Please Help

[nciovino]

Cohiba Esplendidos

Bands- correct (but when they are opened up everything is centered and not off centered like ones on CA)

Directions inside- correct

Green and White label on the outside- correct

Dividers- correct

Came in the wax paper

Hologram on the bottom left hand corner- ??? correct?

Sticker inside cover- Big head, thick bold cohiba print- fake

Stamp on botom- no hand writing at all and the MKO JUN 05 is off center- fake?

All of this was by looking at another website.

I cut one open and it is all long filler, but is it possible they could be non cuban tobacco.

The wrapper is pretty much flawless, no soft spots, hard spots. Very small veins etc.

Please help im going crazy!

[brian1]

You need to relax..I can feel your angst from here. MKO is the old El Laguita code sio thats a good sign. This is why its important to know and trust your source. A dead give away is price. If you paid less then 400USD for a 25count box there fakes period.

» Cohiba Esplendidos

»

» Bands- correct (but when they are opened up everything is centered and not

» off centered like ones on CA)

» Directions inside- correct

» Green and White label on the outside- correct

» Dividers- correct

» Came in the wax paper

» Hologram on the bottom left hand corner- ??? correct?

» Sticker inside cover- Big head, thick bold cohiba print- fake

» Stamp on botom- no hand writing at all and the MKO JUN 05 is off center-

» fake?

»

» All of this was by looking at another website.

»

» I cut one open and it is all long filler, but is it possible they could be

» non cuban tobacco.

»

» The wrapper is pretty much flawless, no soft spots, hard spots. Very small

» veins etc.

»

» Please help im going crazy!

[nciovino]

» You need to relax..I can feel your angst from here. MKO is the old El

» Laguita code sio thats a good sign. This is why its important to know and

» trust your source. A dead give away is price. If you paid less then 400USD

» for a 25count box there fakes period.

»

» » Cohiba Esplendidos

» »

» » Bands- correct (but when they are opened up everything is centered and

» not

» » off centered like ones on CA)

» » Directions inside- correct

» » Green and White label on the outside- correct

» » Dividers- correct

» » Came in the wax paper

» » Hologram on the bottom left hand corner- ??? correct?

» » Sticker inside cover- Big head, thick bold cohiba print- fake

» » Stamp on botom- no hand writing at all and the MKO JUN 05 is off

» center-

» » fake?

» »

» » All of this was by looking at another website.

» »

» » I cut one open and it is all long filler, but is it possible they could

» be

» » non cuban tobacco.

» »

» » The wrapper is pretty much flawless, no soft spots, hard spots. Very

» small

» » veins etc.

» »

» » Please help im going crazy!

I paid 250 for the box.

[El Presidente]

» I paid 250 for the box.

Ouch. No $10 Esplendidos to be had, not even in Cuba except for street fakes which you can purchase for $50.

[bassman]

Doesn't sound good! And on my last trip to Cuba in 2003, fake Espies were all over Havana @ $50 a box.

[Ginseng]

» I paid 250 for the box

As El Prez pointed out, not a good sign. BTW, if you're not familiar with this stuff, checking against a website, even a good one is only going to be of limited help. I'm afraid that if you got this "from a guy" then you've got fakes.

Wilkey

[ATGroom]

I got a box of Espies in Trinidad (de Cuba) for 20CUCs a couple of years back on the assumption that they were fakes. Box looks crap - old style seals (which came separate so I could stick them on myself), messy printing on the inner sticker, no stamp on the bottom.

Got them back to my hotel and noticed holes in one or two. Saw live bugs on them a few days later. Left them in the mini-bar for a couple of days, but it wasn't exactly a deep freeze in there. Froze them properly when I got back home, and kept them in their own humidor for about six months. Never noticed any further bug problem. Thought I'd keep them around for visitors who've overstayed their welcome.

I've had one from time to time and they smoke great. Long filler and all the same colour. Flawless construction. Smooth as any Cohiba... smoother than most. Remind me more of Lanceros than Espies, really. Completely different beast to some fake Montes I've had that are totally unsmokable for their harsh rancid flavour.

[Ken Gargett]

» I got a box of Espies in Trinidad (de Cuba) for 20CUCs a couple of years

» back on the assumption that they were fakes. Box looks crap - old style

» seals (which came separate so I could stick them on myself), messy

» printing on the inner sticker, no stamp on the bottom.

»

» Got them back to my hotel and noticed holes in one or two. Saw live bugs

» on them a few days later. Left them in the mini-bar for a couple of days,

» but it wasn't exactly a deep freeze in there. Froze them properly when I

» got back home, and kept them in their own humidor for about six months.

» Never noticed any further bug problem. Thought I'd keep them around for

» visitors who've overstayed their welcome.

»

» I've had one from time to time and they smoke great. Long filler and all

» the same colour. Flawless construction. Smooth as any Cohiba... smoother

» than most. Remind me more of Lanceros than Espies, really. Completely

» different beast to some fake Montes I've had that are totally unsmokable

» for their harsh rancid flavour.

i've seen glass topped boxes for around $25.

i also keep a few dodgy fakes around for certain mates (but rob seems to enjoy them().

[Claudius]

» You need to relax..I can feel your angst from here. MKO is the old El

» Laguita code sio thats a good sign.

MKO was the code for 2004, not 2005!

[shrink]

I cut one open and it is all long filler, but is it possible they could be non cuban tobacco.

A waste of a good fake, if you ask me...