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| La Triada rum and cigar shop, perhaps the finest such establishment on the island, is located across the harbor from Old Havana inside the walled Fortaleza La Cabana fortress. Yes, you may know of an exceptional cigar store in London or Manhattan but do they have live music? |
Editor’s note: On a daily basis
from June 1 thru June 30, 2015 Pillar to Post online magazine is featuring
articles, photos and insights resulting from a recent group tour, an adventure
we dubbed: the April 23 Brigade’s Tour of Cuba 2015.
So, there
I was alone on the cobblestone streets of Trinidad, Cuba. I left the rest of the tourists back at main
square before we headed for lunch at the El Dorado, an attractive residence
turned into a fairly large restaurant.
Homes that double as restaurants are called P on the island.
I was on
a mission to find a cigar store in a smaller Cuban town. No reason, but I figured Trinidad was less
touristy than Havana and I’d get a better deal.
Big news, Cuba is already touristy as blue and white buses filled with
travelers are all over the island.
I stopped
at a small store selling leather goods. Three
older Cuban men, seated on the high cement curb, were enjoying the sunny
morning while smoking huge cigars. If anyone in Trinidad could tell me where
the cigar store it would be this crew.
Stepping inside, I didn’t see cigars. Before I said a word, the swarthy
Cuban with a grin as big as a Cheshire moon asked: “Italiano?”
I shook
my head.
He asked,
“Francia?”
As soon
as I said no, he laughed aloud,
“Americano, si?”
He had
me.
When I
mentioned I was looking for cigars he told me to sit tight and he’d be right
back. I was left to tend the
store. If it was a weekend instead of
Tuesday noon, I might have been able to make a few sales. I would have cut no deals for my fellow
travelers.
Edwardo
came back with a small package of Cohiba, the smaller four-inch cigar. Five individually boxed cigars were in the bright
yellow wallet sized pack. He wanted 20 CUC’s.
In Cuba, CUC’s are the tourist currency.
Maybe it was a good deal—maybe not.
I begged
off.
He
grinned again. “This is the brand Fidel
Castro smokes.
“I want
the cigar that Che Guevara smoked.”
Edwardo
got the gist of my attempt at humor and he replied in Spanish that Cohiba’s is
what the famed revolutionary smoked, because he bummed them off Fidel—all the
time.”
The
comment drew chuckles from the three amigos outside the store.
I offered
10 CUC. That’s $10 U.S. Back in the states I knew I could find a
similar sized cigar for under $5 each.
Edwardo,
was all business now.
One of
the three amigos said he’d better close the deal otherwise he’ll go back to the
bus.
More
laughs.
Bottom
line. I bought them at $15 CUCs. The compromise still had me feeling I was
had. But I saw the package had the Cuban
stamp sealing the contents.
I learned
later from the bartender at the Hotel Nacional’s Churchill Bar that I was right
to purchase cigars with an unbroken government seal.
“Was it a
good deal?”, I asked.
“At the
hotel, yes, but on the street maybe less.”
Later at
the excellent cigar store at the Fortaleza La Cabana, the ancient Spanish
fortress on the other side of Havana harbor, I saw the same pack of Cohiba’s
for 30 CUCs. If you’re a casual cigar
smoker the castle’s cigar store is very well stocked and the prices are what I
noticed in other places. They also sell
Cuban coffee and lots of rum.
The hotel
bartender opened the cigar box on the counter.
“Montecriso #2 is a very good cigar.”
“How
much.”
“I give
you the cigar free, now you go home and tell your presidente to lift the
embargo. It makes no sense.”
I held my
new cigar in my hand and pretended to recognize a good cigar when I saw one.
“Does
Fidel come into the hotel?”
“He sat
where you’re sitting when I first started working here.”
“How long
ago?”
“Ten
years, mas y menos.”
##
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| Inside La Triada Cigar and Rum Emporium at Fortaleza La Cabana. Photography by Bruce Henderson |
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| Montecristo brand logo framed inside La Tirada Cigar store, Havana, Cuba 2015 Photography by Bruce Henderson |
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| Just when you figured big time cigar smoking in Cuba was a gender thing, well think again because the ladies enjoy a good smoke, too. Photography by Gary Payne |
MORE ON CUBAN CIGARS:
Cool
story on Fidel and Cigars:
Cigar Aficinado interview with
Fidel
http://www.cigaraficionado.com/webfeatures/show/id/6005
AFTER DINNER
We had a
wonderful meal at La Moraleja restaurant, a grand home in the Vedado
neighborhood that has been turned into a fine dining establishment. Upon finishing our meal the hostess came by
offering complimentary cigars. Nice
touch.
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