Expert: James Yee - 9/1/2011

Question
I just received a box of 25 Montecristo No. 2's that does not have the Habanos red and yellow chevron on the top right corner. The waranty seal on the bottom left corner does not have the red serial number and the left edge of the seal that wraps around the box has been cut and pealed off so there is no number to check on the Habanos SA website. the bottom of the box does have branded into it Habanos SA, Hecho En Cuba encircled, and Totalmente a mano. Stamped below these irons is "LOR" and below that, "OCT 10." The cigars appear to have genuine bands, the white paper with Spanish, English, French, and German is inside. The cigars are not all the same length, though not off by much, although the foot on several of them is not cut straight. The cedar between the top and bottom rows has a sraight cut notch across the top left corner, although the Montecristo shield of six swords crossed in a triangle is not on it. They were purchased online from CubanLous. When I tried to call their 866 number on the email receipt for my order I get a recording saing "D241 test successful." Are these fakes?

Answer
Hi Russell,

A lot of the things that you mentioned is enough to cause suspicion.  No chevron sticker, serial number cut and missing and uneven and crudely cut cigar feet are big signs that something is not right.

Though the box, bands and papers appear genuine, it's possible that they are real and either stolen or recycled for the counterfeit market.  Cuban cigar counterfeiters have been known to use genuine packaging to make their cigars appear real.  A lot of the materials such as the cigar bands, boxes and labels are either taken from cigar stores (they discard the empty boxes when they replenish the shelves), or stolen from the factories in Cuba.  (I actually have genuine packaging and a sheet of genuine chevron stickers that a counterfeiter stole and sold on the black market in Cuba.  It's amazing what Cuban cigar counterfeiters can and will do.)  This is becoming more common everyday in Cuba.

There's no reason for any cigar retailer to remove the serial number.  Habanos will agree on this, the serial number is there to protect the consumer and consumers are encouraged to check the serial number on Habanos' website.  If the serial number has been tampered with, something's not right.

As for CubanLous, I can't comment on them (they once threatened legal action because they didn't like what was being said about them) but if you use the Internet and search their name, you'll find plenty of discussions about them on various cigar message boards/forums.  I also encourage you to contact Habanos (www.habanos.com).  Tell them your situation and they may be able to provide you with more info.  

Regards,
James