Fake Cohiba?
 

I recently discovered this Cohiba with what I thought was a fake band on it. It's very very similar to the real band however what I have noticed (previous experience, research) is that all of these bands have 3 rows of white dots above the "COHIBA" emblem, and this particular one has four. Also you don't see it in the picture but the "COHIBA" is gold (which is should be). Thoughts?
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/i...g?t=1352921248

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

Unless there has been some very recent change, not aware of any legitimate Cohiba bands with 4 distinctly complete rows of dots above the name.

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

Could be a "TOURIST SPECIAL"

How did you get it???

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

That is exactly why I thought it was fake. Buddy (not much of a cigar smoker) went to the Dominican and bought a box of ten of these. Asked me to if he could keep them in one of my humis for him. I said sure automatically assuming they were fake. Well 3 years later he hasn't smoked one of them and I found them the other day, realized the band was actually pretty similar and decided to end all the questions. So here it is. :rolleyes:

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

Does the box have a glass top?

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

No triple cap (pic is kinda blurry)?

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

Cohibo!

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

Fake, the true acid test is as always the taste, I know given that Cuba is a socialist state quality control will not always to par. Which means that not every band is gonna be perfect, however, given that Cohiba is a high end cuban meant orginally an exclusive Castro the only imperfections I know of which Cohiba bands are them not being entirely str8 when put on the stick, "COHIBA" should be in gold but there should only be three rows of dots above.

here is a great site to use
http://cubancigarwebsite.com

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

Yes it does.

Big Pete: It looks to be a double cap.

To me the construction looks a bit shotty for a Cohiba of any nationality IMHO

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

:confused::sl

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

LOL

If you had to ask, you already knew the answer. And please educate your buddy that no cuban cigars come in glass top boxes.

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

When I was in Mexico back in September... I was approached by so many, offering these. I finally had enough and told the guy, No, I do not want your fake Cubans! He replied with anger.. What do you mean fake?

I fired back with, See the glass.. REAL Cubans do not come that way! He was very upset.. Still in his sight, I ended up walking into J & J Habanos.. Made sure he seen me.

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

That's a good point. Didn't even consider what they came in....:fp

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

Here are some pic's of the "TOURIST SPECIAL"

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...X2BVQCJFTmejn_

I personally DON'T buy Cohiba anything for this exact reason. It doesn't matter what country you are in, with the exception of Cuba 99% Cohibas are fake.

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

Well that is pure horse hockey.
:2

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

While the Cuban Cohiba is, or was the last time I checked, the most counterfeited cigar on the planet, I think that your "99% of all Cohibas are fake" statement is, at the very least, highly inaccurate. Do you have a credible source you can cite for this information?

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

So, you are saying that SA Habanos is 1% of the Cohiba market? Remember that most in Cuba cannot afford a Cohiba and there are fakes even there.

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

+1

And you sure as hell can find plenty of fake Cohibas in Cuba. Interesting how someone can think the LCDH's around the world sell fake Cohibas...

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

I'm sure he meant it offhandedly, and not honestly meaning 1/100 are real.. But I can't speak for the man.. It's up to him to say what he actually meant.

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

Provenance, provenance, provenance. Know and trust your sources.
Clearly the cigar pictured is a fake, and not a very good one at that. But the statement that 99% of all Cohiba's are fakes is as wrong as wrong can be. Fake Cohiba's as well as fake OpusX's come from purchasing through shady sources. :2

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

I have smoked 200 Cohibas....glad to know that 2 of them were likely real.

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

All you gentlemen make & have a valid point. Which is why I started my statement as" I PERSONALLY DON'T BUY " I was speak for myself & personal experience with the "Cohiba Brand". I know that talking about CC's in most cases is stepping on toes. But in no way, shape or form did I try & recommend anyone else to do so. I know some folks here have a far more superior knowledge CC's than myself. So if I ruffle any feathers I can assure you those were not my intentions.

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

No worries, Rico, my feathers are firmly in place. :)

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

I'm with Tom, Rio. My feathers aren't ruffled. And I don't think I or anyone else had issue with your statement that you personally don't buy Cohiba. Your second statement (claim) is what I/we think is BS.

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

I have nothing to add to this... other then it is helpful to read these threads as a noob and learn what to look for when judging the authenticity of a CC.

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

I hear you Rico; personally: I don't buy Cohiba's either.

They are probably amazing smokes, but sadly I'll never know unless I wind up getting one in a sampler or something to that effect. My local B&M's start them off at $20, and for that price I can get 2 very decent cigars -- Hell I believe they have a Padron Anny around the same price range.

I'd love to try a Cohiba -- The only one I've smoked was a fake, and I knew it was a fake, but I took one for the team so I knew what fakes tasted like.

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

Correct and now back to the topic... the only glass that should come with a cuban cigar is one that is full of rum. :)

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

I'm sorry, but it is very doubtful your local shop is claiming to sell Cuban cigars. And while Dominican Cohiba's are authentic, they are hardly a part of this conversation. :sh

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

I was speaking specifically about Non-Cubans when referring to buying them from a store. My buddy had a fake DR Cohiba to top it all off. I realize this thread was about the CC counter-part, and even Rico was talking specifically about CCs being fake.. I'm speaking about them in general. I know they are different species all together, the NC vs CC.. I just don't think I can justify owning either at this point in my life.

Trust me, if the shop I frequented tried selling me a "Cuban", I'd walk out and never return.

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

Was "Habana" written on there with a Sharpie? :D

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

:r NO! May as well have been. I hadn't really thought about "glass top" cigar boxes being a dead giveaway.....

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

My sentiments & feelings exactly.

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

Could you describe the band on the possible fake one that your friend received? It might not actually be a fake DR Cohiba as there used to be another company distributing cigars in the US under the Cohiba name until General Cigar won their infringement lawsuit against them.

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

CC or NC... Cohiba's... in my most humble of opinions... are priced prohibitively high... when you throw in the fact that they are also the most counterfeited brand... It makes me even more cautious about buying them...

The NC's I had were good... some were even great... but I got them as gifts or in a sampler... I have been interested in acquiring one from the island... but with my noob-ness I am almost sure I would end up with something fake... It is very helpful when you CC aficionados talk about the specific trademarks that let you know it is real... (like the only 3 dots or the non glass boxes) are there any other "red flags" that let you know your being scammed?

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

I have never seen any evidence that Dominican Cohiba's are being faked. That is not to say is doesnt happen, but a retailer has very little to gain by selling fakes. I have only heard of Padron and Opus fakes in recent memory.

The only way to know you are purchasing authentic Cuban Cohiba's is to know and trust your vendor. :2 Cigars can easily be rebanded with authentic labels and packed in legitimate boxes. But a trusted retailer will not risk reputation and future sales to trick a few unsuspecting souls. :2

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

It was in a Glass Top Dominican Republic EL box. The band was the typical Cuban Cohiba band, but it said Dominican Republic. It was also of the Candela-esque in color. I have the band laying around. I'll take a snap of it later. I didn't want to take a picture in front of my buddy of the cigar, because he was adamant about it being authentic -- but I kept the band for comedy sake.. It was had for $8 at a local shop that he refused to reveal because he wanted to have some kind of.. I don't know.. "Advantage" over me in the cigar world.

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

And here we are:

http://i1167.photobucket.com/albums/...2944584415.jpg

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

Glad to know what I should be looking for... Can anyone post an Authentic band for comparison?

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

Thanks Markem...

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

Yup, that's the lawsuit band.

Not fake. Just a different manufacturer.

More info here:
http://www.afficionadocigar.com/webf...s/show/id/2860

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

I had thought that as well, but the bands that I saw that were from that lawsuit, did not resemble the one I had. And the fact that it was a green cigar sends up even more red flags. Maybe they took the bands and put them on some candelas. Either way, I'll concede -- I stand corrected.

EDIT :: Interesting that a cigar from 6 years ago is floating around up here.

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

I've had a handful of CC Cohibas and they were amongst the best things I've ever smoked. I've had about 15 NC Cohibas and while good, IMO they're overpriced. I've smoked much better cigars at half the cost. IMO the price of the NCs is in a large part based off of the name on the band.

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

Being as I have never had the real deal... can anyone speak as to weather they are better then the HdM CC's? I like the NC Cohiba's but I LOVE HC HdM's... So I was thinking about trying to make a CC HdM my first CC... but everyone talks about the CC Cohiba so I have no idea as to which I should be hunting for...

Thoughts?

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

No one can with certainty, because it is all a matter of personal taste.

I don't care for HdMs at all, with the exception of the "du" lines.

I like Cohibas a lot.

Does that mean Cohibas are better than HdMs?

Maybe for me, but not for everyone else. :2

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

To be clear, there is no correlation, association, or similarity between NCs and CCs of the same name.

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

So you cannot judge which CC you will like by their NC counterpart?

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

If what I have gathered from my reading is correct... CC's have a unique taste/flavor you only get from CC's... I thought this was just an addition to the NC counterparts flavor profile...

I wish I could be more specific, but I have no experience with CC's so I don't even know if this is true... Guess I need to make some Canadian friends... LoL

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

Absolutely not.

Re: Fake Cohiba?
 

There actually is/was a 4th Cohiba, made by Monti Cristi, something about only being sold on the island, I don't know for certain if they are still being produced, but I believe they were still in production about 4-5 years ago.

Some of those have been known to sneak off the island.

Maybe I have the band assignments backwards. :sh