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For all in the know, I was wondering....I understand that you can judge the authenticity of a cigar based on the reported length. My question is are fakes ever the correct length? Are they that well made that they would also have the correct length of an authentic cigar? Thanks.
I think this can vary slightly from time to time depending on conditions the cigar has been in (as far as heat and humidity). That can change the length a little, but if its way too big or small and they just don't make them in that size then thats a red light right there.
http://www.cigarnexus.com/counsel/counterfeit/ heres a site with some good info. Cigar Aficionado also has pages on their site with a bunch of fake bands to show you what to look for.
real cigars should have less than a 1/16th of an inch difference in the stated lenth. but really good fakes could have the correct lenth.
Identifying fakes are becoming increasingly tough. It's my belief that us openly discussing how to identify fakes sometimes allows the "pushers" insight into where they make their mistakes.
The best defenses against getting taken are to
1. Only deal with a trusted source.
2. Constant vigilance. I was told by someone I consider pretty well noted that every outfit is subject to some bogus goods stuffed in the middle of tons of legitimate product. It's more or less up to you to not be the one who gets caught holding it.
The biggest indicator in identifying fakes is the lack of knowledge in counterfeiters themselves as they tend to be sloppy in their haste. They are looking for the uneducated /naive to prey upon. They don't take the time to know current box codes, exact measurements, proper presentation, which location the seals are affixed, the sequence of the said seals etc.
Also, color is an indicator of authenticity. I have seen a cigar where the leaf was rolled, and it looked like three sections due to the wrapping....well, the color is not consistent at the edges of the stripe. It is not very bad, but def the same color is not consistent throughout the cigar. I was wondering, is this natural for the small inconsistency, or is this a fake? Thanks.