Question

[tbradsim1]

What Cigar online Store would you trust to sell real Cohibas, thinking about buying a box.

 

[kg.legat0]

I was curious about this as well - it seems the folks on Reddit (/r/cigars) trust 'ihavanas.com' - I haven't ordered from them, but I did see quite a few positive reviews. Take this recommendation with a grain of salt. Good luck!

 

[fireground_piper]

I think it's gotten murkier this past month or two because retailers folks considered legit, and by all accounts the vendors thought they themselves were legit too, were getting duped by their own distributor.

I'm not in the market, but it really seems like a crap shoot.

 

[unadoptedlamp]

I live part time in a port city in Canada that gets a lot of U.S. tourists. There are two legitimate stores that specialize in Cuban cigars, one specializing in rare or hard to find Cuban cigars (special editions, etc.).

They do not have much incentive to sell fakes here.

If you don't mind the cost, you may want to contact these guys and explain your situation: Goodfellas Cigar Shop - Victoria, BC - https://www.goodfellascigarshop.com/

There is this store, which I know used to ship in discreet brown packaging: Cohiba Cigars - http://www.oldmorris.com/cigars/cohiba/
However, they've gone a little downhill over the years, despite a beautiful store with a very special lighter inside. Used to be an excellent stop. Still worth going inside if you ever happen to be in town. The building is quite impressive.

The best recommendation I have is this shop: Contact • The Cuban Cigar Shop • Canada Smoke Shop - https://www.cubancigar-shop.com/contact

Very knowledgeable older gent who has been in the business a long time. No nonsense, off the 'tourist trail', and he stocks the best cigars I have seen anywhere in the world. Very serious store, which I highly recommend. If he would ship to the U.S., this is the guy I would not hesitate to buy from. However, if price point is better, Goodfella's is also high quality.

Good luck!

 

[sablebrush52]

The assumption is that the retailers always know that what they're selling is real, and they don't. Cohiba faking has been a cottage industry for decades.

 

[pantsBoots]

I wouldn't purchase recent Cuban Cohibas due to the above-mentioned supply issues where seemingly a large quantity of counterfeits were sent to vendors by the distributor. I have seen chatter that some higher-end Montecristo have been implicated as well, so no telling what's real and what's not.

 

[unadoptedlamp]

The assumption is that the retailers always know that what they're selling is real

How to solve fakes at the distributor level? Maybe you can't, if the companies themselves are in on it. Are there any accusations of that happening?

I haven't bought a box in awhile. I go for a Bolivar Royal Corona when I do, which I don't think are very attractive to fake en masse. But, last time I did, I seem to remember something about a bar code on the box that could be cross referenced to the factory. The box came with several seals, holograms, etc. (fancy arm waving stuff) that looked legit.

I've been smoking that brand for decades now, and I can't say I've ever had one that I thought felt off for any reason. If I were into Cohibas... well, then that would maybe make me a little more nervous. I think Bolivar blows them right out of the water though. Much stronger flavour and rich experience for my tastes... but that's very personal.

Anyway, interesting to know how they might fake them at the distribution level and I wonder if the brands themselves have been involved somehow.

 

[sablebrush52]

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[kcghost]

I haven't mail ordered any Cubans in 25 years, but I would never mail order Cohibas. The damn things cost a lot of dough and there are others that were much better according to my tastes. I much preferred Bolivars or Ramon Allones.

 

[mso489]

I'm not a big cigar guy, so I'm guessing. But for shear clout from seniority, I would think that Iwan Ries might have a solid line on their suppliers; their Cohibas are Dominican. Likewise the Laudisi franchise is large enough and international enough to have a handle on sources. It's a crap shoot, but those would be my bet.

Some especially good Dominican Cohiba cigars I've smoked have tasted better to me than the "Cubans" I've had, but again, I'm no expert.