Authenticity, quality and satisfaction; guaranteed! A genuine box of Cuban cigars should have all of 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. This Fall, three cigars have been added to help organizations representing U.S. Special Forces and fallen Border Patrol officers. If, for example, you see a Montecristo No. 3. But enough about the hustle; lets get to the heart of how to spot fake Cuban cigars. Of course, just about anything printed on paper can be reproduced, and with todays technology, it takes a really well-trained eye to tell the difference. Also the cigar foot can be checked and it can give us very important information as well. Know before you buy. This Cuban tax seal/stamp has been applied to every box of Cuban cigars since 1912 to ensure the provenance of the cigars enclosed. Hi Gary. New Seal. At Cigar Aficionado, weve seen lazy counterfeiters sell boxes with labels in the box, not attached to the packaging. Smoking a fake cigar just isn't fun at all. The earliest versions feature rows of white dots on a black background over the word Cohiba, with a yellow stripe at the bottom. But JB you say, how do I know if its an authentic Cohiba? Read on, my friends. Here is an example. Many cigar boxes are real, with all the stamps and watermarks and holograms, but the cigars inside are bogus. Starting in the 60s, another change was made to distinguish real Habano Cuban cigars from imitators. Now, about that box of fake Arturo Fuente cigars. If you've put down good money for what you thought was a genuine Cohiba Esplendido, Montecristo No. Most real bands are embossed, meaning they are textured, not smooth. Dupont Collection Pays Homage To Paris, 2022 Big Smoke Las Vegas Seminars: Blend Ambitions With Dewars And . Behik-isn't / Befake Cuban wrappers tend to be naturally oily with a smooth, buttery appearance and entirely even in color. Ive bought 25 Romeo Y Julieta Romeo No.1 from the hotel cigar bar on the last might of my holiday, The Sales person was keen to show me hologram/ barcode, Having since got home and checked what they are worth, Upon closer inspection (with good light) the Habanos dop seal is split and the tape at the back of the hinge is torn. If the squares are not full, even on the edges, then youre likely looking at a fake. One of the most important areas of the box to check is the bottom. 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. Holographic Elements: Holograms of the word Cuba and the Taino Indian head repeat on the gilded top edge. Its fake. However, note also that the months are Spanish abbreviations, not English. You can learn more about where to buy the best cigars in Cuba at Holt's! So, its also the biggest target for counterfeiters. Since youre more likely to purchase fake Cuban cigars in places such as the Caribbean, the hustle goes something like this: Some bad actor buys a bundle of cheapo cigars made in the Dominican Republic or elsewhere, sticks phony Cuban cigar bands on them, places them in a most likely counterfeited Cuban box, and sells them to a sucker for as much as he can bleed him. If youre notbuying your cigars in Cuba, or from a reputable retailer, youre at risk. As of 2010 all of these stamps include a hologram. Cigar Aficionado Cohiba Cuban Robusto's. Please tell me how there fake and how you know cause just saying its fake and giving list of all cigar brands Doesnt cut it for me!! In 2014 the holographic bands on Cohiba Behike cigars were updated to include even more detailed information to stop counterfeiters. Not sure and dont care. Yes, at one time Cuban cigars reallywerethe best and had virtually no competition. [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. Usually, youll be able to seepoor coloring, missing information, and even misspellingon a band, but youll have to be familiar with the authentic band to be able to know whats fake. (The Habanos website features a handy tool to search for Casa del Habanos around the world.). Any Cohiba you are being offered for $10 is fake. 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. On the bottom, you want to make sure you find a stamp of approval. Naturally, when he began selling cigars under his own name, he had them made in Cuba. If you know what to look for before buying a Cuban cigar, its a good bet you will avoid getting scammed. Period. Chances are, theyre fakes, and whats that old saying,A fool and his money. In Cuba it is around $ 20. 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. The streets are filled with hustlers looking for a mark to whom they can sell a box of Cubans for way below retail. 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. One of the most important areas of the box to check is the bottom. So it is good to go deeper into checking the box and the cigars, to make sure you dont buy fakes. Required fields are marked *. The next year, the cut on the ends of the seal was changed from rounded to a sharp, angled cut. The Fleur-de-lis. This test is useful only if you know the type of cigars you wanna check on. Visual analysis Some fake Cohibas are presented this way, too. And the other number shows is the month and the year when the cigars were boxed (see below). You have to be familiar with the exact shade of red on a Partagas, for example, not to mention other brands. Heres another problem. 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. Also, inside the box, the Cubans should all be the same length and color. produced by the US company General Cigar from non-Cuban tobacco and has no affiliation of any sort with the real Cuban Cohiba. ?More on that later. 2. One of the questions Im often asked by other cigar smokers is, How do I know if I bought a box of fake Cuban cigars? Its a good question because, even though on October 14, 2016, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that they had removed the limits on bringing Cuban cigars and rum into the United States from Cuba and other countries, there are still plenty of counterfeit Cuban cigars to be had or to put it another way to be duped. 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. Don't get lured into anyone's apartment either. So how do you spot the fakes . That $100 Rolex is fake. A password reset link will be sent to you by email. And you need to do that BEFORE you start shopping. That is, unless youre approached by a hustler who will sell you a cheap box of so-called Cubans while vacationing, most likely somewhere in the Caribbean. Holograms are hard and expensive to copy, so if its not there, dont buy the box. The system started in 2000 with 00, then 01 and so on. Symmetry is very important in a box of Cuban cigars. . This is the last analysis that can be performed and it is also an invasive type of analysis. Therefore, its always better to smoke at least one cigar before you buy. 8. Read this and you might be able to avoid spending more than $50 on a fake Cohiba Behike, or any money on any Cohiba knockoff. It is a common tourist trap on cruises and resorts around the world. The white squares should be in nine rows with no square being cut off. Cubas famous Cohiba brand is one of the most counterfeited cigars in the world. Your email address will not be published. Pricing can also be a tip-off to spotting fake Cuban cigars. 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. Cigar Aficionado Online, M. Shanken Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. A burning Cuban cigar typically produces a gray ash. There are certain attributes about Cuban cigars that differentiate them from non-Cubans. The Behike became its own line in the Cohiba stable in 2010 and is considered the most successful Cuban cigar launch ever. Cuba releases three per year, and those releases are all documented on this website. 5.Look at the clasp with cohiba logo in front of the box. Cohibas are the most counterfeited of all the Cuban brands, but if you know what you are looking for, they are the easiest to spot. In 1989, the Cohiba Esplndido, 7 x 47, and Cohiba Robusto, 4.875 x 50, were added to the classic line. These, obviously fake, Cubans are hardly the main problem, as some fake Cubans come with counterfeit bands and even in counterfeit boxes. If you're looking for real cuban cigars, you've got to have all the details. The Esplndido, in particular, became hugely popular and immediately became a prime target for counterfeiters. 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. The fake logo looks like it has been made in a very rudimentary and not detailed way. A well and intricately designed cigar band is often the most useful discouraging factor to counterfeiters. Online is still restricted, but restrictions or not, the desire to smoke Cuban cigars continues to tug at the heartstrings of American cigar smokers. 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. 7. 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. On the right side of the seal, there is a small strip that has an hologram across its entire width. Save your money (and your palates) by following these eight key tips to avoid getting burned by a . 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. And Havanas have never been all that cheap, either. Send any questionable Cuban band(s), along with a brief description of how/where you obtained the cigar(s), to our office address below. 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. This is not a holograph. Great article. The thing you need to do to spot a fake is to become familiar with Cuban cigar packaging. The white squares should be in nine rows with no square being cut off. 2. If you want to take a chance, get one cigar and test it. Reading Time: 3 minutes Let all things be done with charity, is Southern Draw Cigars motto for its annual IGNITE program that helps those in need. Shapira says . All Rights Reserved. I dont care if you bought them from Mother Teresa; youre probably sitting on imitations. Know Your Cigar Boxes. The made in Cuba stamp is on the left. 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. Fake Cuban cigars images. It should also usually bend up to the front right over the center of the Cote dArms. Many stogie hustlers will try to tell you that they have a relative working in the factory, sneaking cigars out the back door. You must be 18 years of age or older to view page. Old Seal. Our support team is ready to answer all your questions. Edicin Limitadas are heavily faked. Everything checks out but no date on the bottom. The real thing is expensiveand all of us want a bargain. True, a lot of cigars made outside of Cuba many of these same attributes, but if your Cuban cigars are missing all or most of these attributes, theyre most likelynotof Cuban origin. The Cuban boxes also have a date stamp on the bottom of the box. Instead, check out our primer below for some simple, straightforward tips on what to look for to avoid imitation Cuban cigars. It is therefore difficult to find yourself in front of a box that doesnt feature it. Phase 5 DHA, Karachi | 12 PM to 8 PM. Of course, just about anything printed on paper can be reproduced, and with todays technology, it takes a really well-trained eye to tell the difference. It is because of this, casual smokers can often be tricked into buying what they think are real Cuban cigars. Among the more commonly seen efforts are boxes with glass tops. If you have already smoked the same type of cigar, you will be able to understand if the aromas and strength developed during the smoke are typical of the brand and in particular of that type of cigar. Price A great example of how Cuba has dealt with preventing the counterfeiting of bands can be found on the Cohiba Behike cigars. The authentic Cohiba Behike took anti-forging efforts to a new level. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is frustrated with Twitter. Felt also envelops the box, and a black cardboard box covers all that. This documentation varies from box to box, depending on whether the box belongs to the normal production or to limited editions, regional editions or other not ordinary series. If we get smells that dont remind us too much of tobacco, we could be faced with fakes that have been filled with banana leaves! It's the most common line used to deceive hapless tourists, and it often works. Here is an example to better understand the thing. So get to know the relative prices on the top Cuban brands, especially the ones that are most often counterfeited like Cohiba Edicin Limitadas, Cohiba Behikes, Montecristo No.2s, and Partagas Serie D No.4s, among others. A lot of the so called 'fakes' are actually stolen and smuggled out of the factories. And, remember, the only way you can really tell if you are dealing with a legitimate vendor is if all of his Cuban cigars have all the already described markings! Has anyone ever given you a Cuban cigar and bragged that it was really, really good? And it was wrapped in cellophane? Question. 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. I think I just got duped by Cigars of Cuba seal on box looked real at first, they placed store barcode over barcode section of Cuban seal, when removed no barcode on seal. If the cigar burns white ash, thats a bad sign. Dec 30th 2020. The second type was used from 2005 until 2008/2009, and in addition to the HABANOS written it also has the words DENOMINACION DE ORIGINE PROTEGIDA. Cigar News: Scandinavian Tobacco Group To Acquire Alec Bradley Cigars for $72.5 Million, Fan Mail: Burning Cigar Questions Answered (Part 51), Cigar News: Southern Draw Adding Three New Cigars for IGNITE 2022 Program, The words Habanos s.a., and the words HECHO EN CUBA. Source: http://www.habanos.com/en/el-mundo-del-habano/signos-de-distincion/. 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. 4. The lids are solid. Source: http://www.habanos.com/en/verificacion-de-autenticidad/. If theyre made by hand it will also say, Cuban cigars do not come packaged withcellos. . No box of Cuban cigars leaves the country without it. Learn how to tell whether theHoyo De Monterrey you're smoking is authentic or fake. The Experience of Buying Cuban Cigars in Cuba. Even in very old boxes we can find seals, but they are called Union Seal. Cubans were the best and great period but during the cigar boom they peed into their own pot of tea and muddied their QUALITY and yes, OFTEN tims OTHER countries can produce better sticks, and some I believe also get a little real Cuban baccy in their own blends its ALL in the taste of a REAL Cuban. These boxes often carry the Cohiba brand. There are 3 things to discuss about this topic: 1) very often fakes are sold in wooden boxex with a glass/plexiglass cover. No, seriously. Cuba has always been very proud of its famous 'Habano' cigars.