Puroexpress

http://www.puroexpress.com
Sells : Cuban Cigars
Based in : Spain
Online Since : 1999
Rating : 68 ( : 105, : 37)
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Description : Puroexpress.com is operated by Lyonnel Consulting AG, located in the Tax Free Zone at Geneva Airport, Switzerland.

200 Comments

Steve said,

on November 14th, 2010 at 13:00

Experience:

Puroexpress (“PE”) has great, low everyday prices and a great selection. I’ve bought from PE two times and both times my order was confirmed immediately, shipped within a couple days and arrived within five days of shipment. Customer service at PE is also very friendly and easy to communicate with over email. In fact, I would say that PE has the best (most responsive) customer service of any of the internet retailer that I have dealt with. One downside to PE is that they will not allow you to specify a box date on your order. So, for example, if you’re looking for a 2009 box of a particular cigar (rather than a 2010 box), you might want to consult another retailer.

jag-z said,

on November 17th, 2010 at 09:59

Experience:

*I’ve ordered from them numerous times and am very happy with the low prices and quick delivery. It would appear though, that their cigars are very fresh, in other words, in great need of aging. Otherwise, a super company to deal with, providing regular email updates on status of order.

Update (May 24 2011) *My experiences w/PuroExpress has only been reasonable and excellent. As far as “problems not being rectified” as was stated by another patron: One of my 5 pack cartons of Cohibas had some water discoloration inside…Puroexpress (Vicky) had another one sent as replacement so fast time went backward! with no request to send back the other one. I had ordered a humidor from them that was not the color in their photo. Was in contact w/Vicky extensively on this – and it was accepted back w/full refund, NO problems, NO quibble. Just wanted to add my experiences to this comment site to state that any reasonable approach will get a reasonable response 99.9% of the time.

Eboy said,

on November 30th, 2010 at 16:36

Experience:

I recieved I couple of cigars from puro, and I was disappointet in the beginning. But after some time in the humidor, they were great! Especially the Cohiba Esplendidos. Prices where also great. I did the whole authenticy checklist, and it seems to be real cubans. They taste really good too.

Now, they’ve stopped sending to Norway because of the custom. That sucks…

Dougal said,

on December 5th, 2010 at 22:35

Experience:

Have ordered 4 boxes over the last year – all excellent and akin to reviews I’ve read (i.e.: legit Habanos, here). Great prices, fast turnaround, prompt email responses. My only beef with them is that they just stopped shipping to my country! Agh!

Mike said,

on December 13th, 2010 at 21:27

Experience:

Great cigars, delivery usually good, right now I’m awaiting a shipment that I have a nagging feeling was intercepted by you know who. I hope for the best.

Lee said,

on January 17th, 2011 at 19:10

Experience:

(comments have been consolidated)

Comment #1 (Nov 15 2010) Great service and great pricing. My package shipped withing 24 hours and was on my US doorstep withing 7 calendar days. The only concern I has was that they do not send a Swiss Post tracking number.

Comment #2 (Jan 12 2011) Received my second order in about a week. No problems with customs and everything looks good.

Comment #3 (Jan 17 2011)Received my third order, Partagas Petite Coronas especiales. Took about 7 days. Everything arrived perfectly.

DFid said,

on February 1st, 2011 at 19:45

Experience:

My cigars showed up 12 days after I placed the order, on the quick side of what they promised. They were packed nicely and were not dry at all (the $2 investment in the 72% humidipack was a good idea). I am not an expert (I do know how to use google however and there are a number of published primers for “smoking out” fakes) but I did not find anything that caused me concern. Would (and will) definitely order from them again.

Jr said,

on February 5th, 2011 at 03:59

Experience:

I just want to add my two cents. I am very critical of every company from which i have ordered and i THOUGHT i was going to get ripped off from puro, I WAS SHOCKED when my 3pack carton showed up of monte no2s sealed w both seals barcodes and evem the habonos.com website printed on the inside flap of the carton. The cigars themselves beautiful smelled of pungent soil and were velvety to touch. The smoke was excellent nutty spicy just great. Even the ash was dark grey blotchy just like every other real cuban ive ever had. I am sure they are real

kapred2150 said,

on February 11th, 2011 at 08:40

Experience:

I am very skeptical of buying Cuban cigars over the internet. But I have been very pleased with my 6 separated transactions with Puroexpress. The boxes ordered All had the correct seals & barcodes that were verified on the Habanos website for stamp verification (http://www.habanos.com/Sellos/Info/VerificaSelloCajon). I have a business associate that goes to Spain & Switzerland at times that has picked up Cuban cigars for me. They all look the same and came smoke tha same and came in same boxes etc. I have no doubt that they are a reputable company and have my long term business.I am positive they are real.

magste said,

on February 16th, 2011 at 09:04

Experience:

Ordered three boxes in October 2010. 3 months later they haven’t arrived. Positive is that P-express refunded my money, but I’d preferred to get the cigars..

DFid said,

on February 16th, 2011 at 23:36

Experience: Neutral

magste – As was widely reported, U.S. customs was very busy in October and November 2010 and many cuban cigar shipments never made it (I am assuming you live in the U.S.). Not shilling for puroexpress, but I/m not sure they deserve negative feedback for this, especially if they refunded your money.

SmokinWheelzzz said,

on March 1st, 2011 at 07:28

Experience:

Just received the first half of my first order with PuroExpress. Fast communication, amazing prices and amazingly fast shipping — from ordered to my door in 5 days! The second half of the order should arrive tomorrow, and I expect it to be just as fantastic as the first half of the order. Already enjoyed a Monte #4 out of the order, ahh the sweet aroma of Habanos :D

Constantinos Hellas said,

on March 2nd, 2011 at 12:02

Experience:

Hi all.i used to buy from another company in Swiss,cigars and they were arriving in 7 days maximum.I placed an order at puroexpress and at 10/2/2011 i received a mail saying that my order number was xxxxxx(4 boxes) and was shipped.till today (18days)i havent received anything.i ll followup if i have any news.

Update (Mar 17 2011) in 2 of March i wrote a comment about this company.very good prices,fast reply to e-mail but i didnt received any cigars after a month of patience.They said that they will refund me the amount.i cant understand that cigars arriving is US in 5 days and in EU never.Bad luck or bad posts…who knows???

Philip said,

on March 2nd, 2011 at 16:56

Experience:

I put off ordering for a few months due to reports of busy customs inspectors in Chicago. I placed an order of one box on 02/16. It was shipped on 02/18. It was received on 02/26. Cigars arrived in a sealed & bar-coded box in great shape. Smoked one that night and it was superb.

I just placed another order today. I hope I didn’t press my luck.

Dale said,

on March 9th, 2011 at 02:36

Experience:

Always a good experience with PE! I have ordered from them many times and like Philip, I ordered from them after the Chicago seizures with no problems. (I lost an order in the seizures which was replaced – see 1001 Cubans).

Michael said,

on March 9th, 2011 at 16:03

Experience:

Comment #1 (Mar 9 2011) I ordered Romeo & Julieta and received them in perfect condition in seven days. They are extremely educated anout shipping to US and there were no issues. Puroexpress is firing on all cylinders and their is no reason to even start a relationship with anyone else if you want to smoke authentic cuban cigars that are priced cheaper than the same brand from DR, etc that we have in our US retailer stores.

Comment #2 (Mar 17 2011) I have ordered six boxes of Cuban cigars and have recevied them all into the US at my door within 7 days. My only advice to you is this – I beleive the Cuban Cigars will be terrific in one year of ammonia excape inside your humidor, everyone I have smoked when received gave me a terrible, take to the bed HEADACHE, I think this is becuase of the high deman the Cubans are not aging them but shipping them as they are rolled. My cigar store owners tell me that the ammonia has to evaporate and give it six months good or 1 year terrific. But PuroExpress is the B E S T !

Mithlome said,

on March 21st, 2011 at 17:32

Experience:

After reading the various reviews, I decided to try placing an order with Puroexpress. To my delight, the cigars arrived in just a few days, in great condition, and the codes on the boxes checked out. I had a better experience ordering from Puro than I did from a competitor with a perfect rating, so Puro has won my confidence and future orders.

aglanixp said,

on March 27th, 2011 at 20:40

Experience:

These guys (and gals) are the best. I have tried other vendors and NONE have come close to the level of service that I get from PE. Quick delivery, quick response to inquiry, good advice and most of all…Great Cigars!

Garth said,

on April 16th, 2011 at 15:57

Experience:

Comment #1 (Apr 16 2011) Put a small order in to try them out.Order came 7 days to the date.I will order from them again for sure.The best thing is you don’t have to have a certian dollar amount to order from them.

Comment #2 (May 18 2011) Received another order of cigars with no problems I like the fast delivery and good prices One or two more things to order and should be good till next spring.

Comment #3 (Nov 27 2011) Ordered a 3 pack of Trinidad Robusto Extras 8 days to get here with the long weekend bands mathched up with ones I have bought here way to PE very happy!

Bob said,

on April 17th, 2011 at 20:32

Experience:

I’ve ordered a variety of different brands from PE and all have been VERY good. Each box has arrived properly sealed with verifiable codes (via Habanos). Thusfar, I’ve tried Fonseca, Partagas, HdM, Bolivar and JLP. Each has shown the characteristics generally associated with the marques. I do agree with the previous poster who notes that PE’s stock are usually quite “young.” They really do improve in the humidor.

Paul said,

on April 19th, 2011 at 18:05

Experience:

Received within like 5 days WITH box labels unaltered. These guys are the real deal with incredible prices, free shipping. The cigars were excellent. Others want to remove cigar wrappers, charge for shipping? Forget it! I usually use somebody with a name like “booze” but after this, Puroexpress may be my new supplier permanently.

pacman41 said,

on April 25th, 2011 at 12:27

Experience:

Have dealt with puroexpress for 2½ years and placed about 60 orders ranging from 3 packs to boxes of 25. Excellent cigars at excellent prices and, I believe, 100% genuine. Every box seal has passed the black light test, the bands appear to be perfect, and the cigars are generally excellent. As one or two other posters have commented, let the cigars sit in your humidor for a few months if you can.
They used to sell Dominican Republic & Honduras cigars, and I wish they would again stock these lines.

edisto62 said,

on May 2nd, 2011 at 02:40

Experience:

i have never had a problem with Puroexpress (Bjork Bros) in the years i have been buying cigars. Their product has always been as advertised and when confiscated by Customs gladly replaced my order

onlygoodcigars said,

on May 4th, 2011 at 20:22

Experience:

Hey everyone, I’ve searched for many Cuban cigar companies over the net, and only ordered from Puroexpress and another website. Puroexpress was the greatest choice I ever made; they shipped in original packaging unopened, with authentic barcode. Many online retailers will cut barcode’s off because they buy from the ‘grey’ market which I’ve found to be a mix of Authentic and counterfeit cigars. but this isn’t the practice of Puroexpress. I plan to deal with them until I die, or they run out of cigars :).

ysr_racer said,

on May 12th, 2011 at 05:08

Experience:

Got my order in perfect condition. Three weeks to the day I ordered it.

These guys are alright.

Comment #2 (May 28 2011) WOW !!!

One week from order to arrival at my door in So Cal USA.

My first order took three weeks, but this one I ordered last Friday. No problems here.

Bigdog1 said,

on May 13th, 2011 at 22:25

Experience:

I just recently placed a order with “Puroexpress” and received the order 1 week after ordering. Their cigars are 100% authentic, I have verified the bar codes and I am satisfied. I just placed my second order 3 days ago.

Update (Jun 12 2011) Correction, sorry! just recieved my third order and the fourth is on the way. Way to go Puro!

Update (Jun 20 2011) Received my fourth order last week and I just placed my fifth order. Puro has delivered as advertised thus far, keep up the good work!

6sous said,

on May 14th, 2011 at 11:01

Experience:

Veyr quick answer from them to all my emails. Cigars are sent from Switzerland and it’s writen down on the package. The value written doesn’t take the bargains in consideration.
No problem with the french customs. But you it’s better to not order to big quantities

PzKpfW said,

on May 17th, 2011 at 12:42

Experience:

I have placed my order May the 8th, quick answer at all my emails, I hope to receive the parcel this week or the next one (I live very close to Switzerland). So far so good.. but in the meanwhile, fingers crossed!

Update #1 (May 21 2011) I have received on Thursday my parcel. It was very well packed with a double protection and the box was sealed. I can’t check the authenticity on Habano’s website because it has been produced before in 2009 (date on the bottom). Anyway smell and shape are unmistakable. It arrived in 8-9 working days! I’m more than satisfied!

Update #2 (May 24 2011) I have tried to place another order but they are not longer shipping to Italy.

David said,

on May 17th, 2011 at 17:14

Experience:

I’ve been buying Cuban cigars from Puroexpress for years. Quality has been consistently very good to excellent. And service has also been consistently good. Unfortunately, like to many of my friends I just had a problem and they handled it very unprofessionally. All these vendors are great when things go good but the really great ones shine when things go bad. There are many other great suppliers of wonderful Cuban cigars out there. I could’nt trust these guys ever again.

Update (May 23 2011) So my situation is resolved. Turns out my cigars were confiscated several weeks ago, I just got the notice Friday. But in the interim Puroexpress whould give me no customer support. In fact I told them I was ok with the charges on my credit card until the cigars were delivered but I was not going to pay my credit card company. No impact on their charges or claim for charges. As a result on of there customer service staff (Vicky) went nuts on me and just credited my card and threatened to not sell me again. They guarantee delivery. Why is she threatening me? And when I asked for someone with a calm mind and a level head to help I got NO RESPONSE. Bottom line, the cigars are good when you get them but the customer service is just not worth the risk when something goes wrong. Like I said above, that is when the good companies step us. If you want to relax and enjoy a good cuban cigar find another distributor. There are many to choose from…Dave

Bob said,

on May 22nd, 2011 at 19:08

Experience: Neutral

As someone noted above, when things go well, this company is quite good. When they go badly, however, they go VERY badly. See David’s post above this one. It sounds like he’s experienced the same poor treatment I’m getting at present.

As of this writing, I’m in my eighth week of waiting, and getting a series of excuses that fall just short of “the dog ate them.”

It would seem that with PuroExpress the old adage “Caveat Emptor” applies in spades.

Update (Aug 13 2011) An update on my PE experience:

After months, and interference by the postal service, I received one of my ordered boxes. PE had already refunded my money. I happily paid them back and the cigars were in excellent shape.

A second order was confiscated by Customs. Rotten %&$^%&$!

I recently placed another order. It arrived in less than seven days in perfect condition. The Habanos code matched up perfectly legit.

The cigars are POL JUN10. I smoked one ROTT, and it was quite good, but obviously needs time in which to settle down in the humi.

Moreover, I’m pleased with PE’s service. Their prices are more than competitive. The cigars can be a bit young, but that can be an advantage: the aging is entirely in YOUR hands.

Keith R said,

on May 24th, 2011 at 06:29

Experience:

A message to Bob. I had a problem last year where my cigars did not arrive in like 30 business days. I emailed Vicki and she asked if I wanted my money back, I said I preferred to have the cigars so she agreed to send another duplicate order. That 2nd order made it in 7 days & I have not had a problem since. It turns out that 2 months later I got a notice that they were confiscated in Chicago. I’m sure that if you email Vicki a few days in a row and she will give you a refund or resend another order. They will honor that order I’m sure of it.
Thanks! Keith R

pacman41 said,

on May 24th, 2011 at 13:26

Experience: Neutral

Cannot believe the comments here regarding confiscation issues. If confiscation is a risk, and apparently it is in U.S.A., why do U.S. residents invite trouble?

Caveat emptor, “let the buyer beware”.

The way I see it, you U.S. buyers expect Puroexpress, or any other vendor for that matter, to cover you for goods confiscated by one of YOUR government agencies!

I trust the vendors increase their prices for U.S. shipments only, to cover the losses they are expected to incur! I am not a U.S. resident, and would not appreciate having to subsidise the cost of confiscations carried out by paranoid bureaucrats employed by U.S. Customs.

About time you U.S. guys wised up. If you want to run the risk of importing goods that are illegal in your country, how about becoming grown up enough to accept responsibilty for your illegal activities.

Cheers
PC

David said,

on May 24th, 2011 at 14:35

Experience: Neutral

Pacman,
Good issue. However, it’s not that we ‘invite trouble’. It comes with the territory. Cuban cigars are still illegal in the US. That being said hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of Cuban cigars are being shipped into the US illegally. It’s a BIG market. We don’t expect vendors to cover for goods confiscated. They market sales to the US ‘guaranteed delivery’. A small fraction of shipments are confisicated so it is really not a big issue. I have no problem accepting responsibility for my actions. I do have a problem when a vendor like Puroexpress makes an expressed warranty and does not live up to it. I’ve been buying Cuban cigars over the internet for almost 9 years now. This is the only the second order I’ve had confiscated. A much bigger problem has been quality and service from individual vendors. That is where I think Puroexpress has fallen short. Much respect to you….

Steve said,

on May 24th, 2011 at 17:39

Experience:

just received my second order yesterday and have already placed my third. I’m sorry for those of you who have had issues and hope they are resolved to your satisfaction. So far my experience has been great.

Pocket said,

on May 26th, 2011 at 15:49

Experience:

I placed my first ever order with Puro last week. Ordered some of their Bespokes on a Monday and they arrived that Saturday. It’s one of the fastest orders I’ve ever received of CC’s to be honest. I can’t complain about this type of service. Haven’t smoked one of their customs yet to that remains to be seen….

Sorry to hear about some other members troubles with Puro. If these Bespokes live up to the rave reviews I WILL be getting some more.

smok'em said,

on May 30th, 2011 at 18:32

Experience:

I’ve had cigars confiscated including from PE. PE always been very responsive to me and would reply within 24 hours. They do ask you to be patient, which is reasonable.

Roberto Pe'rez said,

on May 31st, 2011 at 23:42

Experience:

I have dealt with Puroexpress for some time now, I have had the same problems as mentioned above with the Bust in Chicago this past christmass and also in my April shippment and I must say they handled everything very professionally. They credit my account when they had the problem in Chicago without me even asking them. In my April order my cigars just never came for what ever reason I contacted them with the problem true I had to wait until the date they gave when that date came I contacted them and they took care of me they credited my account and shiped new cigars to me.
I have dealt with Vicky and Tracy also Sam they have always been very professional with me. Things aren’t always going to be great with any one you deal with but if you a Pro with your approuch things can always be worked out and bought parties will be Happy!

Cholliday said,

on June 3rd, 2011 at 15:25

Experience: Neutral

I placed my first order with PE and was advised that it shipped on the 12th of May. I’m still waiting and jealous of you guys who get there cigars in a week. For a first time, it’s a bit scarry.

Update (June 13 2011) Just an update. Friday was working day 21 and I’m still waiting for my Montecristos. I emailed “Sam” at Puroexpress and was advised that I “really should wait” until June 20, a total of 26 working days. I asked why they say 21 on their website, then ask for more? I got no response. I think they are waiting for the credit card to pay them. I got no problem with the “Caveat Emptor” folks in this blog. As a Scotsman once said, “Forgive your enemy but don’t forget the bastard’s name”. I won’t forget Puro if they don’t honor their guarantee.

asbebo said,

on June 10th, 2011 at 12:24

Experience:

Cigar arrived after 2 days, checked the cuban seal in the habanos website, 100% real!!!!! Fantastic……puroexpress

Dale said,

on June 15th, 2011 at 02:20

Experience: Neutral

To Cholliday:

After ordering from PE for over a year with no problems I had 2 boxes recently confiscated through Customs. PE gave me the option of a refund to my credit card or a reshipment. I took the reshipment and received my order in 6 business days. In fact, on the reshipment I changed my order and actually had the difference credited to my credit card. Sam and Vicky were very helpful in assuring that I received my order.

Cholliday said,

on June 15th, 2011 at 15:24

Experience: Neutral

Thanks, Dale. I plan to request the reship option also. I don’t get PE’s attitude, though. I asked why they say wait 21 days, then ask for more? I got a response from Vickie saying she would credit my credit card, but would not ship to me again if I didn’t wait. I don’t mind waiting, but this is no way to treat a customer. Besides, they are yet to ship to me the first time, so the threat is pretty hollow. Breeds bad will and is completely unnecesary.

Update (Jun 26 2011) My reship from PE arrived in only 5 days. The whereabouts of the first remains a mystery. They kept their promises, even if there was a delay. The cigars were in great shape, too.

leanderdsilva said,

on June 17th, 2011 at 03:30

Experience:

Ordered a box of 10 Partagas 898s..smoked 4 cigars. They all had BAD draw problems. Terrible quality cigars from Puroex…..

gcastrovil said,

on June 17th, 2011 at 23:06

Experience:

I have been ordering from PE for about a year. Great authentic Cuban cigars at a reasonable price. Usually orders are recived quickly. Confiscated once back in December 2010. My account was credited with no problem. Made an order in early May 2011. I recived one box out of 4 last Saturday, about 6 weeks. Still missing the rest of my order. PE has answered all my emails promply. Hopefully this matter will be resolved soon.

Update (Jun 22 2011) At this point I am still not able to order from PE. They e mailed me that I would have to wait until my cigars arrive or confiscation letter arrives. Hopefully one of the two happen. I told them it is not my fault cigars did not arrive. However they did refund me. I would rather have recieved the cigars I ordered.

Cholliday said,

on June 22nd, 2011 at 14:28

Experience: Neutral

gcastrovil:

You and I are on the same timeline. The only difference is they reshipped yesterday without waiting for the notice of confiscation. Or, at least they told me they reshipped. We’ll see. I ordered another box from another vendor who shipped yesterday, too. It will be interesting to see which gets here first, if any.

gcastrovil said,

on June 22nd, 2011 at 16:02

Experience: Neutral

I just ordered for a different vendor. However I now pay $10 to $20 a box more for the cigars. So I guess I am paying the price because my PE order never arrived.

Update (Jun 24 2011) Right, so have delivery confirmation. This way customers are not punished for things beyond their control. Lastly, I hope it doen’t happen to you. But anyone could have a missing delivery.

Dale said,

on June 23rd, 2011 at 11:38

Experience: Neutral

Cholliday and gcastrovil:
I sent PE a copy of my confiscation letter and was still told to wait out the 31 business day shipping guarantee. The reshipment came in 5-6 business days…good luck!

pacman41 said,

on June 24th, 2011 at 14:41

Experience: Neutral

My! Some of you guys experience unbelievably bad luck with your purchases from PE.

Here I am, in far off Australia, half way around the world, and not a bad experience with PE. For the record, I have since October 2008, received 65 orders containing 1131 cigars, exactly what I have ordered over this period of time.

Average transit time is around two weeks, with a couple exceptionally quicker, and a few unexceptionally slower. This transit time appears to be be gradually increasing, but I need to monitor this to actually confirm my suspicions. Growing volumes of internet purchases seem to be causing bottlenecks in the Australia Post/Australian Customs Department inspection procedures. Just about every package has been opened, but the cigar boxes untouched unless I have requested a reassessment of Customs excise and duties payable. Occasionally a box comes in duty free, as do most 3, 5 & some 10 packs. Not worth it for Customs to spend $50 of time and resources to collect $25 duty on a 5 pack, is it?

Quality of cigars? Generally I get what I pay for. I have learnt to put my purchases away for a few weeks/months before trying the first cigar. The very occasional disappointment, along with some very pleasant surprises. Most of the cigars appear to be relatively young, hence my putting them aside as mentioned above. That aside, PE sell cigars, they don’t make them!

I run my own business. I can understand PE not hastily reshipping when confiscation is suspected or alleged. My observations after operating a parcel distribution business for over 40 years is that consumers are generally unreliable, and sometimes downright dishonest when submitting claims for non receipt of goods.

Hope I haven’t offended anybody.

Cheers
PC

SmokinGene said,

on July 2nd, 2011 at 01:48

Experience:

Great place for Cubans. 100% authentic. Super fast delivery. Received my order in California in 7 days. Awesome customer service. One of the HDM Epicure 1′s from a pack of 3 had a pretty nasty crack in the wrapper (not their fault, since all of the packs & boxes come factory sealed). I sent an email with a pic to their rep, and received a refund with no hassle. Very impressive operation, will definitely do business again.

gene said,

on July 12th, 2011 at 03:11

Experience:

Have purchased approx dozen cuban boxes in last year. Good delivery and satisfied with quality. Last couple of shipments, however, had bar codes removed from authenticity seal and Habanos label altered. Don’t know what they are up to.

Update (Jul 13 2011) Received response from PE saying barcodes removed to protect country of origin distributors. Also said box may have been opened by cuban qc, not them. Don’t like the answer. Did verify barcodes on a couple of older boxes and they checked out as authentic. Will reorder with note to cancel unless seals and stamps intact. No complaints about cigar quality. Traveled internationally for several years and PE Cubans seem to stand up to cubans from travels.

CHolliday said,

on July 13th, 2011 at 16:22

Experience: Neutral

I have the same question. Why would Cuban QC inspectors not inspect the cigars before the box is sealed, instead of opening it before it’s transhipped to somewhere else in the world?

I would note that I ordered a box of Montechristo #2′s from PE (The first shipment was lost) and also from another Swiss vendor. Both the PE replacement and the Cigar Terminal boxes shipped the same day and arrived here the same day. Both boxes had the original Cuban seal cut, showing that the box had been opened, and then resealed with another, smaller “Cuban” seal. The cigars were identical in each. Each package had a Swiss post notice of “inspection” on it and one had handwritten the word “cigars” on it. Unless both vendors are engaged in the same scam, the cigars should be authentic. I think the former unlikely

Zippo said,

on July 13th, 2011 at 23:33

Experience: Neutral

Guess everyone is different; I insist all of mine be opened and inspected for quality control purposes. Never had an issue with PE, or their product. Suggest everyone read vendor policies before ordering; many open and inspect before shipping, and others open only if requested by the buyer.

Tinknocker924 said,

on July 14th, 2011 at 02:32

Experience: Neutral

The bar code can be traced back to Habanos distributors. They remove the bar code because they are not suppose to sell these cigars outside of their distribution area. So im assuming they do this to protect themselves and avoid getting in trouble with Habanos

Roberto Pe’rez said,

on July 14th, 2011 at 10:59

Experience: Neutral

The distributor for Puroexpress is Tobacta their out of the Cannary Island just like Puroexpress but they are distributor for the area. I asked Puroexpress about the cut tags they said they never cut tags but QC in Cuba does this.

gene said,

on July 14th, 2011 at 11:00

Experience: Neutral

Zippo:

PE states that they never open boxes for inspection. I have email from them
indicating same. Habanos factories inspect all cigars and Cuban officials
randomly inspect. Why would PE or any vendor need to inspect? Vendor
inspection would not guarantee there were no effects from final shipment. If
cigars are damaged or defective they should replace and return to
distributor or factory.

gcastrovil said,

on July 14th, 2011 at 14:13

Experience: Neutral

PE has terrible customer service in my opinion. However, there cigars seem to be authentic. According to the Habanos website, they do not sell seconds. Look at the boxes, date stamps and branded marks. look at the halogram on the new seal, it is not uncommon to have two seals. Some boxes will have one old and one new. Smell the cigars, although cigars like Padilla 1968s smell like Cubans. Look at the contruction, caps, wrappers. There is a lot of info out there on the net do your research. Cuba is a embargoed nation so you will find inconsistancies. But that does not make them fake. Buy a box a Vegas Robinas or another local brand. These brands are not really counterfeited.

Panoulis said,

on July 18th, 2011 at 23:53

Experience:

I have made numerous purchases from Puro over the past few years. All the times, delivery was fast, price was excellent and cigars were the real thing. A few times packaging was a little suspitious, but I never felt that the content was fake.
Another important advantage of Puro for European clients is that it charges in euros, so you know exactly what you will pay before you press the order button.
Unfortunately, the website has recently faced consistent problems with deliveries in my southern European country. I was lucky enough not to face any problems myself, but they had to suspend delivery to my country for sometime, then to reopen it with extremely limited choice and inflated prices compared to the main website. At the same time, customer service proved very weak in handling such an unfortunate situation. I understand that the issue was sensitive, but as a loyal customer of many years I would expect some kind of proactive/personalised approach from Puro and not the ‘automated’ messages that I received.
So, although Puro offers a very tempting combination of price, quality and speed of delivery, I had to recently switch to a competitor from Asia, which proved to be an equally good alternative.

Darren said,

on July 19th, 2011 at 16:24

Experience:

I have been using PE for over 5 years and have had mostly positive experiences. Prices are always excellent and shipping is usually fast enough. The one time I had an order fail to show up, they handled it professionally and provided a prompt refund. The other 90% of my orders have met or exceeded expectations. They continue to be my preferred vendor (among the three I use regularly). Recommended.

luca said,

on July 21st, 2011 at 04:31

Experience:

stay away from this website,they sell fakes.don’t waste your money!!!i bought partagas P2,label is different taste bland.Juan lopez n2 are a joke, when lighted the cigar i could not see the red ring shape of the binder, no taste of cuban at all.Vegas robaina famoso again another rip off, it just tasted horrible. In all the boxes there was a fake cuban seal with no serial number.i am soo upset

Update (Aug 1 2011) quick update on my case.I wrote PE i was not happy with the cigar, so i sent them back as per their garantee.i still did not receive any refund and they are not responding my email as well.I strongly believe i will never get my money back.What a rip off.

Teflon said,

on July 29th, 2011 at 16:12

Experience:

Ok I’ve just ordered a small order of Cohiba’s to see if they arrive in NY. Reviews are mixed but I feel Ok with it for now .. Time will tell.

Update (Aug 13 2011) Ok Service was fairly quick ( ordered July29th and recieved today seals labels and box identical to ones I purchased in Canada from a very reputable Habanos dealer. I’ll purchase again. I don’t buy large quantities so I’m pretty pleased with service and price. Also aromas and faint hints of earthy spices are identical. I’ll let these sit for a bit and then see if there is a difference in taste.

Update #2 (Sep 6 2011) Just received my third shipment from Puroexpress, Partagas Serie D no4. Montecristos Grand Edmundos Edicion limitada and Cohiba’s Genios Maduro’s. All were box sealed and the real deal. My first box of Partagas were a bit young . but after a bit in the humidor they were Heaven so I order more. the Montecristos .. well that was something on another octave. the best Cigar I’ve had in years. Cohibas were beatiful. boxed sealed correct labels . will wait for a special occasion to light these up. So far I’m happy with Puro. same quality I get from the Habanos store in Canada. (so far) . The prices and quality do keep me coming back. The investment is small for a great return. I’ve got fast shipping so far I’m sure as the holidays get nearer it will take a bit longer. So I’ll continue until something goes wrong.

Maron said,

on July 31st, 2011 at 22:11

Experience:

PE sells authentic and “grey market” cigars. Any box you receive that has the serial number removed is grey market. They tried to pass on the same BS to me about they dont remove them the distributor does. PE is only allowed to buy from one distributor which are the boxes you receive with the bar code still intact. Cigars obtained illegally by them from out of market get the codes removed and are usually purchased by a third party so that Habanos S.A. can not catch them. Thats all fine and dandy if the cigars are authentic, but without the serial number to check with, you have know way of knowing. This is the number one way “professional fakes” make it into the system. When you combine this with a company that does not inspect cigars before they ship them is asking for trouble. It is their way of being able to say “not our fault”.

Along with poor customer service when something does go wrong I would recommend shopping elsewhere. It says a lot when a company treats repeat customers like crap because there is a problem with their product.

gcastrovil said,

on August 1st, 2011 at 23:39

Experience: Neutral

PE doesn’t sell fakes. Brands they carry like Vegas Robina are seldom copied. HOWEVER They do sell a lot of young cigars that need humidor time. But the price is right. There customer service is not the best either. But again authentic cigars for a good price. You can’t always have everything.

tinknocker said,

on August 13th, 2011 at 15:09

Experience: Neutral

ive made several purchases from PE and almost everything they sell is authentic not to mention shipping is SUPER fast but my problem with them is the quality of their cigars besides the fact they sell extremely young cigars they must also have poor storage conditions in their warehouse because of the 5 orders ive made in the last 2 months i have yet to smoke a decent stick all of them wer very bland in taste not to mention a few wer plugged..i switched over to another retailer that has set the bar for perfectly stored high quality cigars and i have never looked back trust me there is a difference

Nefari0us said,

on August 13th, 2011 at 15:55

Experience: Neutral

Received my order in decent condition, the party shorts looked a bit off but they smoked just fine. There was a little bit of mold on one of my siglos so they went into quarantine, but they should be fine, only the wrapper was victim. There prices are great, and I do believe these to be the real deal, but their storage conditions are questionable.

Update (Sep 14 2011) Received my third order from PE and everything has been great so far, aside from the minor issues mentioned in my earlier post. I will continue to use PE as long as everything keeps going as smoothly as it is now.

Potential Customer said,

on August 14th, 2011 at 12:49

Experience: Neutral

Thought I’d give these folks a try, and placed an order on the 8th. I’ve received no confirmation of the order and I’ve emailed twice since with no response to either attempt at communication.

Is their customer service always this poor?

Edmundo Cohiba O'Reilly said,

on August 20th, 2011 at 23:18

Experience:

Let’s put this in a proper perspective…
some of use are ordering contraband…it can be confiscated
some of use have not smoked what are FOR SURE Cubans, that is to say you have not walked into a Habanos authorized retailer..how do you know what ur smoking
The cigars sit and move in many different climates…how long on the tarmac, stop over in cold or hot area?
How many here, honestly, let their Habanos calm down for up to 2 months before smoking.
All cigars need a little age, I wouldn’t smoke a Cohiba Robusto before 4 years…it’s not right. Most retailers sell young cigars
How many have communication skills… I’ve sold many free world cigars and some guys can be aholes with even there first emails.
These guys have been in business a long time, and not by ripping people off. My first order, Cohibas, was confiscated and they replaced ASAP.
These are real, Cuba is serious about their cigars and don’t sell bad ones (seconds, PE is legit..just my 0.02
Respects

dano53 said,

on August 21st, 2011 at 06:01

Experience:

Puroexpress is very quirky. I placed one order for cubans and before that order arrived, I placed another order for a different cuban. They refused to process my second order unless and until I confirmed receipt of my first order. None of their competition has similar restrictions. Sounds to me like they don’t want my money. Lots of other websites to buy cubans on.

Dave said,

on September 12th, 2011 at 15:19

Experience:

I have had a couple of regional boxes with the bar code intact and everything was legit.
I have had no problems with PE.

puffish44 said,

on September 15th, 2011 at 05:49

Experience: Neutral

I have been buying from them for three years and have had some really good cigars and some not so good ones. One of the above reviewers hit the nail on the head when he said they send you one out of five boxes that is super legit (ie hologram bar code traceable to habanos). I think that they sell real habanos, but many of the ones that they sell are grey market and are really old. Worst of all, when you email to ask WTF, they give you the run around. Definitely will be looking for another vendor.

Nubchin said,

on September 26th, 2011 at 06:54

Experience:

I have been buying by boxes from PE and also from Casa del habanos in different countries and airport cigar shops too, and there are ZERO difference . Same boxes ,same cigars, same flavors , same constructions . Only the prices and some occasional bar-code absence by the PE (which happens in any online shops) are different .
All those grey market = old(I prefer older cigars) = bad cigars , affordable = fake(smoking the first Cuban in there life) , confiscated (US resident) = bad service , simply doesn’t make sense to me . Why not move on to those Non-cuban Artificially Cubanesque Flavored and Dyed Rolled on Slave’s Thigh Premium Jalapeno Sticks which claims to have the same prices ? None of those grey market fake confiscation problems will be seen this way, plus you will make other smokers happy .
PE should be proud for there hard work for years keeping there lowest prices out side Cuba , for there products and services .

rparas said,

on September 26th, 2011 at 07:38

Experience:

This website is great! I ordered for the first time in August and my package came within 5 days to Canada (no customs fees! yay) Since then, I’ve placed 4 more orders and all have been successful without paying the 247% customs fees here in BC. The best thing about puro is that shipping is included in the price of the cigars. This allows you to make smaller size orders if you live in a place that charges high customs. Also, my experience with customer service has been great. They respond very quickly to any questions.

rhetorik said,

on September 26th, 2011 at 22:01

Experience:

I have to say that puroexpress is fantastic. I have ordered three boxes from them, and have had great experiences with all of them. My coro’s and BRC’s came flawless. My first order was a box of lusi’s which when they first arrived were very tight on the draw, and tasted rather harsh. I thought maybe letting them sit in the humi for a few months at 65% would straighten them out, but it didn’t. I have no doubt of their authenticity, but I believe I just got a tightly rolled box. I let them know about this several months after I had received my order, Vicki apologized, and immediately sent me an entire new box free of charge… Amazing. I’ll update on how the replacement box turns out. They may be grey market, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It just means they get their boxes from other suppliers and don’t want to get in trouble. The cigars themselves are authentic, trust me.

130Plmbr said,

on September 29th, 2011 at 07:45

Experience:

I ordered a box of Bolivar PC. Purchased on the 19th. Theu shipped on the 21st. and I recieved them in the Stars and Stripes on the 27th. Everything was great. Good communication, fast shipping, and a box of authentic Cuban Bolivar Petite Corona for an affordable price.

Keloke said,

on September 30th, 2011 at 20:42

Experience:

I order for the first time from PE a box of partagas#4. I got email confirmation on time, plus recieved cigar within a week.
Only problem i see and has me questioning if cigars are fake is that labes were kind of loose on cigar that almost come off from cigar also the serial number was removed so you cant check to see it they real.
I might give them one more try.

Update (Nov 6 2011) I have order 3 boxes of cigars during last month and i have never had a problem with time of delivery nor with payment.I live in NJ and I always get them with in 10 days from order.

SmokinGene said,

on September 30th, 2011 at 20:55

Experience: Neutral

Keloke, if the bands on your cigars are loose, it just means that they’ve dried out while in transport. Stick them in your humidor at 70%, give some time for them to collect some moisture, they’ll expand and the bands will tighten around your sticks in no time.

ryan said,

on October 15th, 2011 at 05:56

Experience: Neutral

I ordered a box of San Cristobal’s, and they were excellent. In the same order I ordered a 3 pack of H. Upman Magnum 50, and all 3 of them were absolute CRAP!

I can understand one stickbeing bad, but all 3 ????

Bopper said,

on October 16th, 2011 at 00:38

Experience:

I have used puro 3 times and all 3 times i have been extremely satisfied. I have done the whole check with habanos, real CUBANS here folks. Vicky, is the best with customer service. I must say, the cheapest prices i have seen for legit stuff!! I will continue to order with Puro from now on..

sagatrap said,

on October 17th, 2011 at 20:26

Experience:

Like Ken, the entire order of 25 H Upmann No. 2′s were completely unsmokeable. Even one of my novice friends had negative comments when we smoked a Juan Lopez #2 from LCDH and a Puroexpress H Upmann No. 2, in the same sitting. Don’t waste your money with this vendor. I should also mention Puro express asked me to call my bank and tell them my package did not arrive because THEIR cc processor stole from them. What did I get in return? A 10% discount on more crap cigars in the future. No thank you.

SK said,

on October 29th, 2011 at 01:19

Experience: Neutral

Well, I’m sitting here on ‘working day’ 12 waiting for my order (actual day 16 if you include weekends). I was hoping I’d receive them by now, as I ship packages back and forth quite regularly to Europe for my job, and rarely, if ever, have experienced the same kind of delay using normal mail or Swiss Post. I ordered five boxes of montes; partegas; h upman; and sancho panza. I feel that I’m likely ‘screwed’ on this one, which certainly sucks, because I don’t make a lot of money and a good person to boot, but I will certianly keep you guys posted. Maybe it just got hung up in the mail, as I like to give it the benefit of the doubt; but I just have a sick feeling about this one :(

Bopper said,

on November 1st, 2011 at 23:05

Experience: Neutral

It may take customs up to one month after the cigars come in for them to send you your letter that they have been seized. That has been my personal experiece. I ordered at shipment in the last week of august, didn’t get my seized letter until october 21st.

bleuplonge said,

on November 5th, 2011 at 18:34

Experience:

stay away from this website. Those guys are crazy. I ordered a pack of cohibas, ok, received, then I received a request from them to cancel my payment (credit card), seems they are in trouble with they money manager. I checked with my bank, impossible without claiming for robbery, and now, impossible for me to connect to the website. strange, no ?
false or no, their cigars, I don’t know, but what I know is that managing a web business like that is awful.

bpan6038 said,

on November 6th, 2011 at 12:16

Experience:

At first, I was receiving a couple of orders with no problems. But once I experienced a problem with customs, puroexpress’s customer service was completely unhelpful and wrote to me in a very condescending manner to explain the matter. CUSTOMER SERVICE is just plain terrible. Since customer service is something that is extremely important to most people. I suggest you try cigar terminal. No problems there.

Puroexpress are very happy to take your money and provide you with products, but as soon as a slight problem arises, they will rub your nose into their terms and conditions like a sergeant would do to a private at boot camp for turning up 1 minute late.

VERY UNFRIENDLY.

St.Alphonzo said,

on November 8th, 2011 at 00:05

Experience:

I’ve been ordering from Puros Express for the better part of ten years. My order with them is normally a box every other month. My daily smoke size is the Mareva. I have never had any confiscations with my orders, although, I wish they would use less distinguishing “yellow” SwissPost shipping bags. All my smokes have at least a year of age on them and smoke well right off the truck. In the last year or so, it seemed as though my orders were coming to my house (Delaware) in about 5 business days! However, my most recent shipments have settled back into their 8-9 business days. In late August, I placed an order for a box of Fonseca Cosacaos, concurrent with that order, Puros Express was having an issue with a credit card processer who may have stiffed them on some purchases. Puros Express requested that I cancel my charge with my credit card company and have me resubmit the charge so that their “new” credit card processor would be paid. To be honest, I ignored their request, thinking it was “spam.” I received the Cosacaos without issue (9 business days). Before placing my recent order for a box of Rafael Gonzalez Extra Long Panatellas, I reached out to Valerie (customer service @ PE) about the outstanding credit card vendor issue, and according to her, “the credit card processing issue is now behind them and for me not to worry.” I never “did” have to reverse by credit card. That being said, my most recent order was placed near the end of October and was received at the beginning of November (8 bsn days) I can’t recall if I have ever had to wait more than 10 business days for a delivery. I will continue to use them because their prices simply can’t be beat.

pwresq said,

on November 18th, 2011 at 04:08

Experience:

I’ve been a loyal and faithful customer for a few years and the folks at PE ALWAYS (yes, ALWAYS)re-shipped if “you know who” intervened. However, my recent experience leaves me with a poor taste, not from the cigars, but from the way things were handled.

I can’t say they are “negative” because they have been great. Unfortunately, they lost me as a customer.

PE notified several of its customers that they had been ripped off by their credit card processor – i.e., that company took the money and ran. They asked each customer to contact their bank, get the charge removed, and then PE would re-charge the order. They gave instructions to the customer as what to tell the Bank. This was reported on some well known forum(s).

For the customer’s trouble, PE would offer a discount on the re-charge and a 10% discount on future orders through December 31, 2011.

I did as instructed by PE, received a conditional credit from my Bank, but when PE had the opportunity to remove the bogus charge (when contacted by my Bank), they failed to get the charge removed. So now I was stuck with two charges, for the same product.

PE actually gave me a 10% discount on another order. However, when I tried to purchase more cigars, PE said I was not entitled to the 10% discount since they had removed the “re-charge.”

I attempted to explain that PE blew it — they could have had the bogus charge removed because my Bank contacted them. What should have happened is that the Bank, after contact with PE, would remove the bogus/rip-off charge, and then the re-charge would be in place. But that didn’t happen.

Sour grapes? Sounds like it, huh? I suppose given the low prices and the way they stand behind their product, I should be happy. I just don’t appreciate the way their customer service handled it.

I have used other sources and may re-visit PE down the road. Right now, I’m a bit disappointed.

Update (Dec 11 2011) I’ve changed my rating from neutral to negative on PE. They just don’t care.

Jury still out said,

on December 2nd, 2011 at 00:06

Experience:

I read the comments on this site before I ordered from Puroexpress to see for myself. As of right now I still haven’t decided. Short of being a Cohiba,Montecristo or Partagas expert I’ve found all the orders that I have placed with Puro to be authentic Cuban Cigars. I had a problem with some Lusitania’s that I have ordered in the past,(4 out of 10 were so hard to draw that I tossed them before).I wrote Puroexpress and told them this but Vicky asked me to send the unsmoked porrtion back to refund me.I thought it was strange of her to ask for them back after I clearly told her I threw them away I was so dissappointed. I have had problems with Lusitania’s in the past with having very bad draws and don’t blame this on Puro but the persons who rolled them so I let it go. I to had a problem with an order because something shady happened with Puroexpress’s billing company and Puroexpress said they would give me 10% off my future purchases for the remainder of the year and right now it feels like I’m in a battle with Vicky to try to get them to honor their 10%.Vicky asked me if I had any proof that Puro offered this after I told her that I deleted the email of them offering it to me. Well I found the email in my old emails file and sent it to her.I have this funny feeling that she still will battle me for whatever reason. I feel like I’m being called a liar by Puroexpress or more specifically Vicky. If I were the owner of the company who I hope reads these I would terminate Vicky due to the fact that I don’t think she cares about the customer and would rather argue/battle/make you feel like your lying than take care of the customer that should be considered #1 even if they are wrong. Which in this case I’m 100% right. I didn’t offer the 10% discount Puro did.

Update (Dec 11 2011) My posting on Dec. 2nd was correct. I ended up giving up ” The Battle” with Vicky. I wrote Vicky and told her it felt as though I was “trying to pull teeth from a baby” and was sick of battling with her for 10 % until the end of the year. She never responded.

JohnDi said,

on December 5th, 2011 at 16:54

Experience:

I tried PE for the first time and was very disappointed. Yes it was fast delivery but I received a box of Cohiba Rob. with no seal. The seal was ripped off the box,so there was no way to see if they are authentic. The cigars burned uneven and had a horrible after taste.

leetalbert said,

on December 9th, 2011 at 21:49

Experience:

Have worked with these guys for years on several continents. Always have delivered authentic product, quickly, at the best price out there. Have lost one shipment along the way, which they immediately replaced. I will continue to by from them for many years.

tsicilia said,

on December 13th, 2011 at 03:57

Experience:

May be the worst customer service! Possible this vendor has a new owner or management? I used them for almost 10 years. To the most part I was ok with them. Many cigars came with a terrible draw. But…I looked past it knowing Cuba doesn’t always have the best rollers anymore.

However, as of late…they have been what I would call short of calling them crooks…Dishonest!!! I received a bag that was empty. A letter inside saying they were confiscated. I sent pictures and the letter from US Customs. Bjork brothers (Puro Express) drags it on, telling me they do not know what order it was???? Ok…it’s the one I did not receive. They are telling me that they do not show an order that matches it.

Not to blow my horn, but I am a physician. The reason I mention this…is because I order about $800 a month on cigars, and I do not need to cheat them out of a $110 box of cigars.

On top of it…they were extremely rude and obstinate to say the least!

Inexpensi

Bopper76 said,

on December 13th, 2011 at 05:33

Experience:

Wow, that sucks tsicilia. When i got my letter from CBP all vicky asked was for me to send her a copy. I did as instructed and my order was resent without a problem. Vicky has always treated me very well and was always very quick with a response to any and all questions or problems. Sorry to hear about your problem.

I to must say i have the problem with the draw sometimes as well. I smoke Monte #2&4. Lately seems their rollers have kinda slacked off somewhat.

Jacko said,

on December 14th, 2011 at 01:42

Experience:

Customers should be warned, Puro Express is no longer a reliable shop. I always had good experiences ordering from Puro Express in the past, but the new payment system they implemented a few months ago is a disaster. They only take Visa, and after trying for two months, i could never get them to approve any of my payments (their gateway kept giving me a security failure error message). I emailed them multiple times, tried calling a few numbers i found online, and as of today, i have heard nothing back from them. Very disappointing, especially after i tried for so long to get this issue resolved.

Based on what i have read above, seems a lot of people are having trouble with them lately. Too bad, their prices and quality were always top notch. But it seems they have some serious issues, or they are not interested in running a legit business any longer.

L-1 said,

on December 14th, 2011 at 23:46

Experience:

What “Experience” says is very true,something has changed and not for the better. Although some are doing fine as always, some are seeing problems not seen prior. No email or member response to questions, no reason why Mastercard is no longer approved, delivery questions, payment approval of Visa, something seems to have gone wrong. Probably w/ the Mastercard problem. Could it be too many refused to pay Mastercard due to quality questions?

potus said,

on December 21st, 2011 at 15:31

Experience: Neutral

I have ordered for about 3 years from Puro, all with good results. I have had 2 shipments fall into the hands of the Grinches in Chicago (last December, when things got tough). Both were re-shipped without question and arrived fine. I placed an order on 12/11 (Sunday night) and was thrilled when it arrived 12/19. As far as the new payment system goes, I now have to call my bank if the order amount is over around $150. If I do not do that the order is declined. Other than that, for me all has been status quo with Puro.

Update (Feb 2 2012) I have switched from positive to neutral on my thoughts here. I just recieved a 3 pack of Open Eagles that were covered in mold. Luckily it was white mold (and not blue) that wiped right off. After emailing Vicky about it she suggested that it was plum (and also said that they have only had 2 documented cases of mold). Most research will show that mold is much more likely than plum, with plum only showing after long aging. Anyone who buys from PE will know that they sell young boxes. Anyway, it was only a 3 pack and the mold had not attacked the foot, so I wiped them down and will keep them. Combine that with the following though:

-No Visa anymore (although email them and they can do it manually)
-ID numbers cut off seals (leading me to think they are grey market cigars)
-Young cigars

You cannot beat their prices, but I may look elsewhere for a source

danb said,

on December 28th, 2011 at 23:20

Experience:

My experience with PE has been great the last several years. I noticed many recent negative reviews here. Their site used to say it was owned by Bjorck Bros. This seems to have changed.
It now reads;Lyonnel Consulting AG, trading as puroexpress.com, is located in the Tax Free Zone at Geneva Airport, Switzerland.
Buro 1120 Fret Cargo Aeroport de Geneve, 1211 Switzerland.

Please use the customer issues system integrated into our site for customer support.

Tel: +41 22 534 97 35
Fax: +64 3 929 9560

Seems like a change of ownership. Could explain alot. Now i am nervous to order from them.

Update (Apr 5 2012) I have not had any issues with Puro. As long as they take VISA i am good. I just recieved a box of Trinidad robustos.

adsy22 said,

on January 3rd, 2012 at 11:23

Experience: Neutral

Anyone from Australia purchased from these guys? we are subject to pay over $400 per box for good cubans, cohiba, montes etc and seeing prices world wide(i know they exclude our country’s excise which btw is $430 per kilo of tobacco) a hell of a lot cheaper than ours makes it very attractive. Even once you calculate in the excise (around 100$ for a box of rubustos x 25)its hard to imagine how they keep the prices so low. No trade restrictions here means i should negate the customs confiscated angle……

pacman41 said,

on January 3rd, 2012 at 23:40

Experience: Neutral

I am in Australia & have been purchasing from PE for over 3 years without a hitch (apart from Australia Post misdirecting a parcel after I had paid customs duty etc – took 4 weeks to get to me from Sydney).

I usually buy 3 or 5 packs, as Aust Customs usually allow them in duty free, but I don’t know how long this will last as things seem to be tightening up. My choice is limited doing it this way, so sometimes I will splurge on a larger box and pay duty.

A 25 box of corona size sticks (10 grams each) will cost you about $120 duty plus GST. Still works out much much cheaper than buying from an Aust B & M store (if you can find one locally – my closest is about a 2 hour drive).

Cheers
PC

ckgdrums said,

on January 9th, 2012 at 21:17

Experience: Neutral

I purchased a box of 10 Partagas Serie D. No. 4′s from PE. The barcode was removed, but the seal was still intact. I e-mailed them about it, and they gave me a bit of a run-around, in my opinion. This was my first box of Cuban cigars so I have nothing to reference it with. I am at their mercy unless I can get another way to verify if they are legit.

Cohibalvr said,

on January 10th, 2012 at 03:17

Experience:

I was a little skeptical after reading mixed reviews online. However I decided to place an order with PE ( Cohiba siglo III tubos ). I was pleasantly surprised when I received my sticks this evening after only 4 working days. They are now in my humidor and I will be placing another order next week!

Tim said,

on January 19th, 2012 at 10:57

Experience:

Been a customer for 3 years with no problems at all. Recomended!

Tip said,

on January 26th, 2012 at 15:50

Experience: Neutral

I have used PE alot over the last 6 months and I have always had a fast, quality service from them. Keep up the good work Vicky et all.

BRONXBOMBER63 said,

on February 14th, 2012 at 01:15

Experience:

I’ve been dealing with puro for around 5 years never had any issues with their service,only time there was trouble was in NOV.’10,when feds grabbed my smokes,e-mailed Vickey @puro told her what happened and reshipped order,all she needed was any paperwork from the taken cigars,as far as fakes,check every box with bar codes and always comes up legit.

Update (Mar 30 2012) As with any cigars you buy from the internet you must be aware of what and who you buy from,as with time you should be able to know a cuban cigar from fakes,just by smoking them!But yes checking all proper labels and barcodes bands,hologrames is a must.Boxes from Puro that I have purchased have always checked out fine.Again,I have never had any issues with this company.I hope I never get screwed by them,but you never know!I never trust anybody 100%,but so far so good with Puro.Here”s the label barcode for anyone to check,its the white label on the front of a box of Partagas Serie D,000007771997,check it on the Habanos s.a. web.Motherxxxxxxs check out legit!,as well as other boxes of cigars I got.Like I said I trust them til they fxxk me.

theharleyman said,

on February 23rd, 2012 at 00:39

Experience:

I have been with puroexpress for over 10 years when the Bjork brothers owned the shop. They were always gracious and accomodating. About 6 months ago i noticed that i wasnt receiving my monthly specials and started looking at the website and found that their stock was very sparce. I then tried to contact them to see if they were under new management or owners with no responce from them, I tried calling and found the line disconnected. After months of trying, last month i finally got a responce from a person by the name of Vicky and found her to be rude and impersonal. My friends have had the same problem. I will never order from them again.

Mario P said,

on March 1st, 2012 at 09:11

Experience:

I thought I post here in order to help others from wasting their money.
I have been smoking a couple of cigars a day for sixteen years regularly and most of them have been Cuban cigars in Europe.
Originally from Europe I reside both in the US and Europe.
Never ordered Cubans on line before and on recommendation of others I ordered a couple or three boxes and from several vendors mentioned here to see what I get including from Puros express.
Two boxes out of the three I ordered from Puros had no bar codes but one did.
The ones that had the bar code are Jose L Piedra which are very cheap cigars.
The others are premium Partagas and Montecristos which I have smoked many of in the past and very familiar with their taste and variations from previous vintages through the years.
I want to be clear what I experienced for the benefit of all here that seem to be confused about real and fake cigars focusing on the authenticity of bands boxes and etc and quite often not knowing what Cuban cigars suppose to TASTE like.
All these vendors are unfortunately capitalizing on their customers lack of experience and they are playing a bad game of confusing everyone with cigars that are both FAKE AND REAL quite often in the same shipment and even in the same box even though the box it self can be both real or fake!
The majority of the cigars that received from Puros TASTE fake with out a doubt in the world regardless of construction,color of ash,bands etc and most amazing is with in the same fake box of fakes to come across a couple of real ones!
Amazing!
Another box all fakes,boxes with holograms not in the proper place and the barcodes peeled like if the individual smoker can ever have any effect on the distributors ….what a bunch of bs coming from other vendors(puros does not even answer mail) for the ones that buy it….there is a lot of real Cubans in the US also in the hands of many aficionados no distributor is responsible about how they get here since they do not send them here only these vendors that sell fakes will tell you so!
Most interesting 25 Piedras for 55 dollars are all real and two years old with the bar codes on and taste great for the prize also!
Wake up America and taste your cigars and if you like the taste of the fakes I guess you are getting a good deal.
In the main time I will start smoking my real cigars that taste so yammy and try to repair all the damage to my palate tasting garbage for a few weeks now……
Go get yourselves some cheap Fuentes or something to train your taste buds a little on cigars and remember there is NO REAL CUBANS that will not be fun to smoke unless you are buying fakes.
If your vendor tells you they are young,need humidor time etc how ever so valid to say since all these will improve your smokes ,the truth is Cubans taste great even when young and the strong ones awesome when aged properly but all taste great anytime , never bitter or flavorless.
By the way Puros will not even return an e mail…stay away from them and all the rest that want to sell you open boxes with out codes to verify and even when they do USE and have faith in YOUR TASTE BUDS,they will take you to the cigars worth smoking.
Happy smoking

Supertuscan said,

on March 5th, 2012 at 23:15

Experience:

Partagas Serie D No. 4
Montecristo No. 4
These arrived September 8, 2011. Puffed one of each upon arrival and they were terrible, so I thought I would let them rest six months or so to see if they might improve. They did not improve at all.
They taste like cigars that were allowed to go out half way in and then set aside for an hour before relighting, without recutting.
Very tight draw; ashy and bitter taste. Terrible. Puro also charged more than billed.
Anyone who has never smoked Cubans might think this is how they are supposed to profile and this kind of terrible service is business as usual.
Wrong. Run, run away from this place.

chriscarp said,

on March 11th, 2012 at 03:04

Experience:

I’ve bought from Puro for several years and never had a problem (over one hundred boxes and thousand of dollars). In November 2011 I purchased a second box of their custom rolled Bespokes since I enjoyed the first so much. This box had construction problems, draw and burn issues, and a horrible ammonia taste. I contacted them and asked if they could at least give me a discount on a new box since I was a very good customer and these were clearly bad smokes at over $300 a box (I didn’t really want to go through the trouble of a return) “Vicky” was rude, condescending, and forget the discount, she didn’t even want to honor their “100% Satisfaction guarantee” (she said it did not cover my “subjective” claim of being a bad batch).

I gave up and recently tried to give them one more chance. Found they have actually gone so far as to block my account. Fine with me, plenty of other good choices and things have definitely changed since it went from Bjork Brothers to new hands.

Stay Away.

MNeasyA said,

on March 20th, 2012 at 07:00

Experience:

Recently ordered from Puroexpress and received H. Upman Magnum 50 AT- box date Nov ’08, Punch Punch AT- box date Sep ’09, and one day later Montecristo A coffins- box date Oct ’10. All in 10 days total!! No problems getting them state side and safely into my humidor. My only draw back, which is minor, was no tracking numbers. Otherwise I plan to use them again and would prefer to use them again. The Magnums are delicious!!!! I really don’t know why people have any issues with Puroexpress, I know I didn’t. I have been duped in the past and have had real Habanos and these are the real deal, no question about it

dangerousdave said,

on March 26th, 2012 at 10:18

Experience:

Ordered box of 25 (5×5 boxes) Jose L. Piedra Cremas, and they arrived promptly, 6 days later, (which is very good in Australia).

In this age of buying things on the Internet, I’m not entirely sure why people complain so much about service. PE’s prices are fantastic, and while I’m sure it would suck to have trouble with an order and have the people at the other end unhelpful, these are the risks you run when shopping on the Internet. If you want to know you will get good service, go to your local cigar shop (unless you’re in the US obviously, then you should be lobbying your government to stop this silly embargo). If you have another online cigar shop that you trust more than PE and have similar prices then go ahead and buy stuff there if you’re worried what people have been saying here (for the record, I’ve never had a problem with PE, and I will continue to use them). Otherwise you can either pay a premium for better peace of mind (perhaps) or try them out and see if you can pay a bit less for your Cubans.

Hepcat said,

on March 30th, 2012 at 17:56

Experience:

While I didn’t get a tracking number like I did with a competitor, the box I got from Puroexpress had the label intact, verified on Habanos website, and the cigars arrived in about a week.

They are now my cuban cigar source.

MadMac74 said,

on April 2nd, 2012 at 05:21

Experience:

First purchase w/ PE, recommended to them by a friend who’s used them for 2+ years. Got 10x Montecristo #2′s, and 5 pack of Cohiba Siglo IV’s. No payment problems, ~$155 usd on Amex card, so about $10/stick. Not sure why others report payment issues, maybe for non-US there are probs. Shipping arrived fine within 1 week to US west coast. Bar code was removed on the #2′s, no bar code on the 5-pack, suspect they don’t have them on small packs? #2 box had hologram, burned in habanos stamp, and ROA JUL 11 mark. I have tried both and they seem pretty decent, probably should let them rest a bit more. #2 was comparable to a #2 I picked up in Brazil (for $30 for one stick!), somewhat sweet aroma. Altogether I’m pretty pleased, but wary of all the naysayers and ownership change notes. We’ll see. I’ll order again unless someone shows some pretty serious proof of truly bad cigars. Grey market doesn’t bother me.

BRONXBOMBER63 said,

on April 5th, 2012 at 03:50

Experience: Neutral

MadMac74,I like the way you think.grey market smokes don’t bother me either,still gettin a decent smoke for a great price,as with payment issues and shippin,so far not a problem,some of these clowns can’t afford to buy’em or got fxxked-up credit!,thats why they complain.Never had any issues with payment,and shipping usually runs about a week.Enjoy your smokes and hope all your dealings with Puro are good.

theharleyman said,

on April 5th, 2012 at 18:56

Experience: Neutral

To Bronxbomber, I am sure that with all the bad press that they have been getting from people they screwed with like myself, They are probably realizing that they cant f00l around with the USA because we wont stand for it and not afraid to voice our opinion. I still will not order from them because there is no number to reach them and they arent the bjork bros.

BRONXBOMBER63 said,

on April 5th, 2012 at 21:31

Experience: Neutral

To theharleyman,sorry for your problem with Puro,but I myself have never run into any issuues with them,In my earlier post the only time there was a problem was Nov’10 when feds in Chicago grabbed my smokes,Vicky was cool about it and resent my smokes at no cost to me.I think the new owners are called Lionel Consulting or some shxt,but as long as they still have the smokes I want at the price I want, I ‘ll still buy’em,and like I said before, I don”t trust anybody 100%,but so far so good.And every box I got have been legit.

Dawhitley said,

on April 7th, 2012 at 05:08

Experience:

Excellent service. Placed order, received confirmation quickly, and received cigars just 9 days later in perfect shape!

nick2021 said,

on April 8th, 2012 at 19:52

Experience: Neutral

Strongly disagree with your statement bronxbombers about people with messed up credit and can’t afford them as being the complainers of PE payment system. If you’ve followed PE, they’ve switched payment process several times, making it impossible for some to place orders (including myself). However, it seems like they just changed the payment system again as it looked different and this time I was able to process an order (which I haven’t been able to do for a while). I’ve bought a LOT of boxes from them and never had a problem, so I’m happy that my only issue with them seems to have been resolved. Will see how it goes with my new order.

BRONXBOMBER63 said,

on April 10th, 2012 at 01:04

Experience:

nick2021,I have placed orders wit PE for 5 years strong and never had problems paying them,they used to take MC but now they take Visa,I just use a debit card so all my payments are PIF (paid in full) at purchase,now what I mean is some of you jokers don”t have the Visa card so they have problems paying for their shxt!With a debit card cash is transfered at purchase so they get their money upfront no waiting.They know you got the cash with a debit.So yeah if you don’t have a Visa cc your bascially fxxked.And I placed an order in Feb and everything went smooth as silk.

purodecabo said,

on April 11th, 2012 at 19:12

Experience:

I have been a satisfied customer for about 11 years. I live in Mexico, where casa de habano is available. It is a well known fact that the “A” grade cuban cigars go to Europe and the Orient, not latin america. Here in Mexico at casa de habano, the prices are much higher and the quality is not even close to the same. Plus, there is so much fraud and counterfeiting that goes on here that you never know what you are going to get.
When Puro Express recently updated their order process it was a little tough to make it work at first, but I just received a box of Monte Cristos Edmundos – one of my favorites last week. As usual they are beautiful and delicious. I have ordered between 50-60 boxes of cigars over the years from puro express. There have only been 2 instances where I had any trouble. One instance was when I received a box of Cuaba Salamones and they were damaged. Puro Express immediately sent me a new box, no questions asked. The other occasion a box was confiscated during shipping. After a couple emails back and forth, puro express shipped me a new box. Aside from the consistency of delivery, I have never had an experience with lack of cigar quality with Puro Express. These other companies that repackage and remove bands, etc I think are suspect. Kudos to puro express, it used to be the best kept secret of cigar ordering and now you have to run to the computer and order when your favorites come back in stock!!!

cell said,

on April 14th, 2012 at 08:05

Experience:

Had a box confiscated by Customs. When I posted a photo of the confiscation letter from Customs, Vicky credited my account for all the cigars that didnt show up.

My next box purchase of 25 cigars, had 8 cigars with the wrapper peeling off the foot. When I sent photos of them, Vicky credited my account again!

That’s GREAT customer service!

ysr_Racer said,

on May 3rd, 2012 at 02:36

Experience:

Ordered Trinidad Robusto Extra (1×3) on April 26, got them on May 2.

The real deal.

LuvHabanos said,

on May 8th, 2012 at 04:08

Experience:

I have been buying from PE for over 2 years and have always had a good experience. Product is always delivered in excellent condition and is authentic. All PE purchases have had the appropriate taste for the brand / cigar as compared with cigars purchased from various La Casa del Habano stores over the past 17 years. Many boxes have included the code which verified as authentic at the Habanos site as well. Boxes where the code is cut off are still sealed with authentic original seals. It is true that many boxes PE ships are young [around a year of age / sometimes a few months less], but I have also received boxes with 2 years of age. With young boxes, one must let those Habanos rest at least a few months in the humidor before smoking, and best if aged a year or more, but I’m not always so patient :o)

Customer service is excellent. I did have some minor issues with the changes in payment processor, but as soon as my bank contacted me for verification, the payment process has been smooth. I actually like the new system better as you can just log in online and see the status of your order and also submit any questions and get answers online. I always get prompt responses to inquires. I also had one shipment confiscated and was asked to email a copy of the “letter” and my card was promptly credited.

I guess the cat is out of the bag on PE as inventory has been more sparse and prices have gone up a bit lately, although prices are still essentially the best available. So to the naysayers out there, go away so there’s more for me!!

sactochris said,

on May 16th, 2012 at 23:39

Experience:

I placed my order on Sat. the 5th, and the cigars arrived today, Wen. the 16th and they look great. This was my first order from PE so I only ordered a couple of 3 packs but they look super. One of them has some really nice plume on them. I’m anxious to give them a try.

bobc said,

on May 17th, 2012 at 05:20

Experience: Neutral

Prices at PE have jumped up over 30% on every box in the last month. I have ordering from them for the last 5 years, never had a problem with delivery or quality, but bought a box of siglo III’s one month ago for about 220US and not the same box is 286US. That is way to much of a price hike for me to order from them until their prices fall back to reasonable. All the cigars have jumped up dramatically over the last month!

JimS1983 said,

on May 19th, 2012 at 01:24

Experience: Neutral

This is a wonderful site for cuban cigars. I’ve ordered from them 5 times with no problems. Shipping is very quick and takes 7-9 days. I’ve ordered Siglo VI’s, numerous boxes of PSD4′s and the Serie D Especial. The one box of the Serie D had a box date of January 2012 but still smoked beautifully. The other D4′s I’ve had were amazaing as well and came with bloom on them.

rx2man said,

on May 19th, 2012 at 08:29

Experience: Neutral

Guys its not plume on your sticks its mold. I am thinking PE has their warehouse over humidified. Anything 2010 and later you should be ok, there may be a little mold here and there. Anything 2009 and earlier and I bet you are hosed. Had to return a box of 2009 Cuaba Exclusivos. They were too far gone and smelled musty and moldy. The replacements had mold as well a 2010 box but not enough to worry about. Plume is crystally, mold is fuzzy. They will at least let you return them if too far gone.

JimS183 said,

on May 20th, 2012 at 05:44

Experience:

I’ve been smoking for a while and am fully aware of the distinction between what is mold and what is bloom.

Hugs0352 said,

on June 1st, 2012 at 23:50

Experience:

Ordered a box (20) of Montecristo Open Eagles from them for my first order. Only took about 7-8 days to get them. It was my first order so I had no idea what to expect or if they would even make it. Needless to say they did and I am one happy camper!!

Sebast said,

on June 12th, 2012 at 15:15

Experience: Neutral

Hi guys,
i have ordered cigars from PE for few years now, never really experienced any problems with them except recently when getting married i ordered cigars for the reception…i didn’t receive my order, then when contacting customer support, this rude Vicky told me that no order have been placed and when i gave them the order number (confirmed on my email)…no answer…at least they didn’t take money from me but i didn’t have my cigars at my wedding….
now i decided to place another order for 5 boxes….asking them to make sure the cigars would be shipped separately as they say they do…
and of course, the only one time i asked them to do so, they shipped all the boxes together….and the custom kept the parcel…
i had to pay the taxes on that, which i know is my responsibility….but after asking them to make sure this order would be send in different parcels, they didn’t do it..
i am not even speaking about the way Vicky answer to emails, rude and unprofessional…
i know this website is cheaper than other but trust me, i will now pay more for better service, i am not EVER ordering one cigar from this vendor

Sebast said,

on June 12th, 2012 at 15:19

Experience:

i forgot to mention of course that my experience was more than negative

dbacr said,

on June 15th, 2012 at 23:34

Experience:

I just received 2 boxes of Trinidad Robusto and reyes. Delivered in 8 days. Both boxes are in good condition. I’ve been lucky.

sactochris said,

on June 26th, 2012 at 00:55

Experience:

I ordered a couple more 3 packs and I had them in 7 days! They look great!

Casey said,

on June 26th, 2012 at 02:11

Experience:

I purchashed 4 separate 3 packs, romeo juliet, H Upman, Partagas, & Cohiba. Paid extra for the humidity pack. The only smokables were the Cohibas, the rest were horrible. Uneven burn, sour, and weird. Would not stay lit. One cigar actually tunneled so badly the wrapper shrank and the whole cigar shrank as it was smoked. I threw it away. I won’t speculate on authenticity, but i’m a veteran cigar smoker, and I judge for myself without outside influence, and these cigars were BAD. Never again. My Father blows them all away

rx2man said,

on June 26th, 2012 at 09:00

Experience: Neutral

Having ordered from PE before if your sticks are not old and moldy then they are most likely to wet and need a month to dry out to low 60′s RH……IMHO

JERRYS7620 said,

on July 1st, 2012 at 20:56

Experience:

Many of my friend have ordered from PE and no problems. Ordered box of 25 Pataugas Lusitania’s on June 23, 2012 received them June 30,2012 in great condition and real. Will keep ordering from them

attaboy55 said,

on July 9th, 2012 at 18:44

Experience:

after purchasing quite a number of cigars from these people over a 4 year period only 1 yes only 1 problem was encountered that was cigar massacre in chicago, (ICE ICE baby) during thanksgiving 2 years ago and that was NOT the fault of Puro Express. Vicky new the score and ALL was made good I hate buying fakes and have, but do not order assuming fakes they get edgey and have a right to, as we know a little and are trying to tell them a lot. The only caveat is these cigars are GREEN, have I mentioned GREEN!!!! , Don’t run around the house when you smoke one and it has off taste, assuming they are fake they are GREEN!!!!!! let them age( up to 2 years and keep your hands off and don’t peek every day) yea I know 2 years but I assure you when you fire one up from that same coveted box in a year or so they are different altogether they ain’t GREEN . Your heart rate will go back to normal and your fleeting memory of supposed fakes a year ago( analyzing band, box, wrapper, cap. tobacco, fingerprints ,DNA,saliva,hair samples, U V light etc. ,yes I see you smiling you know what I mean,) will be simply be smoke in the wind .Try it for yourself and if I am wrong may I be kept out of heaven like Mark Twain .I know I don’t trust anybody either,when then try it for yourself as I said but I can save you hypertension.

edmundo cohiba o'reilly said,

on July 14th, 2012 at 03:10

Experience:

I’m revising my review after a couple of issues. As another customer wrote, i too bought a box of their 220.00 cohiba Sig lll and knew immediately theyre bogus. It wasnt the warped cover on the box, or the poorly placed habanos label, the missing bar code or the smeared cuban seal. It wasnt the fact 6 of so sticks were bent from the pressure of the ribbon. Simply, its not cuban tobac…period. b4 this I bought a 10 box of party Milles fleur which had green mold on 6 of the 10. Told them about it nicely, sent several good close up shots and told them no big deal it happens. Told them I didn’t want a refund, id scrape and smoke em, (been smoking since the 60s guys, not a big deal. They insisted on a “partial refund as a show of good faith” and then burned me for this crap. Since the b bros. left, this place has gone to the dogs. Saved the sticks for the mooch neighbors…just a “show of good faith I dont steal” too many good guys out there to spend my money here. I’ve bought alot from these guys over the years, and have had some outstanding examples of fine cubans. It only takes one time. JUST SAY NO!!!
HEY PE…WAS IT WORTH MY LOUSY 220.00??

brianmcg1 said,

on July 14th, 2012 at 05:35

Experience:

I have ordered from PE for 7-8 years. I have noticed much longer than average delivery times over the past 18 months and very little effort made to provide quality customer service. I am not hard to please but I refuse to be treated like s*&#@. I am taking my business elsewhere!

jamie said,

on July 17th, 2012 at 19:42

Experience:

I had referred a friend of mine to this site as I have been a loyal customer for numerous years. He ordered a box of Monty 2 and when he received them they were anything but those! I brought this to their attention and they gave me this bulls&*$ disertation on the quality of cigars coming in and the Swiss inspection process making sure all cigars are of cuban origin. Well I asked them to at least reimburse the gentlrman and of course that never happened. Believe me when I tell you they were most definetly fake!!! Recently I have been trying to place an order just to see if maybe they had a bad batch and I can’t seem to get to the credit card payment window as it just keeps coming up blank. I have sent 5 emails since May asking for advise and still nothing. With the Bjorck Bros gone so is the quality and assurance of this companies cigars. What a shame as this was once a real bright light in the cuban cigar business.

Update I need to expand on my previous comment as I was reading other reviews from a different site and another gentleman seemed to be having the same issues as I. He stated after he complained about the authenticity of the box of cigars to PE they ended up putting a block on his account and will not answer his emails.The bottom line is if we as a society of concerned cuban cigar smokers ban together and stop ordering from this site they will certainly have to change their tune or go out of business. Again, a real shame after the departure of the Bjorck Bros.

Tim said,

on July 20th, 2012 at 14:48

Experience:

Researched online for cuban cigar retailers that looked legit. came across puroexpress, look good, very professional and great prices and had good reviews from previous customers. Decided to give a try with a box of 10 Cohiba Siglo VI. Shipping took a little longer but only because I’m living in Japan but had them shipped to a Navy ship FPO address which sends them from Switzerland, to NY then NJ then here to Japan. Total transit time was about 13 days. Extremely satisfied with transaction and highly recommened this company.

LuvHabanos said,

on July 27th, 2012 at 06:45

Experience:

Sadly, I have to now change my rating of PE to thumbs down as well. I had received a box where some of the cigars clearly had some mold. Since this can happen from time to time I just logged an issue online with PE, was asked to upload some photos of the mold, got an RMA and returned the cigars for a refund.

I thought all was well and that I had just gotten great customer service again, but when I tried to place another order I ran into the same issue as Jamie describes above, where you can’t pay for an order you are trying to complete online. I logged another inquiry and was told that the returned cigars did not have any mold, and that it was plume, and that they blocked my account because they have small margins on the cigars they sell and can’t have people returning cigars that don’t have mold.

I know the difference between plume and mold and this was definitely not plume. It was a white fuzzy blotchy mold that left white streaks on the wrapper when wiped off, and it was all embedded between the layers of tobacco on the foot of some cigars. Plume is crystalline and powdery in structure and easily wipes off the cigar, and is NEVER embedded between the layers of tobacco at the foot of the cigar like cotton candy.

Needless to say I am not happy about being treated in this manner, would no longer do business with PE, and have advised all my friends of my experience and to not buy from PE either. It’s sad because I had always gotten great product and service from them in the past. It definitely seems like there has been a change for the worse there as others are recently describing as well. Do yourself a favor and avoid this vendor, there are other good vendors listed on this site, and I’m hoping to get great product and service from one or more of them moving forward.

purodecabo said,

on July 27th, 2012 at 18:23

Experience:

I have to say that I have continued to have good experience with Puro Express and can’t imagine that I am the only one! As mentioned in my previous post, the couple issues I have had over the 11 years I have been using puro express were dealt with in a friendly, prompt and professional manner to my satisfaction.
Just ordered a box of my favorite Monte Cristo Edmundos as well as the newly released Partagas Series E No 2. Both boxes arrived within 2 weeks and in pristine condition. If you haven’t tried the Series E No 2 yet, it is truly an amazing cigar! It compares with the Cohiba Siglo VI from 5-8 years ago. An incredible smoke that is well worth the $500 per box price tag.

Dale said,

on July 28th, 2012 at 13:48

Experience: Neutral

Always a great experience when ordering w/ PE! Just had an order that customs seized reshipped; the reshipped order arrived in 4 days in perfect condition. This is the second time that PE has reshipped a seized package – the cigar value for both orders was around $750.
Voting neutral because I have already voted positive in another post.

CurtP said,

on August 3rd, 2012 at 02:47

Experience:

I have shopped PE for over 9 years with nearly 100 boxes shipped. In that time, 2 boxes were lost in transit and another 2 suffered verified customs entanglements. Refunds or reships were always made with no problem. Always great service from Sam and Rolf, and more recently with Vicky. PE is my #1 Habanos purveyor. Best in class.

Hugs0352 said,

on August 29th, 2012 at 18:27

Experience: Neutral

Just got my second box of Montecristo’s today. Arrived quickly and in good shape. I did notice however that the seal that identifies the cigars as authentic is missing the barcode, I can see if the seal was cut to inspect the contents but to have the barcode missing makes me wonder about the legitimacy of the contents?? Are they authentic? Any other telltale signs to know? The barcode in my opinion is the only real way to tell fake from authentic.

Jason said,

on August 31st, 2012 at 19:06

Experience:

Hugs0352. There are other ways of identifying real cubans vs. fake besides the barcode. Although the barcode is the easiest way to tell. Inspect the box, did it have the burnt-in Habano’s on the back? This is a sure way to tell if they’re legit or not. Did it have the thin cedar sheet with the halfmoon in the corner covering the cigars? It should have that. Smell the cigars…they should have a deep sweet aroma to them. Fill the cigars. They should be uniform and should not have hard and soft spots. Are the cigar bands uniform? They shouldn’t be loose or anything. The box they were shipped in is a sure way to tell if they’re legit. They should have a Habano’s sticker on the top right hand corner with the Cuban Seal. I just received my shipment last week and it had the barcode on it and I looked it up and they were 100% legit.

I forgot to add one more thing. Are your cigars tripple capped? Real cuban cigars have a tripple cap at the top. If yours are, then that’s a very good sign they’re legit.

Nick said,

on September 7th, 2012 at 00:49

Experience:

I assume most of you guys are located in the states. I am in Europe so perhaps there si a difference… but beware. I received my Montechristo Petit Edmundos within 10 days, but shipped from China!!! I wrote to them questioning authenticity, as there was no bar code, the box writing seemed to be a bit off, few labels were missing and no barcodes of course… Cigars have an after taste, and as far as I can make, they are not authentic. Vickys response was that yes they are located in Switzerland but for some countires they ship from China! Like France, Spain… I am not convinced, will not be ordering again.

JLO said,

on September 7th, 2012 at 19:26

Experience:

I have made several purchases with them over the last few years and I am officially done. There has been a steady decline in their product and now you could throw customer service in there as well.

Recently I received a box of Montecristo Petit Edmundos that were in such poor condition half the cigars were actually broken and unsmokable. In my 20+ years purchasing cigars this was the first time I was ever inclined to return a box (they were that bad). I contacted PE, sent in pictures and requested an exchange. After thousands of dollars in purchases over the course of time you would think they would be more than willing to satisfy a good customer and replace a box that should never have been sent out in the first place.

Well unfortunately that wasn’t the case. They agreed to take the box back and so I sent it. After receiving back the decrepit box of Petit Edmundos, they sent me an email stating there was nothing wrong with them and that they were “smokable”. Really? That’s what I get for my $200? Something that’s “smokeable”? First off the cigars were broke and could not be smoked, and is that the kind of product you’re trying to push on your long time customers?

After that email I asked to be refunded and to do nothing else. I did get credited which I honestly wasn’t expecting, but of course my account has now been blocked like others have stated. I’m actually not too upset about that so I could never again be tempted to purchase from this horrific company. Good riddance…

count von rascula said,

on September 8th, 2012 at 19:31

Experience:

been smoking habanos for 10 years now… puro’s supply is legit & the quality is decent.
they don’t open and inspect, so don’t take it personal if you get a box with 20-30% plugged. or a a few cracked wrappers.
that’s a habanos thing-

deepart said,

on September 9th, 2012 at 16:56

Experience: Neutral

My first 3 orders from PE were good, but my last order of Bolivar’s was not real cubans. When I cut the end of the torpedo, it was full of stems. I knew right then I got burned. Will not do business with them ever again. Now I get my cigars from costa rica, which is owned by a cuban cigar maker.
His cigars are some of the best I have ever smoked, and the price is right.

reelchip said,

on September 21st, 2012 at 17:02

Experience:

I have received about 12 boxes from PuroExpress. All have arrived in approximately 10 days (Ohio). The cost is competitive, the cigars are in good shape. All of the boxes I receive have bee opened and resealed, not sure what that’s about. I am a satisfied customer. It was good to read the review of the guy who got his money back. I know that their promise but wasn’t sure they’d back it up. All the more reason that I will keep dealing with them!

CubanPete2012 said,

on September 24th, 2012 at 19:09

Experience:

I have been dealing with Puro Express for nearly a year now, I live in the UK where cigar prices are absolutely extortionate and am now on my seventh order 5 x 3 Hoyo De Monterrey Epicure No.2 my previous orders a Cabinet of Cohiba Siglo I’s, 10 box of Partagas Series D No.4 and Series P No.2, Cohiba Robusto’s all orders arrived in 4 working days and all the cigars were in perfect order with both Cuban and Habanos SA Seals and very well packed in bubble wrap.
I would highly recommend Puro Express their site is very professionally organized and you can get automatic restock email alerts, with free postage and packing and their full satisfaction guarantee what more could you ask for and the cigars are the genuine item otherwise I wouldn’t be here singing their praise

mike said,

on October 3rd, 2012 at 19:12

Experience: Neutral

I have ordered from PE mor than once, gotten 3 boxes of partagas aristocrats, bolivar petite coronas, HDM petit robustos and a few others, july 3 i ordered another box of partagas aristocrats and a month later hadnt received them, they sent a second shipment and got in the next week. draw on all of them was horrible, had to throw a few out. inspected the box and several red flags went up telling me they sold me fakes. i have a box i know was legit and compared and alot of things were off. be careful ordering from PE

wadayawant said,

on October 12th, 2012 at 19:11

Experience:

First time ordering. Two 5 packs (Monte #4 & Cohiba Siglo III) Both packaged great, seals in tact, tasted great. Very positive first experience!

cigar dragon said,

on October 16th, 2012 at 04:31

Experience: Neutral

My first time ordering as well. Decided to try other shops as my shop over last 4 years became grey. Ordered a box each on Oct 4th from CigarOne, FinestCubanCigars, and Puro. CigarOne came in 5 days, authentic, one of the best boxes ever on the net but bit pricy. FCC in 6 days – bit dry. PE asks 21 business days and doesn’t provide tracking codes – still awaiting. These guys need to realize there’s a lot of competition out there.

JonnT said,

on October 19th, 2012 at 01:15

Experience:

Awesome place. No seals broken, securely shipped, and fast shipping. Ordered it Friday morning, around 1am and it was shipped out that day. Received it the Wednesday of the next week, so 3 days from shipping to my door step (and through you know who)!!

Can’t wait to order more!!

Mr. Deeds said,

on October 23rd, 2012 at 23:06

Experience: Neutral

I’ve placed my second order with PE back on Sept. 27th. Box shipped next day and I’m still waiting. My first order arrived after only 8 days. I’m now going on 17 “business days”, or almost a month depending on how you count days. I’ve sent numerous e-mails and have gotten responses on all of them telling me to be patient. My first order was awesome, fast shipping, quality Partagas cigars with Cuban Seal and everything. Barcode came back legit after plugging it into the Habano’s website. So, if my cigars don’t arrive this week then I will have a bitter taste in my mouth (no pun intended) towards PE. Of course, I’d rather have the sweet caramel taste of a Partagas!

Cigar Dragon said,

on October 24th, 2012 at 05:16

Experience:

An update from my previous entry.
I received the cigars today, nicely packaged. 12 Trinidad T-Shorts LE2010. Smoked and initial feeling was these are way different from the ones smoked 10~12 months ago. Gotta be fair, and decided to put the rest away in the humidor for another 2 weeks. Despite they mentioning 21 business days, I guess my negative with Puro is that the delivery took total 3 weeks to my door which is by far the longest I’ve experienced these 5 years ordering on the net. I mean with some HongKong vendors, since I live in Tokyo the package arrives 3 days after an order is placed. A Switzerland based vendor had them at my door in 6 days. Further, that they dont provide tracking. It maybe me being immature, but tracking for the cigar lover, enabales us to count those days till Christmas. Just got to Narita….its passed customs….etc. It’s part of the fun.

In total like the guy above, Puro left a sour taste in my mouth, and there are others on the net. Prices maybe 25$ higher than puro, but then thats $1 per cigar for a satisfaction guarantee.

Mr. Deeds said,

on October 24th, 2012 at 20:08

Experience: Neutral

Just wanted to follow up on my post from yesterday. I’ve sent another e-mail to PE expressing my concerns that I think my shipment never made it though Customs. I ask them to track the shipment themselves to tell me it’s current location. They write me back saying I didn’t pay the extra charge for tracking?? What’s that about. You mean to tell me they can’t track my shipment and give me it’s current location without charging me? WTF! They told me to give it until Novemeber 6th and if I haven’t received my order they will refund me or ship another. Keep in mind….I placed this order back on Sept. 27th. I’m getting irritated with PE!

BongoFury said,

on October 24th, 2012 at 22:57

Experience:

I have nothing but satisfactory words for Puros Express. Been ordering from them for the last 5+ years. I can’t ever recall having an issue with product, smoke-ability or delivery to Delaware. I use them every couple of months. I prefer smoking Petit Coronas and recently placed an order for Partagas Mille Fleurs on 10/9 (Tues). They were shipped 10/10 (Wed) with package arriving 10/19 (Fri). Granted these cigars aren’t the high end of the spectrum but for an everyday smoke, the price and flavor can’t be beat. All the markings appeared to be in order and will continue to use them as a source.

Zippo said,

on October 25th, 2012 at 00:31

Experience:

Mr. Deeds. Understand your concern, but their policy is to refund after 28 working days. I have never had an issue with them, and their product is legit.

rx2man said,

on October 25th, 2012 at 03:37

Experience: Neutral

Mr. Deeds as Zippo says you’ll either get your product or a refund once the required time has passed. PE can be slow to ship out, and sends their stuff slower. Also as you know there is no tracking making it all the more frustrating. Be happy if they show up and are’nt moldy…..I am sorry I mean lots of fuzzy “plume”. For me its worth it to spend a few dollars more and have em shipped faster and tracked. YMMV

Mr. Deeds said,

on October 25th, 2012 at 18:54

Experience: Neutral

Thanks Zippo and rx2man for your input. I know they will refund me my money or reship my cigars, I guess I just got spoiled on the fact that my first shipment arrived in 8 days from the time I shipped. I wish they were like other websites that provide a tracking number without paying for it. I know they have good quality cigars and I think they’re the real thing. I’m just growing concerned because Thanksgiving is around the corner and what better way to enjoy Thanksgiving than my smoking a couple of Cubans with the relatives!

jasonblu said,

on November 1st, 2012 at 00:47

Experience: Neutral

I received two boxes of Monte #2′s from PE. Everything looked legit EXCEPT the barcode was cut off with a box knife. This is not from the MFGR removing the seal and forgetting to put a new one on, like PE says happens. This has only one hologram seal, but the barcode is cut off. Why would anyone do that unless they dont want you punching in the number with the habanos website? I suspect these are elaborate fakes. I emailed PE and got a canned answer that avoided my question. Beware.

rhetorik said,

on November 1st, 2012 at 01:09

Experience: Neutral

@jasonblu
That is incorrect. Many of these vendors remove the bar code when shipping to the united states to prevent anyone finding their origin. They are just protecting themselves.

jasonblu said,

on November 1st, 2012 at 01:20

Experience: Neutral

Hmm. You are saying puroexpress cut away the barcode on my shipment to protect themselves? A poll is in order here. To all USA customers of PE reading this – were your hologram label barcodes cut away or not. I spent close to $500 on these. Would be very interested to know one way or the other. (Of course I hope they are real)

rx2man said,

on November 1st, 2012 at 05:03

Experience: Neutral

I think out of 20 or so boxes only 1 or 2 still had the bar code. Thats from 3 different venders. The worse thing is that Monte 2′s are in such high demand that they are some of the crappiest sticks made IMHO. Quality control sucks so you are left wondering are they real and they probably are they just look like turds. IMHO the lesser known brands are the ones to go with….not counterfieted and are’nt sending em out the door as fast as they can…..again IMO.

Smoker171 said,

on November 1st, 2012 at 20:24

Experience: Neutral

I have friends that have ordered from Puro and I’ve checked out their cigars…their cigars seem legit. I’m not exactly sure why they sent ME fakes. The varnish on the Siglo I box i ordered was off-color, the cedar sheet was wrong., and the cigars tasted awful, poorly rolled, the feet of the cigars were cut at a slant, and the length of the cigars differed by 1/4″. Also if they are duty free, why are cigars such as the Partagas E2 higher than LCDH prices, while Monte 2′s are way below LCDH prices…because they can’t fake the E2 of Behikes…it’s too obvious. Who knows, perhaps the fake cigars they sell are made of cuban leaf (explains some of the recent arrests in Cuba over fraud and exporting raw tobacco). I’ve also heard from people getting moldy cigars…perhaps distributors sell their moldy sticks to Puro at a discount and Puro unloads them. Who knows. Stick to tried and true sources for cuban cigars,La Casa Del Habanos or airport duty free.

McCleod said,

on November 7th, 2012 at 00:48

Experience:

I just read every one of the reviews posted here. If one did not know better, you could conclude that the “bad” reviews are the “fake” part of the conversations. I absolutely recommend PE. Vicky is very nice – to me!I have been ordering from PE for over two years. I average about 3 boxes per month. I have never had a problem of any kind! (I did receive three cigars with a little mold – I wiped it off) Am I just that lucky? I recommended PE to a friend. He received some cigars that had foot damage and also had some mold. He contacted PE; Vicky said send photo; he did; she credited his credit card for 1/3 of the order total when the damaged cigars amounted to about 1/5 of the order – what is not to like? I travel internationally; I know my cigars are not counterfeit. I don’t really concern myself too much about checking the barcodes. How can so many people have bad experiences? Do you really think PE screws every 10th customer and treats the remainder well? A puzzle to me? Regards.

Smoker171 said,

on November 7th, 2012 at 00:54

Experience:

I can assure you McCleod that I received fakes. Listen, if I received real cigars, I’d be more than happy to do business with them. I got burned, so I’m sticking to La Casa del Habano and duty-free shops.

Cigar Dragon said,

on November 7th, 2012 at 07:06

Experience: Neutral

Would like to follow up on my comment earlier, but before that, I reckon to label all “bad” reviews as “fake” is not so much a creditworthy posture, especially for a man of international travels.

The box of Trinidad Robusto T-Short LE2010 bought at Puro were put in the humidor for 2 weeks after it’s 1 month stray on cargo before reaching my doors. As with all 2010 productions, they still need maturity for the tobacco to stabilize and enhance it’s initially intended vibe. At this moment, it smokes a bit tangent still, but I have no doubts about it’s authenticity of being “real” habanos despite the barcode being removed. Still, I have bitter taste remaining in that the delivery took so long, further the unavailability of tracking codes. Perhaps due to my residency in Tokyo, HabanosHK delivers my shipment in 3 days – no shipping charges and prices not much different. Personal ties, likes/dislikes are all fine, but service is essential upon a competitive environment much so given today’s internet cigar traffic. I just hope Puro understands this client sentiment for their successful here on forward. After all, the more great shops on the internet, the merrier us buyers become.

McCleod said,

on November 7th, 2012 at 21:05

Experience: Neutral

“If one did not know better, you could conclude that the “bad” reviews are the “fake” part of the conversations.” That is actually what I said “if one did not know better.” Since the issue in Chicago, my deliveries have been faster, not slower. I get my deliveries in 7 – 10 days. If you look at top sellers of anything on Ebay, many of them have thousands of reviews, very consistent ratings for the most part – 98% or so often favorable. PE seems to be receiving very inconsistent reviews. Either thousands that are satisfied are not commenting or some of us have been very lucky.

PurodeCabo said,

on November 7th, 2012 at 21:17

Experience:

Its a little different from Ebay, as this product is considered contraband in the US.

FrenchSmoker said,

on November 7th, 2012 at 22:24

Experience:

PUROEXPRESS’ CIGARS ARE COUNTERFEITED !!

I bought one box of R&J Short Churchill. Smokable, even if they were not as good as the originals…
But on the parcel, there were a stamp of the chinese customs, saying that my parcel had been checked. They are sent from China !
DO NOT BUY AT PUROEXPRESS !!! It is a strong advice !

Cubanpete2012 said,

on November 9th, 2012 at 21:22

Experience:

I have had several orders from Puro express all very good best prices on the net and postage included but you dare not send anything back as they shut your account down, I had a bad Cab of Cohiba Siglo I’s which I got for my birthday in September 2012 they had a bitter burnt taste even with the pre light draw so I informed Vicky and eventually after 2 weeks re-embursed me for the cigars that I sent back in the cab box But all they keep saying is that they havent received the return yet and in the mean time my account remains shut, this is childish situation and now I have to go else where for my Cubans so be warned

rx2man said,

on December 8th, 2012 at 05:40

Experience:

I am not sure what to make of PE. Early in the year I recd. stick so moldy they were garbage. Too bad as they were 3 yr old stick, a little better humidity control and the buggers would have been good smokers. I sent them to their “return” processor in the U.S. and it was agreed they were moldy crap. Had a shipping credit on my account for sending em back…..was nice of em and they resent the bad sticks at the old price….got em right before the price increase. So its finally cooled off here in AZ to be ordering cigars and being I had a credit I thought I would use is as the sticks I was looking at were on sale. Ordered them 12/4. They came today. HUH 3 days from Europe. What the hell happened to P.E., before it took 3 weeks not 3 days. Wifey is all your cigars are here, I’m like huh……cant be, then the Swiss address and I am thinking I did not order from anyone else. The sticks are April, 2012 so will be a bit before I can get into em and no mold at all. Smelled really nice too, no ammonia smell at all, just a nice baccy smell. Why cant all the orders be like this……and they are Fonsecas….no one fakes Fonsecas so I dont wanna hear they are fake. Fonsecas are my favorite ISOM smoke.

CohibaLou said,

on December 19th, 2012 at 13:35

Experience:

I have been purchasing from PE for many years and have never been dissapointed in either their products or service. Although many laser codes were missing..the boxes that still had them on always checked out as authentic. Any boxes which did not arrive have always been replaced in a timely manner. I always recommend PE to my friends.

Rob said,

on December 23rd, 2012 at 06:04

Experience:

Have ordered from Puro several times over the past year. My package of 4 boxes came today, all within two weeks of placing my order. Cigars were unopened and in great condition. I trust Puro, and know others who have ordered from them for years…all positive interactions from me and them.

Cubanpete2012 said,

on January 24th, 2013 at 18:41

Experience:

Just received a 10 box of Partagas Serie D No.4 and a three pack of Romeo y Julieta Churchill’s both box and packet had already been opened I know you are supposed to let your cigars rest for at least a week after transit but i tried a D4 it was totally horrible tasted like a cheap Nic cigar and the band was made out of plastic will let the other rest for a week and try again but truly believe they are fake you are better going to cigars of habanos where you can specify a Sealed unopened Box which cannot be tampered with

pacman41 said,

on January 27th, 2013 at 14:00

Experience:

Over the past 5 years I have purchased well over 1000 cigars from Puro and never a hitch until my 26 November order for 25 Fonseca Cosacos.

Order still hadn’t arrived 24 January, so I emailed Puro. They replied within 24 hours, offering me refund, reshipment, or credit.

I took the credit as I am very happy with Puro, and intend to continue doing business with them.

Cheers
PC

chistine1 said,

on January 31st, 2013 at 04:06

Experience:

Puroexpress is a wonderful company and I will continue to order from them. Vicky is very friendly and takes her time to explain why they don’t offer tracking (to keep costs low) as it takes more labor. I have been using Puro for 2 years not and have not had issues with their service. When some if my packages did not show up Vicky kindly took care of it. When I received damaged items (shippers fault not Puro’s) Vicky promptly took care of it. Those who speak negatively I’m sorry you are having so many issues. I see one Cubanpete2012 list several negatives but am curious why you keep ordering? Either way, I will continue to give Puro my business as they are an awesome company that have great people that work for them and they provide 1st rate customer service.

v/r

-Chris

bruceolee said,

on February 7th, 2013 at 00:42

Experience:

I’ve never had a fake from Puro the several times i’ve used them. The experience was great and the shipping was very quick. The only issues i’ve had is that they always seem to arrive a little wet (over humidified) but after resting in my dry (60% RH) humidor for a month and then another month in my storage (70% RH) humidor the cigars smoke great and as i said before they are all 100% authentic cuban cigars!

chriscarp said,

on February 7th, 2013 at 04:49

Experience:

regarding the bardcode. I used to buy from PE for several years until ownership changed hands, “vicky” burned mewith bad cigars, and thenblocked my account when I complained. I now buy only from LCDH. Higher prices, but quality is assured. Anyone who tells you tearing off the barcode is to “protect” distributors or others is a fool. ALL LCDH come with barcodes intact. Easy to verify and LCDH distributors are easy to confirm so don’t buy the nonsense about “protecting distributors”. If LCDH is not worried about that, no one else should be. The torn barcodes are grey market cigars. Sometimes legit, sometimes not. No one can be sure,fakes are getting better each day. If you want to save a few bucks and don’t mind getting screwed sometimes (reason why PE gets inconsistent reviews), stick with it. Otherwise, Don Gabriel and Knokke LCDH are great sources

obviousadams said,

on February 7th, 2013 at 04:52

Experience:

A little scared I placed my first Cuban order. Only afterward did I begin to read all the negative reviews. They sent me a shipping notification but no tracking number so I crossed my fingers hoping for the best. I expected to wait 3 to 4 weeks for my order but 1 week later (7 days- 5 business days) I received half of my shipment. A day later I received the other half. I had never had a Cuban before so I was pretty suspect but in doing all the checks, smoking a little product (Partagas Serie P No. 2) and comparing my experience with review sites I am convinced these are the real deal.

This place still scares me a little based on some reviews but my experience was pretty fantastic really. I will probably give them another try at some point.

georges wichner said,

on February 9th, 2013 at 20:37

Experience:

I have been purchasing cuban cigars all over the world either while traveling or via the internet , Puro Express has only been the excellent and most reliable source for me and for the last 4/5 years. I sometimes get my delivery in less than a week and on occasion in 2/3 weeks at the most but I never worry about it.
I order the same 3 or 4 different brands of cubans and most of the time the quality is good or as good as we can get on the market. One should keep in mind that the quality of cigars produced in Havana is not what it was in the 80s or even 90s but Puro Express deals with what
is available and it is pretty darn good. Bravo PE!

Mr. G said,

on February 20th, 2013 at 03:26

Experience:

RyJ Churchill tubos at pleasant price, sell small packs for the price conscious. Overseas shipped, arrived in 8 days, VERY well protected. Export and Habanos holographic seals intact. Based on other reviews (and various articles on the state of Cuban cigar industry today) warning of some young age issues, putting these down for a few months (if I can show the patience). First experience is a good one, and will order again.

Ron T said,

on February 25th, 2013 at 20:33

Experience:

Seven days. Wow, fast delivery to midwest. Hoyo de Monterrey’s are young, but the montecristo’s smell wonderful. Will enjoy one this evening. Ordered some Bespoke petite coronas.Anxiiously awaitng. Very positive experience overall. I have not ordered any cubans for about 6 years, very pleased.

Smokejoe said,

on March 1st, 2013 at 19:50

Experience:

I purchased my first order last summer and received the cigars within a couple of weeks. I made another purchase last October and the order never arrived. After waiting 28 business days as I was instructed, they refunded my money and told me they could not reship until they either got the smokes back or received a confiscation letter. I never received either, so last week I tried placing another order and was not able to do it. I emailed Puroexpress and got a response from the same lady “Tracy”, who informed me that I would not be able to order again until they found out what happened to my previous order. I told her again I never receivedthe cigars or a confiscation letter. That was 5 days ago and I have not received a response yet. The customer service for this place is horrible and for them not to give a willing customer the benefit of the doubt is classless! They did refund my money, which I give them credit for, but to not allow me to place any more orders because an order got lost is unacceptable. You don’t keep customer by making them feel they are stealing from you!

Mr. G said,

on March 1st, 2013 at 22:07

Experience:

Update on previous order – unexpected positive, considering the “youth” concerns about the stock PE ships – opened the tubes on my RyJ Churchills to inspect the bands (if I’m going to check for authenticity, might as well check everything) and aside from bands that perfectly fit CA’s description of authentic, I noticed that all my sticks had little tiny sparkles in the light! Just the slightest bit of plume, but enough to tell me these aren’t the green garbage that some have complained about. Have also read in several places that this seems to be common in RyJ tubos, but definitely a pleasant surprise. Have a new order on the way, so will check in again once they arrive.

pacman41 said,

on March 2nd, 2013 at 14:32

Experience:

Smokejoe, I have recently dealt with Tracy, and she is top notch. Gave me an account credit for a 25 box that didn’t arrive. First discrepancy out of orders totalling over 1,200 cigars in the last 5 years. Very generous of PE in my opinion, even if approximately a 1 in 100 occurrence.

You, on the other hand, have received a refund after a 1 in 2 failure rate. Extraordinarily generous of PE if you ask me. And now you want them to to ship again?

Get real Smokejoe. PE run a business, not a charity. I also run a business, and a shipment failure rate of 50% is unacceptable. I would cut my losses, and tell my customer to look elsewhere. Particularly as complainant customers tend to be dishonest. Not all of them, but most.

Cheers
PC

Mr. G said,

on March 5th, 2013 at 16:23

Experience:

Holy schneikies! Ordered 15 RyJ #3 tubos. Arrived 7 days after I ordered (6 days after it shipped), once again well packaged, a box of 5 3-packs, seals intact on all the individual boxes AND on the spiffy little outside display-type box. Cracked open one because I lack patience, and the stick looks good and smells delicious. PE is 2 for 2 with me and I’m quite pleased.

burghblast said,

on March 7th, 2013 at 05:55

Experience:

Ordered a box of BHK 54s. Paid $2-$3 extra for a humi packet and extra padding. Arrived in just over a week (record time!) beautifully packed as promised and in perfect condition. The boxes (exterior and interior) and bands are absolutely identical to other BHKs I have received, and the sticks smell perfect. Haven’t smoked one yet but I have little doubt that, to paraphrase Seinfeld, they’re real and they’re spectacular. The only downside: I received an incredibly young box (Nov. 2012). Certainly can’t complain about that for the very affordable price I paid. Will definitely try Puro again in the future.

sancho947 said,

on March 9th, 2013 at 19:11

Experience:

I have been dealing with puroexpress for quite some time now and I’m very satisfied with their business.

nick said,

on March 19th, 2013 at 22:40

Experience:

I have been ordering from PE for years. A couple of times I had minor issues and I wrote to Tracy and she was able to fix the problem. No complaints here from me or the friends I have referred to them.

Carpenter69 said,

on March 21st, 2013 at 01:13

Experience: Neutral

3 days to get here. Our postal service should be ashamed.

dewolf892 said,

on March 23rd, 2013 at 21:27

Experience:

I have had problems a couple years ago mostly with charged card issues. Tried them again and must say no complaints everything went smooth. I have purchased at least 100+ boxes over my 16 years of cigar smoking from cigar one , top cubans, cigar terminal and puro express and while some may offer more personal service you pay dearly for that. Puro express offers authentic quality and affordable prices cheaper than I can purchase top notch non-cuban cigars for here in the states. I will continue to purchase from them.

frankietwotimes said,

on March 26th, 2013 at 19:07

Experience:

Received my box of “Montecristo #2 Habanos” a week or so ago, in the amount of time PE are quick to advertise.

Having smoked “many” examples of this exact puro over the years (Habano #2), my BS-meter was set off on two counts – box, and the actual product.

First, the box: it had been opened (PE web portal indicates they are doing this to “verify quality”), had cut seals, no barcode (it apparently had been scraped off with a blade/brillo pad, as the box had scoring around the area), but did have the cellophane lining over the bands and correct cedar sheet with 45 degree bevel cut (and no mold).

Box/factory code states PUM (haven’t come across this one in my years smoking this brand), dated June 2012.

Hard to verify via Habanos SA authenticity sans barcode.

Second, the cigars: they have irregular bands (some too tight, some loose, ill-matched glue jobs with glue smudged on many of the wrappers!), almost all to the touch have noticeable stems protruding down along wrapper (gives a sensation of being box cut smokes), with blatantly uneven cuts on cigar ends; and for the piece de resistance, no triple caps.

PE isn’t answering my emails concerning my desire to return this product and collect a refund…thus I am contacting my CC provider to protest the charge.

Incidentally, had I gotten wind of this tidbit I would have ran the other way: rumor has it PE is run by an Israeli syndicate…in other words, caveat emptor…big time.

lancescape said,

on April 1st, 2013 at 23:42

Experience:

I’ve been ordering from puroexpress for the better part of 10 years. I’ve had one bad box (mold) in that time, which they handled quite poorly in my opinion, but otherwise they’ve been very reliable. Bar codes are often removed (as with many sources shipping to US), but always the real deal. Period.

Disappointed said,

on April 4th, 2013 at 00:06

Experience:

I am going to say that I listed this site as negative because of the terrible customer service here. I have ordered from this company over the last 5 years. I don’t know exactly but close to 50 or more boxes. Most have been good, young cigars with some dud boxes, but that can happen when you buy these sight unseen. My last order was a box of QDO Coronas and a 5 pack of Cohiba Corona Especials. The Coronas were very nice, but the Cohibas had mold on the cigars. This did not wipe off, was thick and the cigars smell musty. Now, back to my issue, I e mail them and Vicky trys to give me a lesson on mold VS. Plume and that their cigars can have no mold, because they are stored in perfect conditions. After I explain further they require me to send pics and then try to fight with me saying it does not look like mold and to send more pics. I don’t but say I don’t want them and they give me an rma number to return them. I sent and they tell me the guy who recieves them is not back in the office till next week to “tell them what they recieved”!! I feel like they treat me like I am trying to rip them off and fight me on this. It is allmost like they are trying to lose customers! I have spent 3 to 4 thousand us. dollars at a minimum with them. It is almost unbelievable to be treated so poorly. I will shop elswhere because this is not worth the 10 or 20% less price. If you order, be prepared because they will try to make it your fault!

Theoryguy said,

on April 7th, 2013 at 19:37

Experience:

I purchased a box of Cohiba 1966 Limited Edition. My overall experience has been great, the price was 100+ better than comparable websites and shipping was free and fast (5 days). My only 2 sticking points:

1) Tracking is not available for my shipment
2) The serial number on the box was cut, so it can not be verified on habanos.com

I was able to verify with a merchant grandfather who worked in the Cohiba factory years ago that these were authentic. Also I was happy to know my cigars were manufactured in Dec 2011, stamped on the cedar lining, as cigars closer to initial production date tend to be better than later productions

Mr. G said,

on April 7th, 2013 at 23:20

Experience: Neutral

For those not paying attention anywhere else, removing or scratching out the codes on the export seals is very common practice for ANY shop selling these online, especially to U.S. Habanos SA is fairly strict about where a dealer is allowed to sell, and they can lose their permission to import and sell if they are caught selling outside those areas (and, duh, the US is outside those areas). Rather than sit on merch they can’t sell enough of, they scratch/cut the codes off so they can sell elsewhere without the boxes being traced back to them. Very typical. Frankly, if a shop IS shipping to the US with codes intact, they are either very brave/confident, or very fake. And good seals and bands don’t mean real CCs. See http://www.justfakes.com for a few reasons why.

krustycigar said,

on April 19th, 2013 at 02:21

Experience:

Been a customer of Puro for 10 plus years – never a problem – very consistant shipping times amd quality.

c.morgan said,

on May 1st, 2013 at 23:52

Experience:

In the past 4 years I have ordered from a lot of companies.

I shied away from Puro because of the prices and like many others am suspicious based on the many bad reviews posted here and elsewhere on the net.

Well I have to say that my first experience was very positive.

I placed an order for 1 25 box of Punch Petit Coronations Tubos, 1 5 pack of Montecristo Petit Tubos and a 1 Kilo bag of Cubita Cuban Coffee.

Order placed late on April 23rd, shipped next day on the 24th (Wednesday) and I received them today on the following Wednesday (May 1st) pretty damn fast shipping there. They shipped from Switzerland not China. They were packaged very well and I would recommend going with the optional vacuum packing as it is in a dark grey material that completely hides the package contents (for those snoopy customs officials)

Here are some pics of what I received, like others have commented previously the 25 box is young cigars with a box code of July 2012, I popped a couple out of the tubes though and they smell great.

I do have a legit Punch Petit Coronation purchased in London but it has the older grey tube as well as the cheaper looking band so I can’t compare the packaging directly to this newer box which contains the newer green tubes along with the standard punch band.

I’d like to add that the cigars in the Monte. 5 pack have the dark colored bands with the embossed label (as they should) and smell great as well.

I am extremely paranoid but my fake radar definitely did not go off here.

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/9484/unopened.jpg

http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/6171/vacuumg.jpg

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/4844/punchboxtop.jpg

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/8244/punjm.jpg

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/4649/punchopened.jpg

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/2897/punchboxback.jpg

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/9779/monte5pack.jpg

http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/406/montetube.jpg

c.morgan said,

on May 3rd, 2013 at 06:47

Experience:

Wow.

Just to update yestersays order.

After letting the montecristo petit tubos rest for ONE day in a temperature controlled environment (I didnt put them in the humi as no need for now as they are tubed) I smoked one this evening on a very hot day here in San Jose California.
3
Woah. Undoubtedly authentic the flavor was EXACTLY a mirror of a Monte No.1 that I smoked at the pantheon in Rome 4 years ago.

The burn was even throughout, dark gray ash. A sugary sweetness and creaminess on the pallet throughout.

It was pure bliss, Im not trying to sound hyperbolic or like I am shilling for puro but it was great.

Very pleased with the first order and will definitely order again..highly recommended!!

pmavros said,

on May 14th, 2013 at 10:21

Experience:

Before 2 months i ordered from Px a box of 25 Ramon Allones Specially selected. They i arrived after 11 days which seem logical time from belgium to greece. the cigars were packed perfectly in a metallic foil with air bubbles in it.
Generally I’m very pleased with them, the only thing that was strange was the stamp from the post office was from HongKong Post.

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