Expert: James Yee - 1/5/2010

Question
Hi James,
A while ago i met a guy who told me he gets a lot of cuban cigars and he would allow me to purchase some from him if i ever wanted to. So a while later i bought a couple of cigars from him for 8 dollars a piece. He asks 200 dollars for boxes and he said he had a box of monte cristo 70th anniversary cigars. I had one and liked it but i don't know if they are real or not. I have read a lot of counterfeit websites and have looked at bands and legths and many other things and so far they look legit. How do I know for sure? Are these monte cristo's legit? and do you think this is just a scam?

Answer
Hi John,

The real Montecristo "Maravillas", which is the 70th Anniversary "double robusto", was only limited to 500 "book shaped" boxes (20 cigars per box) and was only available in 2005.  It certainly would not retail for $200 so I believe that these cigars are fake.  

Because the quality of counterfeit Cuban cigars is improving more and more everyday, it's very hard to determine which cigars are authentic and which are not.  In recent years, the counterfeit cigar industry is being more sophisticated as both their cigar construction and printing techniques are improving.  To further convince prospective buyers, some counterfeiters have gone as far as stealing or recycling genuine Cuban cigar packaging such as empty boxes, labels and bands and putting them on fake cigars.  If the packaging looks real, a buyer is more willing to believe that the cigars are legitimate.

However, two clear signs that a Cuban cigar is counterfeit are: 1/short filler tobacco and 2/the taste.  As nice as the exterior packaging is, these two factors can still clearly prove which cigars are counterfeit.  If the cigar ash is loose, flaky and crumbly and keeps falling off as you smoke the cigar, it is short filler tobacco.  In a real Cuban cigar (particularly the more expensive, premium cigars), the tobacco is long filler leaf so the ash is solid and firm when it burns and can be 1 to 3 inches long before it naturally falls off by itself.  This is a good sign that the cigars are genuine.  The ash on a short filler cigar will be loose, cracked and crumbly.  (Long filler tobacco is composed of long strips of tobacco leaf whereas short filler tobacco is made up from cheaper and shorter "table scrap" tobacco.)  

All genuine and PREMIUM* Cuban cigars will have long filler tobacco.  If a premium cigar has short filler tobacco, be suspicious.  (*I mention premium because smaller and cheaper machinemade Cuban cigars will contain short filler tobacco.)

Taste is also another important factor.  Cuban cigars have a distinct flavour and since many counterfeit Cuban cigars are made with non-Cuban tobacco (Most counterfeit cigars come from South America and United States; a large percentage compared to counterfeit Cuban cigars coming directly from Cuba), it is easy to spot the fake cigars by taste.  My best advice is that you try to smoke as many genuine Cuban cigars as possible (either from legitimate mailorder sources or purchased locally from reputable retailers whenever you travel.)  The more genuine Cuban cigars that you smoke, the more refined your palate will be to Cuban cigars so it will be easy to spot fakes.  

Also, it's always best to remember the old saying: "If a deal sounds too good to be true, it most likely is."  Trust your instincts.  You can also research Cuban cigar prices (google: Martymix cigar prices) and know how much a certain box of cigars cost in Cuba.  If a seller is selling those cigars for far less than what the price is in Cuba, be suspicious.

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

Regards,
James