Mexican coke and Cuban cigars

[shortylickens]

Let me tell you buttheads something.


Way back when all the soda companies secretly switched from sugar to corn syrup, NOBODY NOTICED THE FUCKING DIFFERENCE!

Anyone that tells you sugar coke is better is probably full of fucking shit.

 

[norseamd]

sugar and hfcs taste different but it is not necessarily on is better than the other. i still prefer sugar over hfcs

 

[n7]

Let me tell you buttheads something.


Way back when all the soda companies secretly switched from sugar to corn syrup, NOBODY NOTICED THE FUCKING DIFFERENCE!

Anyone that tells you sugar coke is better is probably full of fucking shit.

I'm afraid you have taste-deficiency-disorder.

Real cane sugar soft drinks taste far better than high fructose cancer syrup ones!

 

[norseamd]

the soda used makes the difference whether sugar or hfcs changes the taste. last time i had a mexican coca cola it did not taste that different but that was a while ago. mountain dew made with real sugar does taste a lot better although

 

[OVerLoRDI]

The coke is easier to verify. The cigars on the other hand are really more difficult.

 

[WelshBloke]

but they are not subject to us law

I know, I just enjoyed the irony.

IIRC, the Cuban Convertible Peso is actually pegged with the US Dollar.

What I ultimately think will happen to Cuba is the same thing that happened in China and Vietnam. Once Fidel Castro dies, the country will go through significant economic and social reforms. Ultimately, it will remain a single party state, but will only be communist on paper. Raul Castro has already been making some movement on reforms. Though he is still heavily influenced by his brother.

The problem with Cuba right now is its dependence on Venezuela for many staples goods. Oil in particular. With Chavez dead, the Bolivarian Revolution movement is starting to collapse. Venezuela has turned into a banana republic, and simply can't afford to be shipping heavily subsidized oil to its allies for much longer. China owns a lot of their debt and Beijing is a fickle mistress. So if Venezuela defaults on its loans or the United Socialist Party loses power, Cuba loses their primary economic partner. This is similar to what happened in the 1990s when the Soviet Union collapsed and Russia stopped giving foreign aid. The country underwent a major economic downturn.

For Cuba, its going to have to convert a big chunk of its economy into a tourism based one like other Caribbean nations. Right now they do have a sizeable industry. Mostly Canadians and Europeans. The fact that its a tropical paradise that's only a short flight/sail away from the US makes it very tempting. These islands don't have enough natural resources to exploit to make anything else really viable.

From the American perspective, they're waiting for Castro to die as well. I think that's the crux of the embargo. They don't want to deal with a man who almost brought the world to nuclear war just so he could wave his dick around at the gringos. American hotel and cruise chains are probably itching to establish themselves there. The big European ones, notably Riu and Melia, have already carved a nice little niche there.

Most of what you say has already happened. There's quite a lot of private enterprise already going on wrt tourism.

TBH I don't think your going to get an honest picture of the country living in a country thats keeping sanctions going in the same way that people in Cuba don't get an honest picture.

 

[Naer]

I thought this thread was about cocaine

 

[BladeVenom]

Unless it's from an official Habanos S.A. store, La Casa Del Habano, they are almost certainly going to be counterfeit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habanos_S.A..

 

[waggy]

sugar and hfcs taste different but it is not necessarily on is better than the other. i still prefer sugar over hfcs

/this.

i so much prefer sugar over HFCS. i can tell the difference when i drink soda with sugar.

 

[Dari]

Unless it's from an official Habanos S.A. store, La Casa Del Habano, they are almost certainly going to be counterfeit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habanos_S.A.

So how can I get a list of those official stores? I went to a place today that claimed to be allowed to sell the real stuff. The lady there also had a picture of fakes. Seemed legit enough to buy one. Never had cigar before but I'm definitely loving it. This was in Cozumel. Man, this place is like summertime. But since I'm with my wife no fun shall be had…

Also, the Mexicans here are very aggressive with the hawking of stuff. In addition to all the people standing in front of their stores/shops/restaurants getting you to go inside, I've encountered several people trying to sell me weed.

 

[shortylickens]

/this.

i so much prefer sugar over HFCS. i can tell the difference when i drink soda with sugar.

Youre so old you probably remember when it had cocaine in it.

 

[manimal]

Came in here expecting to talk about qualudes.

 

[BladeVenom]

So how can I get a list of those official stores? I went to a place today that claimed to be allowed to sell the real stuff. The lady there also had a picture of fakes. Seemed legit enough to buy one. Never had cigar before but I'm definitely loving it. This was in Cozumel. Man, this place is like summertime. But since I'm with my wife no fun shall be had…

Authorized dealers in Mexico http://www.iept.com.mx/en/tabaquerias.php Looks like lots of authorized dealers in Quintana Roo. I'd try the official La Casa del Habano store.

Maybe you should have tried some Honduran or Nicaraguan before you went to Mexico. Some of them are really good to.

 

[Dari]

Authorized dealers in Mexico http://www.iept.com.mx/en/tabaquerias.php Looks like lots of authorized dealers in Quintana Roo. I'd try the official La Casa del Habano store.

Maybe you should have tried some Honduran or Nicaraguan before you went to Mexico. Some of them are really good to.

Nice. Thanks.

I thought the Spaniards decimated the Mayan culture. But it's alive and kicking here. Even the language is still spoken today and what a beautiful language it is.

 

[norseamd]

no but the catholic church raped their soul

 

[Oyeve]

Damn. Do you think they're legit, though? A family member swears by them. He's tried "Cuban" cigars made from tobacco farmed in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, etc… and he says they don't taste the same. He said it has something to do with the Cuban soil.

Cuban cigars have a high lithium content from the dirt. It gives you a slight buzz.

 

[crownjules]

So, I'm currently in Mexico and I've heard great things about the coke here. It turns out that people are right. It's a lot smoother than the one I'm used to. Must be the real sugar.

Also, there are countless vendors in Playa del Carmen and Cancun, where I am staying, offering Cuban cigars. Are they legit? How can I confirm? I don't smoke the stuff but I know several people that would love some. Is it legal to bring them into the United States?

I buy Mexican Coke at Costco. Glass bottles are way better and the soda tastes so much better.

As for Cubans - look for the La Casa del Habano shop. They are the official distributor for Cuban cigars and everything they have will be legit. Everywhere else you risk buying counterfeits. Especially if you're buying Cohibas and Montecristos as they're the most popular/well known and thus most often faked. You won't know the difference unless you've been around cigars awhile and know the ins and outs of how to identify the bands and various sizes of cigars.

It is not legal to bring them back to the US (it's actually not even legal for a US citizen to purchase and consume them abroad). However, if you only have a handful then you can stash them and they won't care. You can take off the labels and hide them somewhere else if you're really paranoid and then there's no way they can prove they're Cuban.

 

[NetWareHead]

Pshhh I dont see the big deal about Cuban cigars. I have tried more than a few and never have been satisfied with the taste. I think Dominican cigars are better if you ask me...

 

[crownjules]

Cuban cigars have a high lithium content from the dirt. It gives you a slight buzz.

Not really a buzz (that's nicotine), but Cubans may give you a slight euphoric feeling because of that small amount of lithium. It's more that Cuba is to tobacco as France is to wine grapes. They have the right soil conditions, amount of sunlight, and the climate is just perfect for growing premium tobacco for cigars. "Cuban seed" tobacco grown in Nicaragua, DR, Honduras, etc tastes nothing like actual Cuban grown because of those factors. That's a marketing gimmick the non-Cuban companies came up with to try and sucker in ignorant customers.

Pshhh I dont see the big deal about Cuban cigars. I have tried more than a few and never have been satisfied with the taste. I think Dominican cigars are better if you ask me...

To each their own. But there's a reason why Cubans are marketed world wide whereas Dominican cigars barely have a market presence outside of the US.

 

[NetWareHead]

Not really a buzz (that's nicotine), but Cubans may give you a slight euphoric feeling because of that small amount of lithium. It's more that Cuba is to tobacco as France is to wine grapes. They have the right soil conditions, amount of sunlight, and the climate is just perfect for growing premium tobacco for cigars. "Cuban seed" tobacco grown in Nicaragua, DR, Honduras, etc tastes nothing like actual Cuban grown because of those factors. That's a marketing gimmick the non-Cuban companies came up with to try and sucker in ignorant customers.



To each their own. But there's a reason why Cubans are marketed world wide whereas Dominican cigars barely have a market presence outside of the US.

I'm not a cigar connoisseur by any means so take the following with a grain of salt as coming from a "lay" person when it comes to cigars. My experiences with Cuban cigars are limited to cigar shops I visited when abroad in Mexico and Caribbean. I always thought Cubans were that forbidden fruit because of the embargo and therefore were more sought after. To me, the Cubans I have tried were always too bitter and strong for my tastes. Dominican cigars I found to be smoother and also better tasting. Cubans left an acrid burned taste in my mouth and made me want to rinse with water while I could smoke a Dominican all night long. Now, if you asked me what cigars I have smoked I couldn't tell you. I don't have a humidor in my home and once I brought home a cuban from abroad and sealed it in a plastic bag, sucked out the air and froze it. I smoked it maybe 4 months later. When abroad, I have never paid more than $10-20 for an individual cigar (Cubans included) and have never really been satisfied.

Regarding the wine grapes, while France is a major player/contributor to wine history and industry, we cannot discount the contributions brought to the table by other countries like Italy, Spain, Germany, Argentina/Chile, Australia, South Africa, California etc... I'd imagine just like cigars, there are different wines and different styles produced in different regions and all have their merits.

 

[Bird222]

Dr Pepper made with 100% imperial cane sugar beats both by a mile.

Where can one get this Dr. Pepper? I have yet to see it in stores.

 

[draknon]

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...voCIDA&usg=AFQjCNFgnAYa0dFxdRhYp0AKvo_8ZfLwAw

Are you sure the "Mexican Coke" you bought in Mexico is made with cane sugar instead of HFCS?

 

[Insomniator]

Some of the best food I've ever had was in mexico. You are crazy for saying its not good... little hole in the wall places had better tacos for 80 cents then anywhere I've had in America.

And whoever said you cant tell the diff between cokes... lol... even crazier than saying mexican food isn't good.

 

[crownjules]

I'm not a cigar connoisseur by any means so take the following with a grain of salt as coming from a "lay" person when it comes to cigars. My experiences with Cuban cigars are limited to cigar shops I visited when abroad in Mexico and Caribbean. I always thought Cubans were that forbidden fruit because of the embargo and therefore were more sought after. To me, the Cubans I have tried were always too bitter and strong for my tastes. Dominican cigars I found to be smoother and also better tasting. Cubans left an acrid burned taste in my mouth and made me want to rinse with water while I could smoke a Dominican all night long. Now, if you asked me what cigars I have smoked I couldn't tell you. I don't have a humidor in my home and once I brought home a cuban from abroad and sealed it in a plastic bag, sucked out the air and froze it. I smoked it maybe 4 months later. When abroad, I have never paid more than $10-20 for an individual cigar (Cubans included) and have never really been satisfied.

From your description, I'm 99% positive that you smoked bullshit Cubans. That or they were very poorly kept. Those are so common in Mexico and the Caribbean and to a person that doesn't smoke them much you'll never know the difference in appearance.

If you like smooth cigars then a genuine Cuban is right up your alley. They're incredibly smooth. The more common complaint by cigar smokers who don't like Cubans is that overall they aren't strong enough. Their flavors are more subtle and varied unlike the flavor bombs you get from Nicaraguan or Dominican tobacco.

As for the wine stuff, it was an attempt at an analogy. I fully realize other countries produce wine and different grapes enjoy different growing conditions. But France is considered to produce some of the most sought after in the world. Not to say that Spain or Italy or Napa Valley doesn't produce their own gems.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Listen to crownjules. La Casa del Habano is legit, the vast majority of other places are selling knockoffs.

I've only been to Cancun once, and it was a pretty long time ago, but, I've been to Cozumel a half a dozen times ... and pretty much it's filled with phony shit cigars.

Cayman Islands is where you want to go if you are looking to do shopping for expensive things IMO.


Why do they sell knockoffs even though there is no embargo in Mexico, because real cubans are expensive. There is much smaller margin if they buy the cigars for $5 each and sell them for $6.

The worst knockoffs are like dyed paper ... easily under 25 cents in cost.
Normal bad knockoffs are shitty cigars dressed up to look like cubans, cost under $1 a pop. They would rather make $5-6 profit each instead of $1, and they aren't exactly being punished for selling the knockoffs... so, the knockoffs are a HUGE market.