Cohiba Esplendido 08

**Silencei2** · 11-05-2008, 02:56 AM

Ok... so I'm browsing Craigslist a few nights ago and I type in "humidor" in the search function. The past several times I perused Craigslist for cigar paraphernalia I found crazy deals. The last two deals I found on Craigslist I obtained a collectors Montecristo desk organizer/humidor for $100. The most recent one was a couple of weeks ago when I happened to come across an ad for a cabinet humidor that was going for $300 and normally retailed for 2500 back when the company was still around. Anyway, low and behold the first post that pops up is an ad for Cuban Cohiba Esplendido cigars in a collector's humidor. So of course, my first instinct is to check it out.

So I take a look at the pictures and then of course I shoot the guy an email and immediately start doing some research on these cigars. I looked for counterfeit threads on CS and websites that gave tips and tricks to spotting these popularly faked cigars. So the things I managed to take away from my little bit of research included: holographic Cuba sticker, Habanos sticker, Seal of Cuba sticker, Habanos paper that's found inside, and last but not least the cigar band.

While looking at the pictures that the guy posted, I noticed one strange thing... the humidor he took pictures of and the one that is offered online are different in shape. The ones I found online were all cylindrical and the one he took a picture of looked more boxy. I was pretty reluctant at first but I still decided to get in contact with him. So after a few emails back and forth I decided to go check them out the next day. I was so excited I couldn't even wait till the end of the week.

When I got there to check them out I proceeded to check the authenticity carefully. The humidor was still in plastic wrapping, all the seals and stickers were underneath the plastic. I unwrapped it and took a box cutter to the seals/stickers to keep them intact as possible. It all looked legit from there. I popped it open and found the Cuban guarantee sticker. I noticed impeccable packing with padding to ensure the cigars arrived safely. The lid of the humidor has a hygrometer and humidifying device. I opened up one of the packages and took one of the cigars out. I took a real quick glance at the cigar and noticed the cap had a small defect but then changed my attention to the actual cigar band. The band is embossed just like how they were illustrated online. The cigar wrapper is a little veiny but has a very nice aroma and a firm feel. It didn't feel spongy at all like the last fake Cohiba I had. Last I asked if I could smoke one. He was a cigarette smoker and didn't mind me lighting one up right there. I lit it up and the draw was good even though the humidity read 50%rh. I tried to get as much flavor out of it as possible and it tasted pretty good. It wasn't exactly what I expected in taste but I've only had 2 Cubans in my lifetime. I was pretty satisfied with my authenticity investigation and made the purchase but I am still not 100% confident that they are indeed Cuban Cohibas.

And now I am here. I'm posting with some eye candy to see if any of you can notice anything fishy or reassure me that these are indeed the real deal. Thanks in advance for your input.

-Rich

**rsanz** · 11-05-2008, 04:18 AM

Dunno man, that wrapper doesn't look anywhere like Cohiba quality to me.

But, so long as you enjoy them I guess that's the main thing. Interesting packaging though.

**drew_goring** · 11-05-2008, 04:39 AM

Hope they smoke well.

The wrappers are off, the bands look off to me and Habanos SA never released Cohibas or any other cigar that I am aware of in that presentation from what I know.

Sorry, but IMO they are fakes. If they smokes well and you enjoy them, cool...not a terrible deal.

**stjohnroe** · 11-05-2008, 04:54 AM

Had a look around and I can see nothing about this release on the official sites.

**Silencei2** · 11-05-2008, 10:50 AM

Thanks for the input guys. I definitely agree the wrapper is not up to my expectations either but everything else looks good. After some more web scouring, some of the pictures of their maduros look to have the same qualities. But then again, I'm tricking myself into thinking what I want to believe. Oh well.

**CAJUNBLAZE** · 11-05-2008, 11:03 AM

Just from looking at post of fakes and real ones, there is something funny about those bands.

Rich

**Shelby07** · 11-05-2008, 11:12 AM

Originally Posted by drew_goring

Hope they smoke well.

The wrappers are off, the bands look off to me and Habanos SA never released Cohibas or any other cigar that I am aware of in that presentation from what I know.

Sorry, but IMO they are fakes. If they smokes well and you enjoy them, cool...not a terrible deal.

No doubt about it. Phony as a three dollar bill.

In addition to what Drew said... The font on the band is wrong, the S/N on the warranty band is wrong (should start with "I" for cigars mane in Jan 08 - "D" was used during 2003-2004) and the date/factory code should be on the box, not on a piece of paper. And unless the cigars were actually purchased in Cuba, there is no hologram. I'm sure I could find more if I looked.

Sorry you got duped.

Edit: Oh yeah - one more thing I should say - I'm surprised no one else said it already ---

NEVER buy cigars from craigslist or Ebay.

**dustinpollock** · 11-05-2008, 11:31 AM

better off them being fake ...or the ATF would be knoking on your door right now

dustin

**stjohnroe** · 11-05-2008, 11:58 AM

What did you pay? The humidor actually looks quite nice, so if trhe cigars smoke OK and you paid a reaonable price then don't beat yourself up about it.

However, as Shelby says, if it looks to good to be true then it probably is.

**CAJUNBLAZE** · 11-05-2008, 12:15 PM

Originally Posted by dustinpollock

better off them being fake ...or the ATF would be knoking on your door right now

dustin

Isn't illegal to purchase fake cc also?

Rich

**Shelby07** · 11-05-2008, 12:22 PM

Originally Posted by Silencei2

Thanks for the input guys. I definitely agree the wrapper is not up to my expectations either but everything else looks good. After some more web scouring, some of the pictures of their maduros look to have the same qualities. But then again, I'm tricking myself into thinking what I want to believe. Oh well.

The Esplendidos were not Maduros. You should take that as more evidence they are fake, not that they are authentic.

It's easy to delude yourself... it's harder to recognize it. You've taken the first step.

As Stjohnroe said... don't beat yourself up. We all have gotten duped at one time or another. It's estimated that 95% of the "Cuban" cigars in the world are fakes. Some of them are done so well it's impossible to know they're fake until you smoke them (CC's have a very unique taste.) There is a huge market for CC's and the mark up makes it an extremely profitable enterprise. Somebody went through a lot of effort to make that box look good.

If you enjoy them, smoke them with a smile.

**ggiese** · 11-05-2008, 12:58 PM

Those, my friend, are as fake as they get. They look like they'd probably be at least a decent smoke (construction looks better than most), but you'd have better luck finding Cuban tobacco at the South Pole than in that cigar.

DO NOT - under any circumstance - distribute those cigars to anyone on any cigar board without clearly letting them know you question their authenticity. As a matter of fact - I would suggest you write a big ol' "FAKE" on all of the bands with a Sharpie so there is no question. The last thing you want to do is to put that in a pass, bomb or trade and have someone question your integrity.

**Silencei2** · 11-05-2008, 05:42 PM

Originally Posted by ggiese

Those, my friend, are as fake as they get. They look like they'd probably be at least a decent smoke (construction looks better than most), but you'd have better luck finding Cuban tobacco at the South Pole than in that cigar.

DO NOT - under any circumstance - distribute those cigars to anyone on any cigar board without clearly letting them know you question their authenticity. As a matter of fact - I would suggest you write a big ol' "FAKE" on all of the bands with a Sharpie so there is no question. The last thing you want to do is to put that in a pass, bomb or trade and have someone question your integrity.

Thanks for the info, I will be sure not to include these in any exchange whatsoever.

Just from looking at post of fakes and real ones, there is something funny about those bands.
Rich

I took a pretty close look at the bands and I compared them to the Counterfeit Gallery on Cigar Aficionado. They look identical...

No doubt about it. Phony as a three dollar bill.

In addition to what Drew said... The font on the band is wrong, the S/N on the warranty band is wrong (should start with "I" for cigars mane in Jan 08 - "D" was used during 2003-2004) and the date/factory code should be on the box, not on a piece of paper. And unless the cigars were actually purchased in Cuba, there is no hologram. I'm sure I could find more if I looked.

The guy I purchased them off of let me know that his business partner is Cuban and bought them in Cuba which would explain the hologram sticker.

Anyway. Thanks for all the input guys, I'm going to talk to the guy who sold them to me and see what we can do. Anyone got the taste buds to see if they can tell if its real or fake? Shoot me a PM and we can arrange something.

**mrtr33** · 11-05-2008, 06:13 PM

I don't mean to kick you while you're down, but how much did you pay him? And to echo other's advice, don't buy cigars off of craigslist. Yikes.

It's a cool looking box, anyway.

**Shelby07** · 11-05-2008, 06:51 PM

If you still have doubts, look at the bottom of the following page

http://members.tripod.com/habanos_r_us_a/archive01.htm

Every Limited Edition, Regional release or specialty release by Habanos SA is publicized. This one has never been released...

http://www.habanos.com/specialties.aspx?lang=en

...but apparently is one of several fakes with this design.

The guy I purchased them off of let me know that his business partner is Cuban and bought them in Cuba which would explain the hologram sticker.

Whenever someone says they have a friend of a sister's brother's mother's uncle in Cuba who can get good deals on cuban cigars, run away. Cuban cigars are tightly controlled at the factory. They are almost impossible to steal. As for the holograms, take a look here.

http://www.justfakes.com/

Anyone got the taste buds to see if they can tell if its real or fake? Shoot me a PM and we can arrange something.

Dude... you're in denial. No one has to smoke them to know they are fakes.

Talk to the guy who sold them to you, tell him you did some research and have determined they are fakes and get your money back.

**Shelby07** · 11-05-2008, 07:38 PM

One more thing... I can't tell from your post if you thought the band was real or counterfeit. Here's what I see

This is a real band

Look at the way the "C" in "Cuba" is formed.

Now look at yours

See the difference?

**craig** · 11-05-2008, 07:59 PM

One other thing - keep those cigars isolated. Such cigars are rarely fumigated or frozen, so you're going to get beetles hatching out of them sooner or later.

Sorry to hear about it.

BTW for others: there are awesomely good fake millenium jars around now. Fooled the local B&M's, I gotta check the (embarrassing to me) local "Cuban cigar band collector" supply store to see if they're selling them. edit: Shelby07 posted the link to the store's website in his post. No jars, but now they have Compay Segundo bands! Yeesh.

(No, I didn't buy a jar, but yes, I was dumb enough to buy a couple sticks out of a fake jar at a local B&M. The labels are really, really, good. I can't tell the difference in either the label or the jar - but then again, neither could the B&M owner - who has jars from back then.)

**Silencei2** · 11-05-2008, 10:47 PM

Sweet, thanks for some concrete evidence guys. I'm really glad I posted this up to get your honest input. Thanks Shelby for all the research you put into this

Originally Posted by craig

One other thing - keep those cigars isolated. Such cigars are rarely fumigated or frozen, so you're going to get beetles hatching out of them sooner or later.

Sorry to hear about it.

BTW for others: there are awesomely good fake millenium jars around now. Fooled the local B&M's, I gotta check the (embarrassing to me) local "Cuban cigar band collector" supply store to see if they're selling them. edit: Shelby07 posted the link to the store's website in his post. No jars, but now they have Compay Segundo bands! Yeesh.

(No, I didn't buy a jar, but yes, I was dumb enough to buy a couple sticks out of a fake jar at a local B&M. The labels are really, really, good. I can't tell the difference in either the label or the jar - but then again, neither could the B&M owner - who has jars from back then.)

I've since then moved them back into the humidor they came in. Thanks for the advice, I totally would've forgot about this and let them eat my precious sticks.

I emailed the guy with this thread to get some money back. But I'm going to let him keep some just for the sake of the humidor since it looks pretty awesome and will be a reminder never to do such a stupid thing again

**guado** · 11-06-2008, 08:18 AM

I am glad you took it in stride.Most people would just fight tooth and nail they are real. The humidor is pretty cool though. Neat design and leather work.