Tony Bones
Grundalier
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2004
- Messages
- 768
Need to set the stage here real quick, as the initial post flamed up pretty good and got locked up:
A new member came aboard (Cohibin) and had some cigars that were reportedly picked up in Cuba, and were Cohibas that he was attempting to sell. People questioned the authenticity and I obliged in test smoking the cigars.
Cohiba Pyramid EL
The construction of the stick was good and it most definitely had the trademark Cuban farm smell you get when opening a box of Habanos. I've bought quite a few boxes of ISOM's and the smell is always present, to various degrees. Have never experienced it w/ the boxes of domestics I've purchased. Back to the construction: No veins, a nice wrapper, and consistent firmness throughout.
Ignition was easily granted and the stick burnt evenly and well. However, I also lit a Cohiba Esplendido **edited from Estupendo...it was late when I wrote this** immediately after lighting the suspect EL and smoked both of the cigars together. I figured this would truly be the best way to gauge things.
I must say that the suspect EL burnt one hell of a lot better than the Esplendido and was a much more consistent smoke. However, I don't think the EL was a Cohiba. It just didn't have that trademark taste that Cohiba's have and it was far too mild. No creaminess either, as is often found in Cohibas.
I am not going to throw stones here, as I really don't know Cohibin. He was prompt in sending the cigars to me, and I appreciate that. Did he get caught up in some type of twisted ordeal? Maybe. Was the cigar Cuban? I most definitely think so. The flavor profile and smell were very similar to what I've experienced in many mild Cuban smokes.
Furthemore, Cohibin sent a darker EL Pyramid, a pipe, and a Culebra. I have not yet smoked these. He (Cohibin) has told me that the Pipe and the Culebra are not Cohiba products, and that the roller simply put Cohiba labels on them. Stuff like that bothers me. I'd rather have a cigar w/ out a label that was simply sold as Cuban than a Cuban cigar w/ a fake label.
I must say though that the construction of the Pipe and Culebra are simply phenomenal, and many of the members here (including me) love the idea of having humidor fodder like this to show off. Again, I have little doubt that these sticks are Cuban.
Cohibin: I will smoke the remaining sticks and report my findings, as that's what I agreed to do. However, I must admit that there's a great deal of gray area here. EL's w/ out EL labels give off bad Ju-ju. I would avoid attempting to sell these as EL's and simply stick w/ hand rolled Habanos in your description. That will likely prevent similar problems in the future. As you are finding, although the internet is a very large place, those who frequent it, and specifically, frequent forums such as this, are a relatively small group.
A new member came aboard (Cohibin) and had some cigars that were reportedly picked up in Cuba, and were Cohibas that he was attempting to sell. People questioned the authenticity and I obliged in test smoking the cigars.
Cohiba Pyramid EL
The construction of the stick was good and it most definitely had the trademark Cuban farm smell you get when opening a box of Habanos. I've bought quite a few boxes of ISOM's and the smell is always present, to various degrees. Have never experienced it w/ the boxes of domestics I've purchased. Back to the construction: No veins, a nice wrapper, and consistent firmness throughout.
Ignition was easily granted and the stick burnt evenly and well. However, I also lit a Cohiba Esplendido **edited from Estupendo...it was late when I wrote this** immediately after lighting the suspect EL and smoked both of the cigars together. I figured this would truly be the best way to gauge things.
I must say that the suspect EL burnt one hell of a lot better than the Esplendido and was a much more consistent smoke. However, I don't think the EL was a Cohiba. It just didn't have that trademark taste that Cohiba's have and it was far too mild. No creaminess either, as is often found in Cohibas.
I am not going to throw stones here, as I really don't know Cohibin. He was prompt in sending the cigars to me, and I appreciate that. Did he get caught up in some type of twisted ordeal? Maybe. Was the cigar Cuban? I most definitely think so. The flavor profile and smell were very similar to what I've experienced in many mild Cuban smokes.
Furthemore, Cohibin sent a darker EL Pyramid, a pipe, and a Culebra. I have not yet smoked these. He (Cohibin) has told me that the Pipe and the Culebra are not Cohiba products, and that the roller simply put Cohiba labels on them. Stuff like that bothers me. I'd rather have a cigar w/ out a label that was simply sold as Cuban than a Cuban cigar w/ a fake label.
I must say though that the construction of the Pipe and Culebra are simply phenomenal, and many of the members here (including me) love the idea of having humidor fodder like this to show off. Again, I have little doubt that these sticks are Cuban.
Cohibin: I will smoke the remaining sticks and report my findings, as that's what I agreed to do. However, I must admit that there's a great deal of gray area here. EL's w/ out EL labels give off bad Ju-ju. I would avoid attempting to sell these as EL's and simply stick w/ hand rolled Habanos in your description. That will likely prevent similar problems in the future. As you are finding, although the internet is a very large place, those who frequent it, and specifically, frequent forums such as this, are a relatively small group.
