// By Richard // On May, 02nd 2008 // 3:47 pm

Here at TopCubans.com, we are firm believers in growing and developing through experience. The journey of discovery and understanding exactly what smoke suits your palate when and with what combination of food, drink and environment is a long and challenging one. Your apprenticeship naturally starts close to home, with number one. This personal trial phase is a must, but can be narrow as you are bound by your own limited experience. Next, you will meet people, be it in your cigar club or in your regular smoking areas, who will push you into the direction of 'good things'. This sharing of experiences will open new doors and will be a major step in educating your palate to the diversity of aromas and body. From here, the normal next step will be to look to the leaders of the profession or recognized experts to give you that special experience. This is where the world of the written word can be a shoulder to lean on. Leading cigar magazines like Cigar Aficionado, Smoke Magazine, European Cigar Cult Journal, L'Amateur de Cigare, Club Cigares, Pipes and Tobaccos or Tobacco Asia are an excellent way to get immediate expert feedback on smokes that interest you, as well as discovering new 'out of the ordinary' treats. Open yourself to as much exposure as you can, as this wealth of experience will only assist you in your personal journey.

You can see:
Cigar Aficionado
Smoke Magazine
European Cigar Cult Journal
Cigar Snob
Club Cigares
L'Amateur de Cigare

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// By Richard // On April, 24th 2008 // 6:20 pm

I am sure you have noticed the recent increase of Cuban cigar sites claiming to be based in and shipping out of the Swiss Free Zone and yet, have their Sales or Administrative offices in another country. You must be wondering how big the Free Zone is here in Geneva with all the new sites that keep popping up every day. Believe me, I am the most surprised and the most frustrated by this worrying trend. What these new sites are not saying or omitting to say, is where and how they get their supply of Cuban cigars. Let us remember a very simple fact. Habanos S.A. distribute their cigars onto the world market through regional Importers. These Importers are contracted to distribute locally. Every region of the world has an Official Importer (the most recognizable being InterTabak (Switzerland), Altadis S.A. (Spain & France), Hunters & Frankau (UK) or Havana House (Canada), see Habanos S.A. site for full list of world Importers). A cigar merchant who is an official Habanos S.A. retailer is obliged to get their Cuban cigars supplied through these Official Regional Habanos S.A. Importers. This is regulated by a very simple factor, the cigar merchant must be located in the country where they are supplied (not in a free zone, as these areas are not and cannot by supplied by the Regional Importers). Any sites claiming to be based in the free zone of a country in not being supplied by a Habanos S.A. Regional Importer. This naturally begs the question; where are these cigars coming from? I mention all this as recently I have had a number of new Members asking me why we are so much more expensive that other sites based in Switzerland. I turn the question around, how do these new sites who claim to be in Switzerland, sell their cigars so much cheaper than all the established Swiss Official Habanos S.A. sites and more worryingly, why do these new sites claim to be Official Habanos S.A. retailers, when clearly they cannot be?

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// By Richard // On April, 16th 2008 // 10:52 am

I can think of few things more relaxing in life, than kicking back, brewing up a hot Arabica espresso, breaking open a plaque of pure dark Maracaibo Grand Cru chocolate and lighting myself up a rich powerful Cuban Cuaba Divinos. All work so well by themselves, but when you fuse these different aromas and textures, that is when you truly drift off into palate paradise. The sour sweetness of a dark chocolate brings out all the hidden fruity aromas of a Cuban cigar and in turn this injects life into your coffee. Whether taking the time at home to slowly sample the bean - leaf marriage or taking 5 at the office, turn your coffee break into a truly gastronomic experience. Nothing need be boring in life.

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// By Richard // On April, 02nd 2008 // 11:57 am

Remember, try and keep your humidor settings at 16-18°C (60-65°F)(never store your humidor in direct sunlight) and 65-70% humidity. This is the ideal setting for your cigars to relax and continue the tobacco fermentation in a constant manner. The humidifier in your humidor should be topped up either with humidification solution or distilled water. Air circulation is key to the well being of your smokes. Give them space, like you and me, they need to breath. Clean your cigars every six months, in this way you will keep the pores of your cigars clear, thus allowing the cigars to breath without blockages. Like our skin, the pores need to be unblocked.
You cannot rush a Cuban hand rolled cigar. If it is tight or dry, you will need to allow it time in these correct conditions to ease, relax and reach a balanced humidity. Aging your cigars and caring for your humidor is an integral part of the cigar culture and it will permit you to truly understand your cigars and thus allow you to get the best out of your cigar.

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// By Richard // On March, 25th 2008 // 4:58 pm

With the changing of the seasons, do you change your smoking habits? I am a true believer in the concept that your palate changes with the seasons. Whilst the cold weather digs out our primal want for rich and heavy foods, with your palate perhaps being slightly less discerning on the finer notes of 'taste' and perhaps getting it's satisfaction more from bolder, all encompassing aromas, the choice of of a cigar to accompany requires a body and strength to match. Now with the renaissance of nature and the arrival of the warmer weather, our palate calls out for a 'freshen up'. You will find that your palate begs for lighter, frisky, fruiter foods and so your cigars should go in the same direction. This is why we are happy to present you to our Spring smokes. These are cigar that will suit and titillate your body clock.

You can see:
Eat the Seasons

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// By Richard // On March, 20th 2008 // 10:12 am

We would like to wish our friends at Cigarone.com, fellow on line Cuban cigar merchants here in Geneva, a very happy 10th Anniversary on line. Although Cigarone.com is a competitor of ours, they are first and foremost true lovers of the leaf and fellow aficionados. Geneva is a small town and we are lucky enough to have a number of well established and knowledgeable cigar merchants, including Mr. Gerard, Mr. Rhein, Davidoff Shop, Springs and La Cava here with us. We are all united in the aim to provide premium quality, official Habanos S.A. Cuban cigars to the smokers of the world and to offer the necessary platform for understanding how the Cuban cigar culture works, as well as trying to help guide potential smokers through the mine field, that is fakes. Help us help you, only buy from officially registered Habanos S.A. retailers (you will find them listed with the Official Habanos S.A. Importer for that part of the world).

You can see:
Intertabak AG - Official Habanos S.A. Importer for Switzerland

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// By Richard // On March, 12th 2008 // 11:31 am

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity's most widely known figures. But for all his celebrity, his life remains somewhat of a mystery. Many of the stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false, the products of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling. But what a story and the resulting party 1548 years later, is a highlight on any 'bon vivants' calendar. The parade and surrounding events, the pub culture and the copious amounts of Guinness will merrily turn your 17th March into a memorable occasion. Why not treat yourself to one of the Cuban cigars currently on deal in the TopCubans.com Four Leaf Clover Deals!

'Beannachtam na Feile Padraig!'
Happy St. Patrick's Day!

You can see:
History of St. Patrick's Day

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// By Richard // On March, 04th 2008 // 5:31 pm

Regarded as one of the most important Motor shows of the year and definitely one of the biggest, the Geneva Car Show will run this year from the 6-16th of March at the Geneva PalExpo Halls. Plenty of new releases from the major manufacturers, as well as a number of novelty models coming from the newer car manufacturers. See the new Indian Tata Nano, the most cost effective car produced to date. A new model of the 0.6 litre (33bhp) Tata Nano will cost you $2500 only. At the other end of the scale, you can sit in and dream about the new Jaguar XKR-S Coupé, with it's 4.2 liter, V8 engine which develops over 400 bph. This show also exhibits all the car accessories and memorabilia that will drive any car aficionado wild. So if you are around the Geneva area, I strongly suggest you drop into this fabulous show. Beware, hotels are very hard to find at this time of the year in Geneva. I will be there, a Big Cohiba Siglo VI in hand, testing every car going!

You can see:
78th Geneva Car Show

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// By Richard // On February, 27th 2008 // 3:26 pm

The end of last week saw the transition of power in Cuba from one Castro to another. With the ailing Revolutionary Leader, Fidel Castro, stepping down, no longer in a position to run the country, Cuba's Parliament elected brother Raul on Sunday as Cuba's new President. The news was received with mixed emotions by Cubans all over the globe. Some, those who praise the Leader of the Revolution, saw him as the Father of a Nation, establishing the first Marxist-Leninist state in the Western hemisphere following the revolution of 1959 and standing up to it's larger neighbor, the US and bringing universal free healthcare and a much-admired education system, morned his passage. An equal number rejoiced at the news, seeing this as the moment when Cuban was finally rid of it's dictator, hoping for an immediate democratization of the country with an opening of markets to help revive an archaic economy, riddled by corruption. How this will effect Habanos S.A. and their world wide distribution of tobacco, it is to early to say, but changes no doubt there will be. Give us your thoughts on what effect this political change will have on Cuban cigars.

You can see:
Official Cuban Government web site
Cuban set for small-scale changes

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// By Richard // On February, 20th 2008 // 11:38 am

A huge number of questions coming in at the moment about why prices are so high, can we price match, etc, etc.... We seem to slowly be forgetting the fact that smoking Cuban hand rolled, long filler cigars is a luxurious and expensive hobby. There is no way getting round this. One would not barter and question the prices of a Bordeaux Grand Cru Red wine, who would buy Kobe beef on the cheap? Would you pay half price for a brand new Ferrari? I understand the problems in getting an idea of the true price/value for a Cuban cigar (believe me, information distribution is not the strong point of Habanos S.A.), as these vary so much from country to country (remember, taxes do vary from country to country, making a big difference on prices) and from merchant to merchant (take the time to check out if the merchant is credible, are they located in the country they say they are, are they supplied by the Official Habanos S.A. Importer for their region, check with other smokers and cigar forums, etc...). Simple steps to be taken, check each merchant with the regional Habanos S.A. Importer, they will always be listed. Run miles away from any merchants who sell cigars 50% cheaper then anyone else (they will be fake!!!), run miles away from merchants who sell rare and out of production cigars at discount prices (they will be fake!!), use the recognized figure head's in the business to get an idea price (Gerard et Fils, Cigar Aficionado, Paresh Patel, etc...), if you travel abroad, visit cigar merchants in different countries, always check out the tax-free shops in airports. By doing all this you will get an idea of how much you should be paying and what you should definitely not be wasting your time buying.

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