And... Sales Beginning

CubanLou's has posted a new Mid-Winter sale bulletin.  This sale ends on Feb 6 at midnight.  Go over to their site to check out the details if you like; I did not notice any "can't miss" deals among the ones listed, though.  This sale brings their pricing more in line with their competitors on a lot of Cohiba cigars, and their price on Hoyo DCs is fairly close to the bottom as well.

I went with the H. Upmann Royal Robusto yesterday while battling a slight cold - it was interesting and a little more medium bodied than I expected from an Upmann.  It did have the characteristic pleasant light earth and dry mustiness I associate with the marca.  It was masterfully constructed although not exactly a cornucopia of flavor evolution, but I think my palate was significantly dulled.  Fortunately I've got a bunch more to change my opinion.

Sales Ending

• BellHop's 20% off sitewide sale will end on Feb 1
• COH's current sale will end on January 27 at 5 pm Hong Kong time

Montecristo Double Edmundo, La Flor De Cano Gran Cano (UK) and Romeo y Julieta Petit Churchills are also now in stock at COH.

Anyone smoking anything good this weekend?  I've got exactly an hour and 10 minutes to have a smoke at a local B&M while the family is off at an event and am either going to with an RA Superiores or a HU Royal Robusto, neither of which I've had before.  Maybe a Hoyo Short Piramedes... Decisions, decisions!

Cuban Price List Update (01/22/2014)

A little late, but better late than never:  the latest price list has been posted above.  PuroExpress has won the poll in a landslide so... the people have spoken.  Puro has been included in this edition.  Please note that I add them with extreme reservation and urge you to exercise caution if you do decide to use them.  I have been hesitant with good reason.  Their site is also a giant piece of shit to track and navigate.  Apparently, alphabetical organization hasn't been invented in Spain.  Furthermore, it is somewhat humorous at how obviously they target / attempt to undercut iHavanas on all of the most popular vitolas.  You will frequently see them as 1 or 2 dollars under their closest competitor.  Crafty!

Here are the other bits of import:

• Some additions to various marcas and vitolas, particularly the 50 cabs of really popular stuff (HDM Epicure No. 2, RASS, etc.) 
• Added new Bolivar Libertador (LCDH) and H. Upmann Connoisseur A (LCDH)
• Removed some junk that's mostly out of stock everywhere
• Cohiba 1966s have all but disappeared.  Hope you stocked up at a good price if you like these!
• On that note, the holiday sales were fairly good to vendors, as I noticed a bunch of different ELs and REs have vanished from their coffers

That's all she wrote, folks.  Happy hunting!

Social Presence POWER UP

I am now on Twitter - @CubanShopper and on Facebook if you are into those things.  I know a lot of people don't use Google+ but they tie it all in to the Blogger platform so nicely that it kind of feels like home now.

In other news, I was banned from the Cigar Aficionado forums for "promoting a commercial website" which is the joke of 2014 thus far.  Apparently, they thought I was a shill for the vendors I track or that I somehow make money off of this venture.  As much as I would like to say that I'm raking in the cash though droves of people donating $4 a month, that has yet to happen.  YET.

Trolling and polling for new vendors

As promised, the next vendor added to CCS will arise from a democratic process (somewhat).  I have posted a poll on the right hand side of the page, but before you vote, here's what you need to know.  The links below lead to Cigar Inspector's user-submitted reviews.

Finest Cuban Cigars - Hong Kong based, ships from Switzerland

According to a comment in the aforementioned CI link, these guys may have a price matching policy.  I will investigate this further if events warrant.  This shop sells singles (a plus, since very few vendors sell singles), but their prices seem to be at the high end range of the other Swiss vendors.  They ship free once you reach $100 and have the usual guarantees backing their product.  Beyond this, I know nothing about them.

My Cuban Cigars / Cuban-Cigars-Store - UK based, ships from Switzerland

These guys actually have two online storefronts but appear to be the same company.  Why one site is consistently $10-20 higher than the other is unknown, but if you look at their FAQ, site structure, etc. it is plainly obvious that they're the same.  They ship free once you've reached $150 backed by all the usual guarantees and carry a decent selection of EL and RE cigars.  If you vote for this site, you're voting for the My-Cuban-Cigars URL, as they have the lowest prices, a support forum, and a more "fleshed out" appearance to their site.  It may just be that this site is a redesign/reskin of their old site -- this one has only 3 feedback given at CI whereas Cuban Cigars Store has 26.  It should also be noted that there is not one single piece of negative feedback given.

PuroExpress - Spain based, ships from Switzerland

I have received more questions about why I haven't included PuroExpress than any other.  The answer is simple:  customer service complaints.  Their pricing is competitive (and they accept and offer a Bitcoin discount) and probably the best out of the four contenders.  Puro has been around a long time, but the majority of the complaints seem to stem from their service since an ownership change.  And this is fully disregarding the vast majority of comments by uniformed first time buyers that cry about fakes; I have no idea what gamesmanship goes on between CI folk, but I have every confidence that exactly NONE of the most highly trafficked Habanos sites are selling fakes.  Sites that sell fakes are very easy to spot.

Top Cubans - Swiss based

These guys have a very nice, snazzy website that sells a wide array of products (singles, Seleccions, travel humidors -- not that any of that matters for my tracking purposes).  Their minimum order for free shipping is a little high at $250 and their general pricing is a touch on the higher side for Swiss vendors.  They don't have much in the way of EL/RE stuff, but among all four of these sites, this one would be the easiest for me to keep up with due to how easy the site is to navigate.  I love sites like CigarOne and CUNTINT that have every marca and vitola in one big pricelist; it makes my life much easier.

Hit up the poll after weighing the above.  I reserve the right to make the final decision, but I will heavily consider the Will Of The People.

This week's market values and other notes

I have moved to a Google+ commenting system thanks to anonymous trolls who keep posting anti BellHop cigars posts, for whatever reason.  Those who would like to leave comments will now have to have a Google+ account (basically anyone who has a Gmail account has a Google+ account whether they know it or not, they just have to set it up).  Don't let this discourage you; I love comments.  They make me feel warm and fuzzy inside, like that time I inhaled an Esplendido...

Most of the focus on this post will be on CUNTINT's fantastic 17.5% sitewide sale.  This sale has brought their pricing below usual price champ iHavanas... so it's time to go hunting "down under".  When someone actually manages to beat iHavanas (particularly CUNTINT, who's stock tends to be a notch above many of their Swiss based brethren), we need to sit up and take notice.  

H. Upmann Magnum 48 @ $205

This is only a couple bucks off the all-time low set by Cuban Lou's just a couple of weeks ago.

H. Upmann Royal Robusto @ $133

These have had their praises sung far and wide by Habanos aficionados all year long.  A good price, bordering on great.  I did see them lower around when they were first released, but this is the lowest I've seen in a while.

Juan Lopez Seleccion No. 4 (2010) @ $309

Lowest I have seen on these, but I have yet to try one myself.  Would be curious to know how different they are from the JL2s, which are smoking fantastic this year.

La Flor De Cano Grandiosos (2013) @ $165

I will be adding another box of these at this price; one of the year's most highly reviewed REs.

Montecristo No. 2 @ $240

This is not the absolute lowest price, but this is one stick that you should try to avoid buying blind if you can. CUNTINT are renowned for their quality control and you will definitely get something decent -- something someone has actually laid eyes on and vetted.  Cuba makes so many Monte 2s, that's why it has such a reputation for being a great stick when "on" and being below average when it's not.  Increase your chances of getting a box that's on.

Partagas Shorts Cabinet of 50 @ $225

This deal is the pick of the litter.  I mentioned a deal on Party Shorts a few weeks ago at $265 and now look - a full 40 dollars cheaper.  FIFTY STICKS, 4 dollars and change each, for a great Cuban PC.  I plan on getting a cab, letting it sit for a few years, and then reaping the rewards down the line.

Por Larranaga ELs/REs 

All of the Por Larranaga ELs/REs are at just silly prices if you are a fan of the PL profile.  The Belicosos Extra from 2008 are a full 85 dollars cheaper than COH, taking the title for the largest price gap this week.

• Hoyo De Monterrey Regalos (2007) @ Cigar Terminal for $279
• Looks like someone found a truck of these at Port Franc as they have been mysteriously popping up in vendors that have not held stock in a while.

That's all for now.

Cuban Price List Update (01/02/2014)

Happy New Year!  Did you miss me?  You can admit it if you did.  You're not any less of a man.  I missed you.  I had a nice, relaxing respite from scouring the Internet for the greater good of all Habanos smokers, but now I'm back and itching to see what 2014 has in store for us.  I even managed to receive a new donation/subscription, bringing the grand total to... 1.  <sigh> UNDAUNTED, I SOLDIER ONWARD.

The latest price list has been posted above.  I will post a detailed analysis of where to go with your Christmas cash tomorrow, as there's lots to talk about and time is short.  Here are some quick items of note:

• Most of the holiday sales are now over, as you might expect.  However, a new doozy of a deal has just started and runs through January 7 -- CUNTINT is offering 17.5% off sitewide with the code FOHHOLIDAY175.  This brings them below the usual price leaders on selected smokes.  More on the hits tomorrow. 

• The Montecristo #2 was CA's cigar of the year, if you didn't know by now.  No, there will not be a 'run' on them and no, nobody is going to gouge you on these.  They make tons of these cigars.  Were they made by Drew Estate, you'd get rung up for an extra $3-4 per stick at every B&M in the USA.  If you're the type that likes to hunt box codes to find the mythical match for the same sticks that Savona and Mott smoked, please don't.  There are much better things to do with your time and most of this vitola have been quite good this year regardless of code. 

• H. Upmann Sir Winstons breezed in and out of the retailers as quick as Saint Nick.  They have just about dried up everywhere and it only took a couple of weeks.  Same is true of BellHop's stock of Cohiba 1966.  I wonder if I had anything to do with that?

• I'm going to be removing LCDH Knokke (yeah, I know I keep saying this) but honestly, I just can't decide who is reputable enough to add in their stead.  People cry:  Puro, Puro!  but I am still leery of them.  I think I'll put up a poll.  That's a democratic thing to do.  However, I still maintain the right to veto because much like Castro, I still have The Power.

Peace and prosperity to all for 2014.