Whenever I've purchased cubans and brought them back all I've had to do is remove the labels. Without the labels, customs has no idea whether they are cuban, dominican or american - therefore they CAN'T take them.

As long as you also make sure to change the box! ;)

I brought a single Cuban cigar for a buddy who smokes. I buried it in my suitcase and it never came up. He quite enjoyed it. :)

U.S. Customs may or may not be able to tell the cigar's origin. But I would think Agriculture could give it a good shot.

Was considering getting them duty free, therefore hand luggage ;)

I'll give it a shot, and just play the dumb foreigner card, I cant remember if it mentions Cuban goods on the customs declaration...

Anyone know if IAD has an x ray machine?

Oh, and even if the TSA find them on my connection, they cant remove them can they??

"Forbidden fruit a flavor has
That lawful orchards mocks;
How luscious lies the pea within
The pod that Duty locks!"

-Emily Dickinson

I've heard this before, but just to play devil's advocate...if I were a Customs agent and I saw a bunch of labelless cigars, I'm immediately going to know what they are and why someone removed the labels. I mean, it's not like I immediately sit down and peel off the labels after I buy a box of Dominicans.

And since Customs agents can pretty well do what they please when it comes to confiscating questionable products, it seems like they'd still toss your labelless stogies in the trash and tell you to pound sand. Want to file a protest? OK, let's go over to this windowless back room and have a more detailed chat about these cigars. I could see Customs taking the stance that since you peeled off the labels, you knew they were contraband - in other words, they might toss the cigars and assess a fine.

I've brought back Cubans before - I used to fly back and forth between LHR and ORD quite a bit right after college - I just tossed a few in my luggage and figured if I got busted I'd just shrug and give up the cigars. That never happened.

You all seem to forget that they are legal and in extremely high demand everywhere else (unlike Domincan premium cigars which nobody wants).

FWIW, you can order them over the phone from Europe very easily. They'll fedex them and send the box and bands seperately.

I don't know...I have smoked them in Europe and Canada, and it's really no big deal. I didn't notice a shortage or excessive prices for Cuban cigars. (Of course, I wasn't smoking anything super-premium...)

fly into ORD; even if you bring a cow back, they wont know.

If you're a regular cigar smoker, why not start collecting the labels from legal in the US cigars? Then just make sure you get the same diameter cigars and replace the labels before importing...

Just take the bands and packaging off and mail them to yourself at home regular mail.

And for the customs guys? These are handmade cigars. I bought them from the guy that rolled them in XX country. It was a little craft fair where people made homemade food, pottery, cigars, etc.

If you're comfortable with that. If not don't smuggle. It's not hard though, just say they aren't branded because they're homemade, if that's the situation you find yourself in.

It's not worth worrying about though, it would never get that far. Tens of thousands of cubans come in off duty free shops and similar every day and nobody really cares about personal use.

fwiw, i have bought 'n brought and have had bought 'n brought for me cubans as follows....

me: i purchased a box in paris (once at a local cigar shop as even with the taxes, the dollar was still somewhat strong [remember those days? ;)]) and once duty free at cdg. in both cases, i just put the box between my clothes on my wheel-aboard. i cleared customs at ord (trip 1) and iad mid-field-ua (trip2) and never had a problem (as well as the 16 bottles of wine in my wheel-aboard on trip1 but i digress). just checked of nothing to declare-i guess i must look honest ;)

the second time was when goalie-parents went to cuba a year and a half ago as part of an "educational group" :rolleyes: ;). they bought me a box and they didn't have a problem either when they cleared customs at mia.

also, fwiw, trip1 for me was pre-9/11 and trip2 as well as goalie-parents' trip to cuba was post-9/11

IMHO everyone interested in this area should view the Seinfeld episode where Kramer brings in some Cubans. But, they turn out to be real Cubans, not cigars.

By the way, I tried a cigar Cuban in Denmark many years ago. It made me sick. Fortunately, a nice Dane nursed me back to health with some health giving beer. ^ Never smoked a cigar since. :)

Or..you could bring some of the bands off your Dominicans and put them on the Cubans.