12/03/2021 at 5:15 PM. A mounted head is no guarantee of a real Cuban cigar, as other producers make cigars this way as well, but the lack of one guarantees a fake. This is due to the minerals in the tobacco grown in Cuba. Buy your real Cuban cigars at a real Cuban cigar store. Think of it as a kind of secret code. Some fake Cohibas are presented this way, too. 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. So is the 10 CUC Cohiba. produced by the US company General Cigar from non-Cuban tobacco and has no affiliation of any sort with the real Cuban Cohiba. JRCigars.com is not responsible for typographical errors. This sheet is written in 4 languages: Spanish, English, French, German. For example, the head on the label should be a holograph. If the cigar burns white ash, thats a bad sign. Apart from the issues weve discussed about packaging, one way to determine if this is an authentic Esplndido is to smoke it. 6. Cigar documents 11. OK, youre not near an official LCDH. What does the word Cohiba mean? - Short-Fact Find out if your Cuban Romeo y Julieta is real or fake. ZinoDavidofflearned this first-hand in the early part of the 20thcentury, and was the first European cigar retailer to introduce Cuban cigars to the world. Lets see how to distinguish genuine Cuban cigars from counterfeit ones. 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 of them even smoke okayalthough, if you know what you are doing, you can certainly tell the difference. JR Cigar Blog & Videos - Reviews, Lists & More. Learn how to tell whether thePartags you're smoking is authentic or fake. If, for example, you see a Montecristo No. 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. The changes to this information leaflet were 3: This guide will help you spotting fake Cuban cigars. No ridges or collars. 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. Maybe they want $300 for the box. How to Spot a Fake vs. Real Cuban Cigar | Holt's Cigar Company Its one of the most common questions we receive here at Cigar Aficionado: Is this Cuban cigar fake or real? With a rich counterfeit market hawking fake Cubans throughout the Caribbean and other tourist destinations, its easy for any cigar enthusiast to get duped into buying a bogus Cuban. If we are facing some Cohiba, the head must have the triple cap finish. 5000 | Same day delivery in Lahore & Karachi (selected areas) on selected items via Card Machine (POS) Payment. That is when it gets a bit more difficult to tell what youre dealing with before you buy. I dont care if you bought them from Mother Teresa; youre probably sitting on imitations. Therefore, its always better to smoke at least one cigar before you buy. They have about six different brands claiming to be Cuban but they have no bands. Front and center on the band is a holographic image of the famous Taino Indian head. 2. The Cohiba brand was offered to the general market in 1982 in the form of a Panatela, 4.5 x 26. If the price sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 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. These seals must be attached to the box and not simply inserted into it on adhesive paper. The Canadian market, which allows the sale of Cubans, is almost as bad as the U.S. market, sitting []. What do you look for? Many of the Cuban brands have very distinct labels. On the bottom, you want to make sure you find a stamp of approval. The Esplndido, in particular, became hugely popular and immediately became a prime target for counterfeiters. A Churchill in London runs more than $35 for each cigar. The Cohiba Behike is distinguished by the use of medio tiempo tobacco leaves in its blend. The type of box gives us important information on whether cigars are fake or not. That also makes the Cohiba Behike one of the most widely counterfeited cigars in the world. I believe I may have been had. One good clue isembossing. By cutting the cigar open and unrolling the leaves, it will be fairly simple to see if the leaves used are whole or not. It's the most common line used to deceive hapless tourists, and it often works. Heres our guide to how to spot a fake Cuban cigar. Felt also envelops the box, and a black cardboard box covers all that. To be clear, no Cuban cigar comes in a package with a glass or plastic top. Holograms of the word Cuba and the Taino Indian head logo repeat on the gilded top edge of the band. 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. 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. But these leaves are in short supply because they are present in only about 10 to 15 percent of Cuban tobacco plants. With overpriced Cuban cigars, potential buyers will basically sell themselves on the fake cigars by thinking that well, its so expensive. They are among the most counterfeited cigars. Now, about that box of fake Arturo Fuente cigars. If someone is trying to sell this box in your country for $ 100-200, or you fnid people selling it for $ 50 in Cuba (sellers on the street), the situation is quite clear: in both cases, an alarm must sound in your mind. Thats a little more work and expense than most counterfeiters want to do. This is the familiar seal you see on all boxes of handmade cigars from Central America. Phase 5 DHA, Karachi | 12 PM to 8 PM. If someone offers you a Behike, and its in anything other than a box of 10, its a fake cigar. It only features the HABANOS written. Cuban cigars should come in an all-wood box. Other box and cigars are fake. You just have to know what a real Cuban cigar looks and tastes like in order to tell. So, its also the biggest target for counterfeiters. How to spot counterfeit or fake Cuban Cigar Websites & Facebook profiles These marks tell industry-insiders which of the countrys factories made the cigars. All Rights Reserved. Cohiba has been using a security hologram band featuring the head of an Indian since 2010, but in 2014 they added additional data that allows consumers to identify the original brand from any country in the world, while also providing information on the distributor and bill number, among other details. The foot should be a perfectly straight, clean cut. The first thing to realize is that you are always more at risk for buying a fake Cuban if the cigar you are buying is expensive, and not actually purchased in Cuba. Genuine Cuban Cohiba Esplendidos, when you can find them, sell for about 23 CUC. When smoked, the ashes tend to be entirely grey and devoid of any black fragments. The veins should be very fine or barely visible. You should be able to detect the oily shimmer on the wrapper. Cellophane, however, is not the only indication that a Cuban cigar is fake. A great example of how Cuba has dealt with preventing the counterfeiting of bands can be found on the Cohiba Behike cigars. So, unless you are dealing with a legitimate vendor, odds are, the person if not selling you a legit Edicin Limitada. The white squares should be in nine rows with no square being cut off. Its fake. In Cuba, which is a good baseline because it has the lowest Cuban cigar prices on the planet, Montecristo No. Ironically, even in Havana there are almost as many counterfeit Cuban cigars as the legit smokes. The bottom of the box of real handmade Cubans has. This seal is applied to the top right of the box, and is affixed before the box leaves the factory. If you remember nothing else from this article, remember that real Cuban cigars should bebought only in a reputable shop, like the official La Casa del Habano (LCDH). c/o Counterfeit Cigars * Offers valid while supplies last. Behikes cost even more, around 30 to 40 CUC eachwhen they are in stock. How to Spot a Fake Cuban Cigar | JR Blending Room 8.2 Cigar Analysis: the wrapper must be a quality one; it doesnt have to be shriveled or ugly. Don't take the bait and don't be tempted by the idea of a bargain. Instead, check out our primer below for some simple, straightforward tips on what to look for to avoid imitation Cuban cigars. 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. Despite the fact that the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras manufacture most of the worlds bestcigarsthese days, cigar smokers still jump at the chance to buy Cubans. 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. 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. Find out if your Cuban Bolivaris real or fake. A real Cuban cigar tends to burn with a gray ash, or one that takes on a salt-and-pepper look. If youre in, say, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where fake Cohiba cigars are being offered every 10 meters on the seaside promenade, your antennae should be tingling. And since at least then, the Cohiba has been counterfeited. In this video I'll take you through a few essential tips about knowing the diffe. 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. If you dont have that kind of experience, then you are far better off staying away from the back alleys and buying from a main-street seller who you know, and can prove, is legit. Bright, white ashes are good signs of cigars made with non-Cuban tobacco. Forgers had something new to figure out. No, seriously. 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 offake Cohiba cigars, the wrong size or number of white squares on the band. 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. Smoking a fake cigar just isn't fun at all. Your email address will not be published. The only time the seal wont bend up like this and go over the Cote dArms is on very large cigar boxes. Similar to US currency, Cuban cigar boxes come with a lot of extra makers to help distinguish them from fakes. And its really, really hard to find an authentic Cohiba Behike in any of its three vitolas (sizes). Find out if your Cuban Cohiba Behike BHK is real or fake. The lack of Cuo or if it features wrong codes, are in fact a very valid method to understand if the box is counterfeit. Know before you buy. The fact is, the Cuban cigar industry doesnt make cigar boxes with glass or even clear plastic tops. This test is useful only if you know the type of cigars you wanna check on. The Cohibas have the stickers in the opposite corners than described but the R & Js have tehm in the correct corners. The name cohba derives from the Tano word for "tobacco". The scent coming from a cigar box must be intense and rich. Cigar Aficionado Online, M. Shanken Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. In 2014 the holographic bands on Cohiba Behike cigars were updated to include even more detailed information to stop counterfeiters. You may not be allowed in to the US, MRCU planes down as mosquito population rises, SteppingStones launches Professional Contract Solutions, Miss Universe Cayman Islands Chloe A. Powery-Doxey officially crowned, Childrens Parks and Playgrounds in Cayman, Subscribe to the Cayman Real Estate Newsletter. Any Cohiba you are being offered for $10 is fake. 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. By the type of leaves present we mean if the filler (or tripa) of the cigar is made from tobacco leaves. At Cigar Aficionado, we've seen lazy counterfeiters sell . The inside hinges are branded with the word Cohiba. The box bottoms are covered in felt, unlike most other brands that are exposed wood. Nation-wide Free Delivery on all Orders above Rs. (See pictures at the bottom of the page). 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 'made in Cuba' stamp is on the left. This has been the case since 2013. Use common sense and buy in a legitimate store, than you have no problem at all. If someone tries to sell you a box of Cubans with a glass top, that alone should be a red flag. In fact, by illuminating it with UV rays, the coat of arms of Cuba (which is also on the left side of the seal) will appear in the center. 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. Furthermore, the seals are missing. They are shrink wrapped for easier transport .If the bands are ok should I go for it? Keep in mind that there's no such thing as a Fake Cuban cigar in Cuba. All Rights Reserved. The Fleur-de-lis. You'll only be walking into a large den of discount fakes. You also want to make sure the box has the Cuban warranty seal of authenticity on the left side of the box. How to spot fake Cuban cigars - the complete guide Cigar Aficionado In 1999, the Cubans added a serial code to the seal. They are sure fakes. Real one is sharp and clear whereas fake one is blurry. The experience of buying a Cuban cigar in Cuba may be overwhelming for some. . Smell I just got two boxes straight from Cuba was there on vacation and I think they are fake. 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. This seal is placed either directly on the box or on the packaging that covers the box. There are no cuban boxes with glass or plexiglass covers. If the cigar has holes or in any case insufficient filling, this can be another alarm. 2s cost 8.50 CUCs (about $9.68 when factoring in the 13 percent you lose trading U.S. dollars into CUCs). If you have smoked cigars for a long time, say more than 10 years, you almost certainly have been asked the question were addressing here. Period. In most of the cases, finding counterfeit Cuban cigars is very simple. How To Spot A Fake Cohiba | Cigar Aficionado This lends power to the cigar. In counterfeit Cohiba boxes, this error is almost always made. A serial code was added to the seal and the seal itself has a reaction if directly exposed to ultraviolet light. Its easy to get a box or bundle of unbranded cigars from any cigar-producing country and pass it off as Cuban. 1. type of leaves present I believe its a combination of the two. The next year, the cut on the ends of the seal was changed from rounded to a sharp, angled cut. Weve seen several fake Cohibas made in this method. Also, inside the box, the Cubans should all be the same length and color. So lets see what other checks we can do. The hologram is an important thing to check for because they are hard and expensive to copy. 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. The authentic Cohiba Behike took anti-forging efforts to a new level. 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. Even worse is if youre offered a Behike for $10 on the street outside your hotel in Havana. Do not buy Cubans that are in a box without a hologram. So what can you do? The bands have several minor marks that you can identify. In Cuba, the biggest and most obvious sign of fakes is some guy on the street who has cigars and tells you his buddy, who works at the H. Upmann factory, snuck out the box. Today Cuba still produces some of the worlds best cigars, but countries like the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras, where many Cuban tobacco-growers relocated after the Castro regime nationalized the tobacco industry in 1959, have leveled the playing field by making Cuban cigars just another option. This is called the cuo. 6. 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. Generally, cigars can remain fresh in their cellophane wrapper for roughly 30 days. So it is good to go deeper into checking the box and the cigars, to make sure you dont buy fakes. 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. 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). Cohiba has been using a security hologram band featuring the head of an Indian since 2010, but in 2014 they added additional data that allows consumers to identify the original brand from any country in the world, while also providing information on the distributor and bill number, among other details. 1 Aug 2018 Last Updated: 20 Jan 2023. The fake logo looks like it has been made in a very rudimentary and not detailed way. A reader of mine once sent me a box of counterfeit Arturo Fuente cigars and it was obvious the bands had been cheaply printed, most likely on a laser printer. The heart and soul of Cohibas packaging, though, is the famous Taino Indian head logo, a graphic depiction of Cubas native tribe. 8. Fakes are often made with substandard quality control. (The Habanos website features a handy tool to search for Casa del Habanos around the world.). The same goes for that vendor on a Caribbean beach. Presuming the mark is an experienced cigar smoker, hell be even more livid that he allowed himself to be suckered. So, if any one of these things is off, your Behikes are off too. Look to see if the color of the wrapper leaf is a rich, uniform light brown. 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 . Please verify your age to enter. The plastic wrapper acts as a barrier that slows down moisture exchange and protects the cigar from potential damage or contamination. Finally, as with every real Cuban cigar, if youre offered a cigar that is inside a cellophane sleeve, its not an authentic Cuban cigar. Take Cohiba, for example. 2s in Ensenada. It is therefore difficult to find yourself in front of a box that doesnt feature it. . One of the most important areas of the box to check is the bottom. Old Seal. Providing fresh Flavored Cigars loaded with the finest tobacco and best flavor-infused ingredients. Real vs Fake Cuban Cohiba Cigar Band / Label. Real or fake : r/cubancigars - Reddit Dupont Collection Pays Homage To Paris, 2022 Big Smoke Las Vegas Seminars: Blend Ambitions With Dewars And . The cigars will be the same size (or very, very close), the colors will be similar cigar to cigar and the bands will be aligned from one cigar to the next. If someone tries to sell you a $300 box of Cubans for $50 or even $100, odds are theyre not the genuine article. The simplest answer to the question posed in the title is, a lot. The earliest versions feature rows of white dots on a black background over the word Cohiba, with a yellow stripe at the bottom. 12. Here is an example to better understand the thing. It had a sliding glass top. With the exception of figurados like Pyramids and Torpedoes, the caps are often more flat than round, and always tripled seamed. Send any questionable Cuban band(s), along with a brief description of how/where you obtained the cigar(s), to our office address below. How to Spot a Fake Cuban Cigar - Cigar Life Guy Need help plz. I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. People are going to spoil everything about it, then when they get tired and leave it like everywhere else; or they get tired of them, doors will once again close. Box type. Is it because theyre still considered forbidden fruit, or is it that many cigar smokers believe Cuban cigars are the best? 5.Look at the clasp with cohiba logo in front of the box. Our support team is ready to answer all your questions. One box are Cohibas and the others are Romeo & Julietta. If you can see through the lid, they're fake. 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. Learn how to tell whether thePartags you're smoking is authentic or fake. Today, however, youll see the boxes marked as Totalmente a Mano. Indeed, a hologram has been introduced to the seal. Then, in 1994, another stamp made its way to the cigar boxes. 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. Send any questionable Cuban band(s), along with a brief description of how/where you obtained the cigar(s), to our office address below. Most real bands are embossed, meaning they are textured, not smooth. Obviously the scent your are looking for must be the tobacco one. Usually there are seals placed inside the box. The Habanos seal, on the top right as the box lays flat, had a DOP designation added in 2012. Cuos Lastly, no Cuban cigar box comes with a glass top, so if you see one, just turn around. Know Your Cigar Boxes.
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