Fake CORO? Who can pick the flaw? Let's discuss.

[NSXCIGAR]

7 minutes ago, ChicagoRob said:

What do the cigars look like pres? Are they triple capped?

All average or above fakes have a triple cap. They figured that out around 2002.

22 minutes ago, TobaccoRoad said:

I was leaning towards fake because of the font below the barcode and the lines through it.

A line alone wouldn't be definitive. I suppose that could happen in 1 in a million. But the font is off and looks digitized and some digits not perfectly aligned. That is an instant fail. Font and print quality on the barcode numbers is about as consistent as it gets. Let alone the 9s which I actually forgot to look at which are also an instant fail. 

1 hour ago, El Presidente said:

They are horrendous quality seals. 

I wouldn't say horrendous. There are some very good details on these. The major things they got right. Impressively the peel-aways are in the correct places and the holograms are good. I would give this one a C+. Would fool any casual CC buyer. 

And the cigars look great. If there's a really a Cohiba wrapper shortage HSA should call them. 

[rcarlson]

Real Cohibas, fake seal.  

[El Presidente]

15 minutes ago, rcarlson said:

Real Cohibas, fake seal.  

...bloody lawyers 

[El Presidente]

This is an interesting one.

The box is legitimate. It is a recent arrival from PCC and can be traced directly to the shipment from Havana.

The cigars themselves are superb.

The seal is a complete CF.  Even to the touch (something that you cannot do obviously) they are off/not right.

One box? No. It is a complete mastercase of 999999999999  

We assume that the 12 x 9 configuration (as seen and detailed on FOH before,  albeit rarely) is the default setting on the press.

This may be just a one off example of QC collapse or it could be a precursor to more serious internal issues relating to cashflow/brain drain etc.

I thought it important to point it out to you.  Well done to Alex from our internal team for picking it up immediately. 

These will be returned to PCC who are aware of the situation and they will be replaced.

Never a dull moment 

[benfica_77]

1 minute ago, El Presidente said:

This is an interesting one.

The box is legitimate. It is a recent arrival from PCC and can be traced directly to the shipment from Havana.

The cigars themselves are superb.

The seal is a complete CF.  Even to the touch (something that you cannot do obviously) they are off/not right.

One box? No. It is a complete mastercase of 999999999999  

We assume that the 12 x 9 configuration (as seen and detailed on FOH before,  albeit rarely) is the default setting on the press.

This may be just a one off example of QC collapse or it could be a precursor to more serious internal issues relating to cashflow/brain drain etc.

I thought it important to point it out to you.  Well done to Alex from our internal team for picking it up immediately. 

These will be returned to PCC who are aware of the situation and they will be replaced.

Never a dull moment 

No need to send to PCC Prez....let me do some QC of that master case for you! 😜 

[TheDonTX]

I knew it. Those bands are legit but I was thinking real bands on fake cigars in fake box….

[LordAnubis]

😂 Imagine those novedosos came with this seal, it'd be screaming bloody murder! if only it was 88888888888 it'd be a collectors item and go for millions.

[El Presidente]

6 minutes ago, LordAnubis said:

😂 Imagine those novedosos came with this seal, it'd be screaming bloody murder! if only it was 88888888888 it'd be a collectors item and go for millions.

[NSXCIGAR]

3 hours ago, El Presidente said:

The box is legitimate. It is a recent arrival from PCC and can be traced directly to the shipment from Havana.

That is really frightening. On an entire mastercase. Wow...

Only thing I can think of is they changed seal manufacturing or had a backup maker for these and they just blew it. Cuba not paying the bills wouldn't be new.

It did also look to me like the texture or material of the seal was off as well, and you confirmed it felt odd to the touch so that apparently is another issue. These seals are different from top to bottom.

So now as we enter an era with a tremendous incentive to make top-quality fakes we have no idea what we're looking at. 

HSA, triple the price and let fugazi-looking boxes out the door en masse. Unbelievable. 

[La_Tigre]

9 hours ago, RichG said:

Perhaps Habanos ran out of authentic seals and bought these on Alibaba.com. 

Or perhaps, by following the current playbook, the controlling interest ran out of authentic seals, cut out the Alibaba middle man seal flipper and used their own. 🤔 

[joeruby]

I think I was the first to raise this flaw with FOH back in 2017. I received a box of Siglo IV with the 999999… micro printing which were purchased from a trusted vendor in HK. 
I must say the cigars looked, smelled and smoked perfect and I was, and still am, 100% sure they were real cohiba. ( Not my first box) The fact Rob received a master case from PCC and this can be traced to a shipment from Havana also gives me confidence the cigars I received were authentic. It was annoying for me that after checking, that there was a discrepancy in authentication, and it did plant a seed of doubt initially, and for this reason Rob is right to return them. Habanos have to fix this issue. 
At the end of the day, I believed it was a ‘packaging’ error, and simply concluded -it’s no wonder Rolexes aren’t made in Cuba.. 

[Corylax18]

3 hours ago, La_Tigre said:

Or perhaps, by following the current playbook, the controlling interest ran out of authentic seals, cut out the Alibaba middle man seal flipper and used their own. 🤔 

You beat me too it. It seems too easy to connect the dots and I hope we're wrong. But what's to say HSA's new owner didn't put out an RFP asking for cheaper options close to home. For all we know the factory that made these might have been making them for somebody else last year. 

They charge $1300-$1500 for a box and cant get a 1 cent sticker right? What a Joke. 

[Fuzz]

Maybe the company that prints the labels for HSA, also makes the fake labels, and they sent HSA the wrong batch.

[Cigar Surgeon]

15 hours ago, BoliDan said:

God... I would never look for that. You people are surgeons.

Well I'm no rocket surgeon, but when it comes to cigars...

[Rhinoww]

Can’t we just buy these cigars as seconds?  Value clearly diminished and flippers can’t buy them. Buy ya know some of us only buy to smoke and if the cigars smoke well, well they smoke well. Even better for damaged box pricing. 
Let me know if PCC would like an offer on that master case instead of getting the return - or will these just get sold as singles?

[Silverstix]

2 hours ago, Rhinoww said:

Can’t we just buy these cigars as seconds?  Value clearly diminished and flippers can’t buy them. Buy ya know some of us only buy to smoke and if the cigars smoke well, well they smoke well. Even better for damaged box pricing. 
Let me know if PCC would like an offer on that master case instead of getting the return - or will these just get sold as singles?

Singles are scary for this reason!  At least when they are $75/each anyway haha.  The cigars themselves look great and my guess is still that they are authentic 

[ha_banos]

20 hours ago, Bijan said:

The microprint.

Edit: that number should match the serial number under the barcode for verification on the Habanos website. It's printed in microcode in 2 or 3 different places on the green warranty seal.

There's no less than 8 sections that contain the microprint or part thereof!

[El Presidente]

5 hours ago, Rhinoww said:

Can’t we just buy these cigars as seconds?  Value clearly diminished and flippers can’t buy them. Buy ya know some of us only buy to smoke and if the cigars smoke well, well they smoke well. Even better for damaged box pricing. 
Let me know if PCC would like an offer on that master case instead of getting the return - or will these just get sold as singles?

Sold in stores as singles.

Authenticity is not an issue here.

[NSXCIGAR]

13 hours ago, Fuzz said:

Maybe the company that prints the labels for HSA, also makes the fake labels, and they sent HSA the wrong batch.

Hey, when you don't pay your bills your options get pretty limited!

Next move: Tabacuba discovers a lost stock of Dunhill. Bands are pristine. 

CCs are now so expensive HSA is faking its own products!

[kmax]

I learned something today. Never knew about the 9’s. Thank you for sharing

[SCgarman]

On 6/30/2022 at 2:38 AM, NSXCIGAR said:

That is really frightening. On an entire mastercase. Wow...

Only thing I can think of is they changed seal manufacturing or had a backup maker for these and they just blew it. Cuba not paying the bills wouldn't be new.

It did also look to me like the texture or material of the seal was off as well, and you confirmed it felt odd to the touch so that apparently is another issue. These seals are different from top to bottom.

So now as we enter an era with a tremendous incentive to make top-quality fakes we have no idea what we're looking at. 

HSA, triple the price and let fugazi-looking boxes out the door en masse. Unbelievable. 

Forget Rolex, Hermes, Gucci and Prada. Cohiba will by far be the most counterfeited product on the planet now, especially at these prices. I'm sure the fakers will be honing their skills now there is a huge incentive at 1K-2K/ box. 

[ha_banos]

26 minutes ago, SCgarman said:

Forget Rolex, Hermes, Gucci and Prada. Cohiba will by far be the most counterfeited product on the planet now, especially at these prices. I'm sure the fakers will be honing their skills now there is a huge incentive at 1K-2K/ box. 

But who in the name of all that is good and holy would risk, at this money, a source that isn't completely safe?

I won't even touch the grey or secondary market.

[JC67]

they look very convincing.. i wouldn't have picked it up.

 

Thanks for pointing out.

[HawkI84]

On 6/30/2022 at 7:46 AM, joeruby said:

 -it’s no wonder Rolexes aren’t made in Cuba.. 

 

And why Davidoffs no longer are too.

[Nevrknow]

22 hours ago, ha_banos said:

But who in the name of all that is good and holy would risk, at this money, a source that isn't completely safe?

I won't even touch the grey or secondary market.

Same here. If I ever do again. 🤷