Glass Top Cuban Cigar Boxes

[badbriar]

This is pretty much old news, but there apparently are a few enthusiasts out there that are in the dark about this dead giveaway. HSA has never released authentic Cuban cigars packed in any type of glass top box.
I have a friend who annually goes on vacation to Cabo in Mexico and enthusiastically brings back as many as allowed of these glass top box gems. He says they're the best Cubans he's ever smoked. Go figure. Friends have attempted to enlighten him, to no avail. He's convinced that he is a superb negotiator, ultimately bargaining the sellers down from a start of around $18 to $20 to $6 per stick. And that's another thing - HSA shops don't negotiate - the price is the price.
Keep smoking, my friends! ?

 

[olkofri]

HSA?

 

[cigrmaster]

I saw more fake Cubans in the DR than I did in Cuba. When I was in Cuba in 2000 the scam was having Cuban Davidoff's and stuff like Bolivar Gold Medals made for who ever was dumb enough to buy them.

These fakes were made by a manager at a very prominent factory. I got a private tour of the Cohiba factory as it is not open to the general public. What I saw made me sick. The rollers couldn't have cared less if their cigars were all plugged. The place was a mess and there was no quality control that I could see.

A few months earlier I had spent 3 days with Carlos Fuente in the DR and his operation was impressive. Quality control is what he is all about and it comes out in all his cigars. The man was a fanatic on quality. . Even in the box factory he was a nut. One of his refrigerated warehouses had hundreds of bales of 1984 Cameroon wrapper, it was an amazing site.
The rolling rooms were like hospital wings with how clean they were.

 

[voorhees]

I’ve been alerting people to this for years. No glass top boxes ever.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

It's so easy to buy the real deal, I struggle to understand how so many people insist on buying fakes.

 

[dcon]

I have bought the glass top knowing full well that they were fakes. I actually kind of liked the box and I got it thinking the cigars would be throw away or, at best, lawn mowing cigars. I was surprised to discover that, the cigars were actually from Cuban leaf. They were obviously not made by the greatest torceador but, the flavor was not half-ass bad. They were as good as some of the machine made Cubans that I have smoked. All this was about 20 years ago. The cigars are long since smoked. I wonder if I have that old box somewhere?

 

[badbriar]

HSA?

Habanos S.A. is the Cuban organization that oversees the country’s state-run cigar industry.

 

[Elric]

Smoking cigars is always distressingly like smoking a dirt clod to me but I suppose many such folks think the same of Latakia (heathens! )

 

[canadianpuffer]

I work with a gentleman that has 3 full tower humidors filled with glass topped boxes. Sees it as an investment... who am I to ruin his fun lol I’m sure the beetles will do that for him.
seriously though I would be hesitant to smoke one as improperly cured leaf can make you a bit sick, not to mention it might just be floor sweepings.

 

[badbriar]

It's so easy to buy the real deal, I struggle to understand how so many people insist on buying fakes.

Agreed! I suspect, like my friend, they fancy themselves as being excellent 'negotiators' !

 

[smokeyweb]

I recently smoked an authentic Cuban Cohiba and it tasted like a bag of ass. On the other hand, I smoked an authentic Cuban Hoyo de Monterrey and it was one of the most wonderful cigars I have ever smoked!

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I recently smoked an authentic Cuban Cohiba and it tasted like a bag of ass. On the other hand, I smoked an authentic Cuban Hoyo de Monterrey and it was one of the most wonderful cigars I have ever smoked!

How certain are you of the authenticity? I've thousands of Cubans and hundreds of Cohibas. One of the finest cigars on the planet.

 

[smokeyweb]

How certain are you of the authenticity? I've thousands of Cubans and hundreds of Cohibas. One of the finest cigars on the planet.

I guess not 100% certain... but I paid 40 bucks for it at a store in the Caribbean... total ripoff, but I had never had a real Cuban before. But... who knows, right?