Before leaving on a trip to Panama last month I posted a question looking for feedback on places to get Cuban cigars, and I got some helpful responses. Now that I’m back from the trip here’s some info on places I found where Cuban cigars are available in Panama.
Updates on places mentioned in the OP [http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1717743&tstart=75]:
A) “Near the McDonalds on Via Espana and Via Veneto”: I couldn’t locate a cigar shop here. I did find the Erotique Video Boutique, and the Crown Casino – but no Cuban cigars. Maybe I missed it, but I think it’s gone.
B) “Specialty Cuban shop in the Albrook Mall”: There are at least 2 shops that have Cuban cigars in the Mall. The selection and pricing is pretty good, and the cigars seem to be stored well. The Mall is not near the downtown districts, but could be a handy location if you’re going to the domestic (Albrook Airport) or regional bus terminal (Gran Terminal de Transportes).
C) “Smoke shop across the street from the Marriott Hotel”: Correct, in fact, this was my favorite place to get cigars in Panama. It’s a cool little shop with great character, and there’s an excellent selection of cigars that are stored with the proper temperature and humidity and at competitive prices. It’s in the El Cangrejo section of PC, across the street from the Marriott as mentioned by that poster.
Other places in Panama I found:
D) There are a few Cuban cigars in the souvenir shop (David’s?) below the Hotel Residencial in El Valle de Anton, but the cigars are just sitting out on a shelf and not stored properly.
E) I think I saw a sign in a shop in Bocas Town (Bocas del Toro) that advertised Cuban cigars, but I can’t be sure – all my senses were a bit hazy during that part of the trip.
F) There are Cuban cigars available at the Tocumen Int’l Airport at the Attenza Duty Free shop near gate 23. They’re stored properly, but the selection was limited (mostly Coiba’s), and individual cigars were not available (by the box only, i.e. a minimum of 3 small or 5 medium cigars per box). Also, prices were about 50% higher than in PC.
Regardless of where you get the cigars, check each one to make sure they’re not dried out (i.e. pinch the cigar gently in about 2 or 3 places; the cigar should “give” slightly, if it’s hard then the cigar is dried out).
Finally, here’s an interesting aside. Next door to the cigar shop across from the Marriott mentioned above in “C” is a locals’ bar, and when was in there one night I noticed that of the 25 people there, about 22 were really cute women. Every single one was in their 20’s, a total babe, dressed very provocatively, and definitely interested in catching the eye of the few dudes in the place. Hmmm, I’ll let you speculate on what that could have been all about. And I don’t know how often it’s like that, but in any event being in a nice, comfortable local bar full of friendly, sexy women was a great change from the usual dingy, dark, cavernous joint consisting of Panamanian guys in dirty t-shirts yelling at each other over the lousy latin music.
Cheers-
Joel
