It should also usually bend up to the front right over the center of the Cote dArms. Learn how to tell whether theHoyo De Monterrey you're smoking is authentic or fake. But it doesnt have to be this way. Cigar Aficionado The 'made in Cuba' stamp is on the left. 825 8th Avenue, 33rd Floor For example, the head on the label should be a holograph. Presuming the mark is an experienced cigar smoker, hell be even more livid that he allowed himself to be suckered. The Habanos Seal should always be present on the upper left-hand side of your cigar box, approximately 3 to 6 mm from the edge. It had a sliding glass top. The first seal of this type was introduced in 1902. Looking at the foot of the cigar, you can immediately notice how it has been filled. So, youve studied and you think youre ready to spot the fakes. 10 Quick Ways To Spot A Fake Cuban Cigar | Cigar Aficionado This has been the case since 2013. To be clear, no Cuban cigar comes in a package with a glass or plastic top. How to spot counterfeit or fake Cuban Cigar Websites & Facebook profiles If someone offers you a Cohiba Limitada from 2016 or 2015, for example, its a certain fake because Cohibas were not part of the Edicin Limitada trio in those years. Buy your real Cuban cigars at a real Cuban cigar store. Get this UV Light: https://amzn.to/2m9EX3d https://amzn.to/2mNs4M1Check out my Amazon Store:https://www.amazon.com/shop/i_post_alone How to tell a real Cuban. So what can you do? For instance one customer has a Cohiba - my first note was that . But enough about the hustle; lets get to the heart of how to spot fake Cuban cigars. There are enough proven stores there and you know what you get for still a fair price. 10. Price. 1. type of leaves present Behikes cost even more, around 30 to 40 CUC eachwhen they are in stock. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account. I think I just got duped by Cigars of Cuba seal on box looked real at first, they placed store barcode over barcode section of Cuban seal, when removed no barcode on seal. To help prevent this, in 2010 Habanos S.A. designed a new seal using watermarks, a super-strong adhesive, a hologram on the right side of the seal, and a bar code on the left. Thats not to say you cant buy a legitimate Cuban cigar in the U.S. or online, you simply need to be more careful. Some fake Cohibas are presented this way, too. A true Cuban cigar should have grey or salt-and-pepper ash. Reading Time: 3 minutes Let all things be done with charity, is Southern Draw Cigars motto for its annual IGNITE program that helps those in need. The Cuban boxes also have a date stamp on the bottom of the box. How to spot counterfeit cigars in Cuba (and everywhere else, too) Hi Gary. Sometimes you can tell a fake Cuban vs. a real Cuban just by the box. I believe its a combination of the two. Familiarize yourself on how Cuban cigars are packaged, and you greatly reduce the chances of being ripped-off. Look at the dimensions. These days, the best counterfeiters make facsimiles of Cuban cigar bands and put them in facsimile Cuban cigar boxes and sell them to an unsuspecting tourist outside the hotel. How to Spot Fake Cuban Cigars Don't get lured into anyone's apartment either. Apart from the issues we've discussed about packaging, one way to determine if this is an authentic Esplndido is to smoke it. The system started in 2000 with 00, then 01 and so on. Real or fake : r/cubancigars - Reddit The exquisite collection of Premium cigars with well-maintained high-quality standards at cigar.pk. And since at least then, the Cohiba has been counterfeited. For example, the popular Cuban brands like Cohiba, Partagas, Punch, Hoyo de Monterrey, Romeo y Julieta, Montecristo, et al., all feature the Habanos S.A. seal on the top right-hand corner of the box. Nine rows of white squares in a checkerboard pattern run from the gilded holographic top edge to the solid gold line that spans the bottom third of the band. Fake cigars are often sold for unrealistically low prices, and a savvy cigar aficionado should know to beware when a cigar is too great a bargain. Aside from the specific Edicin Limitada cigar, you should be wary of any kind of special edition cigar that is not sold to be a legitimate vendor. How to Spot a Fake vs. A Real Cuban Montecristo, How to Spot a Fake vs. Real Cuban Romeo y Julieta Cigar. Proper packaging doesnt guarantee a genuine Cuban cigar, but bad packaging is a quick and easy way to spot a fake. Box type The white squares should be in nine rows with no square being cut off. If you find someone offering them to you for under that, walk away. A well and intricately designed cigar band is often the most useful discouraging factor to counterfeiters. 9. Not all fake cigars deliver a bad smoke indeed! One is a secret code that tells the industry which factory made the cigars. How sad. Also, inside the box, the Cubans should all be the same length and color. Fake cigars sometimes trick people by being too expensive or too cheap. 4. 5000 | Same day delivery in Lahore & Karachi (selected areas) on selected items via Card Machine (POS) Payment. There are two ink-stamps on the bottom of Habanos boxes. If we get smells that dont remind us too much of tobacco, we could be faced with fakes that have been filled with banana leaves! So it is good to go deeper into checking the box and the cigars, to make sure you dont buy fakes. If you know what to look for before buying a Cuban cigar, its a good bet you will avoid getting scammed. To the casual observer, they may look real, but if you take a few minutes to examine, youll start to see some blatant flows, especially with the more well-known and popular brands. Furthermore, since the end of 2010, the seal has undergone a slight change: the ends of the seal are no longer rounded, but have a sharp oblique cut. The second type was used from 2005 until 2008/2009, and in addition to the HABANOS written it also has the words DENOMINACION DE ORIGINE PROTEGIDA. Find out if your Cuban Bolivaris real or fake. This mechanism always comes with a logo on top. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban upset over decreasing follower count Bands that are not perfect are not used in genuine cigars making. Heres our guide to how to spot a fake Cuban cigar. One of the questions Im often asked by other cigar smokers is,How do I know if I bought a box of fake Cuban cigars?Its a good question because, even though on October 14, 2016, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that they hadremoved the limitson bringing Cuban cigars and rum into the United States from Cuba and other countries, there are still plenty of counterfeit Cuban cigars to be had or to put it another way to beduped. You don't need to take a chance. Due to the high volume of mail we receive, a response isn't guaranteed. 8.2 Cigar Analysis: the wrapper must be a quality one; it doesnt have to be shriveled or ugly. In counterfeit cigars, filling is usually very low. And you really will not find an authentic Cohiba Behike for sale outside of a licensed Habanos (Cuban cigar entity) store. A great example of how Cuba has dealt with preventing the counterfeiting of bands can be found on the Cohiba Behike cigars. Do not buy Cubans that are in a box without a hologram. The box is cool all the markings, labels and seals (if a bit off-center and crooked), theres a non-authentic glass top and the cigar bands sport a blobby fleur de lis. The fact is, the Cuban cigar industry doesnt make cigar boxes with glass or even clear plastic tops. What none of us recall as humorous is the experience of buying counterfeit Cuban cigars. Due to the high volume of mail we receive, a response isn't guaranteed. Submit A Fake. These cigars retail, on average, between $30-$50, higher than that for the really limited ones. Cohibas are the most counterfeited of all the Cuban brands, but if you know what you are looking for, they are the easiest to spot. Some of them even smoke okayalthough, if you know what you are doing, you can certainly tell the difference. It often look like it has been badly printed. The Habanos seal is always going to be in the top right corner of the box, so if you see it anywhere else, its a dead giveaway. Buying cigars on the streets of Havana is a near-certain way to buy a fake. It should also usually bend up to the front right over the center of the Cote dArms. Here is an example. 5. The veins should be very fine or barely visible. They are among the most counterfeited cigars. If you want to learn more about fake Cuban cigars, you can also read this article with two personal storiesfrom folks who got swindled in their quest for Cuban cigars. The next year, the cut on the ends of the seal was changed from rounded to a sharp, angled cut. . Neither one has a bar code or a date on the bottom of the box. A burning Cuban cigar typically produces a gray ash. Shapira says . The authentic Cohiba Behike took anti-forging efforts to a new level. These seals must be attached to the box and not simply inserted into it on adhesive paper. The logo is also repeated on the holographic edges several times. Of course, the name of the cigar company was stamped after this. Box type. Cuban Cigars Guide - Cohiba, Upmann & Co - Gentleman's Gazette Results for {phrase} ({results_count} of {results_count_total}), Displaying {results_count} results of {results_count_total}. Similar to US currency, Cuban cigar boxes come with a lot of extra makers to help distinguish them from fakes. Usually there are seals placed inside the box. Forgers had something new to figure out. Gary Korb has been writing and editing content for CigarAdvisor.com since its debut in 2008. If you are going to buy one of the highly priced and rare Edicin Limitada cigars, be careful! What do you do? Heres another problem. However, if this is not an option, there are a few other tricks you can use. Is my Cuban cigar real or fake? Now lets look at the cigars finally. EXTERNAL SEALSCuban cigars boxes come with two seals: the DOP seals and the Cuban state seal. A great example of how Cuba has dealt with preventing the counterfeiting of bands can be found on the Cohiba Behike cigars. The first two things that are noticed when opening the cigar are: Behik-isn't / Befake If a vendor offers you an Esplendido for 10 CUC, it's not the real deal. Despite the fact that the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras manufacturemostof the worlds bestcigarsthese days, cigar smokers still jump at the chance to buy Cubans. Save your money (and your palates) by following these eight key tips to avoid getting burned by a . This helps you checking their filling. Pricing can also be a tip-off to spotting fake Cuban cigars. 3. You'll only be walking into a large den of discount fakes. Unless youve actually smoked a good number ofgenuineCuban cigars its easy to be fooled, especially if the counterfeiter got everything rightbutthe cigars. And you need to do that BEFORE you start shopping. No matter what label they put on it, if it was made in Cuba with Cuban tobacco it is a Cuban Cigar. Check out Cigar Aficionado's newsletters, bringing you our latest ratings & reviews, cigar news and our guide to the good life. No box of Cuban cigars leaves the country without it. Each box of legit sticks contains the hot-stamped words: Hecho en Cuba. It's the most common line used to deceive hapless tourists, and it often works. Any Cohiba you are being offered for $10 is fake. The upgraded and much larger band features a Behike-style hologram and golden Taino Indian head, placed center stage in the field of black-and-white squares that sit above the word Cohiba. Your email address will not be published. Ironically, even in Havana there are almost as many counterfeit Cuban cigars as the legit smokes. 5) Embossed Lettering A genuine box of Cuban cigars should haveallof the following five attributes: Not unlike counterfeit cigar bands, the bottom of the box may be missing some of this key information; it could have typos, and may even be printed with different fonts. And Havanas have never been all that cheap, either. Real vs Fake Cuban Cohiba Cigar Band / Label. The Experience of Buying Cuban Cigars in Cuba. Thankfully, there are ways to tell if your Cuban is legit. Finally, the stamp on the bottom of the cigar box should also include two ink marks. Authenticity, quality and satisfaction; guaranteed! Before this, namely between 1985 and 1994, the name was simply Cubatabaco. The Cuba and Taino Indian head logos repeat along the gilded, holographic bottom and top edges. Find out if your Cuban Romeo y Julieta is real or fake. and BOTTOM LINE, besides taste, is HOW long the flavor LASTS. The changes to this information leaflet were 3: This guide will help you spotting fake Cuban cigars. In fact, by illiminating it with UV rays, the coat of arms of Cuba will appear in its central part (the same coat of arms that can be seen on the seal with normal light, the one on the left side of the seal. Phillies Titan Cigar Review. Cuban wrappers tend to be naturally oily with a smooth, buttery appearance and entirely even in color. 4 only to be disappointed when you lit up, you weren't in a laughing mood. 11. You should be able to detect the oily shimmer on the wrapper. Furthermore, the serial code is no longer placed in the lower and central part of the seal, but it is now on the left, parallel to and opposite to the hologram. For starters, if the price seems too good to be true, it is. JRCigars.com is not responsible for typographical errors. (The Habanos website features a handy tool to search for Casa del Habanos around the world.). These marks tell industry-insiders which of the countrys factories made the cigars. Watch now and see. However, the ideal duration will depend on factors such as the cigar's quality, storage conditions, and the thickness of the . Cubans were the best and great period but during the cigar boom they peed into their own pot of tea and muddied their QUALITY and yes, OFTEN tims OTHER countries can produce better sticks, and some I believe also get a little real Cuban baccy in their own blends its ALL in the taste of a REAL Cuban. How to Spot a Fake Cohiba | Holt's Cigar Company This is the last analysis that can be performed and it is also an invasive type of analysis. Internal seals Cuba has always been very proud of its famous 'Habano' cigars. Although the cigar community realizes that Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic make cigars equal to if not superior to Cubans, they still have an air of mystery about them. The flavor of the Cohiba Behike (pronounced beh-ee-keh) is unlike other Cohiba cigars and is quite easily identified, especially if youve had a real one before. And its really, really hard to find an authentic Cohiba Behike in any of its three vitolas (sizes). Don't take the bait and don't be tempted by the idea of a bargain. Fake Cohiba vs REAL Cohiba | Cuban SIGLO VI Cigar box comparison Each of the three Behike sizes comes in an elaborate package: boxes of 10 cigars that are bathed in a thick, glossy lacquer. Find out if your Cuban Cohiba Behike BHK is real or fake. It had a sliding glass top. To help prevent this, in 2010 Habanos S.A. designed a new seal using watermarks, a super-strong adhesive, a hologram on the right side of the seal, and a bar code on the left. This test is useful only if you know the type of cigars you wanna check on. A genuine box of Cuban cigars should have all of the following five attributes: Not unlike counterfeit cigar bands, the bottom of the box may be missing some of this key information; it could have typos, and may even be printed with different fonts. Pass. First, the feel and look of the cigar. When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. Cuban cigars are quite expensive, especially in countries with a higher tobacco tax. An poor filling is a very good sigh of fake cigars. Furthermore, the seals are missing. Source: http://www.habanos.com/en/el-mundo-del-habano/signos-de-distincion/. (The Cuban Partags should not be confused with the non-Cuban Partagas that shares the same name, but is manufactured in the Dominican Republic by General Cigar Co.) Cuba's Partags brand is large and includes the rich and bold Lusitania, a double corona, as well as one of the best-selling handmade cigars from Cuba, the robusto-sized Serie . Genuine Cuban Cohiba Esplendidos, when you can find them, sell for about 23 CUC. Is it because theyre still considered forbidden fruit, or is it that many cigar smokers believe Cuban cigars are the best? Created in 1966, Cohiba was not commercially released until 1982. If you can see through the lid, they're fake. Check out Cigar Aficionado's newsletters, bringing you our latest ratings & reviews, cigar news and our guide to the good life. It only features the HABANOS written. In both of the aforementioned cases, the mark doesnt realize hes been ripped-off until he lights-up one of his prized purchases, or tries to share one with a cigar smoker who knows the difference. It is a good starting point to quickly understand how the counterfeit cigar boxes look like. Unless youve actually smoked a good number ofgenuineCuban cigars its easy to be fooled, especially if the counterfeiter got everything right but the cigars. That said, I do believe that MANY PEOPLE based strictly on their reaction on how Earthy and DIRT flavored Cubans really taste like, would prbably not even enjoy them from facial and verbal transmittals. Dec 30th 2020. At Cigar Aficionado, weve seen lazy counterfeiters sell boxes with labels in the box, not attached to the packaging. The word Cohiba later became gilded, the black letters becoming gold, and the La was dropped from Habana, Cuba. . Ever since Fidel Castro adopted the Cohiba as his favorite cigar in 1966, after one of his bodyguards gave him one, the Cohiba has been the object of much desire among the worlds cigar lovers. If illuminated with ultraviolet light, it get phosphorescent. Im no tobacanist. (See pictures at the bottom of the page). Its reputation and high prices have led it to be illegally copied over and over again, but the cigar remains an object of envy and desire, one that every cigar lover dreams about smoking. Thatll bring a tidy profit on cigars that might have cost as little as $20 for the bundle and pennies for the packaging. It was introduced in 1994 and has been changed 3 times. Your email address will not be published. Dupont Collection Pays Homage To Paris, 2022 Big Smoke Las Vegas Seminars: Blend Ambitions With Dewars And . Our support team is ready to answer all your questions. Repeating Logos & Checkerboard: The holographic Indian head logos and the boxes will repeat along the bottom and top edges. In Cuba, which is a good baseline because it has the lowest Cuban cigar prices on the planet, Montecristo No. 2 or Partags Serie D No. Unless, of course, theyre selling us fakes. The only time the seal wont bend up like this and go over the Cote dArms is on very large cigar boxes. This guide will help you tell fake Cuban cigars from the real thing. Your access is restricted because of your age. Nation-wide Free Delivery on all Orders above Rs. Some fake Cohibas are presented this way, too. Reading Time: 3 minutes Alec Bradley Cigars will have a new home under a pending acquisition agreement with Scandinavian Tobacco Group to the tune of over $72 million. So what can you do? So, that makes the Behike a limited edition by default. In this video I'll take you through a few essential tips about knowing the diffe. A documentation must be present in the boxes. The first type of seal was used from 1994 to 2004. The purchase will also further expand STGs portfolio of top-rated premium cigars worldwide. To help prevent this, in 2010 Habanos S.A. designed a new seal using watermarks, a super-strong adhesive, a hologram on the right side of the seal, and a bar code on the left.