Fine Cuban cigars.

j0z3r

There really is nothing like a good Cuban cigar. Pictures are really the only description needed.

camgfs

So, did you get caught by some fakes? There are plenty of them out there, and they love to target countries that should not be able to purchase them, mostly because you can't really send the law after them, now can you.

I also have to ask...that dark rough looking leaf to the right of the picture, was that the wrapper? If so, that should have been the first clue. Cuban cigars can be a bit rough, but that's rediculous! [edit] Wait, I had another look; that's probably the binder I was looking at. Even so, it looks thick enough to be cardboard. I wish you had a pic of that one before it got torn up.This is what they should look like, well, at least what the 2004 Sublimes looks like

fla-gypsy

I have seen better looking dog turds

Lasabar

The newest wave of fakes have actual Cuban tobacco, but just the junk shite short filler scraps... So they SMELL like the real thing, but smoke like Milton Berle's wang

j0z3r

Cam: the darker leaf was actually the binder, the wrapper was a little rough, but looked ok. To answer your first question, no I didn't get taken, I knew they were fake and wanted to see how they smoked and see what was in them. These were actually given to bandyt09 and 5 of us all smoked one to see how bad they'd be.

Thought you guys might yet a laugh.

camgfs

j0z3r:

Cam: the darker leaf was actually the binder, the wrapper was a little rough, but looked ok. To answer your first question, no I didn't get taken, I knew they were fake and wanted to see how they smoked and see what was in them. These were actually given to bandyt09 and 5 of us all smoked one to see how bad they'd be.

Thought you guys might yet a laugh.

I'm glad you didn't take a loss on those sticks. They carry such a high price tag.
Did they smoke at all? I know my Cuban sticks take forever to smoke. The burn is so slow, and the larger Cubans can take over 2 hours to smoke. That short filler looks like it would keep going out and give an uneven burn, but you never know.

kaspera79

Too bad people just see the yellow black label and can't get their wallets out fast enough. Probably some house brand bundle cigar that cost about a dollar.

docbp87

Yikes. wtf is with those binders though...? Some of that stuff doesn't even look like leaf matter.

dennisking

it's fun to dissect a stick like that.

docbp87

kaspera79:

Too bad people just see the yellow black label and can't get their wallets out fast enough. Probably some house brand bundle cigar that cost about a dollar.

Not even that. Probably just mixed scrap filler thrown together in a dark and sketchy alley way for the express purpose of being banded with a crooked, poorly printed COHIIBA band, then shipped out in glass top 5 packs all over Mexico, to be peddled at high prices to non-smokers, and the uninitiated and unsuspecting masses on the beach.

j0z3r

I will say one thing, at a glance the band was passable, though it might not be apparent in the picture...only upon a bit of scrutiny did I notice anything wrong.

Here is a list of what was wrong with the packaging and cigars.

First and foremost, they came in a 5 count, glass box. Inspecting the box revealed botched logos and improper sticker seal placement. Upon opening the box, one might tend to notice that they were wrapped in cellophane while the only Cuban cigars that are cellophane wrapped are machine made. And last, the bands were well done, the embossing was good, but the row of dots at the top ended up being cut on 3/5...for a counterfeit band, I was impressed.

There was little to no flavor in the cigar...yes, I actually did light it up and make an attempt to smoke it. What flavor I did get was similar to grass clippings mixed with sawdust, so...yeah. The picture was taken after I cut the burning portion off and slit the remainder lengthwise with a knife...there was a bit of anticipation as I grabbed the filler bunch and bent it to see if it was long filler or scrap. This was fun, I haven't had the opportunity to cut open a fake Cuban as I've had very little exposure to counterfeits.

docbp87

I've never had a fake, and while I would love a glass top box, just as a talking piece or show piece, Habanlos P.A. couldn't pay me to put their knockoffs .

camgfs

The glass top box is a dead givaway. Habanos would never put their cigars in glass top container because the sunlight is the enemy of cigars. The other issue (or statement) that was made is that Cuban cigars do not come in cellophane wrappers. That is not correct. Some factories will use cellophane wrappers on Cuban cigars, including ltd edicion (Regionals) Cohiba cigars. I have seen footage directly from the factory where they are made and the cigars are being cellophaned by hand, one at a time.
In general, most do not have the cello, but don't count that as a fake if it does have cello. It really depends on the cigar and the reason for the packaging.

Follow this link to a video that will show cello (near the end of the video)

Nick2021

Sorry to hear, good catch on these. The biggest indicator was the glass top box...however, I wonder if smoking fakes is even safe? No telling what is inside those stogies...

docbp87

camgfs:

The glass top box is a dead givaway. Habanos would never put their cigars in glass top container because the sunlight is the enemy of cigars. The other issue (or statement) that was made is that Cuban cigars do not come in cellophane wrappers. That is not correct. Some factories will use cellophane wrappers on Cuban cigars, including ltd edicion (Regionals) Cohiba cigars. I have seen footage directly from the factory where they are made and the cigars are being cellophaned by hand, one at a time.
In general, most do not have the cello, but don't count that as a fake if it does have cello. It really depends on the cigar and the reason for the packaging.

Follow this link to a video that will show cello (near the end of the video)

Premium, hand made, long filler cigars are NOT packaged in cellophane in Cuba, and have not been for a decade at least, if not longer. Cohiba has also never had a Regional Edition cigar... Much less one wrapped in Cellophane. A little research into this shows you are incorrect: http://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/brand.aspx?brand=Cohiba

leonard

Dam, sorry I had to leave the herf a little early. You guys saved the best for last!

sol1821

i can get Cuban stuff when ever i want in this country. >br> however id rather spend extra time and effort getting non Cuban stuff from ccom, usually by AJ, as its a lot nicer. and now its also with the help of state side Bork's, which i appreciate more than you can imagine.

DSWarmack

sol1821:

i can get Cuban stuff when ever i want in this country. >br> however id rather spend extra time and effort getting non Cuban stuff from ccom, usually by AJ, as its a lot nicer. and now its also with the help of state side Bork's, which i appreciate more than you can imagine.

+1 I got the best looking ISOMs I've ever seen in the mail from the states the other day, and I see them all the time over here!

camgfs

So I guess the video I posted was a 'counterfeit'? Oh whell, what do I kow.

I put the "regionals" as an example but I did use it out of context....I should not have implied that Cohiba made regionals....sorry for that. The video clearly shows cello being placed on Cohiba cigars. I did not take that video, so I guess it could have been a fake cigar factory, or a really old video. My point was that it is possible to find cuban cigars with cello IMO.

j0z3r

camgfs:

So I guess the video I posted was a 'counterfeit'? Oh whell, what do I kow.

I put the "regionals" as an example but I did use it out of context....I should not have implied that Cohiba made regionals....sorry for that. The video clearly shows cello being placed on Cohiba cigars. I did not take that video, so I guess it could have been a fake cigar factory, or a really old video. My point was that it is possible to find cuban cigars with cello IMO.

Surely you'd concede that the vast majority of Cuban hand rolled cigars are not cellophane wrapped, yes?

I posted that pic and the thread as something I thought would be funny. It turned into an "I know more about Cuban cigars than you" kind of thread...why did I bother?

docbp87

camgfs:

So I guess the video I posted was a 'counterfeit'? Oh whell, what do I kow.

I put the "regionals" as an example but I did use it out of context....I should not have implied that Cohiba made regionals....sorry for that. The video clearly shows cello being placed on Cohiba cigars. I did not take that video, so I guess it could have been a fake cigar factory, or a really old video. My point was that it is possible to find cuban cigars with cello IMO.

The bands looked like an older style, which means they could have legitimately been cellophaned...

But yeah, you have to admit, there are only a handful of cellophaned Cuban cigars out there today, and you aren't going to walk into a shop and find a box of cellophaned Cohibas from the late 80s.

camgfs

The pic was funny. I'm sorry if I hajacked the thread. Yes I agree that most Cuban cigars will not be cello wrapped. I did not mean to start anything.
Once again, Sorry if my comments started anything. That was never my intention. I was sharing what I thought was some knowledge, and that's all.

Yes, this is a sincere appology.

Lasabar

ALL Cubans are Cello-Wrapped, They ALL are shaggy footed, they ALL are short filler and they ALL do NOT have the Triple Cap...

Do NOT be fooled by these mere MORTALS!!! I AM THE FAMED MIN-RON-NEE!!!

j0z3r

camgfs:

The pic was funny. I'm sorry if I hajacked the thread. Yes I agree that most Cuban cigars will not be cello wrapped. I did not mean to start anything.
Once again, Sorry if my comments started anything. That was never my intention. I was sharing what I thought was some knowledge, and that's all.

Yes, this is a sincere appology.

No apologies necessary, I can appreciate the sharing of knowledge. My comment spoke to a bigger issue I see on this forum, and that is that everybody knows everything about cigars...it is what it is, but at times it seems a bit frustrating. That wasn't aimed at you personally, so I hope you didn't take it that way.

camgfs

j0z3r:

camgfs:

The pic was funny. I'm sorry if I hajacked the thread. Yes I agree that most Cuban cigars will not be cello wrapped. I did not mean to start anything.
Once again, Sorry if my comments started anything. That was never my intention. I was sharing what I thought was some knowledge, and that's all.

Yes, this is a sincere appology.

No apologies necessary, I can appreciate the sharing of knowledge. My comment spoke to a bigger issue I see on this forum, and that is that everybody knows everything about cigars...it is what it is, but at times it seems a bit frustrating. That wasn't aimed at you personally, so I hope you didn't take it that way.

No worries
Sometimes posts get taken the wrong way. Its the nature of forums. I am much newer to forums than I am to cigars, so I still have much to learn about both

millennium115

My uncle works for United airlines and one of his co-workers brought back a few cubans. I didnt have the heart to tell him at first, but when he told me , he was going to ask her again for more, I had to tell and show him. Here is what I found

j0z3r

Ouch.

Lasabar

Just like the CUBANS I've described... Nothing out of the ordinary, I'd say SMOKE UP!

Adcurium

Lasabar:

The newest wave of fakes have actual Cuban tobacco, but just the junk shite short filler scraps... So they SMELL like the real thing, but smoke like Milton Berle's wang

LOL! I hate the "Milton Berle's wang" smoke!

ENFIDL

millennium115:

My uncle works for United airlines and one of his co-workers brought back a few cubans. I didnt have the heart to tell him at first, but when he told me , he was going to ask her again for more, I had to tell and show him. Here is what I found

Is that the super rare tree trunk binder edition? If so you gotta hook a brother up!!!

millennium115

lol, i was really expecting like a gum wrapper or something like that to pop out......and he shitty part is my uncle had smoked like three before i had a chance to tell him.....i might as well go in the back yard, get some dry leaves and smoke it up.........