Fake Cigars! Need Help!

[geezygentle]

Hey Guys,
 
I had trouble starting a new topic and attaching a photo, so I decided to just post it this way posting an album photo. Whoever can explain to me how to start a topic and/or attach a photo to it please do!
 
A friend of mine had introduced me to these guys in Montreal who claimed to have great deals on CCs. Apparently "straight from their factory supplier in Cuba". Naturally I told my friend to pick me up a bunch, and that I would pay him for wahtever he picked up (he is a newbie to smoking Cigars, but is slowly learning more and more)
 
So I got this lot of cigars. An assortment of;
-Montecristo box of 3 Edmundos
-San Cristobal de La Habana
-Romeo Short Churchill
-Cohiba Madura 5 1 genios 1 magicos
-Partagas serie E
- 2 Cohiba Robusto
 
Through the ziplock I was throroughly impressed. I looked at them and at first glance I said to myself 'WOW JACKPOT'. Reason being the quality of the roll, cap, and foot all looked great and hand rolled factory quality.
 
I opened the bag and the first inspected the Edmundos. The box looked exact from 3 packs Ive bought in the past, however there were no cardboard divider folds between them as how I remembered from duty free purchases. The first inspection was the look. Cap good, colorado wrapper good, foot good, weight good. What was not good was that I immediately felt a waxy feeling on the wrapper (which you may not see from photos). Next step, smell. The Edmundo had such a standard light aroma. Green tea with the smell of a walk in humidor. So so light, and I was almost pressing the cigar against my nose to find a stronger, deeper aroma. That was the other giveaway. Before inspecting the cigar further, I went and smelled the other cigars. All cigars with the same exact scent- GIVEAWAY- this is where my bubble burst and I got real sad. Except for the Romeo Churchill which actually had the smell right. Smooth wrapper with little to no veins, and pungent sweet and spicy tobacco scent.
 
So now I'm thinking, okay, these cigars were obviously made by a very professional factory - probably with cheap fillers and cuban tobacco, maybe even Mexican tobacco and Dominican wrapper. The market is probably for online sales or passing off fakes for real to an online market (as no fake on the street cigars that I have seen have this quality).
 
I didn't have time to smoke any, nor was I very inclined to- except maybe to do a fake cigar review? Maybe when I get back home tonight I will take a few puffs and what happens.
 
Any opinions? Anyone ever face the same situation as me? I was so excited, I thought, wow finally someone who brings legit cigars from Cuba to Montreal and resells!
 
Seems like I will be proven wrong...
 
 
Anyone able to tell me how to post a pic?

Hey Guys,
 
I had trouble starting a new topic and attaching a photo, so I decided to just post it this way posting an album photo. Whoever can explain to me how to start a topic and/or attach a photo to it please do!
 
A friend of mine had introduced me to these guys in Montreal who claimed to have great deals on CCs. Apparently "straight from their factory supplier in Cuba". Naturally I told my friend to pick me up a bunch, and that I would pay him for wahtever he picked up (he is a newbie to smoking Cigars, but is slowly learning more and more)
 
So I got this lot of cigars. An assortment of;
-Montecristo box of 3 Edmundos
-San Cristobal de La Habana
-Romeo Short Churchill
-Cohiba Madura 5 1 genios 1 magicos
-Partagas serie E
- 2 Cohiba Robusto
 
Through the ziplock I was throroughly impressed. I looked at them and at first glance I said to myself 'WOW JACKPOT'. Reason being the quality of the roll, cap, and foot all looked great and hand rolled factory quality.
 
I opened the bag and the first inspected the Edmundos. The box looked exact from 3 packs Ive bought in the past, however there were no cardboard divider folds between them as how I remembered from duty free purchases. The first inspection was the look. Cap good, colorado wrapper good, foot good, weight good. What was not good was that I immediately felt a waxy feeling on the wrapper (which you may not see from photos). Next step, smell. The Edmundo had such a standard light aroma. Green tea with the smell of a walk in humidor. So so light, and I was almost pressing the cigar against my nose to find a stronger, deeper aroma. That was the other giveaway. Before inspecting the cigar further, I went and smelled the other cigars. All cigars with the same exact scent- GIVEAWAY- this is where my bubble burst and I got real sad. Except for the Romeo Churchill which actually had the smell right. Smooth wrapper with little to no veins, and pungent sweet and spicy tobacco scent.
 
So now I'm thinking, okay, these cigars were obviously made by a very professional factory - probably with cheap fillers and cuban tobacco, maybe even Mexican tobacco and Dominican wrapper. The market is probably for online sales or passing off fakes for real to an online market (as no fake on the street cigars that I have seen have this quality).
 
I didn't have time to smoke any, nor was I very inclined to- except maybe to do a fake cigar review? Maybe when I get back home tonight I will take a few puffs and what happens.
 
Any opinions? Anyone ever face the same situation as me? I was so excited, I thought, wow finally someone who brings legit cigars from Cuba to Montreal and resells!
 
Seems like I will be proven wrong...
 
 
Anyone able to tell me how to post a pic?

[sharedmedia=gallery:images:10940]

 

[jfields]

Can you get closer pics of the bands? Especially the scripts on the Cohiba's on the right. They look suspect from what little I can see on my iPhone. Especially, the variances in the wrapper shades on the Cohiba's..... Both the regular and Maduro's.

 

[tomthirtysix]

Yeah, a blurry pic from that far away isn't going to be much help. However... the two Cohibas on the far right... it appears as though the white box with the gold outline that says "COHIBA" inside dissects the row of white dots. I'm no expert, but I think that's a big red flag.
 
That being said, with a product that is  legally available in your home country, buying on the streets in a ziploc bag should have thrown up red flags in the first place.

 

[CMontoya79]

Smoke em and you will know.

 

[broblues]

A clearer picture sure would help.

 

[geezygentle]

Yeah, a blurry pic from that far away isn't going to be much help. However... the two Cohibas on the far right... it appears as though the white box with the gold outline that says "COHIBA" inside dissects the row of white dots. I'm no expert, but I think that's a big red flag.
 
That being said, with a product that is  legally available in your home country, buying on the streets in a ziploc bag should have thrown up red flags in the first place.

I'll post clearer pics when I get back home. On the subject of purchasing where CCs are legally available -
It's not about buying on the 'streets in a ziploc bag'. I've purchased cigars privately through friends, at auctions, at La Casa del Habano's, and at tabagies (tobacco shops) in malls. However, when my friend told me about someone he knows that travels to Cuba and brings back cigars from a 'factory supplier' I figured this would be the best way to get CCs closest to wholesale. A Cohiba Robusto (ones on the far right) in Cuba would be approx. $10.4 CUC/ stick. Equivalent to $10.50 Canadian or whatever. If you buy from store's in Montreal, the single stick on average sells at about $24.
 
If I was able to find someone who buys and brings back from Cuba direct from factory, by all means will I take advantage and save money!

 

[grateful1]

I don't recall that size maduro.
 
They are probably really Cuban...they may not be legit factory cigars.

 

[louich]

Thats the problem in the statement (IMO). SOmeone saying he can get suppplies directly from the factory or thru a factory supplier is a major red flag and you are bound to have shady products. This is especially true when it comes to Cohiba. Someone once tried to push a box with the same stratagem, I answered I have a good frienf who works at a gucci factory and I could get the real thing way below the real price we could swap goods. The guys answered 'and Im supposed to believe they are authentic ?' I answered the same thing. He got that the funny story could not handle the road and left.

 

[Turbolag]

I don't understand why people have to have CC's.

What's wrong with all the other ones ? There are tons cigars to choose from that you can buy easily online for not a ton of money. Whether you are on here or FS, CI, cigar.com

I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just asking. I've never had a CC before, but it sounds like they are purcahsed for the status symbol. So you can say "hey I have some illegal cigars".

 

[tomthirtysix]

I don't understand why people have to have CC's.

What's wrong with all the other ones ? There are tons cigars to choose from that you can buy easily online for not a ton of money. Whether you are on here or FS, CI, cigar.com

I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just asking. I've never had a CC before, but it sounds like they are purcahsed for the status symbol. So you can say "hey I have some illegal cigars".

 
Except he's from Montreal, so they're legal.

 

[grateful1]

 

I don't understand why people have to have CC's.

What's wrong with all the other ones ? There are tons cigars to choose from that you can buy easily online for not a ton of money. Whether you are on here or FS, CI, cigar.com

I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just asking. I've never had a CC before, but it sounds like they are purcahsed for the status symbol. So you can say "hey I have some illegal cigars".

 
Except he's from Montreal, so they're legal.
 

 
 
Easy Tomthirtysix-twocents....it must be turbo lag.

 

[Turbolag]

Haha....sorry, not directing this at the OP .....just in general. That was my rant for the day. 
 
On a serious note, sorry to hear about your purchase GG. I hope you find your answer. 
 
That sounds frustrating man.
 
I would quite like to visit Canada in the future.

 

[Light this!]

I don't understand why people have to have CC's.

What's wrong with all the other ones ? There are tons cigars to choose from that you can buy easily online for not a ton of money. Whether you are on here or FS, CI, cigar.com

I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just asking. I've never had a CC before, but it sounds like they are purcahsed for the status symbol. So you can say "hey I have some illegal cigars".

 
Nothing to them at all. They suck!  :whistling:

 

[Juanote]

turbolag, if a thing provides the best experience, it is not pretentious to seek it out for that reason. Perhaps you should try a few CCs before making those kinds of judgments.

 

[Turbolag]

turbolag, if a thing provides the best experience, it is not pretentious to seek it out for that reason. Perhaps you should try a few CCs before making those kinds of judgments.

I hear what you're sayin man. I wasn't fussing or anything, just talkin.

I would like to try one in the future. But I have a lot of other ones I'd like to try first. I don't know if I have the pallet yet to appreciate one.

 

[CBoukal]

I don't know if I have the pallet yet to appreciate one.

This is what my pallet is like

 

[Juanote]

turbolag, if a thing provides the best experience, it is not pretentious to seek it out for that reason. Perhaps you should try a few CCs before making those kinds of judgments.

I hear what you're sayin man. I wasn't fussing or anything, just talkin.

I would like to try one in the future. But I have a lot of other ones I'd like to try first. I don't know if I have the pallet yet to appreciate one.

You seem like a decent guy and I'm just a noob myself, but I hope you will be careful about making broad brush statements that could be misunderstood as insulting, especially when you don't have the necessary experience to form a judgment in the first place. I am pretty much in the same boat when it comes to experience and palate, I am enjoying the exploration of NCs combined with occasional CCs until I get more experience under my belt. But you should try some if you get the chance, they really are as good as advertised.

 

[Turbolag]

I don't know if I have the pallet yet to appreciate one.

This is what my pallet is like

Hahahaha.... *palate* Ooooops

turbolag, if a thing provides the best experience, it is not pretentious to seek it out for that reason. Perhaps you should try a few CCs before making those kinds of judgments.

I hear what you're sayin man. I wasn't fussing or anything, just talkin.I would like to try one in the future. But I have a lot of other ones I'd like to try first. I don't know if I have the pallet yet to appreciate one.

You seem like a decent guy and I'm just a noob myself, but I hope you will be careful about making broad brush statements that could be misunderstood as insulting, especially when you don't have the necessary experience to form a judgment in the first place. I am pretty much in the same boat when it comes to experience and palate, I am enjoying the exploration of NCs combined with occasional CCs until I get more experience under my belt. But you should try some if you get the chance, they really are as good as advertised.

I hear ya man, I definitely don't like insulting anyone. That wasn't directed at the poster. I actually re read what I typed and it came out wrong. I should have written it as a question, not as a declarative statement. Sorry about that. Was in a rush to go outside right before I typed it.

 

[Juanote]

No worries, you seem like a good guy and I didn't think you meant it the way it sounded. I'm only speaking as someone that has made huge mistakes here and is trying very hard to learn from them. In fact its hard for me to call what you typed a mistake by comparison. We all make mistakes, its what we do afterwards that counts, and I like what you said.

 

[MoeCizlak]

 

Yeah, a blurry pic from that far away isn't going to be much help. However... the two Cohibas on the far right... it appears as though the white box with the gold outline that says "COHIBA" inside dissects the row of white dots. I'm no expert, but I think that's a big red flag.
 
That being said, with a product that is  legally available in your home country, buying on the streets in a ziploc bag should have thrown up red flags in the first place.

I'll post clearer pics when I get back home. On the subject of purchasing where CCs are legally available -
It's not about buying on the 'streets in a ziploc bag'. I've purchased cigars privately through friends, at auctions, at La Casa del Habano's, and at tabagies (tobacco shops) in malls. However, when my friend told me about someone he knows that travels to Cuba and brings back cigars from a 'factory supplier' I figured this would be the best way to get CCs closest to wholesale. A Cohiba Robusto (ones on the far right) in Cuba would be approx. $10.4 CUC/ stick. Equivalent to $10.50 Canadian or whatever. If you buy from store's in Montreal, the single stick on average sells at about $24.
 
If I was able to find someone who buys and brings back from Cuba direct from factory, by all means will I take advantage and save money!
 

 
 
Stick around and read, read, read.  These pages on CP, and most cigar forums that have been around for a while, are replete with enough stories just like the bolded part of your post that when you read enough of them you're going to come back and realize how silly that statement seems. Then you can move onto the stories of guys buying cigars while physically at the factory and still getting fakes.