America's #1 Online Cigar Auction
first, best, biggest!

Last post 22 months ago by delta1. 44 replies replies.
Knockoff cigars
J&K11 Offline
#1 Posted:
Joined: 08-20-2021
Posts: 55
Bought 10 AB Family Blend Lineage here and they must be fakes. Tasted like wet grass clippings with a burned newspaper finish and only held a half inch ash before falling. Pulled it apart and it is half short filler floor sweepings. I've smoked hundreds of these since they were released and never experienced anything like this until ordering from here. Contacted customer service. Will they refund? Is this normal? Should have listed to the voice telling me to good to be true since I only paid half what I normally do. These taste like and are constructed like $1 bundle smokes that I do not buy or smoke.
Jakethesnake86 Offline
#2 Posted:
Joined: 12-29-2020
Posts: 3,938
They’re probably wet still. Put them in humidor for a month. They’ll be normal then. I’ve bought plenty of sticks here. No problems with them. Fresh cigars shipped from almost anywhere suck in my opinion
KingoftheCove Online
#3 Posted:
Joined: 10-08-2011
Posts: 7,600
Alec Bradley?
They make yard gars Bro...........even the Prensado.......mediocre.
Just my opinion..........and trust me.......I’m no elitist.
J&K11 Offline
#4 Posted:
Joined: 08-20-2021
Posts: 55
Please explain how drying these out will replace the short filler with long filler. On another note they are definitely not wet maybe a touch on the dry side.
J&K11 Offline
#5 Posted:
Joined: 08-20-2021
Posts: 55
Yard gars? Prensado is mediocre? Wasnt the prensado cigar of the year in 2011? What are you smoking?
swag Offline
#6 Posted:
Joined: 11-28-2012
Posts: 3
I dont get the whole COTY thing, this hobby, is as subjective as any hobby involving individual perceptions. Sure the prensado hit the bigtime, however once you get past the 1st inch ( and this goes for any cigar, well kind of)and usually something will develop that you can stand behind, unless it's a garcia Vega or some junk like that. I'd much prefer if they'd simply put out a top 50 list, that was taste tested by a fairly large demographic of cigar enthusiasts, with no less than 10 years of experience tasting cigars *( not a combined total you schmucks, I can hear the naysayers already haha) and yes, I was young and dumb once too, and will tell you right here and now, I've actually ENJOYED a garcia vega or 30 in my time, so, to each his own, nothing like a nic fit to make you do stupid stuff to quell it!
ZRX1200 Offline
#7 Posted:
Joined: 07-08-2007
Posts: 60,473
LMMFPWAO at the nood…
Jakethesnake86 Offline
#8 Posted:
Joined: 12-29-2020
Posts: 3,938
Drying them does turn the short fill into long. That’s what it does. Yes.
frankj1 Offline
#9 Posted:
Joined: 02-08-2007
Posts: 44,211
it's like the Costanza Cold Water Shrinkage Law of Physics in reverse.
rfenst Online
#10 Posted:
Joined: 06-23-2007
Posts: 39,096
Don't even try to smoke one more. They will accept a return if you haven't smoked too many of them. I have never had any problem when CBID/CI making good on bad product. And, for what it is worth, I do not think they would ever sell seconds without making it clear. Also, reputable manufacturers who use second quality tobacco won't put the same band on it as the premium version. Hope this helps.
Abrignac Offline
#11 Posted:
Joined: 02-24-2012
Posts: 17,216
J&K11 wrote:
Yard gars? Prensado is mediocre? Wasnt the prensado cigar of the year in 2011? What are you smoking?


I guess ad revenue predicts quality? Ask them to use lube next time.
LeeBot Offline
#12 Posted:
Joined: 07-08-2020
Posts: 1,917
I think the problem is probably better located with the manufacturers, rather than cbid. And it just comes down to numbers. No B&M is going to sell in a week the number of cigars cbid sells in a day. Maybe won't sell that many in a month or more. So, if a manufacturer flubs 1 out of every 100 cigars, it might take a B&M a while to sell 100 of them, so the quality control isn't going to come up as often. Cbid, on the other hand, might sell that many of them in a day or two, so the lack of quality control is going to be noticed a lot sooner and by more people.
J&K11 Offline
#13 Posted:
Joined: 08-20-2021
Posts: 55
Good advice. Ended up trying another and it was so bad I pulled it apart and found some kind of fiberglass insulation inside like a pulled apart cigarette butt or wall insulation. Took a video and called customer service and they sent a return label and fully refunded me minus shipping. I just acquired another humidor I need to fill so will give cbid another chance. Just finished up an order and hoping for the best.
Abrignac Offline
#14 Posted:
Joined: 02-24-2012
Posts: 17,216
J&K11 wrote:
Good advice. Ended up trying another and it was so bad I pulled it apart and found some kind of fiberglass insulation inside like a pulled apart cigarette butt or wall insulation. Took a video and called customer service and they sent a return label and fully refunded me minus shipping. I just acquired another humidor I need to fill so will give cbid another chance. Just finished up an order and hoping for the best.


If you ordered anymore AB’s you deserve whatever 💩 they send you. The absolute last place you should go for cigar advice is CA. Compare advertising to their cigar ratings. You’ll find the CA is full of ads for the same cigars on thei top lists. But, you’ve already been told this.
delta1 Offline
#15 Posted:
Joined: 11-23-2011
Posts: 28,753
there was a time a few years ago when this theme rolled around here...

IIRC the suspected brands were AVO and Graycliff, with CBid selling vitolas that were slightly different from authentic factory made products sold elsewhere, usually at BnM's, and which also sold for much lower prices than their factory namesakes...several botl's smoked them side by side and all said the CBid ones were different from the factory smokes and that the factory ones were better...

turns out CBid had obtained licenses from the manufacturers to blend cigars and market them with their names and bands...

at the time, AVO and Graycliff cigars enjoyed a more elevated and exclusive sphere than where Alec Bradley currently dwells

knockoffs?

why reproduce a Bud...a Chevy?
drglnc Offline
#16 Posted:
Joined: 04-01-2019
Posts: 680
Yea... no one is making counterfeit AB sticks... not enough money in it. Its either bad QC at the factory OR (and this is JUST speculation) AB has gone the way some other companies have and allowed others to blend using the name...
MACS Offline
#17 Posted:
Joined: 02-26-2004
Posts: 79,584
J&K11 wrote:
Yard gars? Prensado is mediocre? Wasnt the prensado cigar of the year in 2011? What are you smoking?


So you think cigar of the year actually matters? We smoke cigars for taste, right? And taste is subjective, right?

So if some fkn stupid magazine (who accepts ad money from cigar manufacturers) told you a cigar was the best and you smoked it and it sucked balls... would it still be the best?

Rhetorical question.
borndead1 Offline
#18 Posted:
Joined: 11-07-2006
Posts: 5,215
MACS wrote:
So you think cigar of the year actually matters? We smoke cigars for taste, right? And taste is subjective, right?

So if some fkn stupid magazine (who accepts ad money from cigar manufacturers) told you a cigar was the best and you smoked it and it sucked balls... would it still be the best?

Rhetorical question.


WORD.

Literally every Alec Bradley cigar I've tried has been middle of the road at best...except the original Medalist. Those were good.
Thunder.Gerbil Offline
#19 Posted:
Joined: 11-02-2006
Posts: 121,359
Macs.... Depends whose balls got sucked.

Just saying.
izonfire Offline
#20 Posted:
Joined: 12-09-2013
Posts: 8,642
Got an AB American Sungrown in a sampler when they first came out.
It was friggin delicious. So I bought a box.
They all sucked balls. What a disappointment.
No more AB for me. Ever…
J&K11 Offline
#21 Posted:
Joined: 08-20-2021
Posts: 55
I really liked a few Alec Bradley blends with the lineage being my favorite. Their quality is down across the board with some of their newer manufactured cigars taking a huge hit in quality I have found. I asked around and heard their curing barns all burned to the ground this year and confirmed this by doing a little internet research. Their pr department claims these fires will not effect production but I beg to differ. Who knows where they are sourcing their tobacco now or what might be rolled into their cigars to meet current demand.
Tb13 Offline
#22 Posted:
Joined: 02-26-2022
Posts: 3
So does anyone know which cigar brands on CigarBid we should avoid because they’re fakes? AVO and Graycliffs aren’t real, so are there any on there to avoid?
tonygraz Offline
#23 Posted:
Joined: 08-11-2008
Posts: 20,173
I could give you a list, but I haven't got the time and probably would miss a few.
KingoftheCove Online
#24 Posted:
Joined: 10-08-2011
Posts: 7,600
Tb13 wrote:
So does anyone know which cigar brands on CigarBid we should avoid because they’re fakes? AVO and Graycliffs aren’t real, so are there any on there to avoid?

Might be easier to simply ask what cigars are worth buying here.
That list will be rather short.
No one here knows which, if any, cigar brands here are “fake”.

So, what is good to buy here?
I’ll give a you a few that I used buy here, but haven’t in a while.......stupid prices.
Sobremesa
Imperiosa
Jaime Garcia
Illusione
LFD
Southern Draw
Stogie1020 Offline
#25 Posted:
Joined: 12-19-2019
Posts: 5,226
All the cigars I like are fake, so stop bidding on them. Tell all your friends.
24132413 Offline
#26 Posted:
Joined: 01-25-2017
Posts: 555
TRY the Alec Bradley FUMAS they offer here, particularly the TEMPUS and PRENSADO! Not bad smokes at all. Just average, but for under two bucks what are you expecting????? GURKHA TASTE AND QUALITY???
Sneaky Sneaky Sneaky Sneaky Sneaky
Mike3316 Offline
#27 Posted:
Joined: 02-05-2022
Posts: 329
I've never had an AB that when I finished I said to myself - "damn that was a good cigar I'm gonna buy a box." Every AB I've ever tried has been (IMO) medocre at best.
KingoftheCove Online
#28 Posted:
Joined: 10-08-2011
Posts: 7,600
Mike3316 wrote:
I've never had an AB that when I finished I said to myself - "damn that was a good cigar I'm gonna buy a box." Every AB I've ever tried has been (IMO) medocre at best.

Well............the Tempus Maduro from back in the day..........say 10+ years ago?
Simply an “amazing” cigar.......................................it was fire proof!
ZRX1200 Offline
#29 Posted:
Joined: 07-08-2007
Posts: 60,473
Coyol petite lancero is ok
Jakethesnake86 Offline
#30 Posted:
Joined: 12-29-2020
Posts: 3,938
Z gotta agree with you there buddy. I will pick more up when my cheap smokes are low. I liked em too
Jakethesnake86 Offline
#31 Posted:
Joined: 12-29-2020
Posts: 3,938
As far as Alec Bradley goes the medalist is a decent. Repeat decent Connie. I will pick them up again if price is right.
MoreBeer Offline
#32 Posted:
Joined: 01-24-2010
Posts: 83
Your AB's tasted like wet grass clippings with a burned newspaper?
They were that good? Quality at AB must be improving.
They must be taking lessons from Rocky Patel.
JGKAMIN Offline
#33 Posted:
Joined: 05-08-2011
Posts: 1,387
J&K11 wrote:
Yard gars? Prensado is mediocre? Wasnt the prensado cigar of the year in 2011? What are you smoking?

A CA interview with Alan Rubin (AB) goes on to say how their quick success from being #1 led to the quality of their smokes suffering big time.

https://www.cigaraficionado.com/article/life-after-number-one-18550
burning_sticks Offline
#34 Posted:
Joined: 08-17-2020
Posts: 152
A problem with all cigars is you can never get the exact same taste from crop to crop, So just because a certain cigar was Cigar of the Year, ten years ago, even if you use the exact same leaf and priming doesn't mean it will taste the same. Nature has so many variables, then add in the variations in how the curing process goes.
Jw3000 Offline
#35 Posted:
Joined: 02-13-2022
Posts: 3
burning_sticks wrote:
A problem with all cigars is you can never get the exact same taste from crop to crop, So just because a certain cigar was Cigar of the Year, ten years ago, even if you use the exact same leaf and priming doesn't mean it will taste the same. Nature has so many variables, then add in the variations in how the curing process goes.

Truth, and even that year not all same.
frankj1 Offline
#36 Posted:
Joined: 02-08-2007
Posts: 44,211
how does Padron maintain that same profile year after year?
Palama Offline
#37 Posted:
Joined: 02-05-2013
Posts: 23,450
frankj1 wrote:
how does Padron maintain that same profile year after year?


Fuente too.
frankj1 Offline
#38 Posted:
Joined: 02-08-2007
Posts: 44,211
Palama wrote:
Fuente too.

true.
I don't smoke a ton any more but probably 25 Fuentes to each Padron last couple years.
Palama Offline
#39 Posted:
Joined: 02-05-2013
Posts: 23,450
frankj1 wrote:
true.
I don't smoke a ton any more but probably 25 Fuentes to each Padron last couple years.


Think
delta1 Offline
#40 Posted:
Joined: 11-23-2011
Posts: 28,753
Thunder Gerbil had a convincing explanation for Fuente and Padron consistency...

they keep supplies of each years crop and put them into production over a few years so that each new production year has some leaves from the past couple of years or so...(paraphrasing his much more lucid description of their process)
Palama Offline
#41 Posted:
Joined: 02-05-2013
Posts: 23,450
delta1 wrote:
Thunder Gerbil had a convincing explanation for Fuente and Padron consistency...

they keep supplies of each years crop and put them into production over a few years so that each new production year has some leaves from the past couple of years or so...(paraphrasing his much more lucid description of their process)


This?

http://www.cigarbid.com/...osts/658803/Aging-Advice
delta1 Offline
#42 Posted:
Joined: 11-23-2011
Posts: 28,753
exactly...great research Palama! Thanks, buddy.

see post #67 of the thread for TG's explanation about the consistency of Fuente and Padron cigars...
frankj1 Offline
#43 Posted:
Joined: 02-08-2007
Posts: 44,211
and TG doesn't care for Fuente, if I recall correctly. One dimensional to him.
But his point has to be correct.

post 69 is much better though.
delta1 Offline
#44 Posted:
Joined: 11-23-2011
Posts: 28,753
no argument here...I always like 69 the best...
Users browsing this topic
Guest