[FAKE] Cuban Cigars: Cohiba Robustos: only 0.35 BTC shipped!

[johnniewalker]

Hi everyone,
Made a trip south of the border today and have some offerings for you. First of all are the cigars. Since dealing with customs is a challenge, I only have 2 of them. If there's demand though, I'll work on getting more in the future. These are '10, stored in a humidified room since the box was opened. I grabbed a couple of these because they probably represent the "Cuban" cigar best. Medium size, tight pack leaf wrap, SWEET smoke. If you buy these from some offshore site (and somehow they actually make it to you, you'd probably be paying $30+/cigar. Most sites don't sell legitimate Cubans (buy only from Canadian or Switzerland based-sites). $30+ is what you'd pay for one of these at a cigar lounge abroad, too. If anybody has  a preference I can get it for you-Cohibas, Montecristos, Bolivars, Diplomaticos, Romeo y Julieta, etc. If you'd like a picture of the box they come out of I'd be happy to provide it (didn't think about that this time though).
Anyways, I'd take advantage of this price and grab one of these before they're gone. They make great X-Mas presents. In-fact, I'll try to get another batch up by Christmas. Thanks!

[bowen151]

PM'd you

EDIT: Can you get full boxes or is that too risky for you, also can you get montecristo numbers?

[lolwut]

put me down for 6 of them on the next batch.

[ColdHardMetal]

Hi everyone,
Made a trip south of the border today and have some offerings for you. First of all are the cigars. Since dealing with customs is a challenge, I only have 2 of them. If there's demand though, I'll work on getting more in the future. These are '10, stored in a humidified room since the box was opened. I grabbed a couple of these because they probably represent the "Cuban" cigar best. Medium size, tight pack leaf wrap, SWEET smoke. If you buy these from some offshore site (and somehow they actually make it to you, you'd probably be paying $30+/cigar. Most sites don't sell legitimate Cubans (buy only from Canadian or Switzerland based-sites). $30+ is what you'd pay for one of these at a cigar lounge abroad, too. Like I said, I only have 2 but I can offer them at 1.2BTC. This is a promotional sort of price to "test the waters" and see what kind of demand there is for these. If anybody has  a preference I can get it for you-Cohibas, Montecristos, Bolivars, Diplomaticos, Romeo y Julieta, etc. If you'd like a picture of the box they come out of I'd be happy to provide it (didn't think about that this time though).
Anyways, I'd take advantage of this price and grab one of these before they're gone. They make great X-Mas presents. In-fact, I'll try to get another batch up by Christmas. Thanks!

South of what border? I hope you're not talking about having gotten those in Mexico.

Current production Cohiba bands should have 3 rows of squares above the "Cohiba" writing, and the writing itself should be gold and shiny. Unless those are from a box at least 10 years old, I think I'd be careful buying from that source.

Got any pictures of the box and the warranty seal?

[hplus]

just want to point out that they're (not their -.-)legal in Europe and therefore buying only from canadian or swiss websites will just mean you end up paying more ^^

[johnniewalker]

Hi everyone,
Made a trip south of the border today and have some offerings for you. First of all are the cigars. Since dealing with customs is a challenge, I only have 2 of them. If there's demand though, I'll work on getting more in the future. These are '10, stored in a humidified room since the box was opened. I grabbed a couple of these because they probably represent the "Cuban" cigar best. Medium size, tight pack leaf wrap, SWEET smoke. If you buy these from some offshore site (and somehow they actually make it to you, you'd probably be paying $30+/cigar. Most sites don't sell legitimate Cubans (buy only from Canadian or Switzerland based-sites). $30+ is what you'd pay for one of these at a cigar lounge abroad, too. Like I said, I only have 2 but I can offer them at 1.2BTC. This is a promotional sort of price to "test the waters" and see what kind of demand there is for these. If anybody has  a preference I can get it for you-Cohibas, Montecristos, Bolivars, Diplomaticos, Romeo y Julieta, etc. If you'd like a picture of the box they come out of I'd be happy to provide it (didn't think about that this time though).
Anyways, I'd take advantage of this price and grab one of these before they're gone. They make great X-Mas presents. In-fact, I'll try to get another batch up by Christmas. Thanks!

South of what border? I hope you're not talking about having gotten those in Mexico.

Current production Cohiba bands should have 3 rows of squares above the "Cohiba" writing, and the writing itself should be gold and shiny. Unless those are from a box at least 10 years old, I think I'd be careful buying from that source.

Got any pictures of the box and the warranty seal?

Naw, you got me. I educated myself as to what to look for on the box (i.e. where the export stamp is-which is the same thing as the warranty seal I think. At least on alcohol it is.), but not what to look for on the cigar itself. I guess I got taken. And yes, south of the border is Mexico. I know there's TONS of fakes down there, but I was thinking it'd be the street carts that sold those, not the fancy humidified room I walked into. I go down there often. If you wouldn't mind, can you PM me telling me what to look for/how to spot real vs fake ones?

[johnniewalker]

Oh, and these are still for sale...just as [FAKE] Cuban cigars. There's gotta be some value to em there still lol. I'll put em at .35BTC shipped.

[farlack]

I looked it up online

http://havanajournal.com/cigars/cohibas

The real ones have raised letters in gold. Look for those next time

[ColdHardMetal]

I looked it up online

http://havanajournal.com/cigars/cohibas

The real ones have raised letters in gold. Look for those next time

That's a good start. All current production Cohibas should have the raised gold letters. Even if those ones did come from a box that used the previous style labels, there are still a number of things that just jump out as being wrong.

• The number of rows of squares above the word Cohiba is the first thing I always notice other than the gold lettering.
• There shouldn't be so much black space above the top row of squares to the edge of the band.
• There's too much white space around the word Cohiba.
• The yellow color is too bright, should be a bit more orangey than canary. Although the current style bands are more yellow than the old ones. Never the tone of these ones though. Just too bright.
• The paper has no gloss to it, and pretty much every cigar band I've ever seen has some sheen to it.
• The "La Habana" font is wrong (especially the H), and the spacing of those words isn't right, and the comma is in the wrong place.
• The portion of yellow band where La Habana is written should be wider, a bit wider than the size of the white box around Cohiba.
• You can also see that the end of the band is on the side of the cigar, and it should always be on the "back", or opposite to the center of the front of the band, so opposite the center of the word Cohiba in this case.

Current Production Cohiba Band
Band these are maybe trying to be

Other things from looking at the picture is the placement of the band. It's too high up, but that could have moved at some point so not definitive, but the sort of thing that should immediately make you look closer.

Moving on to the cigar itself, without having it my hand, the proportions look off for being a robusto as well. Could just be the angle of the photo though.

You still have these, so if you feel like doing an experiment we can analyze a bit more. Slip one of the bands off without tearing it. Flatten the cylinder out, and measure it along the long side in 64ths of an inch. Plug that result into: (result/pi)*2 = ?? and that will tell us the ring gauge, which should be 50 for a robusto. It should also be 5 inches long, so measure that to. Aged cigars will shrink a bit, so the length might not be exact, but if it's off by too much then you have another reason to question. That shrinking is why we use the band to determine RG since it stays the same size.

Then there's just the quality of the wrapper. Cohibas are the Cuban flagship brand. They're made with the best quality inputs, and by the most skilled rollers. You'd never see a real Cohiba with that rough of a wrapper. Cohibas mostly all have a triple cap at the head as well, that or a pigtail, these have neither.

Looking at boxes can be less reliable. It's easy to find real boxes, I've got about 20 sitting on a shelf right next to me lol. Warranty stickers can be a very reliable indicator. Sometimes you see these practically neon green ones that are pretty funny.

Check out this site: http://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/index.htm it's one of the best resources there is for information about sizes, pictures of bands, packaging, the whole deal. It's got photos of virtually everything, and is kept quite up to date.


At the end of the day I'd really just advise against buying cigars in Mexico. Everyone I know who travels there just brings their own, as it's just not worth the trouble trying to find legit ones. Which isn't even to say those wouldn't be ok smokes, they just aren't what they're claiming to be.

[mrbashfo]

any pictures?

[johnniewalker]

I looked it up online

http://havanajournal.com/cigars/cohibas

The real ones have raised letters in gold. Look for those next time

That's a good start. All current production Cohibas should have the raised gold letters. Even if those ones did come from a box that used the previous style labels, there are still a number of things that just jump out as being wrong.

• The number of rows of squares above the word Cohiba is the first thing I always notice other than the gold lettering.
• There shouldn't be so much black space above the top row of squares to the edge of the band.
• There's too much white space around the word Cohiba.
• The yellow color is too bright, should be a bit more orangey than canary. Although the current style bands are more yellow than the old ones. Never the tone of these ones though. Just too bright.
• The paper has no gloss to it, and pretty much every cigar band I've ever seen has some sheen to it.
• The "La Habana" font is wrong (especially the H), and the spacing of those words isn't right, and the comma is in the wrong place.
• The portion of yellow band where La Habana is written should be wider, a bit wider than the size of the white box around Cohiba.
• You can also see that the end of the band is on the side of the cigar, and it should always be on the "back", or opposite to the center of the front of the band, so opposite the center of the word Cohiba in this case.

Current Production Cohiba Band
Band these are maybe trying to be

Other things from looking at the picture is the placement of the band. It's too high up, but that could have moved at some point so not definitive, but the sort of thing that should immediately make you look closer.

Moving on to the cigar itself, without having it my hand, the proportions look off for being a robusto as well. Could just be the angle of the photo though.

You still have these, so if you feel like doing an experiment we can analyze a bit more. Slip one of the bands off without tearing it. Flatten the cylinder out, and measure it along the long side in 64ths of an inch. Plug that result into: (result/pi)*2 = ?? and that will tell us the ring gauge, which should be 50 for a robusto. It should also be 5 inches long, so measure that to. Aged cigars will shrink a bit, so the length might not be exact, but if it's off by too much then you have another reason to question. That shrinking is why we use the band to determine RG since it stays the same size.

Then there's just the quality of the wrapper. Cohibas are the Cuban flagship brand. They're made with the best quality inputs, and by the most skilled rollers. You'd never see a real Cohiba with that rough of a wrapper. Cohibas mostly all have a triple cap at the head as well, that or a pigtail, these have neither.

Looking at boxes can be less reliable. It's easy to find real boxes, I've got about 20 sitting on a shelf right next to me lol. Warranty stickers can be a very reliable indicator. Sometimes you see these practically neon green ones that are pretty funny.

Check out this site: http://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/index.htm it's one of the best resources there is for information about sizes, pictures of bands, packaging, the whole deal. It's got photos of virtually everything, and is kept quite up to date.


At the end of the day I'd really just advise against buying cigars in Mexico. Everyone I know who travels there just brings their own, as it's just not worth the trouble trying to find legit ones. Which isn't even to say those wouldn't be ok smokes, they just aren't what they're claiming to be.

First of all, I printed all that out and am going to take it with me on my next trip down there. Also I've been doing some more independent research. Probably the smartest thing I did was see what types of Cigars the Cuban State (Cohiba, Monte Cristo, etc) are making. If some guy trys to sell me some cigar that hasn't been made in years, odds are pretty good its a fake.
Of course there are TONS of fake Cubans in Mexico. There are TONS of fake everything. One pharmacy even got busted for selling fake *sealed* pharmaceuticals. It definitely takes some experience down there to find what you're looking for. The bottom line is EVERY ONE wants money. There are little girls coming up to you to beg and shop owners rushing up to you with some poncho, saying its your color. I've found some pretty amazing stuff down there,  and its all because of my interaction with the people. You buy from their shop, they love you-they'll tell you anything. I have a few "guys" there, the goal of my next visit will be to find some real Cubans, and hopefully a "guy" (no homo lol) to go with it.

[mrbashfo]

SO CAN you post pictures?

[farlack]

Received my package today, didn't open the cigars, but there is 2 packages inside the shipping box.

[SaltySpitoon]

What quality are the fakes? Are they actually decent smoking cigars, or cheap and lower quality?

[farlack]

I gave one out tonight, he knew exactly what brand and where it(should have) came from, and didn't suspect a thing.

[johnniewalker]

What quality are the fakes? Are they actually decent smoking cigars, or cheap and lower quality?

They looked like good quality. I didn't smoke them. But they were tightly pressed and wrapped in the leaf. I guess these were "higher-end" fakes (they came from a humidor...which now I know isn't a credential for shit). A lot of the other fakes the vendors with little carts peddle for dollars. I don't think anyone buying those thinks they're real. They probably just sell them to the next fool.
These cigars have been sold.
I'm going to make a trip south of the border soon. And to the user that asked-yes, I am going to take lots of pictures. I'll take pictures of the cheapest fakes you ever did see to higher-end fakes to [hopefully] the real ones when I find them.
Demand seemed to be pretty high before we realized these were fakes. I've educated myself pretty thoroughly and trust me-I'm only buying ones I feel 100% are real. If you want some fake ones to pass on to the next guy (itd be very easy to do, although I don't condone it), get in touch with me via PM.
Thanks.

[johnniewalker]

I gave one out tonight, he knew exactly what brand and where it(should have) came from, and didn't suspect a thing.

And there we go, ladies and gentlemen. Cigars are a funny thing. Lets be honest-even though they smell good, they taste like shit and leave you lightheaded as a muhfuggah. But, they're symbolic of success and wealth, and so we [men-never known a woman to smoke cigars] desire them. Especially Cuban ones. The forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest.
I'm curious-what'd he have to say about them? They good smokes?

[ColdHardMetal]

I gave one out tonight, he knew exactly what brand and where it(should have) came from, and didn't suspect a thing.

Then he really doesn't know.

[mrbashfo]

Johnniewalker where are you located since i see you must live close to mexico? Lol

[farlack]

I gave one out tonight, he knew exactly what brand and where it(should have) came from, and didn't suspect a thing.

I'm curious-what'd he have to say about them? They good smokes?

I'll find out for you. I didn't smoke one myself I got them for gifts, even though they're fakes, they don't know that I just said I smuggled them and I spent the past 6 months getting them here lol.

I'll probably be buying more in the future if they're in stock, I got a pretty sweet deal, I bought one, and got 2 in the mailbox.