Hello Dave,

Its illegal to sell Cuban cigars in US territories, so you aren't going to find them in St. Thomas.

If you are from the US then you should note that Cuban cigars are probited entry into the US. Customs will seize them if they find them; not sure if there are any other penalities.

Found an article at:

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/alerts/cuban_cigars.xml

--Islander

I'm not a smoker either, but my friends who are tell me that Cubans are not the big deal they used to be. They tell me that the finer brands made in the Dominican Republic are as good or better.

...or maybe that's just sour grapes from Americans who can't get Cuban cigars!

Oh, and I was on a cruise last summer that stopped in St. Maarten. In talking with other passengers, I heard from many who took the risk and bought Cuban cigars to bring home. Don't know if any got caught, or what the penalty might be.

I'm not advocating it...just letting you know that others have done it.

I agree with JP STL, I brought one home from St. Maarten a few years ago for my Grandfather, He made a comment something to the effect of..."How far did you chase that dog to get it" :}

As one who enjoys a fine cigar from time to time...all the previous posts are correct. Indeed with one exception when I have had the opportunity to buy Cubans (leagally) abroad. I have been very underwhelmed. Canada, Paris, London, and Virgin Gorda, and Tortoloa...poor condition and overpriced. The one exception was Belize. A good Cohiba from a good tobacconist in the US, is 99.9999% as good at half the price! (And no risk to you) I mean if you get caught bringing cubans into the US they usually just take them away. (Unless you meet the customs equivilan of Barney Fife!)

Hello, Dave,
My wife and family took a cruise and stopped at St. Maartin 3 years ago. We hired a taxi and went to Marigot on the French side of the island - very easy to do. There you will find at least one cigar store - I investigated one myself - and all the Cubanos you could want. Of course, they are illegal to bring back to the States or territories thereof.

Enjoy,
PT

It's funny how things are. Did a day trip to Jost one time and my wife's cousin brought back some Cubans and made it all the way back to the mainland w/o any hassles. So go figure.

Patrick: Yes, you can buy Cuban cigars in the BVI, and your wife's cousin illegally brought them back without a hassle. But the warning Dirty Harry gave a long while ago still stands..."Do you feel lucky?"

the only way 99.99% of people can tell a cigar's a true cuban, and then even the cuban it says it is, is by its band! A simple thing to do would be, if you really can tell what you're paying for is what you're buying (no one yanking your leg selling you a fake cigar w/a fake band as Cohiba et al), would be to enjoy it in the states without its band! This has been done multitude of times by many who are not into too much band envy and enjoy a good cigar. That said, lot of the recent Habanos have inferior -- or may be not as good as the pre '98 variety -- wrappers especially when compared to some of the Dominican brands. It's still somewhat of a novelty item though. Enjoy and make sure you keep at it 70/70.