More fake PSD4s

[ashen]

Here is some junk that I got before a buddy told me about FoH. The punctuation is way off and the bands were too red and short.

[bolivr]

Otherwise look ok. How do they smoke?

[partagasd4]

This makes me sad

[ammarhaider01]

Here is some junk that I got before a buddy told me about FoH. The punctuation is way off and the bands were too red and short.

For a moment I thought the ones I have were fake , since their label is similar to the one you posted as fakes, without the punctuation next to the D and the word Partagas below it, but I found a thing on habanos.com to check whether the cigars you have are genuine habanos or fakes.

the link is here: http://www.habanos.com/sellos?lang=en

[CigarmanTim]

Maybe you could be more specific. looks legit to me. Here is a pic from Trevor's site

http://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/images/Pa...4887089full.jpg

[FireDigger]

That band is no definitive way of saying what you have is fake. I have those bands on my PSD4's bought from a reputable vendor back around 2007, and they smoke like a dream. The bands on those you got from FoH might be a newer band. Or it could just be "Cuba being Cuba."

[ashen]

The difference was in the way that it smoked. Real PSD4's have been really good to me, flavor-wise, and the ones that I got before FoH were totally dead. No flavor, listless, and etc. I thought I was smoking a Macanudo or something. I will try to dig up another picture of the two bands together. The picture in the first post is not that great.

[ashen]

Here's a band next to a $.25 US coin.

[ashen]

Comparo

Real band on bottom.

[investandprosper]

Do you have any pictures of the box they came in, and more detail of the cigars themselves? The caps and construction of the ones in the photo above look good. Did you happen to dissect any of the bad ones you smoked to see if they were long filler?

[ashen]

Do you have any pictures of the box they came in, and more detail of the cigars themselves? The caps and construction of the ones in the photo above look good. Did you happen to dissect any of the bad ones you smoked to see if they were long filler?

I didn't take any apart since I was hoping the vendor would take them back. I am going to guess that even the vendor didn't know they were selling fakes.

[investandprosper]

Everything looks perfect except for the band. The foot and the cap are also telltale signs. A packed foot and a well constructed cap vs. a loose foot and sloppy cap is indicative of whether the cigar is a possible fake. Is the vendor reputable? It looks like they left the serial number on the label on, so they don't even look like gray market cigars.

[FireDigger]

That band is no definitive way of saying what you have is fake. I have those bands on my PSD4's bought from a reputable vendor back around 2007, and they smoke like a dream. The bands on those you got from FoH might be a newer band. Or it could just be "Cuba being Cuba."

I actually misunderstood your original post! The bands I have look like the "real" band from FOH in your original picture. I initially thought the loose band was from other vendors and the cigars in the picture were from FOH.

[typeapositive]

The partagas serie P no. 2 does not have a punctuation after the p......

[ammarhaider01]

For some reason I'm more inclined to think the label thing isn't a big deal, it's cuba being cuba as mentioned before, as long as the cigar, box, seal, serial number are in good shape then they're legit, my PSD4s have exactly the same label "without the punctuation", I checked the box serial number on habanos.com and came out legitimate, that's all I need to know.

[ashen]

Everything looks perfect except for the band. The foot and the cap are also telltale signs. A packed foot and a well constructed cap vs. a loose foot and sloppy cap is indicative of whether the cigar is a possible fake. Is the vendor reputable? It looks like they left the serial number on the label on, so they don't even look like gray market cigars.

I don't know if the vendor is reputable, but the box of Montes I got from them were fine. Now that I know about FoH, there is no reason to go anywhere else.

Regarding my old vendor, the flavor profile was just right with the Montes I got, but not so for the PSD4s. The flavor profile was completely off as compared to multiple other PSD4s I've had from Australia and Thailand. The others matched up perfectly and were overwhelmingly good and strong (for me). The fakes that I posted were a total snooze-fest in terms of flavor and strength.

You cannot tell it from the picture, but the fake PSD4s were not as "squared" towards the top. The last 1-2cm of the cigar had a slight, but very noticeable taper towards the cap if you put them side-by-side. The real ones had no such taper towards the cap when placed in the same manner.

[ashen]

Otherwise look ok. How do they smoke?

It was a completely "dead" smoke for me. The flavor was wrong. The body was wrong. It didn't have nearly the complexities of the real thing. The only good thing I can say is that it didn't have any offensive tastes. I also recall having to take a few more puffs to keep it lit, but my memory is a little unclear regarding that.

[investandprosper]

I missed my first observation until you pointed it out again. I did think they looked a little tapered at the top. I pulled a PSD4 out of my Vino, and yes your box is definitely tapered. On another board, a member posted a picture of a PSD4 he bought in Iraq (it was a fake), and the cap looked tapered just like yours.

I'd say it's safe to send these back to the vendor for a replacement box!

[Guest rob]

please, please, please.... dont assume a cigar is fake because of its band.

For a simple and good example of why this is a bad idea... click the Czar "cigar shop" link at the top of this page.

See that Cohiba Piramade in the middle (the one with the 100% satisfaction guaranteed watermark) ... Well if you post that photo to any cigar forum on this planet - every single one of them will tell you that the cigar is fake based on the band alone - misaligned print, bottom row of white squares cut off by the gold box, the words "Habana, Cuba" set too far toward the bottom of the band, gold box around "Cohiba" misaligned ----- when in fact it is a photo from the stock of one of the only 100% reliable vendors on the planet.

[rp99pts]

It was a completely "dead" smoke for me. The flavor was wrong. The body was wrong. It didn't have nearly the complexities of the real thing. The only good thing I can say is that it didn't have any offensive tastes. I also recall having to take a few more puffs to keep it lit, but my memory is a little unclear regarding that.

I wonder if you being convinced they were fakes affected your taste of the cigar...Everything else besides the band looks fine. I did notice the secondary warranty seal looks to be in wrong spot. I looks like the coat of arms is not through the edge of the box. I don't think that would matter too much though..I have a couple boxes with the warranty seal a little off from where it should be

[kafreeman]

Comparo

Real band on bottom.

Hrm... my labels always tear apart like that when attempting to remove them.

Is this a common problem on the real bands? Mine do have proper punctuation.

[BonVivant]

A rare band - a well respected importer explained on another forum about the same occurrence with STA NOV 09 code - the same bands.

[craigos]

Send the box to me Will taste them for you

[gginflo]

For some reason I'm more inclined to think the label thing isn't a big deal, it's cuba being cuba as mentioned before, as long as the cigar, box, seal, serial number are in good shape then they're legit, my PSD4s have exactly the same label "without the punctuation", I checked the box serial number on habanos.com and came out legitimate, that's all I need to know.

My box of 25 have the same label as these in question. Smoked half the box and cigars are outstanding. Checked the box serial # (thanks for the info) and they are legit. The label issue is interesting.

[ammarhaider01]

My box of 25 have the same label as these in question. Smoked half the box and cigars are outstanding. Checked the box serial # (thanks for the info) and they are legit. The label issue is interesting.

You're welcome