// 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 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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// By Richard // On February, 14th 2008 // 11:05 am

The dream date for Valentines day; bottle of Champagne, Scottish smoked salmon served on a hillside spot overlooking the Alps. Just you, your food and a Romeo y Julieta Short Churchill. Bliss.

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// By Richard // On November, 30th 2007 // 11:30 am

Does the size correspond to the strength? No, this is a miss-conception. The size of the cigar does not have a direct influence on the strength of the cigar. The power in a cigar, comes from the blend of tobacco used. Three different leaves are used for creating the blend (filler) in a Cuban hand rolled, long filler cigar. The Volado leaf gives the light, more aromatic aspects to the blend, the Seco is the medium aspect leaf and the Ligero is the leaf that gives the power to the cigars. Using different combinations of these leaves gives the different blends one finds in the different families and vitoles. In fact, the bigger the cigar, the slower the build up to the finale. This is why it is recommended for novice smokers to start on a bigger ring gauge, longer cigar, as the smoke will be less direct and warms up in a more gentle way (ex - Gloria Cubana Tainos, Hoyo Double Corona). This said, naturally if you have a big cigar with a heavy bias of Ligero leaf in the blend it will have a very strong third phase (ex - Partagas Lusitanias, Bolivar Coronas Gigantes).

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// By Richard // On November, 14th 2007 // 6:15 pm

The last of the Habanos S.A. 2007 Edicion Limitada's is now available. The Cuban Trinidad Ingenios Edicion Limitada 2007 is the first ever Edicion Limitada from the Trinidad Family. The tobacco used for these cigars is aged for 2 years and wrapped with a dark/maduro wrapper. This Cuban Lonsdale will suit smokers who enjoy subtle, slow smokes. Perfect cigar for the rocking chair. Try it and give us your thoughts.

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// By Richard and Rick // On October, 25th 2007 // 12:43 pm

'Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog, Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing, For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.'

A Shakespearean mouthful that evokes all the terrifying excitement of the All Hallows Eve. Here at TopCubans.com, we organize an annual Halloween fancy dress party (an excellent excuse for a food, drink and smoke orgy, our own little end of harvest celebration), which allows us to share some of our favorite Cuban cigars with friends in a very relaxed atmosphere. Share with us what you are doing and smoking for this Halloween eve...

Halloween Tombola - In order to make your 'Halloween' even more scary, we are offering a series of gifts. Look in your your cigar boxes ordered between 24th-31st Oct, to find tokens that will allow you to win free cigars. If you find the following -

Orange Pumpkin - Green Ghost

Simply write the token you found in the comment box on your next order (example "Green Ghost" if you found an Green ghost) and I will send your gift with your package. Terrifying, isn't it!

You can see:
All things Halloween

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// By Richard // On August, 09th 2007 // 4:34 pm

Wow! Are we lucky! Topcubans have bagged the new Edicion Limitadas from Hoyo De Monterrey and from Romeo Y Julieta ! Great for ageing these EL's would be a classy addition to your humidor. So get ready to rumble!

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// By Richard // On January, 10th 2007 // 12:18 pm

Look out for the all new Montecristo Petit Edmundo, now available on TopCubans.com. Great small, power smoke, which will suit the palate in search of a strong break time cigar.

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// By Richard // On November, 29th 2006 // 12:19 pm

In stock in very limited quantities, the Cohiba Piramides EL 2006. If you want to try this cigar don't wait around. There are not many and they are very popular. Enjoy !

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