Shopping on a cube is very specific. Well, think about themselves, the country was under the embargo of several decades, so going to local stores, you can only see the "new items" of the techniques that were ten years old for about-fifteen.
But there is some charm in it. You seem to be not easy in another country, and fall into the past. And in Soviet. Where tea and economic soap are neighboring the shelves, and women gently sew the categorous tights, for two reasons: there is no money for a new couple, and the couple itself does not find - in the country a deficit, and everything.
Although it should be noted that in recent times the situation, due to the abolition of the embargo, is improving, so the trip to Cuba is not worth postponing to, so to speak, to fully "taste" the island of freedom.
Something to buy from clothes, as we used to Thailand or Turkey is unlikely to succeed. Therefore, it will be possible to get only something to be proud of the cube and what it is known throughout the world.
Cigars
Oh yes, remember the usual face of Cuba - grandmother with a cigar. This is really a brand country, along with Rom, but it will be discussed below. Cigars as a gift to all and all including non-smoking, almost every tourist is being taken.
The choice is huge, so it will be too difficult to decide. For sure it is not worth buying cigars, especially for a gift to a true connoisseur, from the hands of a street merchant, there are quite a lot in the tourist destinations. For high-quality cigars, I advise you to go to a specialized store whose branches can be found in almost every major city - "La Casa del Habano".
At the hike in this kind of stores it is worth putting a decent amount of time, since in addition to the shopping itself, you will hypnotizes the process of twisting cigarettes, because with a good store it is necessary to have a stear spinner consisting in the state. The most famous varieties are "Cohiba", "Montecristo", "Partagas".
When the factory of the famous brand "Partagas" also has its own store, where you need to buy cigars. In a special smoking room, equipped with soft sofas, you can smoke a cigar under the cup of stunning Cuban coffee.
In addition to the cigars themselves, in almost every large store you can buy all the necessary accessories, such as guillotines, hygrometers, scissors, ashtrays, cases and, of course, Humidors - cigar storage boxes.
Rum
- This is a national drink of Cuba. It is drinking everything and everywhere, diluted and clean, as well as in the composition of cocktails. Rum, unlike cigars, is completely optional to buy in specialized stores.
Mostly sells 5-7-year excerpts. For a more seasoned, you will have to run, so it is a more piece product, which, by the way, will not be able to purchase in the stores Duty-Free. Than younger, it is lighter. The young rum has the finest aroma and personally, I like it much more than it is sustained.
The most popular brands "Mulata", "Matusalem, Caney", "Santiago de Cuba", "Varadero" and, of course, the famous and most famous "Havana Club".
The price of rum in different places is almost the same, so you can safely buy a favorite drink of all pirates in the first supermarket. Tip: Try to acquire that rum, which is hard to find in our stores or the value of which in the domestic market "bites it."
Officially, one person can take out no more than 2 bottles, in practice there are few people checks how much Roma you drive, but a particularly vigilant customs officer may still move away and the excess will be seized.
Coffee
One of the most visited excursions in Cuba is a visit to the coffee plantations. Coffee in this country can not only grow, but also cook. Purchase a jar another of this strong drink is just a holy case.
I recommend buying coffee in grains, the flavor is preserved so better. Hammer is too fast, but the aroma is very important.
If you prefer bitter taste, feel free to take the Cubita grade. "Caracolillo", "Serrano", "Turquino" are particularly popular from soft varieties of strong and medium roasters. And remember that the real Cuban coffee is rarely delivered to us, and if they are taken out, then in large packing, in which coffee loses its unique fragrance. So if some of the listed brands you bought in our stores and the taste of the drink you did not like, try the same grader, but already in Cuba and you will be amazed by a huge difference.
Commander Ernesto Che Guevara
This is a symbol of Cuba. Tourists are brought to a gift to friends and familiar mass of products with a portrait of this great revolutionary: T-shirts, caps, mugs, plates, magnets. Without exaggeration, all familiar souvenir products are decorated with its image.
Crafts
I brought several paintings from Cuba depicting the usual life of local residents.
In any major city there are bazaars who can buy various handmade products: paintings, decorations from coral and turtle shell, wooden crafts and a variety of crafts from tin cans.
Cuba is a distant country and not everyone to fly the ocean, but if you have fallen on the island of freedom, do not forget to buy at least a small svenker every expensive person. Believe me, the overseas hotel will deliver a lot of pleasure.