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Newbie here...see the newb...yep, I'm fresh meat....but don't get any ideas, inmates...I'm married..Now, on with the topic. All of this reading about fake cigars (I guess everything is fake these days)...I really do not want to have to dissect a stick out of each sampler I ever buy, just to sleep soundly at nights. But reading the articles and watching the videos online, one would think this happens on a regular basis.. I see all the tips for inspecting the bands and, boy, they really are entailed. So my question to all of you is this, "HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE EVEN BEEN A VICTIM FOR PURCHASING A FAKE?" Now, I mean here on the mainland through either a B&M or online...not on the beaches of Punta Cana.. I have no intentions of visiting any of the islands so just I'm just interested in good old fashioned home swindling, if you will.

Heydelta, so you're saying that for the most part, online retailers are on the level and not passing along sticks made from floor sweepings? Also, have you ever seen tobacco beetles on any of your purchases?

Yeah, I'm asking about any kind of cigar

Both are correct. For the most part, online retailers are on the level but they are definitely also passing alone sticks made from floor sweepings. No self-respecting beetle would infest some of the stuff that is sold. You get what you pay for generally.

Not much chance that non-Cuban cigars are faked until you get into the higher priced offerings.

So what would you say is better bet to get to get more of what you're paying for? This auction method or online retailers, B&Ms notwithstanding

Generally speaking, if the tobacco isn't grown and rolled in Cuba, it ain't Cuban.
Habanos employed rollers traveling to LCdHs are considered Cuban cigars, even through the cigar could be rolled in another country.

"Cuban-seed" is just a marketing term to mean that the strain of tobacco being grown originated in Cuba.

Thnx T Gerbil for the info

Trust me...go up to the Search link and look for the original Thonginator thread.

Cigar preferences?

Number of years smoking cigars?

You didn't really introduce yourself, so trying to pry some info out.

I'm talking about licensing agreements that some cigar making companies have with large on-line retailers. The two companies that came to mind are AVO and Graycliff, who do make their own line of products, some of which I've bought and liked. But I did notice a difference between some cigars purchased from an on-line source, made by that source under a licensing agreement with AVO and Graycliff. Those cigars were inferior to others made by the actual producers with identical labels , but in slightly different sizes. Two cigars come to mind: AVO XO and Graycliff Crystal. The authentic factory made ones were superior, but also more expensive. Graycliff products sold on-line were among the worst cigars I've ever smoked. The deep discounts on these cigars can be a clue, as is true for Gurkhas.

On-line retailers that have been in business for some time are legitimate places to buy cigars. Like TG said, they do stock cigars at many price points, including machine made ones that may contain floor sweepings and other stuff. It would be pointless for retailers in the US to hire workers to make fake cigars from inferior tobaccos. Much cheaper to buy actual cigars made in places like Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Honduras, and resell them here.


I've never personally suffered a beetle infestation from non-cuban cigars purchased on-line, but did have some beetles appear in some Cuban cigars bought on the internet. They appeared about a year after I bought the cigars. Most makers try to eradicate beetles by freezing their products before shipping them.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!! DID SOMEONE DROP ACID INTO MY COFFEE? And I thought Michael Jackson's cosmetic surgery was bad....This is the worst case of penile prosthetic surgery I have ever heard of....The CIA can forget "waterboarding" for Enhanced Interrogation techniques...this is the ultimate "tongue loosener"....I have heard that smoking cigars can be dangerous as some of the toxins have been declared as carcinogens, but NEVER in my wildest dreams did I think these chemicals would cause genetic mutations....must I go on?

Anyway, now that the circus has come to town, I would like to thank Napalm, and all others who have reached the normal evolutionary status of Homo Sapiens, for the heads up on those cigar makers. I will be careful around them. The newbie links are helpful too, thanks.. for the moment, you'll have to excuse me while try to regain some sense of normalcy

Thanks for the response Palama. Now, how did you know the stick was fake? Did you inspect the band and it looked forged? You didn't open the cigar up and find shredded tobacco in it did you? If so, what tipped you off? I'd hate to have to dissect a stick from every sampler or box I bought online, just to be sure. And here's another question for you and the rest. I've been reading books and watching videos (my first year smoking, which answers one of "speedo king's" questions), have you ever had a cigar that actually showed signs of flume (or bloom) on it? How was it? I hear or read that you don't see this condition that often, but if you do, boy it must taste great

I got a box of fakes once. I was told where to go to buy a box and did so. I got home and opened the box, I was floored right off the bat. I could tell instantly at first glance they was fakes.


Every single stick was pink and said Its a Girl and was made out of bubble gum! The Sonsabitches....

Don't ever go to the hospital shop to buy cigars.