Tenerife

[AndrewOS14]

Hi All,

I'm new to the site so first of all hello.

I have a quick question as I'm going on holiday to Tenerife and want to smoke some cigars out there. However I was wondering if I'd be better off buying some here and bringing them over but that seems like a waste of money as I know everything is cheaper there.

So I was wondering if anyone knows any cigar shops in the Los Cristianos/ Playa de Las Americas/ Costa Adeje area.

After a quick Google search I haven't found any definite results and the one place I did see that sold cigars weren't keeping them in a humidor or anything. I don't want cheap 'local' or machine made cigars, I want real premium cigars of a recognised brand.

Thanks.

[Trickle]

Hi Andrew welcome to the forum.
I was in Los Christainos last summer. There were a couple of tobacconists there. I bought a few local cigars but I didn't enjoy them too much. Got a comedy foot long one though! I don't remember seeing any brands I recognised, I took plenty with me just in case.

[cj121]

Here you go

http://www.ukcigarforums.com/showthread.php?8671-Tenerife

and I found this in the 'net

"to Santa Cruz (30-40 minutes from Playa), the capital of Tenerife
(as well as being the administrative center for the islands of La Palma, El
Hiero, and La Gomera). Park down by the waterfront (underground parking
available) and walk to the Plaza de Espa?a. You are now within 150 yards of
3 excellent cigar stores. One is located on Calle Bethencort Alfonso/San
Jose, one on the Plaza La Candelaria, and one in a passageway that connects
the two. I've shopped at all three over the years. The shop on Bethencort
Alfonso/San Jose is my favorite and you will find many fine Cuban cigars in
their walk in humidor (they tend to be heavy on Cohiba and Punch). Make
sure you buy at least one *Vargas Reserve*. It's located just up the street "


but can't guarantee the authenticity of the latter.

[EugeneSax]

Hi.

Up until 2005 I used to stay regularly in Tenerife as my folks had a place out there. Although I suspect things might have changed a bit in the past 8 years - don't be so quick to dismiss the local cigars. By all means avoid those made in Las Palmas from local grown leaf & all the other "dry" (ie non-humidified) sticks sold in tourist shops & supermarkets etc. However do be aware that the Canaries were a favoured location for much of the old Cuban cigar industry that fled the revolution and there certainly used to be a thriving local industry rolling premium sticks with as much skill as you'd find anywhere in the the Caribbean , using blends of tobaccos from throughout the region including Cuba. Dunhill, for example used to have cigars rolled in Tenerife. If you get the opportunity to try any locally rolled premium cigars take it and you might be pleasantly surprised.

Back in the late 90' the industry became quite targeted on the US market so major brands stopped using Cuban tobaccos in many of their blends (eg Penamil, Condal, ST Dupont) with some bland results, but this trade started dying in the early 2000's and I don't know what the current situation will be. Try before you buy and look out for my favourites: Vikarios Hacienda & Goya. If on the hunt out there, concentrate on the less touristy areas, or at least those catering more for Spanish visitors than elsewhere, eg Los Christianos rather than Las Americas, and try restaurants - most of the more upmarket establishments used to stock at lest a few for diners, albeit in the days before smoking bans. Failing that the airport used to have a specialist cigar shop in the departure lounge and the general duty free area also stocked a fair few Cubans (although both were looking fairly run down the last time I flew back).