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In case you did not create it to this year's XXI Habanos Festival, which celebrated the 500th anniversary of San Cristobal de La Habana, since the town of Havana was initially called, or are about to embark for a different nation where you can legally buy Havana cigars (which will be practically anywhere else in the world except the United States, where it is prohibited to sell Cuban goods ), here are seven of the top brands in our embargoed neighbor that we feel are well worth seeking out. It's now legal to bring back up to 100 Cuban cigars--that's about four boxes--as long as they are for the personal use and not for resale.

RELATED This Beverly Hills Whiskey Hideaway Feels Just Like a Private Club in the Wild West Among the World's Greatest BBQ Pitmasters Has Created the Ultimate Guide to Steak But first, some caveats. Beware of counterfeits. They are more rampant than everin Cuba--although now Costa Rica is providing Mexico a challenge for the title of Counterfeit Cuban Cigars Per Square Mile. So be cautious. If anyone offers you a Cohiba Esplendido for $5, you are aware that it can not be real. A number of the top places to buy authentic Cuban cigars will be the United Kingdom (in which they're rigidly inspected by exclusive Habanos importers Hunters & Frankau), Spain--which also gets a few of the best Havanas--and any of the official La Casa del Habanos Cuban government-sanctioned retail stores; there are currently 90 of these internationally. Duty-free stores are also a safe haven for authentic Cuban cigars, even though we recently bought a three-pack of our enviable Montecristo No. two pyramids at Dubai International Airport and found them to be careless as far as taste was worried (a result of inferior leaf selection and insufficient aging). Plus, one of the cigars was rolled much too closely to allow an adequate draw. But all three Montecristos were genuine Habanos products. This brings up the continuing issue with Cuban cigars of quality control. That is supported by Mitchell Orchant, managing director of C.Gars, Ltd, one of the biggest purveyors of Cuban cigars in England, who also critiques the freshness of a cigars, in other words, whether they were obsolete sufficiently prior to being published. So a fantastic guideline is, once you buy your Cuban cigars safely house, set them on your humidor for at least a month or two to give them a while to more fully develop the flavors that made Havana famous. Bearing that in mind, here are our recommendations for your next cigar purchasing trip abroad. Trinidad As well as celebrating the 500th anniversary of San Cristobal de La Habana (which also appears to be the name of a rather mild-smoking Havana cigar which was introduced in 1999 and showcased in the festival), the XXI Festival has been spotlighting the Trinidad brand, that originated in 1996 as Fidel Castro's VIP cigar to supplant the Cohiba, that started being publically sold in 1982. Last season, three new shapes have been introduced: a 4 1/2 x 50 press luna, a 5 7/10 x 53 Esmeralda, along with a 4 11/12 x 56 Topes, which initially was a 2016 limited edition. Cohiba Nevertheless one of the very widely-counterfeited cigars in the world, only purchase these from reliable sources. The full-powered, large-ringed Behike is a high-priced smoke worth paying for, simply for bragging rights, together with all the 54 and 56 ring gauges especially sought after. Another benefit is that the newly-launched Cohiba Robusto Reserva, and while we typically do not quote prices because of the fluctuating market for Cuban cigars, it's safe to say that these will generally run more than $100 a rod. Using the best of 3 year old tobaccos, it is offered in only 1 size: a 4 7/8 x 50 robusto. Just 500 individually numbered boxes have been published. For something milder (and clearly less costly ) try the Siglo VI. Montecristo Regardless of our unsatisfactory experience in Dubai, the No. 2 pirámide stays our all time favourite. To get a more compact smoke, try out the No. 4--the best selling cigar in the world. Partagás This really is a porterhouse steak and Napa Cabernet smoke, in any size. However, besides the Series D No.4 Robusto, another favorite of ours is that the newly-introduced 6 1/4 x47 Presidente, using its easy-to-light pinched foot and easy-to-clip Perfecto cap. This is another cigar which never disappoints, especially for those in between times when you are not quite sure of what to smoke. Ideally suited to a Plymouth Gin martini (additional dry, olive on the side) or a Macallan 12 year-old Double Cask, we have recently switched from the Short Churchill to the bigger-ringed 5 1/4 x 55 Wide Churchill Robusto. Besides offering a slightly fuller flavor, it appears to be more physically fitting to the shapes' namesake. Another great medium strength cigar, this gentle smoke keeps only enough earthiness to make it suitable for early to late evenings. The recent re-introduction of the previous 2005 limited edition 6 1/3 x 50 Magnum 50 is like welcoming back an old buddy. Orchant of C.Gars believes it is the best in the H.Upmann variety and we agree. Hoyo de Monterrey Don't fall into the preconception that all Cuban cigars are strong. This brand certainly isn't, although its potency will change by shape. Thinking about using a Irish Whiskey and a cigar? Try out a Powers Three Swallow and an Epicure Especial 5 1/2 x 50 Robusto. Punch The Double Corona is a perfect game for a snifter of all X.O. Cognac. Vegas Robaina Medium-full in flavor; the Vegas Robaina is one of the most complicated and hot Havanas around and perfect for any time after lunch and well into the day. Cuaba The contours of Cuabas are all figurados: a mild-mannered smoke ideal for the novice in addition to the connoisseur who feels like throttling down a bit in flavor intensity.

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