I'm not all that concerned about whether or not these are real, as they were given to me (not by a CP member). However, I am trying to learn about how to tell a fake when I see one. Much of the information I see on distinguishing fakes describe the box...and these were given to me as singles. I've read that ISOM's are supposed to have 3 caps - is this a steadfast rule? Are there any other ways to tell - other than the band?
You can always measure the cigar to see if it's spot on in length and ring guage. The band can be a dead giveaway as well. Whether it's not the right embossing or the right font, or if it's a sloppy application to the cigar. Or perhaps it doesn't fit real snug around the cigar, which means perhaps the band was removed from another and placed on that one.
Of course the easiest way to tell is to compare the suspect cigar to a cigar of known authenticity, side by side. Sometimes then things will stand out as glaring inconsistencies that otherwise might be missed, especially in photos.
