Expert: James Yee - 2/2/2010

Question
Dear Mr. Yee,

I recently received a box of 25 Hoyo de Monterey Petit Robustos from an overseas online supplier of Cuban cigars that I have used happily in the past.  I have smoked Cuban cigars for 30+ years - almost always acquired overseas from very reputable merchants, i.e., I know what they tatse like.

The cigars purchased from the online vendor in question have always tasted Cuban.  Recently, I received a box of Romeo & Juliet Churchill Shorts and noticed that the logo on the face of the box was higher than it should be.  I queried you and you responded that the boxes are assembled by hand and the discrepancy should not unduly copncern me (I have not yet lit one).

More recently, I got a box of Hoyo de Monterey Petit Robustos.  The cigars are beautifully made and smell great.  However, the box lacks the small bilingual certificate of authenticity normally found inside.  The box also is nearly impossible to open and close (it has a slide top).  The "Habanos" tape across the upper right hand corner was free on one side.

All of these sound trivia, of course.  Yet I worry about the cumulative indicators.

Should I be concerned?  (If these are paranoid delusions, please say so and I will impose no further on your expertise and good will.)  

Thanks.

John

N.B.  Prior to receiving the box, I spoke to someone at the vendor about the manufacture date.  (My last several boxes had had manufacture dates less than one year old.)  He assured that smoking Cuban cigars younger than one year from manufacture date was fine since you never know the age of the component tobacco anyway - that if the cigars smell of ammonia, simply to let them age through it.  Thoughts?

Answer
Hi John,

It's perfectly fine to smoke cigars if they're less than a year old.  Young cigars however, will usually have a slightly bitter taste which is why people always recommend that you age your cigars for at least a year before you smoke them.  By aging them, the tobacco in the cigar will amalgamate and develop a richer, more defined flavour.  The impurities in the tobacco will also extrude with the natural oils as it naturally turns to plume during aging.  As the impurities are "sweated out" of the tobacco during aging, the flavour of your cigars will improve.

As for your Hoyo de Monterrey Petit Robustos, were the box seals broken when you received the cigars?  If yes, it's possible that the certificate was removed during inspection and the vendor forgot to return it to the box.  With SLBs (slide lid boxes), the lid can be stiff and hard to move. (I have genuine Cohiba robusto and El Rey del Mundo Tainos boxes with VERY stiff lids.)  The loose Habanos chevron sticker sounds a bit suspicious but I can't say that your cigars are fake based on that factor alone.  This however, is not concrete evidence that a box is definitely fake.  As you mentioned, these questionable signs are trivial and can occur with genuine boxes due to human error.  

If you're concerned about the authenticity of your cigars, use Google to search for that supplier (keyword search the supplier's company name) and you may find discussions at various cigar forums and message boards on whether or not the supplier is genuine.  If the supplier has sold questionable cigars to other people before, I'm certain there is information or feedback posted about it.

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