![]() Whereas most stores were out of Punch Punch cigars, the Habana Libre had stacks of them, at 195 cuc ($224) per box. On a recent visit, one could purchase singles of most of the 2014 Edición Limitadas (something we didn't see in any other store, which had ELs available only by the box, if at all). The store's breadth begins with the stunning selection of singles, often a weak point of cigar shops in Havana. Cuba's largest cigar store has consistently been filled with cigars on all of our visits since it opened in February 2010, and when you can't find a certain cigar in one of the other shops you're likely to get it here. We don't recommend you stay in the large but severely outdated Habana Libre Hotel, but you would be wrong to miss a stop in its Casa del Habano. If you have a large group, this is a Casa with room for all of you. Order a Cuban coffee, and smile as it's brought to you in unique fashion, sitting on a pair of tobacco leaves. The lockers where clients store cigars they intend to age are behind a strong door with an ornate lock worthy of a bank vault from a Humphrey Bogart film. The staff knows cigars very well, and the walk-in humidor (laid out in a shape reminiscent of an inverted question mark, hugging the wall across from the cash register) typically has something marvelous. It has several rooms, each of them comfortably decorated, and even a full-service restaurant, the only cigar store in Havana with such an amenity. Like all of Cuba's Casas del Habano, this store has a bar and seating, but Quinta Avenida is built for many guests. Say hello to Carlos Robaina, who has been a part of the shop for eight years, and he might tell you the tale of coming here as a younger man with his father, the great Alejandro Robaina, who would stop by when in town, take the same seat in the corner of a back room, and have a bit of Havana Club 7 Años to go with a cigar. Many regard this store (called Quinta Avenida by most) as Cuba's finest, and this lovely shop in Havana's picturesque Miramar neighborhood just doesn't disappoint. Editors' Picksĥta y 16 / 5ta Avenida y Calle 16, Miramar This year is the 25th anniversary of the Casa del Habano concept, and we visited all of the ones in Havana (plus another shop scheduled to become a Casa soon) to assess their quality. The very best are all Casas del Habano, which have to stock a multitude of Cuban cigar brands, have no less than 60 square meters of space, a cigar roller, seats and a bar. It never seems like you're more than a few minutes' drive from a great Cuban cigar store when you're in country, and you might just find one in your hotel. With balmy temperatures, plenty of cigar-friendly places and free flowing drinks made with bracing Cuban rum, don't be surprised to find yourself smoking more cigars in one day than you usually do. The climate of Cuba lends itself to cigar smoking. The Churchill-sized Esplendido sells for 575 cuc ($660) per box, more than twice as much as the Romeo y Julieta Churchill (252.50 cuc, or $290). Cuba's most famous cigar brand sells for a premium. Most cigars can be had for less than 10 cuc apiece, if you steer clear of special releases and Cohibas. dollars loses in fees when changing money here. 2, which retails for £22 ($34) in London and C$41 ($32) in Canada, sells for 9.65 cuc in Cuba, about $11 when you factor in what a buyer in U.S. Cohiba Behikes were nowhere to be found on a February visit, and some retailers said it had been months since they were in stock. Exceptions are Regional Edition cigars created for other areas of the world, and even here there are times when you can't find certain things. Here you can find just about every Cuban cigar imaginable. Put quite simply, Havana is a cigar shopper's paradise. Cuba's capital city is brimming with fine cigar shops, and the best not only have superb selections, talented staff and lockers to store cigars meant to age, but they are designed as places to sit, linger and smoke. ![]() If you're a cigar aficionado, your bucket list has to include buying a Cuban cigar in Havana. The aroma of rich cigar smoke rises into the air as you head toward the humidor, filled with boxes of cedar bearing some of the most famous names in the cigar world: Cohiba, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta. You pull open the glass door of the cigar shop, your eyes drawn to the dark wood of the walls, the array of picturesque cigar boxes and the small, circular bar, where a server in a bow tie stands ready before a lineup of aged rums.
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