A documentation must be present in the boxes. The veins should be very fine or barely visible. Old Seal. What must always be there is a small piece of paper written on transparent tissue paper showing the correct method of preservation. Lastly, no Cuban cigar box comes with a glass top, so if you see one, just turn around. 6. Know Your Cigar Boxes. Thats the easiest way to avoid fakes. 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. Is my Cuban cigar real or fake? They are shrink wrapped for easier transport .If the bands are ok should I go for it? If you go to websites where people sell items, you will will find plenty of them. Like all things, Cuban cigars have a production cost. I just got two boxes straight from Cuba was there on vacation and I think they are fake. Period. If we are facing some Cohiba, the head must have the triple cap finish. These marks tell industry-insiders which of the countrys factories made the cigars. You dont even need to study and memorize tomes of information (though that helps) to be able to spot a fake Cuban cigar. However, note also that the months are Spanish abbreviations, not English. Let's sat that 90% of the listed Cuban cigars are fakes. And Havanas have never been all that cheap, either. Keep in mind that Edicin Limitada cigars are exceedingly rare. If you know what to look for before buying a Cuban cigar, its a good bet you will avoid getting scammed. For the American cigar smoker, Cuban cigars are the holy grail. There are 3 things to discuss about this topic: 1) very often fakes are sold in wooden boxex with a glass/plexiglass cover. Below you can find the real box and authentic cigars. 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. As for the size of the leaves, we are referring to the dimensions that the tobacco leaves have. Lets keep in mind why fake Cuban cigars even exist. Great article. A true, genuine, official box of Cohiba Esplendidos can cost anywhere between US$600 and US$800, and a pack of just three cigars will cost around $90, even in Cuba. Free delivery on all orders above 5000 RS. If the box is bought outside Cuba, we can also find the importer seal. The streets are filled with hustlers looking for a mark to whom they can sell a box of Cubans for way below retail. The Habanos seal is always going to be in the top right corner of the box, so if you see it anywhere else, its a dead giveaway. Visual analysis consists of 2 parts. But it doesnt have to be this way. If a vendor offers you an Esplendido for 10 CUC, its not the real deal. The Canadian market, which allows the sale of Cubans, is almost as bad as the U.S. market, sitting []. 4 only to be disappointed when you lit up, you weren't in a laughing mood. So, start saving up. Online is still restricted, but restrictions or not, the desire to smoke Cuban cigars continues to tug at the heartstrings of American cigar smokers. If someone offers you a Cohiba Limitada from 2016 or 2015, for example, its a certain fake because Cohibas were not part of the Edicin Limitada trio in those years. Defects can be a band that appears to be ruined or worn: used bands are always controlled. Neither one has a bar code or a date on the bottom of the box. The first, the white boxes on the main label continue under the gold band around the outside; and the second thing I noticed was a number (CHB056) on the back of each cigar label. Fake cigars sometimes trick people by being too expensive or too cheap. In this video I'll take you through a few essential tips about knowing the diffe. 1. type of leaves present If illuminated with ultraviolet light, it get phosphorescent. 1997-2015 JRCigars.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved - 2589 Eric Lane, Burlington NC 27215. It would be very helpful for everyone if you posted clear, front on pictures of the band and cap, as well as a comment advising where the cigar was obtained from. If you want to take a chance, get one cigar and test it. (The Cuban Partags should not be confused with the non-Cuban Partagas that shares the same name, but is manufactured in the Dominican Republic by General Cigar Co.) Cuba's Partags brand is large and includes the rich and bold Lusitania, a double corona, as well as one of the best-selling handmade cigars from Cuba, the robusto-sized Serie . Not all fake cigars deliver a bad smoke indeed! They are sure fakes. . Fake Cuban cigars images. You should know that a Cuban Parejo has a mounted head (three seams, or a triple cap on the end you put in your mouth). Save your money (and your palates) by following these eight key tips to avoid getting burned by a . If you think the price of Romeo y Julieta Cuban cigars is too good to be true, you are buying fakes. 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. All Rights Reserved. A true Cuban cigar should have grey or salt-and-pepper ash. This is the last analysis that can be performed and it is also an invasive type of analysis. A serial code was added to the seal and the seal itself has a reaction if directly exposed to ultraviolet light. Collection of more than 35 Cuban & Non-Cuban Brands. If someone tries to sell you a box of Cubans with a glass top, that alone should be a red flag. Touching and squeezing gently the cigar, you can notice if the construction is good or has some defects. Its important to note that the squares are full and do not get cut off either on the top or bottom row. If the ash is white, youre likely smoking a fake. This is not a holograph. The thing you need to do to spot a fake is to become familiar with Cuban cigar packaging. I can usually spot the fake cigars from 30 feet away when the walk in the store. Know before you buy. Furthermore, the serial code is no longer placed in the lower and central part of the seal, but it is now on the left, parallel to and opposite to the hologram. 2. Learn how to tell whether theHoyo De Monterrey you're smoking is authentic or fake. Starting from 1999, the warranty seal introduced new features. . Generally, cigars can remain fresh in their cellophane wrapper for roughly 30 days. Dimensins are totally different. Buying cigars on the streets of Havana is a near-certain way to buy a fake. This makes the cigars feel very soft to the touch. This new seal was introduced starting in 2009, but the introduction was gradual. Quality cigars are tripa larga, which means they have been made with whole tobacco leaves. What none of us recall as humorous is the experience of buying counterfeit Cuban cigars. This verification is one of the most accurate, and in many cases we will realize that the box is counterfeit precisely from this. And since at least then, the Cohiba has been counterfeited. If youre notbuying your cigars in Cuba, or from a reputable retailer, youre at risk. I can see clearly now the lid is glass they're fake. Even worse is if youre offered a Behike for $10 on the street outside your hotel in Havana. 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. 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. The brand is known for its canary yellow coloring and famous white-and-black checkboard band. 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. Look at the dimensions. The Habanos seal, on the top right as the box lays flat, had a DOP designation added in 2012. M2, Mezzanine Floor, Plot # 41-C, Street 27, Tauheed Commercial This test is useful only if you know the type of cigars you wanna check on. The bands have several minor marks that you can identify. You have to be familiar with the exact shade of red on a Partagas, for example, not to mention other brands. A great example of how Cuba has dealt with preventing the counterfeiting of bands can be found on the Cohiba Behike cigars. 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. Otherwise this analysis will be useful only to get a feedback on the quality of the tobacco used, long story short, if the cigar is good or not. Start typing to see products you are looking for. When Can I Buy Cuban Cigars in America? Cuba has always been very proud of its famous 'Habano' cigars. Even the box was wrong, which Ill get to shortly. 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. The Esplndido, in particular, became hugely popular and immediately became a prime target for counterfeiters. Any thoughts? It is unlikely that someone will decide to sell off cigars at their own expense. The simplest answer to the question posed in the title is, a lot. 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. Behikes cost even more, around 30 to 40 CUC eachwhen they are in stock. Bright, white ashes are good signs of cigars made with non-Cuban tobacco. 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. While recently inspecting a box of Cohibas Piramides Extra both the labels on the box and the bands themselves I observed two anomolies I have not heard much mention of. It often look like it has been badly printed. This has been the case since 2013. Read the full story here. (The word Cohiba is the Taino word for tobacco.). 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. To ensure authenticity, all you need to do is check the bottom of the Habano Cuban cigar box. They look a little like paper money and printed in different colors. 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 phrase often repeated is, "No Cuban cigars come in a glass lid box.", so don't buy them. If the hustlers are going through the trouble of counterfeiting . Cuban cigars do not come wrapped in cellophane, at least not since 1992 when only machine-made Cubans got a cellophane sleeve. To the left, you should see a green label that is the Cuban guarantee, along with a holographic image on the side of the label. Find out if your Cuban Bolivaris real or fake. Many stogie hustlers will try to tell you that they have a relative working in the factory, sneaking cigars out the back door. Even in very old boxes we can find seals, but they are called Union Seal. Some fake Cohibas are presented this way, too. Yes, at one time Cuban cigars reallywerethe best and had virtually no competition. In 1989, the Cohiba Esplndido, 7 x 47, and Cohiba Robusto, 4.875 x 50, were added to the classic line. . Need help plz. Required fields are marked *. The Cuban boxes also have a date stamp on the bottom of the box. The bottom of the box of real handmade Cubans has. For example, the head on the label should be a holograph. I paid twenty dollars for a box of five just couldnt get the price lower but couldnt resist the souvenir. Look to see if the color of the wrapper leaf is a rich, uniform light brown. If someone tries to sell you a $300 box of Cubans for $50 or even $100, odds are theyre not the genuine article. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Its easy to get a box or bundle of unbranded cigars from any cigar-producing country and pass it off as Cuban. Cuban wrappers tend to be naturally oily with a smooth, buttery appearance and entirely even in color. The flavor of the Cohiba Behike (pronounced beh-ee-keh) is unlike other Cohiba cigars and is quite easily identified, especially if youve had a real one before. Box type. Maybe they want $300 for the box. (The Habanos website features a handy tool to search for Casa del Habanos around the world.). In the past we came across counterfeit Montecristo No.2 and, although the aromatic bouquet was very different from that of the genuine No.2, cigars were not bad at all! Behik-isn't / Befake At Cigar Aficionado, weve seen lazy counterfeiters sell boxes with labels in the box, not attached to the packaging. The band includes heightened security aspects that make it more difficult to counterfeit. If the hustlers are going through the trouble of counterfeiting the seals, you can bet the bands have also been faked. Ironically, even in Havana there are almost as many counterfeit Cuban cigars as the legit smokes. No box of Cuban cigars leaves the country without it. 3. I believe its a combination of the two. 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. If a vendor offers you an Esplendido for 10 CUC, it's not the real deal. The experience of buying a Cuban cigar in Cuba may be overwhelming for some. Look for the Cuban seal of authenticity with a hologram and bar code to help you avoid fake Cuban cigars. Lets see how to distinguish genuine Cuban cigars from counterfeit ones. Mike. If the packaging looks suspicious, the contents probably are, too. ?More on that later. The veins should be very fine or barely visible. On the Behikes distinctive band, the nine rows of white squares run in a checkered pattern from the gilded top edge to the top of the word Behike. Again, if the squares are not full, even on the edges, then youre likely looking at a fake. The Cohibas have the stickers in the opposite corners than described but the R & Js have tehm in the correct corners. The bands have several minor marks that you can identify. 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. The first and most important is to visit an authentic Cuban cigar shop like the Casa del Habanos. Delivering your smokes at your doorsteps. Each had the name Cohiba, the vitola, or size of the cigar, and often the number of cigars packed in each box. Your first step in spotting a fake Cuban cigar is to examine the box that I came in. #themoderndaydrifter #havanacubavlog #howtospotafakecigarFor demonstration purposes only, we purchase a FAKE box of Cohiba Siglo VI and compare it to a REAL . If youre going to abandon common sense and buy from an unreliable source, make sure you are intimately familiar (you know what I mean!) If theyre made by hand it will also say, Cuban cigars do not come packaged withcellos. The white squares should be in nine rows with no square being cut off. The same goes for that vendor on a Caribbean beach. If you can see through the lid, they're fake. 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. This is due to the minerals in the tobacco grown in Cuba. With overpriced Cuban cigars, potential buyers will basically sell themselves on the fake cigars by thinking that well, its so expensive. This is due to the minerals in the tobacco grown in Cuba. 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. When smoked, the ashes tend to be entirely grey and devoid of any black fragments. Despite the fact that the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras manufacturemostof the worlds bestcigarsthese days, cigar smokers still jump at the chance to buy Cubans. Check out Cigar Aficionado's newsletters, bringing you our latest ratings & reviews, cigar news and our guide to the good life. 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 hadremoved the limitson 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 beduped. If you are going to buy one of the highly priced and rare Edicin Limitada cigars, be careful! The scent coming from a cigar box must be intense and rich. Before this, namely between 1985 and 1994, the name was simply Cubatabaco. 5000 | Same day delivery in Lahore & Karachi (selected areas) on selected items via Card Machine (POS) Payment. So, unless you are dealing with a legitimate vendor, odds are, the person if not selling you a legit Edicin Limitada. You can do online research or talk to an expert to find out roughly what the different real Cuban cigars should cost. 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. Of course, the name of the cigar company was stamped after this. Embossed Lettering: The famous Cohiba on a white background with a square, gold border is embossed in metallic gold. Has anyone ever given you a Cuban cigar and bragged that it was really, really good? And it was wrapped in cellophane? No ridges or collars. Childrens Parks and Playgrounds in the Cayman Islands, Run down to Harquail Theatre for comedy revue, Cuban in Cayman: A prisoner in a free land, The great escape: Cubans fight waves as big as mountains to reach Cayman, Special report: Inside the Cuban migration crisis, Cuban migration costs nears $3 million for 2022, Broken-down Cuban vessel sparks rescue in waters off Cayman Brac, Travelled to Cuba recently? Sometimes unknown sellers can sell perfectly real, great Cuban cigars. I have boxes from LCDH Knokke, who has sterling rep. All my box hologram labels match Habanos authenticity check. The exquisite collection of Premium cigars with well-maintained high-quality standards at cigar.pk. Any box of authentic Cuban cigars must have attached on the outside a warranty seal. The name cohba derives from the Tano word for "tobacco". The Fleur-de-lis. If someone offers you a Behike, and its in anything other than a box of 10, its a fake cigar. To be clear, no Cuban cigar comes in a package with a glass or plastic top. So sad what will become of such a once beautiful Island. Obviously the scent your are looking for must be the tobacco one. A burning Cuban cigar typically produces a gray ash. This steps below can be followed to understand if you are dealing with a counterfeit product: 1. 2) even the color of the box can give us precious informations. Nine rows of white squares in a checkerboard pattern run from the gilded holographic top edge to the solid gold line that spans the bottom third of the band.