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SMOKING
SPOTTING COUNTERFEIT CIGARS
Cubans aren't always Cubans
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o your buddy tells you he has a connection for some real Cuban cigars. It sounds good. So you meet the guy, fork over $200 for a box of ten and celebrate your good fortune.
You get home and celebrate by pouring you and your buddy a glass of 15 year old single malt scotch and smoke one of your treasured Cuban. But when you open the box, some things just don’t seem quite right. The cigars appear to have some imperfections - nothing that really stands out - just some little things like the bands are loose, the cigars have a few white spots on them, and they aren’t all uniform in size and shape. You don’t say anything to your buddy who’s still excited about the score.
You fire one up and find that it smokes o.k., but as a Cuban, you thought that it’d be much more of an adventure and pleasing to your senses. You nod and force a smile as your buddy asks you “aren’t these great? Cubans are so much better than what you can find in the U.S.”. You wonder if perhaps he knows his cigars better than you, and you simply aren’t able to appreciate the intricacies of the cigars like your buddy.
It’s possible that you’re smoking a real Cuban - but not likely. Chances are your buddy put you in touch with a guy who either knowingly or unknowingly buys and sells counterfeit Cuban cigars.
Don’t feel bad though. Believe it or not, counterfeit Cubans are not just a problem in the U.S., but are a big problem in Cuba. That’s right. Even if you’re lucky enough to get in to Cuba, you stand a very real chance that the cigars you buy are fakes.
So what’s a guy to do? How can the average guy tell the difference? The answer is, he usually can’t. That’s why there’s such a huge market for counterfeit Cubans. Unless you’re a regular consumer of fine Cuban cigars, you might not be able to tell a legitimate Cuban from a good fake. Although, some fakes are obvious fakes, in that they often are filled with very low quality tobacco and are poorly constructed.
The best way to protect yourself and your wallet is to learn what to look for when buying Cuban cigars. There are several basic elements that can quickly alert you to fakes.
First of all, Cubans are illegal in the United States. I’m not suggesting or encouraging anyone to do anything illegal. Your best bet to enjoy a Cuban is to go to a country which does not have a trade embargo with Cuba, and buy and smoke the cigars in that country. Now that we have our disclaimer out of the way…
Any one of these things may not indicate that you have purchased a fake cigar. However, the more indicators you find, the higher the probability that you’re dealing with a fake cigar. Also, unless you plan to study Cubans like a lawyer studying for the bar, you’re never going to become an expert at spotting fakes. However, there are several simple things you can look for which will greatly improve your chances of not getting burned.
- Buyer beware
- The only place you can be sure you’re buying authentic Cubans is from and authentic Cuban cigar store. Most major non-U.S. cities have authorized Habanos dealers.
- Don’t buy them from some guy on the street, in a back alley, etc.
- Seal
- One of the most important new tools against the counterfeiters is the new seal on the outside of the box. This seal is used by the X company which is responsible for shipping all Cubans from Cuba. The new seal has some creative designs which separate it from the fake seals. While a lot of the changes are microscopic or can only be seen under a UV light, there are a few that you can easily verify with your naked eye.
- The wording has changed in three places
- The English wording at the top of the seal now should read “Origin national warranty seal for cigars and cut tobacco”
- The French wording at the bottom left of the seal should now read “Sceau De Garantie D’Origine Nationale Pour Les Cigares Et Le Scaferlati”
- The German wording on the bottom right of the seal should now read “Original Garantie Siegel Fuer Zigarren Und Gerissene Tabakblaetter”
- There is now a new 8 digit serial number printed in red ink at the bottom center of the seal. The first two characters are letters and the last six numbers. The characters are red on a white background.
- Box.
- Look for a damaged box. Many counterfeiters will re-use a real Cuban box and put fake cigars in it. So look for boxes that are worn, faded, torn, scraped etc.
- Next, look for the green and white warranty seal on the left side of the box.
- Finally, look for the diagonal ‘Habanos’ seal in the upper right corner of the outside of the box.
- Even if these seals are present, it doesn’t mean the cigars aren’t fakes. These seals are regularly fraudulent. However, if these seals are missing or have obvious flaws, chances are high that the cigars are fakes.
- Cigars
- Bands should not be too loose. They should all be identical and face the same direction.
- The cigars length and girth should be consistent. For example, if the cigars are lined up, they should all be the precise length. There should also not be any obvious differences in ring size within the same cigar and between cigars.
- The caps should all be identical. They should be misshapen or vary between cigars.
- The bottoms should be cut even. Line all of the cigars up so that they are firmly up against the top of the box. The cigars should all have straight uniform cuts at the bottom. If the cigars have jagged or uneven cuts, its cause for concern.
These are just a few basic things to look for. There are dozens of other details you can examine on the box and the cigars which provide additional clues. However, the items mentioned above are key clues for determining fake cigars. If you spot any of these items, chances are you have a counterfeit. For more information, visit the Cigar Aficionado Counterfeit Gallery. They have photos and detailed descriptions on fake Cubans. Now go smoke ‘em if you’ve got ‘em. ©2008 www.realmanmag.com
