Who can spot the fake....

[gmoney]

Just back from Havana and got sick so haven't had a chance to post a trip report. However feel well enough to finally give the cigars I bought a good once over.  Everything I purchased came from  LCDH. However during one of the "Havana nights" I was given a Cohiba that I saw come out of a SLB.  It wasn't till tonight when I lined them all up did I immediately see it was counterfeit.   

 

[dicko]

I guess the bottom one!

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[shamz84]

The bottom one....The band gives it away.

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[gmoney]

Yes it's the bottom.  It was the band that gave it away to me as well.   Interestingly enough. When I went to the LCDH at the old partagas factory the security guard tried to sell fake cohibas to me.  They were in bundles of 5 and it was the bands that gave them away.  They did have a triple cap on them.  Come to find out from my local Cuban contact that they were most likely factory 2nds and he banded them himself with fake cohiba labels.  If he was honest in said hey these are factory seconds i probably would have tried them for the right price.  

 

Cheers and happy smoking!! 

[SignalJoe]

Disappointing but somehow not too surprising.  

[Fugu]

On 08/02/2017 at 3:18 PM, gmoney said:

Come to find out from my local Cuban contact that they were most likely factory 2nds and he banded them himself with fake cohiba labels.

Sure!

[garbandz]

what is he doing with fake bands?

Factory seconds?  ................

your connection is suspicious.

[gmoney]

Pardon the confusion. My connection wasn't selling the cigars.  Just provided what he thought the security guard was trying to sell as 1st rate Cohibas.  He wasn't sure either way.  Also my connection was not present when the cigars were offered.  It was a conversation I had with him later on that day.  

[Fugu]

So you think, El Laguito would give away "factory seconds" to employees or security guards at their own disposal?!!

"Factory seconds" is nothing else than a myth.

[RijkdeGooier]

Your contact might have been saving face for the fellow Cuban guard while gently steering you away from the counterfeits. 

 

 

[gmoney]

On 2/9/2017 at 7:42 PM, Fugu said:

So you think, El Laguito would give away "factory seconds" to employees or security guards at their own disposal?!!

"Factory seconds" is nothing else than a myth.

I was under the impression that factory workers get 5 cigars a day.  That's why I thought there could be a hint of truth.  Then again a security guard is not a factory worker per se.   Regardless I politely declined.  Great info tho.