Expert: James Yee - 11/12/2010

Question
I have seen boxes og Cuban Cigars from Switzerland at friends houses.
The markings are perfect, bands are correct, boxes are correct and tax stamps are evitent.

How do I know if they are real ?

Answer
Hi David,

If your friend purchased the cigars from a reputable Swiss dealer, the cigars are most likely genuine.  

Cigar boxes manufactured after 2009 will have a glossy warranty seal with a hologram, barcode and serial number.  This serial number can then be checked at Habanos' official website (www.habanos.com) for authentication.  If the boxes are genuine, the website will instantly confirm the brand name, cigar model and box details for you.

Boxes produced before 2009 are becoming harder to validate.  Counterfeiting Cuban cigars has become so sophisticated that boxes are beginning to look more and more authentic now.  Counterfeiters have even begun stealing and reusing genuine pre-2009 boxes, bands and labels to make their counterfeit cigars look more authentic. To determine if they are authentic, you will need to smoke them.  If the cigar(s) tastes the way a real Cuban cigar should taste, has an even burn, long firm ash and good construction, they are most likely genuine.  Checking the box and date codes underneath the box will also help as counterfeiters will sometimes use an incorrect box or date code stamp.

As I mentioned, if the cigars were purchased from a reputable, Habanos-approved retailer or mailorder compay in Switzerland, the cigars are genuine.  If you're unsure about this and want to check if the company is genuine, use Google and search for the store/website name.  If the company sells fake cigars, I'm sure you can find cigar forum discussions about it from other cigar smokers on the Internet.

I hope this helps.  If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.

Regards,
James