WARNING! Please be aware that most of the Cuban cigars sold in the US are fakes. We have examined web store sites, retail stores, internet auctions, etc., and many of the cigars sold there are not real Cubans.

FAKE CIGAR ADVISORY: After trips to the Bahamas, Mexico, and Cuba we warn all cigar buyers to beware. Cigars stores such as "the cigar box" and "the cigar connection" in the Bahamas all sell 100% fakes. In Mexico, most of the cigars sold were purchased "on the streets" of Cuba, which means they are a cheap copy of the real Cuban factory cigars. Even Europe does not escape the fake Cuban cigars. Although Spain imports almost half of all Cuban cigars, the popular brands and sizes are quite rare. If you see stores or sites in Spain offering Cohibas and Montecristos at low prices, you're seeing fakes. I have a friend with a French wife, and she returns with two boxes of fake cigars each trip--yes, fake Cubans--she's buying them from a store that sneaks in the "street" Cuban cigars, which are cigars with low grade Cuban tobacco, rolled by beginner rollers, with fake labels, etc. Sometimes they are acceptable (in taste), but they are nothing in comparison to the real thing. You can find cigars on ebay, and in my experience, every Cuban cigar sold there is fake--either an ultra cheap copy or a box of fakes from someone returning from an overseas trip.

WHY ALL THE FAKES? The demand for real Cuban cigars far exceeds the supply. Quite simply, even the cigar smugglers can't purchase all they want, even if they visit Cuba. Also, greater customs controls in the US, Mexico, and the Bahamas has made it very difficult to reliably bring in illegal Cuban cigars. For example, the Bahamas has a 207% duty on all Cuban cigars, and all passengers leaving Cuban planes are checked very, very well. So, to make what they consider a fair profit, the smugglers have resorted to selling fake Cubans. This is quite harmful to us, as it not only gives Cuban cigars a bad name (the fakes are poor to average), but we constantly receive email from someone who traveled and "found them for less". Of course they found them for less, we could sell fake Cubans for $2 a cigar and still make a great profit.

OTHER WEB SITES We've seen web sites with a some real Cubans at normal prices, and then a number of the popular brands they sell (such as Cohiba) have low prices. What are they doing? Selling to the US, as most US buyers are not familiar with Cubans, and they order Cohibas, as that is the brand they have heard of. They are buying fakes. We find it hard to believe some of the sites selling Cubans. How can they get and maintain a full supply of the real product if licensed stores can't keep them in stock? The answer is simple: Many sites sell fake Cuban cigars.

ONLY REAL CUBANS! We only sell the real thing, and our prices are for the real thing. You may choose to pay less for a box of cigars, but do you really think they are Cuban? Trust us, the demand and scarcity of the Cuban cigar makes it absurd for anyone to sell real Cubans at "wholesale" prices. Even tourists traveling to Cuba cannot purchase cigars at prices some of these shops, sites, and auctions are selling cigars for. When one considers the cost of the trip, it is obvious that the products sold are fakes. There is no comparison to a true Cuban cigar. There is always a price to be paid for the best, for excellence, for hand-made perfection. We sell only authentic Cuban cigars.