SHANGHAI: A true quality smoke is now available on the shelves in the city's first Cuban cigar shop.

The small store, filled to the rafters with Cubans, is tucked in a corner of the very American Starwood-owned Westin Hotel.

Imports of anything Cuban may be a no-no in the United States, but here it is a growing concern. And the international Casa del Habano wants to bring that most sophisticated of luxuries the cigar to a hand near you.

"We would like all cigar lovers to treat this like a home. To spend time and trade cigar knowledge," said manager Jeffrey Yu.

Other Casa stores are already open in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Beijing. Shanghai is the latest step by the company dedicated to spreading the gospel according to tobacco.

"Shanghai is a very big city and China is developing very fast," said Jeffrey Yu. "Lots of Chinese people are interested in cigars right now. Some Chinese people like to smoke them and show off because cigar means rich."

The store opened on June 17 and threw an opening party complete with a live cigar roller who travelled from the Cohiba factory in Cuba to show how it is done. She will stay around until July 7, rolling fresh cigars that the store gives away to VIPs.

Casa del Habano sells more than rolled up tobacco, it sells an image, says Yu.

The image is labelled Cohiba or Monte Cristo and represents the pinnacle of success. He said the company is a luxury brand like any other and wanted to be careful where it opened its first store.

For cigar fanatics, the comparison may be insulting, but the hand-rolled brown tobacco leaves inside the humidor at the Casa always kept at a cool 15 C are no 5 yuan Chinese-brand cigarettes.

At the upper end of the cigars available are the robusto-sized Cohibas Esplendidos, which sell for 387 yuan each (US$47). Other popular cigars are Partagas at 197 yuan (US$24) or Epicure 2 at 179 yuan.

The store has 37 different brands on offer right now, but Yu said up to 63 have been approved for import by the government.

Smoking cigars is not exactly new to China and there are plenty of varieties available at your corner dealer.

"Every good thing has a black market. We're not afraid, but we would still like to solve this," said Yu.

Ninety per cent of what the little store offers are Cuban cigars, although it has a small sample of Chinese and Davidoff cigars.

"In Hong Kong, the Casa del Habano shop has more than 100 brands; but Hong Kong is duty free. In the Chinese mainland, it is different."

A second store is planned, possibly in the city's Xintiandi area, but it is still in the deliberation stages.

(China Daily 07/05/2005 page3)