ST. BARTH – You walk into a small storefront in St. Jean and immediately know you’re home.

Surrounded by boxes of cigars, panama hats and humidors, you’ve arrived in a kind of embassy of Cuba in St. Barth.

This is La Casa del Habano, the best cigar shop in St. Barth and what just might be the best cigar store in the Caribbean outside of Cuba.

There’s a broad selection of smokes here, from go-to habanos like the Montecristo No. 2 and the Bolivar Belicoso Fino to rare Edicion Limitada varieties and even those specially made for La Casa del Habano (like the Bolivar Libertadores, a spectacular puro.)

And then there’s the steadying hand of manager Sandrine, whose encyclopedic knowledge will help you make an informed decision of what to buy based on your palate and strength tolerance.

Recipe for a good afternoon.

And most importantly, the cigars are kept in pristine condition, something especially rare in the Caribbean.

It all makes for a superb cigar shopping experience — and a coveted stop on any trip to this French Caribbean island.

— CJ