(07-07-2024, 01:18 AM)Bill w/ eoPd Wrote: I have not heard of counterfeit cigars but it is not surprising.
I am curious as to how counterfeit cigars would enter the market.
Are there any retailers (online or otherwise) known for being unscrupulous or is it likely to be an individual working on a small-scale?
Counterfeit Cuban cigars have been around for quite a long time, and while there are different types of counterfeits, I will focus on those with fake packaging that people see online and/or are brought back to the States.
The "how" is pretty simple... replicas of the packaging are available online, and can used to make any cigar appear as it is a genuine Havana to the uninitiated (and also to the initiated as there have been experienced people who have been fooled by detailed replicas of aged cigars) You never know what the origin of the tobacco in these cigars is - Honduran, Dominican, whatever. Are they bad cigars? Maybe or maybe not, but they are most definitely not what they are advertised to be.
There are dupes of fashion brands, wine, art, etc. It all comes down to making a back to the people involved. If they can buy and repack a $3.00 cigar as a $30 Cuban cigar, that is $675 profit per box. There are tons of fake luxury watches out there too - kind of the same thing.
How can you tell if what you have is authentic? Well, the packaging may be off or have some inconsistencies with what is distributed officially by HSA. The cigar itself might be off - not the correct size, improper cap/construction, blemishes or other issues, etc, and the smell and taste of the cigar are tells to a lot of people. People need to know what they are purchasing and who they are buying from. And they need to know where that person acquired the cigars in question. Over my years of buying/selling/trading (that peaked several years ago), there were several communities and private groups that I was and am a part of. As you got to know people and build relationships, that trust would form and could even eventually result in invites to private groups. While I am not in at this level anymore and don't buy as much due to the huge HSA price increases, if I were to buy any Cuban cigars from a person instead of a retailer, there are a small handful of people that I would trust 100% and not question the authenticity and provenance of the cigars. It isn't that I don't trust other people, but I may not trust their source or who they did business with if that makes sense.
Are there unscrupulous retailers? Yes. There used to be several, and there still are a few. Wayyy back in the day, retailers ("sources") were closely guarded secrets that were not shared until you had been known for quite some time. If you asked about any of that without paying dues and putting in time, you would be pretty quickly ostracized. Retailers who sold questionable cigars were quickly outed in those cigar communities. I have been enjoying cigars for 30+ years and have been involved with online cigar communities for over 20 and to this day, I am still quite guarded with a lot of this information. There have been things shared that I will continue to keep close to my chest.
Dave mentioned the hype of Havana cigars -- there was and is a "mytique" surrounding them for some people because they are illegal, and some people want that "forbidden fruit". For some people, they perceive it as a status symbol of sorts - like the guy who doesn't know $hit about watches but has to buy that Rolex. Are they worth the hype/reputation? To me it depends on the individual. Just like wines, whiskeys, etc, different people like and dislike different things. Different tobaccos from different regions have different characteristics. Some people may try Cuban tobacco and think it isn't anything special but will end up loving Honduran tobacco. For me personally, I don't think there is a match to Cuban tobacco in terms of flavor, aroma and character. But that is just me. And since the prices have skyrocketed, I find myself not digging into them as often. There are also great cigars from other regions - try everything and see what you like. It may not match somebody else's preference, but that is the beauty of cigars. As an example - a lot of people on this forum really like Oliva cigars a lot. For me, aside from one or maybe two of their likes, I find most Oliva cigars to be flat and uninspired. Boring. There are a lot of people buying a lot of Oliva cigars every year, so this is just how those blends hit me.
My best advice in all of this is to try everything that you can and develop your palate. It doesn't matter what people around you like or don't like - they are not smoking your cigar.
As with anything. YMMV.
