Expert: James Yee - 6/16/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hello James.  I friend bought me back a box of "Cohiba Esplendido" from Nicaragua. They were in a glass topped box. I suspected they weren't cuban, but I liked them none the less.  When I went to Playa del Carmen a few years ago a salesman on the beach tried to sell be a box of 5 for $75.
It looked to be the same cigar, with a glass lid on the box.  I told him they were fake and offered him $15. He walked off and came back a hour later. I purchased and liked them also.  Do you have any idea what these fake cigars are?

Thanks,

Frank

ANSWER: Hi Frank,

Were the cigars you purchased in Playa del Carmen also glass top Cohibas?  Did they also have the Cohiba markings on the box/cigar bands?  Glass-top Cohibas are indeed fake but it's not known for sure where exactly these fake cigars are manufactured.  The cigars are reported to be produced in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Costa Rica and use local, low-grade tobacco hand-rolled by counterfeit cigar makers.  Also, in many cases, counterfeit cigars are simply inexpensive "peso" cigars that have fake Cuban cigar bands applied to them and the price marked up.

With counterfeit Cuban cigars, it's very hard to pinpoint the type or origin of tobacco that is used in the cigars.  The cigars you purchased while at Playa del Carmen were most likely produced by counterfeit cigar rollers and contained low grade tobacco grown by independent tobacco farmers strictly to be used in counterfeit cigars.  Vendors selling these cigars on the beach or on the street have also been known to roll the cigars themselves using low grade tobacco grown by themselves or scrap tobacco taken/recycled from cigar factories and/or peso cigars.

Hopes this answers your question.  If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.

Regards,
James.

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

QUESTION: Yes, the Playa del Carmen cigars were in a glass top box.
I was hoping to find a cigar brand with similar strength and taste. I'm not an expert as you can tell....

I thank you again for you insight.

Answer
Hi Frank,

Again, the quality of counterfeit cigars greatly varies from counterfeiter to counterfeiter as there are usually no quality control standards with the tobacco or production of these cigars.  As a result, one box of counterfeit cigars can taste completely different from another identical box.

I have no idea who made those Playa del Carmen cigars or what they taste like so it's hard to make recommendations.  Instead, it's best to start with a mild-to-medium bodied cigar as a primer and try to find similar tasting cigars by branching out and smoking different brands.  For genuine Cuban cigar brands, try Vegas Robaina, Romeo y Julieta, El Rey du Mundo, Jose Piedra and Fonseca.  For non-Cuban cigar brands, try Arturo Fuente, Padron, Dunhill, Camacho and Montecristo.

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