November 28, 2008

EDICION LIMITADA 2008 are barely launched and already counterfeited !

One of our customers sent us 2 boxes of EL 2008 for inspection: Montecristo Sublime and Partagas Serie D No.5 EL 2008. The boxes were acquired from an online website that we cannot list here.

• The cigar boxes look perfect with Habanos sticker, Republica de Cuba and all stamps are 100% genuine.
• The cigars look great and are perfectly aligned in the box.
• The Montecristo rings are the new embossed rings that are expensive to counterfeit.

Even with all these positive aspects, these boxes were fakes ! Here's our diagnosis:

1. The box code attracted our attention:  it was made with an old stamp of ECA and PEL factory which were used for Limitadas in 2001 up to 2003. An absence of code is more acceptable than an out-of-date code.
2. The cigar wrappers was too good looking and perfectly homogeneous. The color of both the Sublime and the D5 was identical which is not normal. The D5 should be more on the reddish side or at least not the same color as the Montecristo Sublimes.
3. The Cuban smell was absent and replaced by licorice aroma, this is simply impossible unless the cigars have been stored with another heavy smell product.
4. Some of the cigars do not have a straight sharp cut, this could be possible for a genuine item but it's another detail of inconsistency.
5. The cigars are on average heavier than the real ones.
6. The body is not round as it should be, it's more on the squared shape.
7. The ultimate test was lighting up: The cigars are simply not Cuban. We would say Honduras or something else with a dry harsh aftertaste that has nothing to do with the creamy spicy taste of the real ones.

The 3 cigars on the left are the Fakes although they look darker and more oily. Notice the flat head of the fake D5 (the one on the left) compared to the real one.

Conclusion: These cigars are part of a massive fake production probably in Costa Rica or Panama and are being sent to the world market through different channels. Unfortunately they have reached the European and Asian market because they are very difficult to spot by inexperienced vendors or consumers. The boxes, rings and stickers have probably been brought out from Cuba and are 100% genuine. The cigars are not. The homogenous dark oily wrappers seem to be Ecuadorian and make this product easy to sell especially that it's new and hard to get.

The 3 cigars on the left are the Fakes although they look darker and more oily. Notice the  weird cuts and ring gauges of the 3 fake cigars (on the left of each picture) compared to the real ones.

Counterfeit Cuban cigars are becoming very sophisticated and difficult to spot even by experts like customs officers. The only way to stop them is to stop buying their products. Here are the most important commandments:

• Be very careful with the choice of your Cuban cigar vendor
• Be aware of anything suspicious concerning your cigar box
• Trust your taste buds and develop your smoking knowledge, it's the only and ultimate barrier to counterfeited products.

or click here to get the authentic Cuban cigars