Cigars in the Bahamas

[MiamiE]

Going to be on a cruise this weekend, and never been to Nassau. Whats the pricing on Graycliff cigars at the hotel? I will be visiting saturday. Thought about possibly picking a few up to try. Also is there a La Casa del Habano in Nassau? Any other cigar places to check out while there. Thanks and Happy Holidays to all!

[floydpink]

No bargains at Graycliff and prices are about the same as back in Fla.

The restaurant is excellent at night and the lounge is great to smoke and listen to music and smoke the house blend which is the red label Graycliff and is one of my favorites.

The best place to get authentic cigars is Havana Humidor in the Atlantis Hotel.

It was formerly in the John Bull store on Market St but moved and is much bigger now. I am probably wrong, but believe it was a LCDH in the John Bull store but changed names, same owner.

You'll get a kick out of the sheer amount of fake Cubans all over the stores you will see when you head into port. Some really bad.

Graycliff is a short walk from port, but off the beaten path and more often than not, you won't find many people there but are free to check out the rolling room in the back. I haven't been back since Avelino passed away.

Take a left at the Colonial Hilton and head up a few blocks or ask anyone.


Have fun.

[MiamiE]

Ill try and try the red label which I read was their OG blend. Thanks for the heads up. Ill being my own stash!

[floydpink]

I just remembered, LCDH wasn't the old Havana Humidor, but the story i heard was Graycliff originally had a LCDH license, but lost it after something to do with some sort of deal with Avelino, who was the creator of Cohiba in 1968 before fleeing Cuba.

I gotta read up and try to remember the whole story but bet some of the brothers here know it. It had something to do with his discontent with the Cuban government.

Sorry for the threadjack.

[bobarian]

Be sure and take the Graycliff factory tour. Tzaddi has a thread up somewhere with pics, it looks awesome!

I think Avelino Lara's falling out with Cubatobacco has something to do with the unauthorized creation of the Trinidad brand just before he left El Laguito and "retired".

[Blueface]

Erick,
Been to Nassau many times now via cruises.

Pete already covered Greycliff.
As it relates to a LCdLH? Yeah, they are everywhere.
Street guy after street guy, liquor store after liquor store.
Just not what you are expecting.
DON'T dare buy any anywhere there on that island.
Havana Humidor inside the hotel at the Atlantis at Paradise Island is the only legit place to get them and you will PAY dearly. They have a great selection of what I call, "wish I had but hell if I will pay what you want for them".

So, bring your own smokes and kick back and peruse with pleasure and chuckle as we all have done that have been there.

[Blueface]

BTW,
A trick noted in Nassau is they will show you legit boxes of cigars. The problem is the sticks inside those boxes are not legit. They reuse the boxes over and over again and are selling crap cigars in their place. So everywhere you go, you will see a small display case, poorly humidified, with old boxes filled with what they want to sell you. Some of it looked pretty decent but some looks like only a mother can love a child. On one of my first trips there, I bought a three pack at a liquor store, for kicks and whistles, that was the most God awful stuff I have ever lit.

[icehog3]

Everything "Cuban" outside of the Atlantis (now that John Bull's cigar store is gone) is fake...EVERYTHING.

[yourchoice]

I was in Nassau last month...we sailed the NCL Sky. I made the mistake of carrying the couple cigars I bought from Graycliff out in the open when I first entered the Straw Market. If you like being harrassed by people, do the same, you won't make it into the Straw Market before you're being offerred "Cubans".

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by yourchoice

I was in Nassau last month...we sailed the NCL Sky. I made the mistake of carrying the couple cigars I bought from Graycliff out in the open when I first entered the Straw Market. If you like being harrassed by people, do the same, you won't make it into the Straw Market before you're being offerred "Cubans".

2010 Cohiba Edicion Limitada Barberpoles....that are more spongy than a Nerf ball.

[Neuromancer]

Originally Posted by icehog3

2010 Cohiba Edicion Limitada Barberpoles....

Hey...those sound great...where can I get me some of them?

Just as a btw, while the cigars at the Atlantis are legit, I don't think they really keep them properly humidified and since they're always so fresh there, ya better plan on aging them a bit or they'll taste like a barnyard, like the one I pulled off the shelf and smoked for the hell of it...and their prices are really outrageous...

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by Neuromancer

Hey...those sound great...where can I get me some of them?

Just as a btw, while the cigars at the Atlantis are legit, I don't think they really keep them properly humidified and since they're always so fresh there, ya better plan on aging them a bit or they'll taste like a barnyard, like the one I pulled off the shelf and smoked for the hell of it...and their prices are really outrageous...

Prices are really high indeed. If I went back to Nassau, I would definitely bring my own, and stick to a couple Graycliffs for purchase.

Marc, come to the Shack this year, you can always count on some Fauxhibas. I ain't smokin' another one, though.

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by icehog3

2010 Cohiba Edicion Limitada Barberpoles....that are more spongy than a Nerf ball.

I'll never forget the time at the straw market that a guy offered me a Monte 2 "want to be" and showed me how fresh it was by squeezing it practically to the point his fingers almost met, were it not for some tobacco in between them.
I told him they were way to fresh for me.

[floydpink]

There's a place called Stogies on Bay street that advertises on the cruise ship and I heard they are legit but never made it over. I brought my own and smoked a fresh cigar off the Graycliff rolling table which I enjoyed.

I met up with a guy every night in the cigar lounge on the ship who claimed he was a bounty hunter on vacation who told me about Stogies and said he goes a lot. I ended up forgetting his name and called him "Dog"

Last time I was in Nassau, it was a media circus as the Anna Nicole Smith trial was in full swing and Larry Burkead was staying at the Colonial Hilton, which we always go to and pay the 10 bucks to use their beach and facilities for the day.

I guess the moral of the story is to bring your own.

[MiamiE]

LMAO I will steer clear of the "cubans" for sure! Thanks guys!

Looking forward to having you visit our cigar company on Saturday.

You'll be able to find all our cigars there and see our rolling room. If you want a cigar rolling lesson let us know by emailing cigars [at] graycliff [dot] com.

And you mentioned the Casa del Habano, yes we did have the license, but when we started our own cigar company we parted ways.

Wishing you a great trip.

[Blueface]

How cool is that Erick? An invite from Graycliff themselves.
Now if you can only get an invite like I did on my recent cruise from the captain to do a bridge tour, dude, you will have me beat.

All my trips there to Nassau and haven't been able to shake the wife loose to make it over to Graycliff.

Next time.

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by Blueface

How cool is that Erick? An invite from Graycliff themselves.
Now if you can only get an invite like I did on my recent cruise from the captain to do a bridge tour, dude, you will have me beat.

All my trips there to Nassau and haven't been able to shake the wife loose to make it over to Graycliff.

Next time.

If you can shake her loose to frequent the bordellos, certainly you can fit in a tour at Graycliff, Carlos.

I've been to Nassau at least 3 times this year and was there last Oct. Don't fall for any "cuban cigars ploy" on Bay St. If they see you walking around with a cigar in your mouth or just having a cigar in your hand will bring all of the "salesmen" out like flies on shyte. They even go so far as to bring out a real box of Cubans with fake cigars in it to lure you in. I talked with one guy and I said I wouldnt buy any because they are fake and he told me that he'd let me try one first. I said, "Sure thing" and he gave me one. I lit it up and started smoking it right there and within a minute I knew it was junk and told him so. He started to get upset because he said he 'trusted' me to try one of his best Cuban cigars. I knew then he was setting me up and started to get pissed and told him that if he wanted to sell me 'real' Cuban cigars don't f'n give me a POS cigar that we both know is fake. I dropped put the cigar on the table and told him he could have it back and I walked off. My advice is don't even enter into a discussion about anything cigars,,,just say you are not interested, period.

On a side note, Graycliff is a nice way to kill some time and watch skilled rollers. I've been there half a dozen times over the years. Atlantis has some CC's but your wallet will take a beating so a word to the wise. The smart ones bring their own cigars with them.

[Barteur]

Originally Posted by icehog3

Everything "Cuban" outside of the Atlantis (now that John Bull's cigar store is gone) is fake...EVERYTHING.

Need to agree with this

I took the rolling leason while I was there and its was a great esperience I posted the experience here somewhere. PM me if you want details. If you like Graycliff cigars you need to visit them, they are great. If you are looking for good deals on their cigars you need to buy boxes, for single they seem to respect their market price list.

EDIT: Here the link:
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=21427