Expert: James Yee - 5/31/2011

Question
QUESTION: well since i've been using your resource, just wanted to check if this box was real.  cousin says he bought them at the duty free at the cuban airport.  the seal placement looks fishy to me and i've never seen the new seals with holograms so i dont know what to look for.  however, the hologram itself seems legit.  here it is

ANSWER: Hi JP,

Unfortunately, that box is definitely fake as the placement of the labels is way off.  The Habanos chevron sticker is crooked and doesn't overlap the edges of the box.  The warranty label doesn't look genuine and is also crooked.  The hologram also doesn't look right.  The labels also would not cover up the word "Cohiba" on the lid and the Cohiba name and logo should be lower on the lid.

The labels are crudely applied which is a clear sign that the box is fake. Genuine warranty labels are applied extremely straight with a fold over a specific part of the label.  The chevron sticker should also be applied at a precise angle.  

A genuine Cuban cigar box wouldn't have crooked labels like that.

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

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

QUESTION: This is really puzzling and i dont know what to say. I did some research and found out that on the habanos website you can enter your serial number from the hologram and the website will search its database for the number to ensure its authenticity. Sure enough, it shows up on habanos website as " an original habanos product ". Very strange.....

Answer
Hi JP,

Counterfeiters have been known to reproduce labels with a genuine serial number to make their cigars appear more authentic.  It's not hard to walk into a reputable cigar store and copy a serial number from a real box.  I've seen counterfeit boxes where the serial number checks out but the number itself doesn't match the particular cigar brand or the information attached to the serial number doesn't match the box specifications (ie: incorrect packaging, quantity listing, etc.)

Although the new warranty label increases security, it's still not 100% fool-proof.  Counterfeiters have become smarter and are more sophisiticated when producing fake cigars.  Most counterfeiters use their own printed labels and bands but some have gone as far as recycling and even stealing genuine boxes, labels and bands to make their cigars look real.  Presentation is everything and the more realistic the packaging looks, the better chance a counterfeiter will have to sell his cigars.

Your safest option is to always buy from a Habanos-approved retailer such as a La Casa del Habanos (LCDH) or buy from retailers that are supplied by the authorized Habanos distributor.  In Canada for example, the authorized distributor is Havana House.  They are the only authorized distributor of genuine Cuban cigars for Canada.  (Every country only has one Habanos-approved distributor.)  If a retailer says they get their cigars from another distributor to take advantage of lower taxes and "pass the savings on to you", don't buy from them because they may be buying from questionable sources.

With your particular box, the poor placement of the labels is a dead giveaway that the box is not genuine. (Habanos has STRICT guidelines on applying box labels.)

I hope this helps.

Regards,
James