Havana’s Casa del Habano - Cuba’s Best Cigar Shop

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You don’t have to be a cigar aficionado, nor even a smoker of puros (or habanos, as Cubans know their fine cigars). But a visit to the Casa del Habano, in the tony Miramar district of Havana, is a richly rewarding visit if you love a great stogie or for anyone who’s already completed the tourist circuit.

Says Cigar Aficionado magazine: “Cuba’s capital city is arguably the finest place on the planet to shop for Cuban cigars, with nine Casas del Habanos in the city and more on the way.”

It helps, too, that prices are lower than anywhere else in the world (and more-or-less identical from shop to shop).

Alas, regardless of whether you’re traveling legally with an OFAC license, or sneaking into Cuba beneath the radar, if you’re a U.S. citizen or resident (or even a foreigner passing through the U.S. in transit), the color of Cuban cigars is considered a little too red. U.S. Customs will seize them.

The Casa del Habano (Avenida 5ta & Calle 16) in Miramar is the stand-out store. Whether you plan on buying or not, a visit here is a stellar experience.

First, the venue is a fabulous 1930s Art Deco building with a floor-to-ceiling stained-glass façade. A vast walk-in, shoulder-wide humidor follows the buildings footprint; its glass walls trace the individual hallways and rooms.

Ask for a tour and demonstration, which shows you the correct technique for lighting and smoking a cigar; and includes a visit to the private locker room, where well-heeled foreigners store their premium puros bought on-site.

A VIP salon is hung with portraits of famous figures (not least Fidel, of course), who’ve visited the Casa de Habanos, plus the late Alejandro Robaina (see my blog post: “Alejandor Robaina, Cuba’s legendary cigar ambassador, dies”“Cuba: Discover its Culture & People”

Now that you’re ready to travel to Cuba, buy Moon Cuba

For further information on Havana, buy Moon Spotlight Havana.

Disclosure: I occasionally accept free or discounted travel when it coincides with my editorial goals. However, my opinion is never for sale. The opinions you see in Cuba & Costa Rica Journal are my unbiased reflection of the good, the bad, and the ugly

Copyright © Christopher P. Baker