Expert: James Yee - 11/27/2009

Question
QUESTION: I have a friend visiting family over the holidays and asked if I would like some Cubans, without hesitation my obvious answer was YES!  I asked for one Cohiba and one Romeo & Julietta of no specific type, just as long as they were Churchills and dark. Because I've never bought a Cuban before, how do I know if it is an actual Cuban or a fake?  I asked how much do I owe my buddy and he gave me a price that was about the same price of a dominican Cohiba. Is he getting ripped off or are they not as rare/expensive/exotic as I thought?   Thanks in advance!

ANSWER: Hi Addison,

Cuban cigar prices will vary from country to country but they are generally more expensive than most non-Cuban cigars.  The only 100% guarantee that the Cuban cigars your friend bought would be genuine is if he purchased them from a Habanos-approved retailer.  Habanos-approved retailers (such as a La Casa De Habanos shop) receive all their Cuban cigars from Habano SA-approved distributors so all their cigars are guaranteed to be genuine.  Every country (except the United States) has one Cuban cigar distributor personally appointed by Habanos SA so if you or your friends are visiting another country and buying Cuban cigars, find out the name of the company that is the authorized Habanos distributor for that country.  You can then ask the store staff or even double check the store's authenticity by contacting that distributor or Habanos SA.  

A list of authorized Habanos SA distributors and their contact info can be found at Habanos SA's website. (www.habanos.com)

If your friend did not buy the cigars from a Habanos-approved retailer, it's very possible that he purchased counterfeit Cuban cigars.  When you receive the cigars, examine them closely.  If the bands look poorly printed/cut or the cigar does not match the official dimensions of a Cuban Churchill cigar (7 inches by 49 ring gauge), be suspicious.  When smoking, the ash should be firm and solid and hold up for a few inches before falling off by itself.  This is a sign that the cigar has long filler tobacco (which is good).  If the cigar ash is loose, crumbly, flaky and barely holds up, it is a sign that the cigar has short filler tobacco (and is fake).  

Also, if your friend is not familiar with Cuban cigars, it's very possible that he purchased the non-Cuban versions of Cohiba and Romeo y Julieta which are fairly inexpensive and very similar to the Cuban versions in terms of cigar band appearance.

Hopes this helps.  As always, if you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.

Regards,
James

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks so much! Just for personal investigation, how can I visually tell the difference between a non-Cuban and Cuban Cohiba, without lighting it?  I know about the "dots" on the label, but are there any other visuals that an amateur could spot?

Answer
Hi Addison,

There's actually two different non-Cuban versions of Cohiba.  The premium and most well-known non-Cuban Cohiba version has a totally different looking cigar band when compared to the Cuban band.  The non-Cuban band is black and white and the center of the letter "O" in the name Cohiba has a red dot.  It's often referred to as "red dot Cohiba" (google "red dot Cohiba" for images of this cigar band.)  In addition, the band also reads "Republica Dominicana" because the cigars are made in the Dominican Republic.  

The other non-Cuban Cohiba has a band similar to the Cuban band but instead of the words "Habana, Cuba", the band will also read "Republica Dominicana".  These cigars are no longer being produced (due to a lawsuit with the other non-Cuban Cohiba brand) but these cigars can still be found for sale at some shops.

The new Cuban Cohiba bands also have foil stamping on the word "COHIBA" and clearly stands out.  Counterfeit versions of this band do exist but the printing is less sharp and the foil stamping is often not aligned with the lettering.

Hopes this helps.  As always, if you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.

Regards,
James