Some New Fake Arrivals!

[grateful1]

If you wanted to ship them back to the vendor, it would be around $35 via USPS International and they would arrive there in about 5-7 days

A friend of mine just did this and he had delivery confirmation the whole time

JAT

Bart

What was the problem with the smokes?

-----------------------------------------------------------------

As Rod already knows about this we really need an explanation from the vendor. (after you get your refund! )

If it is not suitable or done, then they need to be known as a vendor who sells fakes.

This is why it has to be CERTAIN that these are fakes.

The vendor should find out why....and if there is no answer, it can be only assumed that they knew they sold fake cigars.

 

[juddster]

The vendor has assured the return of the box to Habanos for an explanation to me and Rod. Apparently they have been on this site for a long time and have not had any previous issues.

 

[chado]

Very interesting. I have a box of May 09s that I will need to check in the morning, I will post my findings. I have no doubt of their authenticity I am now curious if there has been a band change as well. Glad to hear that the vendor is making good on this, but sorry you had to go through it.

 

[jepe]

I have a box from 08 and the bands have 3 dots on each one.
The band are clearly fakes which means the cigars too.

I'm curious to what the vendor has to say about them being fakes,I mean he must have got them from somewhere and
I do believe he opened the box for inspection prior shipping it.

Check here for comparison
http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Static/Counterfeit/count_pgpage1.html

AFAIK there was no change in the bands an it should have dots on them.

 

[Kingantz]

Are you/did you ship them back? I'd still be interested to know how one smokes, if close to tasting like a Partagas, or more like cardboard. I'm sure they wouldn't mind you keeping just one, for experimental purposes.

 

[chado]

Just checked my box from May 09 - they have all the dots on them.

 

[mmburtch]

The vendor has assured the return of the box to Habanos for an explanation to me and Rod. Apparently they have been on this site for a long time and have not had any previous issues.

This limits the possibilities for anyone paying attention.

The problem I'm still having is, the bands are suspect, but as of yet, I haven't seen any compelling evidence that the cigars are counterfeits. You say you have smoked lots of these, so how does the packaging compare; box construction, brands, waxed paper, inserts, presentation of the cigars before you removed them?

The Vendor appears to be acting admirably and that is great. My problem is that unless there is some kind of burn/dissection test, the vendor is tainted, even if they did make good. Most vendors will offer a 1-2 cigar these aren't right policy. Call back and tell them you need to smoke one to be sure you're not wasting their time and reputation.

 

[Rod]

This vendor will not be outed unless it is 100% proven that the PSD's are fake. Having dealt with this vendor for the better of 10 years, never have I received anything questionable. Will wait to see what Habanos SA has to say.

 

[grateful1]

This limits the possibilities for anyone paying attention.

The problem I'm still having is, the bands are suspect, but as of yet, I haven't seen any compelling evidence that the cigars are counterfeits. You say you have smoked lots of these, so how does the packaging compare; box construction, brands, waxed paper, inserts, presentation of the cigars before you removed them?

The Vendor appears to be acting admirably and that is great. My problem is that unless there is some kind of burn/dissection test, the vendor is tainted, even if they did make good. Most vendors will offer a 1-2 cigar these aren't right policy. Call back and tell them you need to smoke one to be sure you're not wasting their time and reputation.

Excellent points.

I remember when(shit, I'm old...) ummm, Tone-NY remembers when....Cohiba bands changed...everyone was like...wtf!?

 

[mu mike]

Good read so far. I have no idea who the vendor is, but I'll be interested to see what the outcome is.

 

[ree ree robusto]

I know it has been mentioned the box is authentic, but if you use real black light UV you should find out authenticity too.
The seals are manufactured with better quality self-adhesive paper (two types of paper), micro-printing, a hidden ultra violet shield (two types), with the box seal bearing a unique serial number printed in red ink, that has different reactions under UV light.

Currently there are several known variations of this seal.
A. Darker green shade of ink, printed on bright white paper, providing a good contrast. Under UV light: the paper fluoresces, a poorly defined pinkish-orange coloured shield appears, and the whole serial number appears a very dark black-red.

B1. Lighter green shade of ink, printed on creamy white paper, providing a less distinctly appearance. Under UV light: the paper does not fluoresce, a well defined lemon-yellow coloured shield appears, and the whole serial number appears a very dark black-red.

B2. Similar to B1, but under UV light, the letters of the serial number remain a very dark black-red, but the numbers strongly fluoresce bright red.


The hidden UV Image (incorrectly called a watermark) is located centrally and above the serial number. It is a larger version of the printed shield.

The micro printing is present in 2 locations; towards the top just above the "Republic de Cuba" text and near the bottom below the "torcidos y picadura" text. The micro printing consists of "SELLO DE GARANTIA REPUBLICA DE CUBA" repeated across the seal between the two scrolls. This is not readable to the naked eye and is not overly distinct or clear under magnification, due to the printing process.

The process of verification does work b/c I have tried it before. Maybe give that a try...

 

[jayro75]

The big question that hasn't been asked yet is how did the vendor acquire these cigars. They say that they are supplied directly by the Authorized Habanos distributor for their country and I have seen them listed as such on the distributors site. It would be surprising that the distributor passed these on from Habanos.

 

[Kid Montana]

I have received two boxes of recent production PSD4's and was surprised by the light wrappers, so that alone is not tell tale. Now the band is a different story. I'm very familiar with band on the right and Trevor's site confirms this is the correct labeling.

http://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/images%5CPartag%C3%A1s_band_440353000full.jpg

EDIT: I'd be interested in the vendor as well.

Cigar manufacturors group cigars of the same type by color for boxing. This creates a uniform colour appearance within a box, but is not always the case from box to box of the same cigar.

 

[MoeCizlak]

I have received two boxes of recent production PSD4's and was surprised by the light wrappers, so that alone is not tell tale. Now the band is a different story. I'm very familiar with band on the right and Trevor's site confirms this is the correct labeling.

http://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/images%5CPartag%C3%A1s_band_440353000full.jpg

EDIT: I'd be interested in the vendor as well.

Cigar manufacturors group cigars of the same type by color for boxing. This creates a uniform colour appearance within a box, but is not always the case from box to box of the same cigar.

That's interesting. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Bartolomeo]

If you wanted to ship them back to the vendor, it would be around $35 via USPS International and they would arrive there in about 5-7 days

A friend of mine just did this and he had delivery confirmation the whole time

JAT

Bart

What was the problem with the smokes?

-----------------------------------------------------------------

As Rod already knows about this we really need an explanation from the vendor. (after you get your refund! )

If it is not suitable or done, then they need to be known as a vendor who sells fakes.

This is why it has to be CERTAIN that these are fakes.

The vendor should find out why....and if there is no answer, it can be only assumed that they knew they sold fake cigars.

They were plugged so the vendor is sending another box

Bart

 

[Roy R. Frush]

What's the box code on the boxes? There's always the possibility of new band design. Like Rob, I've seen varying colors of PSD4s from light Colorado to a deep dark red, but I've never seen that band before. Many of the other marcas have gone through a recent band change and this may be the case with these PSD4s. Many questioned the authenticity of their cigars when Montecristo changed their bands in 2002, Cohibas in 2003, and when HdM added second bands to the Epi 1 and 2. Thanks for bringing this up, but if they're from a known legit vendor, don't rush to judge them fake until you get confirmation. Post the box code of the PSD4 and some of us can check with other vendors.

There is wisdom in Sam's post. :thumbs: If you look at other recent releases in the "Serie" line, you'll notice that the newer bands lack the extra "dots." PSP2s, and PSD5s, for instance, look like the bands on the cigars you are questioning. If they've decided to refresh the printing dies, it wouldn't be surprising if the new PSD4 bands were brought into conformity with the newer style. A vendor taking a quick glance at a box might not even notice the difference as it's not a major redesign.

 

[Strayvector]

There is wisdom in Sam's post. :thumbs: If you look at other recent releases in the "Serie" line, you'll notice that the newer bands lack the extra "dots." PSP2s, and PSD5s, for instance, look like the bands on the cigars you are questioning. If they've decided to refresh the printing dies, it wouldn't be surprising if the new PSD4 bands were brought into conformity with the newer style. A vendor taking a quick glance at a box might not even notice the difference as it's not a major redesign.

Thanks, Roy. You da man for noticing the similarities with the Party LEs. BTW, when are you and the NYC/NJ crew coming down to Tucson for a herf?

Just an update. On another board, someone else posted some 10 count boxes that also had bands like the ones posted here. A Cuban insider is checking with the factory manager, but feels that the ones posted on the other board is legit. This was the point I was trying to make: If they come from a trusted source, make sure you completely verify before announcing something is fake. Rod does his due diligence before allowing vendors to advertise here. Before purchasing your first box, ask around, ask the vendor questions, do your homework and make sure you trust your vendor before purchasing.

 

[Roy R. Frush]

BTW, when are you and the NYC/NJ crew coming down to Tucson for a herf?

Ah, another opportunity to have a winter herf in AZ has passed! I'm afraid our visit will have to wait until a safer time of year. Not too keen on visiting the desert when being outside after 8am is guaranteed heat stroke.

 

[Wurm]

Yes the D4's are fake.

Maybe not... :whistling:

http://www.cigarpass.com/forumsipb/index.php?showtopic=66095&pid=991830&st=0&#entry991830

And every. single PSD4 I've smoked (and thats not a small number) have had the very light wrapper.

 

[LtCdrRMD]

Hi guys I'm new to this site as you can see. I was inspired to join by the content of this thread. I live in Canada and I'm an avid Cuban Robusta fan. i have been smoking Partagas SERIE D.No.4. robusta's for a long time and although not my favourite cigar I find them quite tasteful at times. I recently purchased a box of 25 and a box of 10 PSD4s and I instantly noticed that there was a difference when I smoked a cigar from the box of 25 and became suspicious. I did not notice anything suspicious when I opened the boxes as they were identical to the previous boxes I had. I authenticated the certificates as I usually did on Habanos SA, both boxes were authentic. The cigar that I smoked was slightly thinner and burned unusually faster but did not taste disimilar to previous PSD4s. The ash stayed for quite some time indicating long filler but the aftertaste was slightly harsher . Upon review of the cigars in the 25 box (December 09) I found them to be a shade lighter than normal but consistent while the cigars in the box of 10 (April 2010) were of the darker shade that I'm used to and they were also consistant in colour throughout the box. The bands suddenly jumped out as they were exactly the same as the irregular bands stated in the previous posts on this thread. What I expected to see was the periods (Dots) as follows. SERIE D. No. 4. with a dot also after the word Partagas on the second line before the hyphen. What I got on the band on both boxes was SERIE D No.4 The second line did not have a dot after the word Partagas. The cigars were well made and if they are fake they are the best I've seen (Excepting the band) I have sent an email to Habanos SA and my Canadian supplier who purchases all of heir cigars from Habanos SA reflecting my concerns. I too am wondering if there was a printing problem with the bands but you would think that Habanos would have the appropriate quality control to pick this type of mistake up. You would also think that they would announce a band change if there was one in order to quell the doubts of people like me who may stop buying the brand altogether due to uncertainty. I'll post the group on any response I get from the emails. In addition to the above I do have a bunch of Partagas Serie. D. No. 4. Tubos and I notice that the lithographed label on the aluminum tube shows only one dot between the No.4 while the cigar inside showed the three dot band. It does appear that Partagas have inconsistency on the banding (I hope that that have, it will make me feel better). Anyway I am grateful to the contributors of this thread for sharing your experiences, I greatly appreciate the posts.

Rich