How Do You Spot A Fake Cuban Cigar?

[philobeddoe]

Now that Cuban cigars will be showing up for sale, I was hoping that those of you who have a great deal of cigar experience could help the rest of us to avoid getting scammed. What characteristics, band, smell, wrapper etc. are often wrong in a fake Cuban cigar? I know that I wouldn't be able to tell a real Cuban Montecristo or Cohiba from a fake one, assuming the printing of the band is clear and it looked legit. Thank you.

 

[mso489]

Good question. I think some Cohibas are made in other countries but say so. I guess the bands could be fiddled to raise the price.

 

[deathmetal]

Threaten it with an AK-47, and if it informs on its friends, it is clearly a product of a totalitarian regime.

 

[mikestanley]

Cigar Aficionado has a spot on their website dedicated to counterfeits.

Mike S.

 

[warren]

The fake ones will not have that distinct aroma the young thighs between which they were rolled.

 

[northernneil]

It is difficult to do from the cigar alone, easier with the box. Always buy from a properly "tagged" box through a Habanos Certified Dealer. That is you're only guaranteed way to avoid counterfeit's.

 

[shutterbugg]

If it says Monticlisto or Lomeo Y Jurieta, it's probably a fake.

 

[andrew]

With the bad fakes, it's obvious, with the good fakes, sometimes you're getting an awesome cuban cigar still, it's just technically a fake. Pretty much all the things "aficionado's" use to verify if a cuban cigar is genuine or not has been proven to be false, things like box codes, lack of box stamp on bottom etc.. A box code will come back as genuine and all you have to do is put fake cigars of the same brand in the genuine box and it will come back as authentic. I'm pretty sure I have a box of fake cohiba esplendido's as there's no way you can get a box for 175$ canadian and they came from a cigar factory in cuba, yet they have the same flavor profile, the rolling is seamless and flawless, but if you were to go on a cigar forum and ask, they would definitely say there were fake cohiba's. I also have what I know is a fake cohiba as it's a limited edition 2014 in a size that was never made, but it is still one of the best cigars I've ever smoked, even though it is definitely a fake. About the only sure way to buy genuine cuban cigars is through an LCDH which is a government run habano's cigar store. However every cigar factory in cuba now I think rolls every kind of cuban cigar, so if you buy them direct from the factory you will get them much cheaper then through an lcdh, they just haven't been aged, which I think is the case with my esplendio's, as after 3 years these are amazing cigars. Yet there is no box code stamped onto the bottom of the box, but that has been proven to not be a definite thing as there's so many cigar factories that roll every kind of cuban cigar. Even if you have a genuine cuban cigar some of the stores in cuba don't store them properly so they can get moldy. Basically it's something that will become extremely frustrating the more you look into it. I've heard there are cigar houses in cuba that sell boxes at about a 3rd of the price as the lcdh's, and I wouldn't doubt if they are just freshly rolled cigars, and if you have the patience to wait about 2-3 years before you smoke them, you'll save quite a bit of money in the end if you age them yourself.

 

[andrew]

Take this for example, how would you be able to tell if you didn't have a ruler? Even then these fakes could be rolled with cuban tobacco and be great smokes. Also quality control has taken a hit all around now that every cigar is being rolled in every factory. Cohiba's used to only be rolled at the cohiba factory, I forget it's exact name, now they're rolled everywhere.

 

[philobeddoe]

I knew it would be complicated, but I didn't realize how much so. What I'm gathering is that basically ...if you are not a seasoned cigar aficionado and you are buying just a handful or so, not a sealed box, you don't stand much of a chance! I know that I would be buying them from second hand sources, fellows who traveled abroad and brought them back, not from a licensed store, as I live in the Midwest, hundreds of miles from a duty-free store in Canada or the Caribbean.

 

[hakchuma]

If I'm smoking a Cuban cigar and I tell you that it's a Cuban cigar, it's a fake Cuban cigar.

 

[andrew]

Problem is phil is this is how the counterfeit cigar industry thrives, tourists go there, then get approached on the beach from some friendly local who's so and so works at a cigar factory and can get you them for cheap, and I mean why support castro and buy them at a government store and support communism?? The best bet is to get someone to buy them for you at a duty free at the airport in cuba before they come back. If you're just after a few singles and not boxes you aren't going to break the bank. The duty free is an lcdh I'm pretty sure and from what I've heard they're pretty reliable, about the main thing you have to worry about in lcdh's is being price gouged as there's no uniform pricing. Buying from hotel's is usually not the best from what I've heard, but the duty free at the airport sounds like the best bet, plus it's on the way back. Sealed boxes also aren't going to be guaranteed legitimate. Counterfitters are really getting ahead of the game. The good news is if you're putting out a decent amount of money even counterfeits can get great cuban cigars still. The counterfeit cigars you have to watch out for are people selling you boxes of cohiba's for 20$ on the beach.

 

[dochudson]

Hang around CA's Cuba and Cuban Cigars sub forum. I became friends years ago with a nurse at one of our hospitals that spent every March in Saint Martin her hubby was really into cigars. I would split a couple of boxes with every year. If you look at the pix about other than the lenght, notice lack of veins and the uniform color.

 

[andrew]

Only problem with veins and color now is that now that they're being rolled in every factor quality control has taken a hit. Usually boxes they'll have a uniform color for the wrapper but the wrapper shades can vary a bit box to box. You have to remember cuba is a 3rd world country. I think also factory workers are allowed to bring so many cigars home a day and they are shorter. I don't doubt that you can buy really great cigars from factory workers that save them, the problem just would be actually finding a legitimate factory worker that had those cigars.
I found out about the different rolling factories when it made the top 25 list

The Cohiba brand is one of the best-known cigar brands in the world, and the big, stately Esplendido is one of its most familiar sizes. Created in 1989 as part of the Línea Clásica series (along with the chunky Robusto and diminutive Exquisito), The Churchill-sized smoke packs a considerable punch, and at its best it showcases a level of power and complexity that is hard to find anywhere else. Recent production Cohiba Esplendidos show off rich, full-bodied flavors, such as salted caramel, black cherry and baked apple. The cigars, which were once made only at the small El Laguito Factory, are now so popular that they are produced in many factories, making consistent performance somewhat of a problem.

http://2014.top25.cigaraficionado.com/number-11-cohiba-esplendido/

 

[dochudson]

If you look at the pix about other than the lenght, notice lack of veins and the uniform color. The duty free shops are a safe bet. I bought 5 packs of different makes at the Barcelona DF a couple of years ago after a med cruise. Before stocked up at a well known tobacconist on La Rambla boulevard.

 

[andrew]

Here's another example, which are the real montecristo's, the 3 on the left or the 3 on the right?

 

[philobeddoe]

My guess would be the ones on the right, as the ends are cleaner cut.

 

[andrew]

Good eye, you are correct.

http://yulcigars.blogspot.ca/ Here is a price list for cubans to give you an idea of what you should be paying for legitimate cigars in cuba.

 

[sablebrush52]

Lots of useful info here. Years ago I used to avoid the Cohiba Lanceros as they were the most faked. Cohiba's were widely faked, which didn't bother me as I really didn't think much of them, especially against the Romeo and Julietta Churchills, the Hoyo de Monterrey double coronas, Partigas, and several other cigars that I used to buy. I also had a friend who sent me cigars from England via diplomatic pouch, which took care of the Customs issue quite nicely. I'll be curious to see what gets imported as some of the best known have really declined. There are some really spectacular smokes to be found in the lesser known brands, and I'm hoping that some of these will make their appearance here.

 

[andrew]

The issue of importing cigars will be interesting as pretty much all the well known brands were trademarked by general cigar. Cuba would be smart to rebrand stuff for the US, but then the FDA regulations would make it to expensive. If general cigar could buy out these cuban brands they could probably pump all the needed money, fertilizer, equipment needed to make cuba's cigar industry the best in the world. Castro even stated in an interview if the embargo was lifted cuba could make better cigars then they did. They could also make a cigar roller into a decent paying job. I don't think communism will last much longer in Cuba now.