally Posted by veteranvmb

I have never recently seen a box of cubans in person, but I see the photos on this forum of a lot of peoples boxes of habano cigars.
A lot of them all the writing is in english, some with a smattering of spanish.
My question is how do the cubans handle their boxes. Do they have different languages on them, depending on where they are being exported?(Japan, China, France, India, Arab,German,Russian, etc?)
In Cuba do they sell cigars to their own people in cigar boxes also, or in bundles or singles?
When I was in Cuba, all the cubans we smoked were in wood boxes, but basically unmarked if I recall.
Just curious.

Much regards Jerry

No, all boxes from Cuba are the same regardelss of the country they're exported to, and that is in Spanish with a bit of English or French thrown in. The warranty seal, the stamps, the dates are all in Spanish. The only thing really in English is the English section of the Habanos slip in the boxes describing how to store your cigars. Some cigar names are in English, notably Churchills, obviously.

[The Postman]

I recently picked up an empty RyJ box at my local B&M to send to a friend. The commercial labels - applied by Habanos are in Spanish and English, but the distributor labels and warning labels - tobacco is bad for you etc, - were in French and English. There is also a bilingual tag on the bottom of the box.

Other than that, its just an attractive cedar cigar box, held shut with a small nail.


I sure wish I could afford to buy full boxes here, but the prices are killer high.