Expert: James Yee - 4/23/2009

Question
Hi James, for the first time I ordered cohiba Siglo VI online because I was tired of paying 75$ a stogie. I bought it from topcigars.com (I know you don't comment on these websites...it said it was an official "Casa del Habano" distributor), I was wondering if they might be fakes.  I am a relatively new smoker but on one of the 3 cigars the cigar band is very loose.  It can pretty much go the length of the cigar, I know usually they are so tightly wrapped to the cigar it's very hard to move them.  Can this be just a default or an indication of a fake ?  Furthermore, the end of the cigar (not the cap side) it slightly crooked.  It's not perfectly evenly cut.  I don't know if I have paid attention to that detail yet. Maybe i'm being paranoid.  As i haven't smoked them yet I can't comment on the taste.  I'm storing them in the humidor for now.  I just want to know so if it might be fakes I can let my credit card company know to start the contestation procedures.

Regards, Fab

Answer
Fab,

I've never dealt with topcubans so I can't comment on their authenticity.  You'll have better luck searching cigar message boards and forums for feedback on this website.   If it helps, I do know some people that have ordered from them and their cigars appeared to be fine and they were satisfied with their purchases.  

As for the cigar band and the cigar foot, it's possible for the cigar band to be loosely applied on a genuine Cuban cigar.  While it doesn't happen often, loosely-applied bands can occur.  Also, cigar feets are generally smooth cut and straight but again, it's very possible for a genuine cigar to be cut crookedly (inadvertently) during production.  These two factors are not enough to dismiss a cigar as counterfeit.  You need substantial evidence of the cigars being counterfeit.  This includes taste (does the cigars taste bad or weird?), overall construction (does the cigars look poorly rolled?  Do the wrapper leaves look bad/poor quality?), price (is the price too good to be true?) and packaging (do the boxes or bands look genuine? Are they poorly printed/cut?).

Before you buy cigars online, search through google for feedback and reviews on the websites you are interested in buying from and it will greatly help you determine whether or not the company is genuine.

Hopes this helps.

Regards,
James