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Discussion Contest: Fake Cigars

Discussion Contest: Fake Cigars

Happy Monday, folks!  

Today’s post comes from the town in which I smoked my first Cuban cigar, something I’ll never forget. So many great memories about the locale, the people, the cigar, that morning – it was a feeling of awe with a heavy dose of wonder and curiosity.  

Which brings me to our question of the week: 

Do YOU tell someone when they’re smoking a fake cigar or not? 

Login and comment below for a chance to win a Small Batch gift card this Sunday!  

To be fair, fake cigars don’t have to be of the Cuban variety.  United Cigar Group alleged that there might be fake Atabeys on the market earlier this year and we’ve known about fake Fuentes along with other brands for a while now.  And, did you know that non-Cuban La Gloria Cubanas were counterfeited back in the day?  Here’s an interesting read from Cigar Aficionado in the mid-90s talking about fake La Gloria Cubanas in Miami, FL:  

“Such hard-to-find cigars as La Gloria Cubana--produced by El Credito Cigar Co. in Miami, Florida, and owned by Ernesto Carillo--are allegedly available at La Gloria Cigar Co., also in Miami. Call here and a man identifying himself as ‘Ernesto’ will tell you that Wavells and Charlemagnes (two highly coveted sizes made by El Credito) are readily available. To neophytes and even regular smokers of El Credito cigars, it's hard to know the fake cigars from the real thing, until they are smoked. ‘They're just awful,’ says one unwary buyer who purchased and smoked the bogus cigars.”

Why might you want to share with a fellow enthusiast that his or her cigar is fake?  

  •       Firstly, no one likes to be duped 
  •       Fakes aren’t always sold as a cheaper alternative, some pay full price 
  •       Folks have found all sorts of nasty things in these cigars
  •       If they’re willing to deceive you, your wellbeing isn’t important to them

Why most don’t speak up when they spot a fake: 

  •      Once again, no one likes being duped
  •      These conversations rarely go as well as intended

Once upon a time, I made a commitment to myself to inform people when I spotted a fake as privately as possible.  Oddly enough, it was right before my ability to scroll social media dwindled to almost nothing.  

Still, though, I think it’s important to inform people when able.  I believe the key to avoiding most of the negativity surrounding these discussions lies in the delivery.  If we take care to broach the subject with solely their benefit in mind, we remove some of the automatic defense mechanisms that occur and prevent a tug of war argument before it ever begins.  Most people want to know if they’ve been duped. However, most people don’t want to be accused or feel like they have to defend themselves in public.

Tell Us!  What are YOUR thoughts?  

CONTEST DETAILS

One of the comments below will win a $25 gift card.  The gift card will automatically be sent to the email address that you login to comment with, so please use your regular sign-in.   

I’ll be randomly selecting a comment below this Sunday before sending out the Weekly Newsletter. The winner can expect a comment with his or her name in it, a congratulations email, and an email with the $25 gift card information.  The actual gift card email takes some time to generate from the system and may lag behind by a couple hours. 

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Comments

3/25/2019 5:18 PM
I have mixed feelings, if it was me, I’d like to be informed that I got tricked. But... i’d Hate to ruin the experience for someone else. And honestly, if they’re enjoying the cigar, then they shouldn’t care whether it’s authentic or not. They should just keep on enjoying, but that could be hard if they found out they were duped.
3/25/2019 5:59 PM
Definitely warning my friends about those glass-top box "cubans" they got off the beach in Mexico.... "Sorry buddy - that's definitely fake.... but hey if you want a real cuban, let me know"
3/25/2019 6:04 PM
It depends on the person. If it's someone who bought a bad fake on the beach, I'll tell them so they don't smoke it. If it's someone who labels themself an aficionado and thinks they're amazing for smoking Cubans, I'll skip it - I'm not about to change their mind anyway, so it will be like arguing with a wall and will frustrate both of us.
3/25/2019 6:50 PM
Always always always use it as an educational tool. Tons of people have this desire for a “real Cuban” regardless of authenticity. I’ve had friends offer a fake to me and I’ve declined and educated. I’ve even had the owner of a cigar shop try to give me a “real Cuban” only to have to decline and say why. Many people are arrogant and won’t accept it like Rich said below, but those are the people you just smile nod and say thank you.

Regardless I try to educate and will even send them the real thing so that they can compare. Fakes are out there all over the place but we as true aficionados need to take some time and use it as a teaching moment
3/25/2019 6:54 PM
A good friend brought back what he insisted were authentic Cohibas from Colombia. Needless to say, they weren't terrible and it was fun to smoke with a friend who thought he was bringing the real deal.
3/25/2019 6:58 PM
I'd tell them how it is. I'd want someone to let me know I'd been swindled, so that I don't get swindled again.

If they're enjoying their fakes, that's fine, but if your're gonna smoke cheap cigars, you should be paying cheap prices.

No need to be a jerk about it, just make it a teaching moment.
3/25/2019 7:23 PM
To me it’s always important to let someone know they’ve been duped. There’s better ways to go about it without the individual feeling like an idiot. Make it a learning experience. As a cigar smoker I love passing on knowledge and having discussions.

My buddy returned from Cuba with a box of “Cohiba Siglo iv.” He fell for the old my father works in the factory blah blah blah. He bought it for $80 cuc. The box was horribly faked, stamps, seals, lacquer and all. We sat together while smoking a real Cohiba and I had him compare. Then proceeded to slice up a few cigars and showed him the entubado and deveining methods practiced in Cuba vs his.

Was a great time and a fantastic experience. He left it as a $80 learning experience and all was well.
3/25/2019 7:38 PM
I think it depends on your “audience”. I think you need to treat it as a educational experience about how there are a lot of fakes and smoking them can be dangerous. Show them the resources to identify legit sticks and end by maybe gifting an authentic cigar.
3/25/2019 9:58 PM
Fake Jordans, fake Chanel bags, fake Rolex’s, people who have them and use them, I’m sure some of them are aware they are fake. Maybe they don’t care or can’t afford the real ones.
But how many of those who smoke fake cigars know they are indeed fake?? I’m sure not many. Therefore, I do think we need to tell and educate our fellow cigar lovers.
Wearing fake Jordans won’t harm your feet but smoking fake cigars will, if you’ve seen some the nasty things they find in fake Cubans. It’s not just taking a hit on your wallet but your health.
I think it’s the approach we need to be careful with. As not to offend them and make them feel stupid for smoking a fake. Rather, be sympathetic and letting them know it happens to all of us.
We have a great cigar community. It’s all of our job to extend and share our love for cigars.
3/26/2019 3:06 AM
I would tell someone if they had fake Cubans because I would want to know if I had a fake. You never know what has been rolled into those cigars if they were made at some guy's house and sold on the beach. I would tell my friend it's a fake to save them from smoking floor sweepings and pubes.
3/26/2019 6:47 PM
My Dad was on a cruise and bought me some “Cubans” on one of the islands as a gift.
I tried one (1/3rd maybe) and it was nasty. I told him they were fake, thanked him and asked him to please not pick them up for me again.
3/27/2019 7:12 AM
If they truly enjoy cigars, such as having a humidor themselves etc, I always say something. Would hope someone would give me the same direction with anything else in life I was passionate/ interested in. But if it’s someone who’s just a tourist and it’s like a carnival ride for them; ‘might as well try one while I’m here’ type of thing, I leave them be. Enjoy the ignorance if you don’t really care.
3/27/2019 7:27 AM
There is definitely a tactful way to handle it i think. Ive been gifted a few fakes and never said a word, just not worth embarrassing a friend or family member .
3/27/2019 12:50 PM
Yes I would tell that person. I told someone In NY at the big smoke who I didnt even know that he was smoking a fake cohiba behike and his response was that he spent $800 USD and that they couldn't be fake. First off it was a glass top box, second the bands were not embossed and third they were ugly looking. I told him that Cubans pride themselves on there cigars, that they are perfect looking with very few vains. Long story short I bought one from him at full price and snapped it in half in front of him and the middle of the cigar was all chopped up fill.  From that moment on he stopped buying them. So in the end, yes I would tell someone.
3/27/2019 3:08 PM
I always tell people so they won’t make the same mistake twice. Counterfeit Cuban cigar sales is a very lucrative business that needs to be shut down. It also gives our hobby a bad name because when people smoke fake Cubans they think they are smoking the best of the best. I have smoked a couple fakes and they are the equivalent to a stale bland Connecticut.
3/28/2019 5:21 AM
If it is before they spark it up, and I can give them something to replace what they are about to smoke as a "trade" then I will definitely try to do that. If it is a random person I am not going to call them out if I see they are smoking something fake and have them feel attacked. I feel like as a smoker there is a responsibility to know a little something about what you're going to smoke, some telltale signs of fake cigars and when a deal seems to good to be true, it probably is. If you're someone knowingly gifting fake cigars then that is messed up. Most of the time I am smoking with my buddies, and I'll have no problem telling them if they are smoking something fake, then, proceed to make fun of them, because that is how we are. I would have a harder time approaching a random person and break the news to them. I don't want to be that guy.
3/28/2019 8:39 AM
There's been several occasions where I had to inform someone that their glass top "Cubans" aren't real. I'd rather let someone know than not.
3/28/2019 10:27 AM
Close friends and regular smoking buddies aside... I usually don't say anything to people I don't know as well.  The reason is simple: cigar smoking is about the experience for many.  If they are enjoying it all the same, thinking they are smoking a nice cuban, and having that pleasant experience, who am I to ruin it for them?
3/28/2019 4:26 PM
As a new cigar smoker I'd like for someone to tell me if it's fake. I'm curious about Cubans but will educate myself better before purchasing some.
3/30/2019 6:44 PM
If I am in a position to stop them from purchasing I would speak up.  If it was something someone brought back from a once in a lifetime vacation or something though I'd let it slide, the damage was already done.
3/31/2019 4:57 AM
If someone bought me some they thought were real as a gift, I would say thank you and nothing else because it's the thought that counts (wouldn't smoke them of course).  But if someone bought for personal consumption and was wanting to share, I would definitely speak up because I wouldn't feel right letting them smoke something that could have some pretty nasty stuff in there. Maybe offer to split a real box in the future as well.
3/31/2019 9:27 AM
Congrats Jason!  (#20 Comment)

And many thanks to everyone else that joined the conversation!