MODS: If you have issues with this proposed trade, please delete immediately.

This is going to be long winded, so please bear with me as I have never traded before. I live in Malaysia and can get my hands on all the Cubans I want from Habanos dealers in HK and Switzerland. What I can't get so easily is great non-Cubans. As you BOTLs in the US have issues with access to Cubans, I thought I should trade something you really want. Here's my proposal.

I will send you 10 x 2012 Montecristo No 2s by registered, trackable airmail. I will remove the labels and send them separately by airmail, and will email you the box number and photos of the box. The Montes will be re-packed in a Flor De Filipinas 1898 Independencia Torpedo Box (same size) from (you guessed it) the Philippines. They will be accompanied by an invoice for the Philippine torpedoes from a reputable Malaysian tobacconist, or simply marked "gift" or "trade sample" if you prefer.

When and only when you have satisfied yourself that these Montes are in fact The Real Monty and have arrived in good condition, you will send me what you consider to be the equivalent value of interesting non-Cubans. FYI, I can get all the Fuentes, My Fathers, various Garcias, Davidoffs, Patels and Zinos I want. I prefer full-bodied smokes and I have no preferences regarding length, ring gauge, price range, quantity or variety. I will wait a week for replies and respond to the most interesting offer. Please allow 2-3 weeks for the Montes to arrive.

Please do not send cigars from online merchants directly to my address, as Malaysian customs will hit me for the full value, whereas they are usually cool about bona fide gift/swap shipments from one BOTL to another.

I look forward to your replies.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Swinging Saturnalia and Happy new Year!

Um, you definitely tripped several wires.

Perhaps this handy unofficial welcome kit will help.  First and foremost, welcome to CG.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Answers to frequently asked questions:

The vast amount of aficianados on this forum leave the cellophane on their cigars.

Many like a v-cut versus a straight cut, and many use kitty litter to stabilize the humidity in their humidors, but the Boveda humi-paks and Heartfelt beads are also well liked.

Xikar hygrometers (note the "g" and not a "d" in hygrometer) are frequently recommended on this forum. If you ask how to calibrate one, you'll get pointed to Google.

Lighters are all over the board with many opting for the cost effective Ronson butane jet lighters while others prefer Xikars, large table top lighters, cedar spills, matches, car lighters, blow torches, fire pits - pretty much anything that's on fire.

Any science related questions about relative humidity and temperature have been discussed ad nauseum.  But, if you feel the urge to ask, ignore what everyone posts except Jackal - he's the resident scientist.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Insights into the Cigar Geeks communty:

Any thread that starts with "NSFW" gets tons of views during working hours and when one of the resident gurus named Bob posts one of his infrequent "getting everyone caught up on what Bob's been doing" thread you'll get plenty of responses.  

Don't post anything about ISOM's anywhere but the ISOM thread.  Otherwise, you'll get a bunch of  non-sensical responses.     Cuban cigars are illegal in the U.S.

Please resize your pictures before posting so you don't fire-up the curmudgeons on this site.  

"Bombs" are not bombs, but gifts.  Some on here refer to them as "kisses".  Whatever you call them, it is not polite to broadcast you're sending a bomb(s) or solicit to be bombed.    Doing the latter will subject you to a mailbox full of dog rockets and a lifetime of ridicule here.  You are, however, encouraged to acknowledged being bombed and there's a thread for doing just that.

Hopefully, you like to see pictures of midget pole dancers - those pop up from time to time.

Passes are generally off limits to new folks until you have a few posts under your belt or have a veteran vouch for you.  Same with selling, buying, or trading - you'll be expected to execute your end of the transaction first until you gain the confidence of some of the members.  If you plan to do any of this, best to get a PooPal account if you don't already have one.

The Obi-Wan Kenobi of the site is Señor Pablo - when he speaks, we listen.  

PIF's (Pay It Forward) are a great way to earn credibility here.  There are several threads devoted to them.  Just be sure to read the ground rules before jumping in or review the extensive threads to get an idea of what they're about.

If disagreements occur, the Gurus usually come through with sage advice - heed their warnings as they carry a lot of power (well, we let them think that anyway ).

Please consider joining CRA if you are not already a member - it gets you a cool badge that shows up under your name on posts.  Another easy way to earn a badge is to support the "Cigars for Troops" event that usually occurs in the early Fall.  

Finally, welcome to our community - in the end, it's about the enjoyment of cigars and pipes, developing friendships with others who share common interests and passions, and enhancing your knowledge of our hobby!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome

Hah you said it there Stephen, I was just gonna leave this one alone.

Quotekxthor911 - 12/25/2013  9:56 PM  Hah you said it there Stephen, I was just gonna leave this one alone.

come on Nick!  That's all?!

Yea I don't know you or anything. But I'm gonna trade some stuff that's not legal in the US from you. Can I get 100? HAH

    admins?????

So what's the problem? If you're happy with the goods you receive you send something in return. If you aren't, you don't. Sounds pretty fair to me - I'm sure anyone who would want to make this proposed trade can tell real Cubans from fakes.

It is kind of suspicious that the first post you place on CG is this one. Longhorn posted how things work, and I would suggest you follow his advice. Get to know your fellow geeks, we are pretty cool folks!!    


and these type of cigars are illegal to possess here in the good ol' U S of A.

Welcome to the site.

Yep, welcome to CG.

If you want to send me the #2s in Canada, I'll send something back when I'm satisfied they are the real thing like you say.

But you wrote you could not get good NCs but a little later on explained that you could get all the AF, Garcias etc. So what is it you're looking for exactly in exchange for your Montecristos. Full bodied smokes is one piece of info but you might want to be a bit more specific

Sorry, but it is forbidden by US law to import products of Cuban origin into the United States, or for any US citizen to take place in any transaction involving goods of Cuban origin.

QuoteLonghorn - 12/26/2013  11:49 AM

Um, you definitely tripped several wires.

Perhaps this handy unofficial welcome kit will help.  First and foremost, welcome to CG.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Answers to frequently asked questions:

The vast amount of aficianados on this forum leave the cellophane on their cigars.

Many like a v-cut versus a straight cut, and many use kitty litter to stabilize the humidity in their humidors, but the Boveda humi-paks and Heartfelt beads are also well liked.

Xikar hygrometers (note the "g" and not a "d" in hygrometer) are frequently recommended on this forum. If you ask how to calibrate one, you'll get pointed to Google.

Lighters are all over the board with many opting for the cost effective Ronson butane jet lighters while others prefer Xikars, large table top lighters, cedar spills, matches, car lighters, blow torches, fire pits - pretty much anything that's on fire.

Any science related questions about relative humidity and temperature have been discussed ad nauseum.  But, if you feel the urge to ask, ignore what everyone posts except Jackal - he's the resident scientist.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Insights into the Cigar Geeks communty:

Any thread that starts with "NSFW" gets tons of views during working hours and when one of the resident gurus named Bob posts one of his infrequent "getting everyone caught up on what Bob's been doing" thread you'll get plenty of responses.  

Don't post anything about ISOM's anywhere but the ISOM thread.  Otherwise, you'll get a bunch of  non-sensical responses.     Cuban cigars are illegal in the U.S.

Please resize your pictures before posting so you don't fire-up the curmudgeons on this site.  

"Bombs" are not bombs, but gifts.  Some on here refer to them as "kisses".  Whatever you call them, it is not polite to broadcast you're sending a bomb(s) or solicit to be bombed.    Doing the latter will subject you to a mailbox full of dog rockets and a lifetime of ridicule here.  You are, however, encouraged to acknowledged being bombed and there's a thread for doing just that.

Hopefully, you like to see pictures of midget pole dancers - those pop up from time to time.

Passes are generally off limits to new folks until you have a few posts under your belt or have a veteran vouch for you.  Same with selling, buying, or trading - you'll be expected to execute your end of the transaction first until you gain the confidence of some of the members.  If you plan to do any of this, best to get a PooPal account if you don't already have one.

The Obi-Wan Kenobi of the site is Señor Pablo - when he speaks, we listen.  

PIF's (Pay It Forward) are a great way to earn credibility here.  There are several threads devoted to them.  Just be sure to read the ground rules before jumping in or review the extensive threads to get an idea of what they're about.

If disagreements occur, the Gurus usually come through with sage advice - heed their warnings as they carry a lot of power (well, we let them think that anyway ).

Please consider joining CRA if you are not already a member - it gets you a cool badge that shows up under your name on posts.  Another easy way to earn a badge is to support the "Cigars for Troops" event that usually occurs in the early Fall.  

Finally, welcome to our community - in the end, it's about the enjoyment of cigars and pipes, developing friendships with others who share common interests and passions, and enhancing your knowledge of our hobby!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for that Longhorn. It would have been more useful, though, if I had received it with the pm when I joined, as I wouldn't then have tripped any wires.

QuoteMojo66 - 12/26/2013  1:32 PM

Yep, welcome to CG.

If you want to send me the #2s in Canada, I'll send something back when I'm satisfied they are the real thing like you say.

But you wrote you could not get good NCs but a little later on explained that you could get all the AF, Garcias etc. So what is it you're looking for exactly in exchange for your Montecristos. Full bodied smokes is one piece of info but you might want to be a bit more specific

Thanks for the response Mojo66,

I didn't really want to trade with someone who can already buy #2s (no disrespect) because you can get them from your local tobacconist or from the same overseas sources as me. I liked the idea of someone in the US getting a box of 1898 Independencias that bore an amazing resemblance to #2s and gave every bit as much smoking pleasure without the associated hassle. However, if there are no US takers, I'd be very happy to do a swap with you (with the #2s in original packing in your case), so please consider this a done deal if nobody from south of the border responds by Jan 1st.

I can get the NC cigars I mentioned from my Swiss and HK merchants, but wanted to try something harder to get here. FYI, I have only smoked singles of the following but enjoyed them all very much. I don't necessarily want the same (although I certainly wouldn't turn my nose up) but am very open to trying something new. These are the ones that impressed me:
La Gloria Cubana Serie R #6 Natural
Aging Room M356 Major
Kristoff Ligero Robusto Maduro
Humo Jaguar Robusto
Oliva Serie O Maduro Churchill (although I thought their Master Blends 3 Churchill tasted "artificial")

Cheers

BTW, Western Greater Antilles has a nicer ring to it than ISOM.

Quotenirab - 12/26/2013  1:10 PM

It is kind of suspicious that the first post you place on CG is this one. Longhorn posted how things work, and I would suggest you follow his advice. Get to know your fellow geeks, we are pretty cool folks!!    


and these type of cigars are illegal to possess here in the good ol' U S of A.

Hi Nirab, thanks for your help.

My offer is suspicious because it's simple geography - where I live, ISOMs are the only thing I can offer. Actually that's not entirely true - I could send you some self-grown, self-rolled cheroots from one of the interior longhouses, but I doubt you'd thank me for it, or ever forgive me, and nor would your cardiologist.

I think I phrased my offer rather badly. I am fully aware of the embargo. The idea was to trade some cigars with a BOTL who couldn't otherwise lay hands on them. Therefore I should have offered some Independencia 1898s that coincidentally bear an amazing resemblance to a certain West Antillean product that was recently voted COTY by some guys in dinner jackets who have never smoked a cigar past the first inch. That way US residents could engage in such a swap with a clear conscience.

Please feel free to have a mod delete this thread if it's problematic.

Welcome

I am a law abiding American citizen and do not condone the sale or importation of illegal product into the United States. I'm sorry but I won't be able to help you.

But, Welcome to the site

QuoteMikereed - 12/26/2013  2:05 AM

QuoteMojo66 - 12/26/2013  1:32 PM

Yep, welcome to CG.

If you want to send me the #2s in Canada, I'll send something back when I'm satisfied they are the real thing like you say.

But you wrote you could not get good NCs but a little later on explained that you could get all the AF, Garcias etc. So what is it you're looking for exactly in exchange for your Montecristos. Full bodied smokes is one piece of info but you might want to be a bit more specific

Thanks for the response Mojo66,

I didn't really want to trade with someone who can already buy #2s (no disrespect) because you can get them from your local tobacconist or from the same overseas sources as me. I liked the idea of someone in the US getting a box of 1898 Independencias that bore an amazing resemblance to #2s and gave every bit as much smoking pleasure without the associated hassle. However, if there are no US takers, I'd be very happy to do a swap with you (with the #2s in original packing in your case), so please consider this a done deal if nobody from south of the border responds by Jan 1st.

I can get the NC cigars I mentioned from my Swiss and HK merchants, but wanted to try something harder to get here. FYI, I have only smoked singles of the following but enjoyed them all very much. I don't necessarily want the same (although I certainly wouldn't turn my nose up) but am very open to trying something new. These are the ones that impressed me:
La Gloria Cubana Serie R #6 Natural
Aging Room M356 Major
Kristoff Ligero Robusto Maduro
Humo Jaguar Robusto
Oliva Serie O Maduro Churchill (although I thought their Master Blends 3 Churchill tasted "artificial")

Cheers

BTW, Western Greater Antilles has a nicer ring to it than ISOM.

WTF?  You originally post that you want to trade "real" Monte's with the bands removed for NC cigars. Then you decline a trade with a Canadian for those same NC cigars "because you want someone in the US to get a box of 1898 Independencias that bore an amazing resemblance to #2s ???

So this is a scam?  Not Monte's, but without the band the dumb Americans won't know the difference?

Go away!

You have poked the bears now!  IF, and I say if because no law abiding American would do anything on this site illegal, but ANYONE was going to give you a chance, screaming from the mountaintop that you want to defarud both governments, and possibly said taker, would NOT be the way to go about it......yea, not gonna find any takers on that kinda deal.

did you find out that one of us won the Nigerian lottery too?

This thread is "tripping wires" in so many ways that it may be best to freeze it and invite our new member to start over in an introduction thread if his intentions are honorable.