Expert: James Yee - 5/2/2011

Question
QUESTION: Hello James Yee,

I have a question about cuban cigars, when a friend of mine traveled down to Mexico, he picked me up a couple cuban Cigar's
Romeo Y Julieta Mille Fluers, and after a couple months in the Humi, my friends and I decided to smoke them, since I enjoyed them I ask my friend were he bought them, and told me, I searched them out and saw that they have an online site.  So I decided to place an order for a box of Romeo Y Julieta Mille Fluers, came in Original Packaging, but the Barcode was missing, when I emailed them about it they said, "The barcodes have sensitive information, that is why you still have the Habanos logo on the Corner, and Holographic seal to check to make sure the Cigars are Authentic." My friend has bought from their store in Mexico for 5 years, and has always brought back cigars that were authentic, with box codes that checked out with the Habanos S.A. site, is removing the Barcode when shipping to the US a common practice?
My friend

ANSWER: Hi Johnathan,

The serial barcode/number is actually meant for customers as it allows them to check the cigars' authenticity at Habanos' website.  If you entered a genuine serial barcode number at Habanos' authenticity check webpage (http://www.habanos.com/sellos?lang=en), you would see something like this:

Legal code. The product is original from Habanos S.A.
HSA: 10.8078.18.0690
Descripcion: PARTAGAS SERIE D No.4 SBN-UW-C/L-12,13-n-25

This infomation simply explains that the cigars are genuine, what type of packaging is used for this specific box and how many cigars are included in the box.  For example, the above states that the box is a genuine Semi-Boite Nature (SBN), unvarnished wood box (UW) of Partagas Serie D No. 4 cigars and the box has 25 cigars.  There are two layers in the box; 12 cigars on the bottom layer and 13 cigars on the top layer.  A cedar sheet separates the layers (C/L).

There is no "sensitive" information on these barcodes.  It is questionable for a retailer to remove this barcode and I would be very suspicious of them.  It's not common practice to remove the barcode but leave the other Cuban labels intact when shipping to the United States.  If anything, the retailer would remove ALL original packaging and Cuban markings (such as label and cigar bands) when shipping to the United States (a common practice to avoid having Cuban cigars confiscated by Customs).  

The authorized distributor of Cuban cigars for Mexico is I.E.P.T.  I would suggest you contact them to check if the retailer you ordered from is an approved retailer.  If the retailer has been known to sell counterfeit cigars, I.E.P.T. would know about it.  I.E.P.T. is the ONLY official Habanos distributor for Mexico.  If they're not supplying the retailer you ordered from, then the retailer is receiving their cigars from questionable sources.

Here is their contact info:

IMPORTADORA Y EXPORTADORA DE PUROS Y TABACOS, S.A. DE C.V. (I.E.P.T.)  
Distributor for:
Domestic Market and Duty Free in Mexico.

Contact:
President: Mr. Max Gutmann
General Director: Mr. Rodolfo Velasco Commercial Director: Mr. Bernardo Andrés Director of Marketing and Operations: Mr. Alejandro Bandinez
Address: Tennyson No.18 e/ Campos Eliseos y Luis G. Urbina, Col. Polanco CD, México D.F., México
Phone: +52 55 5282 1184, +52 55 5282 1261
Fax: +52 55 5281 1512
Email: rvelasco@iept.com.mx, bandres@iept.com.mx, bandinez@iept.com.mx
Website: www.iept.com.mx

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

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

QUESTION: I will contact the distributor when convientant, thank you for providing this information for me, my last question however is are some retailers known to ship fake Cuban cigars yet, sell authintic cuban cigars in thier stores? I mis typed 'all my friends box code' I meant barcodes, but all the cigars my friend had bought had correct seals and  Barcodes.

ANSWER: Hi Johnathan,

If a retailer is not being supplied by the officially-appointed Habanos distributor, then  there's no guarantee that their cigars are genuine... or counterfeit.  Because their sources are questionable and the retailer may be buying from multiple sources, they could be receiving both genuine and counterfeit cigars.  Unauthorized sources can be unreliable and unpredictable.

However, just because the retailer you ordered from removed the barcodes, doesn't automatically mean they're selling counterfeit cigars.  Yes, it's very suspicious that they're removing the barcodes but it could just be that they're not informed about the barcodes.  I suggest you contact IEPT first and have them confirm whether or not the retailer is reputable.

If the retailer is not reputable, it's possible that they are stealing/recycling genuine cigar boxes and bands to make their counterfeit cigars look more genuine.  This is becoming more common with counterfeiters as stealing and recycling genuine packaging is cheaper and more authentic than making fake labels.

Your only protection from this is to buy from authorized Habanos retailers supplied by an authorized Habanos distributor.

Regards,
James



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

QUESTION: Hello James,

Today in excitement I received a box of Cohiba Siglo I's
And was wondering if I can Humidify them with my non-Cuban cigars?
I got them from an authorized retailer in original packing with a barcode.
My second question is, why isn't the Habanos verfy stamp working for me.
It currently tells me "your action cannot be proccessed please try again later"

Answer
Hi Johnathan,

Yes, it's perfectly fine to store your Cuban cigars with your non-Cuban cigars.  If you're worried that the Cuban and non-Cuban cigar aromas might marry while in your humidor, you can keep your Cuban cigars separate by either storing them in their original cigar box, or keeping all the cigars separated with cedar dividers.  If your humidor does not have divider panels, you can use the thin cedar veneer sheets that come in Cuban cigar boxes to keep your cigars separated.

In regards to Habanos' authenticity check, it's possible that the website may be having technical difficulties right now so try entering your barcode later.  When entering the barcode number, be sure to read and follow the on-screen directions carefully.  If you continue to have problems with the webpage, contact their customer service.

I hope 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