On Sun, 10 Apr 2005 09:47:07 +0900, Curt Fischer
<tentrillion@gmail.NOSPAM.com> brought down from the Mount tablets
inscribed:

>Michael Cash wrote:
>> For Declan, and anybody else who might be interested in importing some
>> cigars:
>> 
>> A site that I have ordered from since my last thread on this subject,
>> and one which I have placed three orders from:
>> 
>> http://www.lynncigars.com
>
>[...]
>
>> Among others, I just received today a bundle of Flor de Oliva toro
>> (http://www.lynncigars.com/cigars.htm#snew) and am very impressed with
>> the quality. They'd be a bargain at twice the price. They're going to
>> replace the slightly cheaper Roly brand as my mainstay for everyday
>> bargain smokes in future orders, I think. The one I tried this evening
>> smoked great straight out of transit, while the Rolys generally need
>> some time in the coolerdor. It built a beautiful firm white ash, gave
>> a good volume of smooth creamy smoke, and needed not a single
>> corrective relight to straighten out uneven burning of the wrapper.
>> Goes very well with a couple fingers of Jack Daniel's...but what
>> doesn't?
>
>Excellent.  His site looks like it has spectacular prices!  But, the 
>only place I've bought cigars before was in Massachusetts, where they 
>have fun stuff like a 20% sin tax that drives up the price I'm sure.

I am told that Oregon has a 65% cigar tax. From this I gather that
Oregonian cigar smokers are enthusiastic netshoppers.
>
>Question, though.  Aren't there good in-Japan hamaki shops somewhere?  I 
>was just assuming that there were, and my hope was to spend a day 
>sometime going around and visiting them, trying to obtain cigars from 
>nations that are prohibited from doing business with the US.

My understanding is that retail cigar prices in Japan are set by
government fiat. What little information I could find on cigars in
Japan via Google indicated a paucity of sources and prices far, far,
far outside my meager budget.

Be advised that should a shipment be intercepted by customs you will
incur quite a substantial duty. Here's a little project for anyone
proud of their Googling skills: Try to find the actual rate of duty on
cigars imported into Japan. I tried and tried and finally found out
the hard way on one particular shipment.
>
>Also, Jack Daniels?  Are you saying that just to make Declan mad? 
>Anyway, good whiskey is so cheap in Japan it is amazing.  The local 
>Carrefour carries bottles of Laphroaig at about Y3000.  Yoichi ten-year 
>goes at Y4500.

You mean they make whiskey somewhere other than Lynchburg? Copycats.





--

Michael Cash

"Clowns to the left of me and jokers to the right, Mr. Cash.
Clowns and jokers."

                                Prof. Ernest T. Bass
                                Mount Pilot College