Cohiba's

mcadenhead

I was given a sampler of cigars from Costa Rica from my aunt. One of the cigars in the pack is a Cohiba with a gold band. Under Cohiba, it says La Habana, Cuba. Does anyone know if this is a real cuban cigar? Thanks

Diamondog

what does the band look like?

mcadenhead

Brown on top with small boxes, goldish color on bottom half. Cohiba in big bold brown letters. Underneath COhiba, it says La Habana, Cuba in cursive writing

camgfs

For the most part, the fake bands are of poor quality, like something we can all scan and print on a computer. The real cigars will have a band that is very clearly defined, and that's one of the ways to tell if it's a fake.
The other thing to consider is where was this cigar purcahsed? It it was from some dude or chic on the beach, then it's a fake for sure. If from a reputable cigar shop, then there is still a small chance it's a fake, but most likely legit.



This is a real cigar ban from Cohiba for comparison.

Please keep in mind that even Cohiba will have different cigar bands from certain years or special events. The cigar band on my Seleccion Reserva 2002 Cohiba cigars has embossed lettering and a second band in black with lettering on it, but the above image is the "standard" band used on most sizes.

xmacro

Compare your cigars on here: http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Counterfeits/Counterfeit_Gallery/0,3390,,00.html

clearlysuspect

xmacro:

Compare your cigars on here: http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Counterfeits/Counterfeit_Gallery/0,3390,,00.html

Pretty interesting. I looked through all the conterfeit labels they showed on there and this is what I took from it:

1.) The original has 4 rows of white squares that are evenly spaced out and about the same size as the black areas of that section of the band.

2.) The white box that the name "COHIBA" sits in, comes right up to the bottom of the second row of white boxes.

3.) The white box that the name "COHIBA" sits in, is directly centered over the split between the upper portion having white boxes and the lower portion that is a sort of dark beige color.

All the conterfeits shown in this illustration differ from at least one of these 3 things. But I can only imagine that with today's computer processing capabilities, that the original must be much easier to conterfeit that it was in the past.

mcadenhead

The band on mine look's like this, maybe a touch darker. The cigar came in a pack sampler from a shop in Costa Rica. Maybe it's legit. I'm going to be in the Caribbean in May for my honeymoon. Any particular Cuban cigars I should ry?

camgfs

mcadenhead:

I'm going to be in the Caribbean in May for my honeymoon. Any particular Cuban cigars I should ry?

Fonseca, Cohiba, San Cristobal, Bolivar (though not my favourite), Partagas, Hoyo de Monterrey and Montecristo to name a few. Enjoy yourself.

xmacro

The only way to know if the cigar is a legit cuban is to buy from the Cuban Gov't-owned stores. They're called La Havana (or something like that - can't remember right now)

Diamondog

mcadenhead:

The band on mine look's like this, maybe a touch darker. The cigar came in a pack sampler from a shop in Costa Rica. Maybe it's legit. I'm going to be in the Caribbean in May for my honeymoon. Any particular Cuban cigars I should ry?

Romeo y Julieta, Trinidad

kuzi16

mcadenhead:

The band on mine look's like this, maybe a touch darker. The cigar came in a pack sampler from a shop in Costa Rica. Maybe it's legit. I'm going to be in the Caribbean in May for my honeymoon. Any particular Cuban cigars I should ry?

is the band embossed?

does the size of the cigar actually match up EXACTLY with one of the sizes that Cohiba puts out?

did the shop they came from say "La Casa Del Habano" in a highly visible area?

how much did it cost? if the price is too good to be true it probably is.

generally if you are in a "tourist" area the cigars that are being sold as cuban, are not. usually they are fake.

Lasabar

What to look for when looking at fake Cubans:

Fake Bands (i.e. Embossing, font, size, straightness, if they match up all together)
Cigars in the box are color coded from darker to lightest from left to right
Long Filler
The "Habanos" sticker in the upper right hand
The TAX stamp over the left side of the lid with hologram and barcode
The clasps that close the lid
NO GLASS TOP BOXES!
The color of the varnish
The Date code on bottom of box should be stamped
The HABANOS S.A. logo on the bottom should be burned in

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.... Cubans SUCK to know if you got a good one!!!

camgfs

Bottom line for cubans is to trust your supplier/B&M. I only have 2 places I get my cubans from and I trust both. Neither of them ship to the States.

There are NOT fakes:
The double band is because they are a "Seleccion Reserva" from 2002 made for some big party thing for 2003 in Cuba. I have removed one of the stickers from the box. They will also come with a piece of paper in the box from Habanos explaining about storing your cigars (I think in 4 languages). These also came with a little explanation of the tobacco used and the strength of the cigars.