Cigar Counterfeits

scarlin

So I was strolling around Cigar Aficionado's website and I came across a section regarding counterfeit cigars. I noticed most were Cuban cigars which lead me to believe the embargo was a contributing factor to counterfeits. I just was wondering if people ever had experiences with counterfeits as with the non CCs I have walked into B&Ms not even thinking about counterfeits (although they probably are reliable). I have been lucky enough not to roll across a counterfeit (some of the fake Padron 64s look legit though )

Shaun.Harrison87

Almost every cigar brand they show in their slideshow is a brand that produces cuban made cigars and it also shows the cuban bands in the slideshow, not the NC ones. A lot of them look similar; RyJ and SLR particularly come to mind, but usually a big tip is the detail and simplicity of a cuban band. This is a long discussion that I won't dig into on this forum as other BotL know it better than I, but a lot of it depends on your source.

zeebra

Mostly Cubans are counterfeit all over the country, including the US.

As for non Cubans, usually some of the higher priced cigars, Opus X, Padrons, etc, etc...no point of having the cheap counterfeit cigars as there isnt much money to be made. Most, if not all B&M's deal directly with the manufacturer so they are usually legit. Now if you run across a dealer who has just a box of Opus X Maduro's sitting on his shelf...I'd question it.

camgfs

90% of my cigar purchases over the years have been Cuban. Yes, there are a lot of counterfeits, mostly aimed at tourists who don't regularly purchase Cuban cigars.....but also the "mail-order" business is booming with fake sticks.....after all, if you're a U.S. citizen, whatcha gonna do; file a complaint?

I personally know a few people who have been taken (including family on vacation in the south). Attention to detail is the key, and even then, you need to know what detail to look for. I see "glass-top" boxes of Cohibas all over the net, but Cohiba has NEVER released a glass top box for sale, so you know they are fakes. Knowing where and how a factory seal should be applied, what the box should looke like and what detail you should see in the band are very important. The biggest thing is to trust your B&M, and even they can get a new box with fake cigars in it.

Just this summer, a family menber was proud of their purchase of fine Cuban cigars. One of them tasted like a "used tampon" (their words exactly). Others had the wrong band, bad construction or even the wrong size (never made by that brand).
Buyer beware.

JudoChinX

A used tampon? Sounds delicious! Actually, this gets my vote for a new term for dog rockets.