Food smuggling? What food? Is there anything else I should know about with regard to 'souvenirs?

Yes, FirstTimeVisitor,food is a danger!!!!
Actually, Jamon Iberico, Serrano, chorizos, a whole host of the world's most delicious charcuterie. The French may be famous for their pastries, the Italian for their pastas, and the Spanish are famous for their hams!
What our aptly named friend, Big Jamon is referring is smuggling packages of Jamon Serrano or Iberico. Big Jamon, I have to admit, I was really tempted to bring a leg of Jamon Iberico, but I'm glad I didn't, because I was the first person the Agriculture people stopped to check out my suitcase. I guess I look like the kind of gal who would smuggle a ham! Fortunately, this time I only bought legal Manchegan cheese and several bottles of vinos.

Take care FirstTimeVisitor!

Not only that, but now they're even cracking down on jamon and chorizo in smaller quantities 'al vacio' which was ok, but apparently not any more!

(al vacio for those that don't know, is vaccum sealed)

i was always under the impression that the cryo-vac packages were legal...and technically they are...they are the same packages you can buy from approved importers...but you can't bring 'em into the US...you need to have an import license.
cheese is OK...meat fish produce are not. canned is OK though...
the real issue is the fines they are levying...if you don't declare ALL food products, even legal ones, the authorities can and will impose up to a $10000 fine...
so instead i spend my alloance at tienda.com and just plan more trips to my adopted home...i can put that 10 grand to MUCH better use than my gov't...
and booklady i've thought about trying to bring in a whole jamon...wrap it up in a blanket and stash it in a baby seat...but people might get suspicious during a 7 hour flight when our "little angel" didn't make any noise...

Ah...fine cigars, wine, cheese, and a guy smuggling a ham dressed as a baby. We are a group of exquisite tastes and comic resourcefulness.

I, like our strangely careful MadridMan, smoke about 4-6 cigars a year. But y'all have put me in mind of my FIRST cigar. Honeymoon in the Bahamas and I figured, Well, if I'm ever gonna try a cigar, it should be a Cuban.

I spent $14 (wayyyy overpriced) on a single Montecristo No. 2 Especial. I had the full experience - delicate bluish smoke, an interesting buzz (very different from alcohol), and the rich, thick taste of the tobacco. My wife still laughs thinking about the ultra-cool,
Bond-esque image of me standing one the shore of the Caribbean, snifter of cognac in one hand and Cuban cigar in the other.

I would never spend that much for a single cigar again (unless it was a legendary Opus XX or something) , but I am very much looking forward to having another Cuban.

Any suggestions on other, respectable, tried&true Cuban brands?
(I like maduros as well as smokes like the Fuente Hemingway and Gloria Cubana)

Not being a "tried OR true" cigar smoker I can't really name too many Cuban cigar brands other than Montecristo or Cohiba (I know both have Dominican counterparts). I've never tried a Cohiba but have tried the Montecristos several times.

My "first cigar" story goes like this....

Semana Santa/Holy Week 1997; my second visit to Madrid. After a typically late (and delicious!) dinner at the flat of my ladyfriend's sister & brother-in-law, the brother-in-law unwrapped a large, cuban cigar while his wife was getting the coffee (this was at about midnight or so).

With the dinner knife, he made a V-cut in the tip. He then took out his lighter and showed me how to slowly spin the cigar while drawing in the flame. He also described to me that one should NEVER "tap-off" the ashes but that they should fall off naturally ... .WHEREVER that might be. And one should carefully put a lighted cigar into an ashtray, being careful not to lose the ash on the end unless it burned down naturally and fell off.

He gave me my own cigar to do the same and I fumbled through it, not having the "spin-N-light-N-suck" skills yet.. they all had a good laugh with me.

Then he poured the cognac and said that a good after-dinner cigar should ALWAYS be smoked with a good cognac or brandy. Then, he commenced to show me how to smoke-N-drink to bring out the flavor in both. Well, needless to say, I thought I was "Mr. Cool" sitting there at the after-dinner table with my cuban cigar and cognac... until I coughed on the cigar and then coughed again with the cognac. Hahahahaha!!! :p

Well, I've gotten more used to the cigars but still not to the cognac or brandy. (or any other hard-alcohol, for that matter) I know. What a loser. hehehee.. I'm content with my one-cigar-per 2-3 months and only when the mood strikes me. Almost always, that mood strikes me late at night after I've been listening to Spanish radio, looking at photos of Spain, or been thinking about and missing my adopted homeland (adopted in my mind - so far). Then I'll sit in the open window (because there's NO WAY I want cigar smoke lingering in my apartment :p ) and carefully blow the smoke into the wind, look up into the sky, and imagine I'm sitting at some Madrid terraza with a beer and friends. Mmmmmm....

MMmmm.. There I go again... Aaahhhh.. I think I need a cigar.. hehehe.. (it'll have to wait)

Saludos, MadridMan

..."and a guy smuggling a ham dressed as a baby"...
that's it! if i dressed as a baby they wouldn't even notice the jamon...i'll try that next time...
as for other cubanos to try i can't help you there tex...montecristo #4...that's my addiction...i grab a 5-pack first chance i get after getting off the plane and just keep smoking till 'em it's time to go home...
when my secret stash of cubans gets low i smoke nicaraguans...buy them in bundles of 25 for about a buck a stick...i smoke 2 or 3 a day so spending any more than that is like a drug habit...

Caballeros,
I have a link to a very informative Cuban Cigar site developed by a gentleman from Madrid, Rafael Bernardo with all types of useful Habanos information. He even has a listing of Habanos festivals! But best of all he lists the current prices ( 2002) in the Estancos of Madrid!

For ladies who enjoy an Habanero there is also a good informative site called Cigar Woman, for women who love cigars! that even has a message board! This is a serious site BTW, for smokers! what I like about it is that the site provides you with a good review. For example:
[QUOTE]Romeo y Julieta Corona

Length: 5½
Ring Gauge: 44
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: U.S.A./Conn. Broadleaf
Filler: Dom. Rep., U.S.A.

CONSTRUCTION: 3 - Good
"Uniform filler. Minor color variations on the wrapper. Cap was smoothly applied." - Danielle

ODOR: 4 - Very Good
"Earthy and spicy aroma, though not as sweet as a maduro." - Grecia

OTHER:
"Cigar looks great, firm but not overpacked- has earmarks of a good cigar." - Marcia

DURING SMOKE

DRAW: 5 - Excellent
"Perfect. Effortless, but not too easy. Well constructed, tightly rolled. Exactly how I like it." - Jennie

BURN: 4 - Very Good
"Perfect burn all the way to the rub. The light ash coincides perfectly with the construction." - Andrea

FLAVOR: 4 - Very Good
"Rich, complex flavors with peaty overtones. Reminds me of the complex flavor palate found in many single malt scotches." - Andrea

OTHER:
"Wonderful smell during the smoke." - Mary Kay

OVERALL RATING: A-/B+
"A wonderful cigar. Extremely smooth." - Kim

Here in the US, I smoke Dominican La Gloria Cubana
Churchills (made in the Dominican Republic and Miami, although the Miami factory is more for show than anything else). On my last trip to Spain, though, I bought a few Cuban Cohibas. Smoked one on a beautiful Cantabrian night, a snifter of Gran Duque de Alba at hand....magnificent.

However, at this point the mystique of Cuban cigars is just that, mystique. Quality-wise, the top brands from the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Central America are producing better cigars. I indulged in Cuban cigars in Spain as my family is Cuban, but, really, they are no better than what is available in the US.

yeah cooter, quality-wise cubans have slipped a notch or 2...supply and demand...they're rushing them to market...last batch of montecristos i had improved greatly with a little time in the humidor...in fact almost everything i've been buying lately improves with some humidor time...
but the good news is that with the retirement of strom and jesse we MIGHT finally see some dialog on the lifting of the embargo...i'm not holding my breath though...