This head-within-head effect is a telling sign that the band is authentic. 1. type of leaves present The fleur-de-lis should be perfectly centered. This sheet is written in 4 languages: Spanish, English, French, German. The veins should be very fine or barely visible. The next year, the cut on the ends of the seal was changed from rounded to a sharp, angled cut. Cuba releases three per year, and those releases are all documented on this website. Phillies Titan Cigar Review. If someone offers you a Behike, and its in anything other than a box of 10, its a fake cigar. If illuminated with ultraviolet light, it get phosphorescent. Everything checks out but no date on the bottom. The first, the white boxes on the main label continue under the gold band around the outside; and the second thing I noticed was a number (CHB056) on the back of each cigar label. Reading Time: 2 minutes Fresh cigar questions have arrived! The cigars might be Cuban, or at least made from Cuban tobacco, but theyre unlikely to be real H. Upmanns and the tobacco will likely be scraps that end up on the floor of a factory. Don't get lured into anyone's apartment either. Sometimes you can tell a fake Cuban vs. a real Cuban just by the box. Cigar Aficionado If a vendor offers you an Esplendido for 10 CUC, it's not the real deal. Submit A Fake. Some counterfeiters are brazen. You should be able to detect the oily shimmer on the wrapper. To the left, you should see a green label that is the Cuban guarantee, along with a holographic image on the side of the label. The first and most important is to visit an authentic Cuban cigar shop like the Casa del Habanos. How can it be a fake?. handy tool to search for Casa del Habanos around the world, 8 Things To Know About Counterfeit Cuban Cigars, Cuba Increases Prices Of Cohiba BehikesAgain, Punch Golden Era Showcases Honduran Corojo, Blatt Billiards: A Century Of Pool And Games, Blue Flame Cigar Lounge, Torrance, California, New York Health Department Testing Interest In Potential Tobacco Ban, New S.T. Take Cohiba, for example. It often look like it has been badly printed. Felt also envelops the box, and a black cardboard box covers all that. 2s cost 8.50 CUCs (about $9.68 when factoring in the 13 percent you lose trading U.S. dollars into CUCs). Holograms are hard and expensive to copy, so if its not there, dont buy the box. And its really, really hard to find an authentic Cohiba Behike in any of its three vitolas (sizes). Finally, as with every real Cuban cigar, if youre offered a cigar that is inside a cellophane sleeve, its not an authentic Cuban cigar. If you can see through the lid, they're fake. Finally, the stamp on the bottom of the cigar box should also include two ink marks. One of the most important areas of the box to check is the bottom. 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. 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. How To Spot A Fake Cohiba | Cigar Aficionado 3) Nine White Squares . Genuine Cuban Cohiba Esplendidos, when you can find them, sell for about 23 CUC. Learn how to tell whether thePartags you're smoking is authentic or fake. Its fake. Learn how to tell whether theHoyo De Monterrey you're smoking is authentic or fake. Maybe they want $300 for the box. Also, Cubas coat of arms will show in the middle and the seal itself has a reaction if directly exposed to ultraviolet light. If someone tries to sell you a box of Cubans with a glass top, that alone should be a red flag. An avid cigar smoker for over 30 years, he has worked on the marketing side of the premium cigar business as a Sr. Copywriter, blogger, and Executive Editor of Cigar Advisor. This test is useful only if you know the type of cigars you wanna check on. The band still exhibits the Cohiba Indian head profile trademark and the Behike insignia, but the arrangement of these elements has been revised. The white squares should be in nine rows with no square being cut off. You can learn more about where to buy the best cigars in Cuba at Holt's! In counterfeit boxes, this usually has an incorrect print of this logo. When telling the difference between a fake vs. real Montecristo, if the fleur-de-lis is flat when you run your finger over it, you've got a fake band. 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. Providing fresh Flavored Cigars loaded with the finest tobacco and best flavor-infused ingredients. Starting from 1999, the warranty seal introduced new features. This is a common-sense tip that says your cigar box should look and feel sturdy and official. Weve seen fakes packed 25 to the box. 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. They have about six different brands claiming to be Cuban but they have no bands. Shapira says . Find out if your Cuban Cohiba Behike BHK is real or fake. On the Behikes distinctive band, the nine rows of white squares run in a checkered pattern from the gilded top edge to the top of the word Behike. Again, if the squares are not full, even on the edges, then youre likely looking at a fake. Price. They look a little like paper money and printed in different colors. However, if this is not an option, there are a few other tricks you can use. Ironically, even in Havana there are almost as many counterfeit Cuban cigars as the legit smokes. Cigar Aficionado Online, M. Shanken Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Look to see if the color of the wrapper leaf is a rich, uniform light brown. By cutting the cigar open and unrolling the leaves, it will be fairly simple to see if the leaves used are whole or not. 3) opening mechanism on box: some boxes have a mechanism that allows you to firmly close the box. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban upset over decreasing follower count It's the most common line used to deceive hapless tourists, and it often works. The dots soon became squares, and the words La Habana, Cuba appeared under the logo. Dec 30th 2020. 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. [Video] Counterfeit Cuban Cigars Part I: How To Tell A Fake From The Real Deal, [Video] Counterfeit Cuban Cigars Part II: Cutting Open Counterfeits, 8 Things To Know About Counterfeit Cuban Cigars, Cuba Increases Prices Of Cohiba BehikesAgain, Punch Golden Era Showcases Honduran Corojo, Blatt Billiards: A Century Of Pool And Games, Blue Flame Cigar Lounge, Torrance, California, New York Health Department Testing Interest In Potential Tobacco Ban, New S.T. Dont buy them. Behikes cost even more, around 30 to 40 CUC eachwhen they are in stock. pecial edition can be either a Limited Edition, or a Regional Edition. They are among the most counterfeited cigars. Fakes are often made with substandard quality control. This seal is placed either directly on the box or on the packaging that covers the box. Not sure and dont care. The scent coming from a cigar box must be intense and rich. And the other number shows is the month and the year when the cigars were boxed (see below). You also want to make sure the box has the Cuban warranty seal of authenticity on the left side of the box. If you want to get a real Cuban cigar it helps to buy from a genuine vendor, such as a Casa del Habano. Watch now and see. Real vs Fake Cuban Cohiba Cigar Band / Label 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. This is a seal that is usually affixed by the company importing cigars in a country. These, obviously fake, Cubans are hardly the main problem, as some fake Cubans come with counterfeit bands and even in counterfeit boxes. Let us be the judge. 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. The Habanos seal, on the top right as the box lays flat, had a DOP designation added in 2012. Here is an example. So, its also the biggest target for counterfeiters. The line these hustlers use to close the sale is usually something like, My brother works at the El Rey Del Mundo factory. I suspect that of the dozens of Esplndidos that Ive smoked, most of which were given to me, a good third of them have been fakes. Cuos. You dont even need to study and memorize tomes of information (though that helps) to be able to spot a fake Cuban cigar. The streets are filled with hustlers looking for a mark to whom they can sell a box of Cubans for way below retail. The third type, used from 2008/2009 to nowadays, it features both of the two writings previously seen, with the addition of the 3 letters D.O.P., w. hich means Denominacion de Origina Protegida. An poor filling is a very good sigh of fake cigars. As Gordon Mott explains in his article 50 Years of Cohiba how the brands aesthetics have changed: Cohiba's labels and bands have evolved, but in one form or another that same Indian head has remained part of the design, even if it has become less prominent over time. In these cases, the seal indicating the type of special edition is placed immediately under the HABANOS S.A. seal. Pricing can also be a tip-off to spotting fake Cuban cigars. A well and intricately designed cigar band is often the most useful discouraging factor to counterfeiters. If youre going to buy Cuban cigars, you need to learn how to tell the difference between real vs. fake. Un-banded cigars are often sold on street corners in Cuba to unsuspecting tourists. You must be 18 years of age or older to view page. Genuine Cuban Cohiba Esplendidos, when you can find them, sell for about 23 CUC. Real or fake : r/cubancigars - Reddit They have long been considered the height of luxury in the cigar industry and have become synonymous with the lavish lifestyle alongside brands like Rolex and Bentley. Spot Fake Cuban Cigars (The last year they did so was 1992. This was the first time that a Cuban cigar band carried 3-D imaging, clearly an effort to discourage fakes. There are no cuban boxes with glass or plexiglass covers. Is my Cuban cigar real or fake? Bright, white ashes are good signs of cigars made with non-Cuban tobacco. Cuos Beginning in 2010, that stamp has a hologram on the far right of the stamp and a bar code on the left. Childrens Parks and Playgrounds in the Cayman Islands, Run down to Harquail Theatre for comedy revue, Cuban in Cayman: A prisoner in a free land, The great escape: Cubans fight waves as big as mountains to reach Cayman, Special report: Inside the Cuban migration crisis, Cuban migration costs nears $3 million for 2022, Broken-down Cuban vessel sparks rescue in waters off Cayman Brac, Travelled to Cuba recently? . 8.2 Cigar Analysis: the wrapper must be a quality one; it doesnt have to be shriveled or ugly. The real thing is expensiveand all of us want a bargain. The first concerns the analysis of the band, if it is present (very old cigars may not have a band). The first authentic Cohiba Behike carried a cigar band that was a technological advancement on the market. How to spot counterfeit or fake Cuban Cigar Websites & Facebook profiles Touch This mechanism always comes with a logo on top. This Fall, three cigars have been added to help organizations representing U.S. Special Forces and fallen Border Patrol officers. If youre going to abandon common sense and buy from an unreliable source, make sure you are intimately familiar (you know what I mean!) Created in 1966, Cohiba was not commercially released until 1982. One box are Cohibas and the others are Romeo & Julietta. Discover the world of exquisite smoking with Pakistan's largest collection of cigars, tobacco products and accessories from the greatest Cuban and non-Cuban cigar brands. Thankfully, there are ways to tell if your Cuban is legit. Just bought a box of phony Montecristo No. So, unless you are dealing with a legitimate vendor, odds are, the person if not selling you a legit Edicin Limitada. The only time the seal won't bend up like this and go over the Cote d'Arms is on very large cigar boxes. This is a Guide on How to Spot a Fake Cuban Cigar: Here is a video of the dissection of a better quality fake Cohiba: . Fake Cuban cigars images. Many cigar boxes are real, with all the stamps and watermarks and holograms, but the cigars inside are bogus. Site Map | Privacy Policy 2018 All Rights Reserved. Indeed, a hologram has been introduced to the seal. In Cuba it is around $ 20. Weve seen several fake Cohibas made in this method. In the latter case, sellers tell people they got a great deal for X reason and that is why their prices are so low. The dates are not in code and the year is simple enough. Copyright 2023 Holt's Cigar Company. The lids are solid. When smoked, the ashes tend to be entirely grey and devoid of any black fragments. 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. All Rights Reserved. The authentic and highly desirable smokes use Cuba grown tobacco and are rolled by hand on the island in a process that involves over 500 . Find out if your Cuban Romeo y Julieta is real or fake. Its easily the most coveted of the Cohiba cigars, if not all Cuban cigars. Dupont Collection Pays Homage To Paris, 2022 Big Smoke Las Vegas Seminars: Blend Ambitions With Dewars And . Even the box was wrong, which Ill get to shortly. It is often called the "Red Dot Cohiba" because of the red dot on the band. 1. For instance one customer has a Cohiba - my first note was that . At Cigar Aficionado, weve seen lazy counterfeiters sell boxes with labels in the box, not attached to the packaging. If the box is bought outside Cuba, we can also find the importer seal. Your email address will not be published. If you know what to look for before buying a Cuban cigar, its a good bet you will avoid getting scammed. The band includes heightened security aspects that make it more difficult to counterfeit. Generally, cigars can remain fresh in their cellophane wrapper for roughly 30 days. (See pictures at the bottom of the page). 2. leaf size. Now, about that box of fake Arturo Fuente cigars. 9. A proper box of real Cubans will have a certain amount of symmetry. Lets keep in mind why fake Cuban cigars even exist. The originals were packed in dress boxes, but by the time the line was expanded, the brand moved into plain, wooden boxes. One of the most important areas of the box to check is the bottom. However, note also that the months are Spanish abbreviations, not English. How to spot counterfeit cigars in Cuba (and everywhere else, too). Source: http://www.habanos.com/en/verificacion-de-autenticidad/. This is due to the minerals in the tobacco grown in Cuba. Wondering if anyone here has noticed the same things and has any feedback as to whether these are signs the cigars are facke or confirmation the cigars real?? The second is an analysis of the head and the foot of the cigar. In 2009, a hologram was added on the right side and the placement of the serial code was moved. 2. Shorter leaves will always be present, since during construction the leaves are also broken and the shorter parts are used to ensure that the cigar has a homogeneous filling. . Visual analysis consists of 2 parts. Is it because theyre still considered forbidden fruit, or is it that many cigar smokers believe Cuban cigars are the best? Look for the Habanos label in the top-right corner of the box, the Cuba guarantee seal (complete with hologram and box code) on the left and stamps on the bottom. Authenticity, quality and satisfaction; guaranteed! Dimensins are totally different. This makes the cigars feel very soft to the touch. Taking in several factors, a Montecristo No.2 costs around $10 in Cuba, where it is obviously the cheapest. Check out Cigar Aficionado's newsletters, bringing you our latest ratings & reviews, cigar news and our guide to the good life. Obvious signs of fake cigars that everyone who wants to buy Cuban * Offers valid while supplies last. If the hustlers are going through the trouble of counterfeiting the seals, you can bet the bands have also been faked. c/o Counterfeit Cigars The purchase will also further expand STGs portfolio of top-rated premium cigars worldwide. Need help plz. For more on Cohiba and counterfeits, check out these links and videos: [Video] Counterfeit Cuban Cigars Part I: How To Tell A Fake From The Real Deal[Video] Counterfeit Cuban Cigars Part II: Cutting Open Counterfeits. Cigar cut To be clear, no Cuban cigar comes in a package with a glass or plastic top. 2. No box of Cuban cigars leaves the country without it. No ornamental hinges. Heres another problem. Fake Cuban Cigars Reviews | Cigar Analysis As of 2010 all of these stamps include a hologram. Naturally, when he began selling cigars under his own name, he had them made in Cuba. Unfortunately, you cant do the ash test while your Cuban is still in the box, but if you can light and try at least one cigar before buying you should pay careful attention to how the cigar ashes. Fidel Castro, socialism, excellent rum and arguably the world's best cigars. This is due to the minerals in the tobacco grown in Cuba. Including Cigar Accessories & Boveda Products. Its ALL in the taste, and even fakes can be real Cuban baccy just hijacked baccy often times the sneaky smugglers who cheat people will ADD a little real tobacco in with their fakes to make them smell-ish and taste-ish more legit. Straight-sided Cuban cigars (i.e. Guarantee purchase returns within 48 hours in case cigar is not what customers order or defected. It should also usually bend up to the front right over the center of the Cote dArms. The other is the month and year when they were boxed. Real vs Fake Cuban Cohiba Cigar Band / Label. This is especially true if you decide to buy from an unknown seller. Cuban cigars should come in an all-wood box. Squeeze the cigar to feel if it's firm all the way through. This seal is applied to the top right of the box, and is affixed before the box leaves the factory. With the exception of figurados like Pyramids and Torpedoes, the caps are often more flat than round, and always tripled seamed. Bands that are not perfect are not used in genuine cigars making. Fake cigars sometimes trick people by being too expensive or too cheap. This steps below can be followed to understand if you are dealing with a counterfeit product: 1. 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. Currently, this cigar is sold for more than $ 30. If you go to websites where people sell items, you will will find plenty of them. EXTERNAL SEALSCuban cigars boxes come with two seals: the DOP seals and the Cuban state seal. The hologram barcode seal was intact, so I might just being paranoid? Copyright 2023 Holt's Cigar Company. This check is performed simultaneously the touch analysis (next chapter). 1 Aug 2018 Last Updated: 20 Jan 2023. That $100 Rolex is fake. All real Cuban cigars are packed in boxes with what is called the Habanos Seal. That requires a little work on your part. Chances are, theyre fakes, and whats that old saying,A fool and his money. Usually there are seals placed inside the box. 5000 | Same day delivery in Lahore & Karachi (selected areas) on selected items via Card Machine (POS) Payment. Cuban cigars do not come wrapped in cellophane, at least not since 1992 when only machine-made Cubans got a cellophane sleeve. So what can you do? While recently inspecting a box of Cohibas Piramides Extra both the labels on the box and the bands themselves I observed two anomolies I have not heard much mention of. Look at the dimensions. 4) Repeating Logos The phrase often repeated is, "No Cuban cigars come in a glass lid box.", so don't buy them. Chances are, theyre fakes, and whats that old saying,A fool and his money. Its common sense that you dont get real cubans for a bargain if they dont have a special sale or anything, which doesnt happen regulary, cause they know what their cigars are worth. So what can you do? That said, most leaves will still have to be long as the cigar length. Cuban claims he has been losing more than 500 followers a day despite being subscribed to Twitter Blue. The band is a good place to start, especially in the case of the iconic Cuban Romeo y Julieta cigar Cohiba, the word for tobacco in the language of the indigenous Taino people of Cuba, as we all know today, has become the most sought-after brand among Cuban cigars. Smell . This is the familiar seal you see on all boxes of handmade cigars from Central America. Enter the username or e-mail you used in your profile. Cuban cigars are quite expensive, especially in countries with a higher tobacco tax. 1997-2015 JRCigars.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved - 2589 Eric Lane, Burlington NC 27215. The inside hinges are branded with the word Cohiba. The box bottoms are covered in felt, unlike most other brands that are exposed wood. If someone tries to sell you a $300 box of Cubans for $50 or even $100, odds are theyre not the genuine article. I believe I may have been had. Therefore, its always better to smoke at least one cigar before you buy. If youre offered a barber-pole cigar a cigar with two wrappers of different colors its not real because there is no real Cuban cigar made this way. 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. What does the word Cohiba mean? - Short-Fact 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. Find out if your Cuban Romeo y Julieta is real or fake. Mike. So lets see what other checks we can do. Let's sat that 90% of the listed Cuban cigars are fakes. In this video I talk about some of the telltale signs of fake Cuban cigars and how to spot them!Cigar Aficionado guide: https://www.cigaraficionado.com/artic. Source: http://www.habanos.com/en/el-mundo-del-habano/signos-de-distincion/. Here are the keys: The cigar bands are often difficult to distinguish on fakes. If the hustlers are going through the trouble of counterfeiting . http://www.habanos.com/en/verificacion-de-autenticidad/, http://www.habanos.com/en/el-mundo-del-habano/signos-de-distincion/. Five Cohiba cigars are offered in wood boxes with a glass top, and each cigar is sheathed in cellophane. If the cigar box was produced after 1985, it must have the Cuo written somewhere (on the box or on the container in which the box was placed, like the carton paper for some Cohiba boxes, like the Maduro 5). This might be a little tough for a beginner, but for anyone who has smoked a real Cuba, the bands are a dead giveaway. The band is often the first place your eyes will go, so the more familiar you are with the genuine bands and their specific attributes, the sooner youll know how to spot fake Cuban cigars. Internal seals For starters, if the price seems too good to be true, it is. The thing you need to do to spot a fake is to become familiar with Cuban cigar packaging. It is unlikely that someone will decide to sell off cigars at their own expense. Of course, the name of the cigar company was stamped after this. Online is still restricted, but restrictions or not, the desire to smoke Cuban cigars continues to tug at the heartstrings of American cigar smokers. Nine White Squares: Nine rows of white squares run in a checkered pattern to the solid gold line that stretches across the bottom third of the band. Unless, of course, theyre selling us fakes. If the price sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Cohiba esplendidos - how to tell real from fake? : r/cubancigars - Reddit This guide will help you tell fake Cuban cigars from the real thing. The fact is, the Cuban cigar industry doesnt make cigar boxes with glass or even clear plastic tops. Although many fake Cuban cigar bands maylookauthentic and in some rare cases are its not unusual to find bands with spelling errors, poor alignment, the wrong color and/or typeface, missing embossing, and in the case of fake Cohiba cigars, the wrong size or number of white squares on the band. . For decades, there has been a market for counterfeitCuban cigars. Any box of authentic Cuban cigars must have attached on the outside a warranty seal. It is a good starting point to quickly understand how the counterfeit cigar boxes look like. The Cohiba Behike is distinguished by the use of medio tiempo tobacco leaves in its blend. I paid twenty dollars for a box of five just couldnt get the price lower but couldnt resist the souvenir. A great example of how Cuba has dealt with preventing the counterfeiting of bands can be found on the Cohiba Behike cigars. 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. Look for the Habanos label in the top-right corner of the box, the Cuba guarantee seal (complete with hologram and box code) on the left and stamps at the bottom. These seals must be attached to the box and not simply inserted into it on adhesive paper. Cuba has always been very proud of its famous 'Habano' cigars. 3. yadda-yadda-yadda. In some very rare cases, the cigars are the genuine article, having been snuck out of the factory, but the sucker who thinks hes getting Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, or Cohiba cigars is more likely getting cigars rolled with cheap tobacco that didnt even come from said factory; they may even be machine-made cigars. This is the last analysis that can be performed and it is also an invasive type of analysis. If you see that the cigars in a box are not the same length and of the same ring gauge, youve likely got a box of frauds or some very badly made cigars. 5.Look at the clasp with cohiba logo in front of the box. 6. However, enjoy while it lasts, because anyone who thinks they are going to change the Communist Rule I am sorry for them. 2 or Partags Serie D No. Box type This guide will help you tell fake Cuban cigars from the real thing. Reading Time: 5 minutes SWEET: see Garys Deadwood Yummy Bitches Sweet Jane cigar review! J.A. But enough about the hustle; lets get to the heart of how to spot fake Cuban cigars. Buying Cuban cigars online is still restricted, but restrictions or not, the desire to smoke Cuban cigars continues to tug at the heartstrings of American cigar smokers.