is Habanos.com (serial checker) ALWAYS right?

[Lotusguy]

I have never, ever, seen a box where the month was spelled out fully instead of a 3-letter acronym. That includes 2011 boxes so I don't think this has recently changed. Very fishy indeed

[lemmycaution]

I don't know if they are fake, but I've never seen the month spelled out entirely...

[DarkSky]

Out of interest wihich LCDH?

An LCDH on 39th St. in Varadero. You know that main 'strip' that everything is on? There's about 4 LCDHs on that street, although I'm not sure exactly which one she purchased them at.

I've been to two on 39th Street and didn't have any problems with the product - these two (hit F5/REFRESH if you just get a blank screen at first):

http://www.ontariostorms.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4243&d=1303024695

http://www.ontariostorms.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4280&d=1303024811

(I sent her both those photos on Facebook and asked if the one she went to was either of them)

[DarkSky]

I have never, ever, seen a box where the month was spelled out fully instead of a 3-letter acronym. That includes 2011 boxes so I don't think this has recently changed. Very fishy indeed

I agree - but isn't it VERY strange that they can get the box in perfect condition, the government sticker with flash hologram type end, the burnt-in logo on the bottom, etc... they go all to that trouble to fake it but don't bother spelling the date stamp right?

[Lotusguy]

I agree - but isn't it VERY strange that they can get the box in perfect condition, the government sticker with flash hologram type end, the burnt-in logo on the bottom, etc... they go all to that trouble to fake it but don't bother spelling the date stamp right?

It's Cuba <shrug>

Now it's two things that point towards fakes, though: 1. Serial number is not recognized 2. Month is spelled out (and the letters are not lined up either)

That would be one thing too many for me... I was had with some "Gran Edmundos" earlier this year so I know your pain.

How do they smoke?

[Scdalak]

Casa de Tabaco and the ABRIL are pretty pretty fishy....... If none on this forum can vouch for ever seeing that before i would say they could be conterfit.. If Trevor chimes in and cant verify it...ummmmmmmm

[El Presidente]

I am in the warehouse this week so will check the new Monte stock and see what I can find.

There are always plenty of packaging anomolies to go around. That is what makes it difficult to call "fake" on almost anything. In relation to falsifying boxes, there have been some classic examples of perfect boxes (and near flawless fake LE's) where the giveaway was the wrong date code. You would think that they would get that right....they didn't.

[DarkSky]

It's Cuba <shrug>

Hehe. That actually explains a LOT of things.

Now it's two things that point towards fakes, though: 1. Serial number is not recognized 2. Month is spelled out (and the letters are not lined up either)

That would be one thing too many for me... I was had with some "Gran Edmundos" earlier this year so I know your pain.

How do they smoke?

That's all that matters. Although, I didn't really WANT 2 boxes of Monte 2's. I was hoping to have one box, and another box of something else. I just had a legit Monte 2 not long ago, so if I can fit in time this week to try out one from the new batch, I'll be in good position to tell if they're fake or not. If I don't notice much differences in the strength/flavor/burn, I'll be happy. Although I'd still like to trade a box for something else. But I know most people are like "well it's not for sure 100% legit so it must be crap!" I'll probably be stuck with them.

'Still waiting to hear back from Habanos SA, as well as my friend (it's actually my girlfriend's sister, who married a Cuban down there in the spring). Once I hear from what LCDH she got them at, and I hear back from Habanos SA, I'll go from there. Of course if the conclusion is that they ARE fake, I'll never trust ANYONE selling Cuba cigars again. If you can't trust a government-run LCDH in Cuba, the only way to know they're legit is to watch them being rolled in the factory, boxed up, and sold on the spot. Heck even then they might be rolled using contraband leaves of a lesser quality snuck in from somewhere else. I guess I need to farm my own tobacco and start from there.

It's actually turned out to be quite an interesting bit of detective work, this.

[goalie204]

have you smoked one yet? and if so how were they?

[Rushman]

also another possibility - in mexico, and i assume other parts of the world, even a LCDH store sometimes purchases grey market inventory at times - it is possible that code could possibly not come up in their system

[aes8]

have you smoked one yet? and if so how were they?

Ding ding ding

This thread is about to turn three pages. Smoke one already!

[Lotusguy]

also another possibility - in mexico, and i assume other parts of the world, even a LCDH store sometimes purchases grey market inventory at times - it is possible that code could possibly not come up in their system

That doesn't make sense - why would the grey market vendors then remove the barcodes from their boxes in order to eliminate tracability? If the codes for grey market boxes were not in the system in the first place, then they wouldn't have to do that.

[android]

Make all of your future purchases from the Czar...problem solved & thread closed!!!!

[Rushman]

That doesn't make sense - why would the grey market vendors then remove the barcodes from their boxes in order to eliminate tracability? If the codes for grey market boxes were not in the system in the first place, then they wouldn't have to do that.

Maybe the correct term would be black market then, not from an alternate distributor but from someone who acquired them before they hit distributors.

[Lotusguy]

Maybe the correct term would be black market then, not from an alternate distributor but from someone who acquired them before they hit distributors.

Ah! I guess that's possible... doesn't give me a warm and fuzzy

[jman]

The last two 2011 boxes I entered came back spot on, no problems. I'm sure your fine, but its nice to know for sure.

[SCgarman]

I have a question concerning the invoice. If the cigars were purchased at an "official" la casa del Habanos, woundn't the invoice say this instead of "casa del tobaco"? Are there cigar stores in Cuba that are possibly not official LCDH's that might be peddling fake sticks? Maybe someone that has purchased cigars at an offical LCDH in Cuba can weigh in on this. That date spelled out the way it is on the box is also suspect. I agree with other folks on this:SMOKE ONE !!!!! If it is genuine, the taste and aroma will prove it.

[DarkSky]

I am in the warehouse this week so will check the new Monte stock and see what I can find.

There are always plenty of packaging anomolies to go around. That is what makes it difficult to call "fake" on almost anything. In relation to falsifying boxes, there have been some classic examples of perfect boxes (and near flawless fake LE's) where the giveaway was the wrong date code. You would think that they would get that right....they didn't.

Thank you *SO* much Rob!! I dont' have much money and need to save up and take advantage of opportunities when someone goes down to Cuba. It was a real heartbreak to learn these 2 boxes I spent $400 on could be fake. Please let me know if it's possible that the factory could have used the full word for the date instead of the 3 letter abbreviation. I'm really clinging to hope that these might be genuine. Hoping for the best but expecting the worst.

[DarkSky]

Make all of your future purchases from the Czar...problem solved & thread closed!!!!

Haha. You have obviously never been to Canada. Our tobacco taxes are THROUGH THE ROOF here. I'd have to first buy it, then pretty much TRIPLE the price in import tax. 'Might be fine for a wealthy person, but for a poor man like me, it's not a possibility. We pay $8 or $9 for a pack of cigarettes here. Those Monte #2's got for ** $30 A PIECE ** here. Trust me, I'd like nothing more than to buy from the Czar, or the cigar store down the road right here. But at $600 a box, I can't afford it. That's more than a weeks wages for me.

[DarkSky]

have you smoked one yet? and if so how were they?

My biggest problem is no time/place to smoke. And living in Canada doesn't help - there's nowhere left to smoke anymore. The only time I have is from 3:15PM until 4PM when I start work each day, and that's not enough time for one of these. (and I work another job from noon until the time I leave) (and no, I don't smoke in the house). I'm HOPING for this upcoming Friday. Our local hockey team is starting its season and I can get there early for the pre-party in the parking lot and should be able to fit one in from the time I get in the truck to leave until the time the game starts

Simply put, from the time I wake up until the time I go to sleep, I'm basically working. Need less work to fit in more smoke time

[CanuckSARTech]

My two cents on all of this....

No, the habanos.com counterfeit-detector-thingy doesn't work worth a **** half the time. I've put in codes for lots of boxes, just to try it out for shits an giggles. Boxes from LCDH and factory stores in Cuba, boxes from actual LCDH stores in Canada, boxes from Czar's and other vendors. And, with all sources/boxes, I always get a variety of answers - counterfeit, real/authentic, number not found, etc. AND, it's frequently these different responses for the exact same boxes/codes put in at different times/dates/etc. It must make a difference what phase the moon is in, high tide / low tide, whether my washing machine is running, if we're on daylight savings time, etc., etc. Bottom line - it's a flawed system put in place by a flawed corporation, and it functions as such. At best, it's a neat little additional feature to make use of high-tech stuff, but at worst, it makes people panic if they don't know what to look for otherwise with their cigars.

Now, regarding the date code - no, I have never seen that before. It's always been "ABR", not the full word of "Abril" for April. Interesting. But, things do change, and it's not unheard of for Cuba/H S.A. to change things up a bit without letting anyone know (Partagas SDN4 bands from a year or so ago, anybody???). But, it all depends on if it can be found on "normal" stock that's going through the distribution channels. That will kind of help determine things.

Lastly, regarding the price tag / UPC sticker. That whole Casa del Tobaco thing seems weird to me. I've bought from those various LCDH stores in Varadero before, as recently as this past February. And, the price stickers always had "Caracol Varadero Este" on them for the name, or something of that variation (see the attached pics), or even nothing at all.

Don't know if any of this helps, but all of this does raise the potential that your friend may have actually bought "fakes" from an actual LCDH outlet in Cuba, from an unscrupulous staffer who may have been padding their own pockets (yes, a shock, but it can/does happen). Again, this is just a possibility, and it doesn't mean there's anything actually wrong with the cigars. They obviously must still be "made in Cuba", but just sourced through back channels from the factories. The true test is if you smoke one, whether they do have that proper Montecristo blend profile, whether they really are "legit" sticks or not.

[DarkSky]

My two cents on all of this....

Thank you CanuckSARTech!

.. as for the stickers. I have two boxes here (verified on Habanos SA) that I bought in Havana, and the price stickers say "TABACO MONTE" on the bottom of my Monte Petit Edmundos, and "TABACO: PA" on the bottom of the sticker of my Partagas D4's. I think the price sticker varies from LCDH to LCDH. Some of my price stickers have the price of the individual cigar on them, others have the price of the box.

[Smallclub]

Lastly, regarding the price tag / UPC sticker. That whole Casa del Tobaco thing seems weird to me. I've bought from those various LCDH stores in Varadero before, as recently as this past February. And, the price stickers always had "Caracol Varadero Este" on them for the name, or something of that variation (see the attached pics), or even nothing at all.

Not so weird. The cuban military lobby has recently taken over the LCDH. Caracol has been incorporated, so it's not surprising to see "Cimex" on the receipt.

It's explained in this article from Cubanet, a Miami based cuban online journal:

http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y09/junio09/04_N_1.html

[DarkSky]

Not so weird. The cuban military lobby has recently taken over the LCDH. Caracol has been incorporated, so it's not surprising to see "Cimex" on the receipt.

It's explained in this article from Cubanet, a Miami based cuban online journal:

http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y09/junio09/04_N_1.html

That article in English (via Google Translate) :

Cubalse in crisis

HAVANA, Cuba, June 4 (Aleaga Pesant (www.cubanet.org) - Cubalse stores are about to disappear, absorbed by the complex TRD (hard-currency stores), according to anonymous sources said.

The process involves large loss in retail audit and rebates of up to 50 percent in commodity prices, which was verified in Galerias Paseo in the Vedado.

According to reports, Cubalse stores belonging to the company of the same name are passed into the hands of the military business of the corporation grouped Gaviota.

In Cuba the most important companies of this type are Cimex, Cubalse and Gaviota, from the Ministry of Interior, the State Council and the Ministry of Revolutionary Armed Forces, respectively.

These absorptions define the centralizing tendency of the state. In recent times, so with profitable companies, such as transport, to establish and Transtur Cubataxi. The same process took place in the Caracol Shops, Shops integrated universe, the Military Industrial Complex and Military Industries Union (UIM), located in the old building of the Navy, on the Avenida del Puerto.

[DarkSky]

Ok I smoked one last Friday and if there's anything fake about these, it's not in the tobacco that's for SURE. Tasted spot-on to my other Monte No.2's that I bought in the spring in Cuba (from an LCDH of course, and on THAT box the code DID come up as valid on Habanos SA).

Very very good smoke it was.

BUT... I still have 2 boxes of them and only want to keep one. I'll have to post an official trade thread with photos, and link to this thread about all the hoo-haw surrounding them. 'Really really want to trade for a box of Bolivar or Trinidads, as I've never tasted either.