Just returned from a 7-day cruise. Never seen so many fake Cuban cigars in my life. Stopped at Jamaca, Grand Cayman, and Cozemel (don't hold me to the spelling). Street hawkers everywhere. Even the so-called legit shops (recommended by the cruise line) where pitching "special sales" on cubans. I was able to obtain maybe 6 out of 50 cigars that were probably authentic. And these ran 30-35 dollars each (Partagas, in particular). If you get down that way, DO YOUR HOMEWORK! I thought I knew a little about how to discern Cubans from fakes, but I was overwhelmed with offers and was unable to assess/evaluate quickly enough. Believe me, you can't determine on price alone because some of the fakes where within five bucks of the price of what I believe to be real Cubans. It is truly a confusing morasse of offers, sales pitches, high pressure, etc., to entice you to part with your money. Overall kind of left a bad taste in my mouth over what should have been an enjoyable experience. Just thought I'd share...............

I agree, I was in Cozumel recently.. (sisters wedding) and all but "The Cigar Club" had a bunch of fakes. But from their perspective, they dont make crap for income. The taxi driver I was talking to makes 5 dollars + tips (I think) a day... (minimum wage there).. Since everyone there wants to "Smoke a Cuban Cigar"... they happily oblige... I found the only wany to tell if it was a fake was to smoke it, and test for enjoyment.....

Ezell

Same thing happened when we visited Playa del Carmen (the mainland, right across from Cozumel) ...

... we went to Cozumel by ferry, and I felt the same way about the 'street hawkers'. It was very uncomfortable, and when we walked by, they would swear at us in Spanish (my wife is Chilean, and speaks Spanish fluently). One guy even told me not to be so 'Chinese' ...

The only place that I know was legit, was the 'Havana Club' in Cozumel. They are a 'La Casa Del Habano', and that is where I bought my cigars.

There is also a place on '5th Avenue' next to Playacar, I can't remember the name, but it was guaranteed to have the real deal, by a fellow CF'er I hooked up with, who has lived and worked there for years.

Those are the ONLY places that he said did not sell fakes.

Hey arwings. If you ever go back down that way (or anywhere else you can buy Cubans but risk running into fakes), here's a good idea.

If you haven't already, go to Cigar Aficionado's website, and go to the Counterfeit Galler (its at the bottom of the navigation bar on the left side, its a picture of a Cohiba band under a magnifying glass).

First, look through the galleries, comparing the fake to the legitimate thing, just to familiarize yourself with common fakes.

Then, if you have a good color printer or your office/local library does, make a page in Word or Paint or some other program with all the pictures of the legit bands on it, and print it out for your next vacation, that way you can compare bands to the real things.

Of course, you can still run into counterfeits, but that's one way to help. Also, if you decide to buy a box, do like Slim said, only buy from a place that is a registered "Case del Habanos" (spelling?), displays the official Habanos SA license in the window, etc., and make sure the box you buy is closed and the Cuban tax stamp is intact (you might also want to print off a pic of the new Cuban tax stamp, to make sure all the water marks, special stuff, etc is on and it isn't just a fake too).

The way things are going, there will be more stamps and stickers ON a box then there will be cigars IN the box! LOL:(
This is getting to be very disappointing. It's more work than pleasure. I would rather just get some Toranos, Bucs, or other stuff, than hassle with an ISOM.

dz130...exactly.
I have been burned too many times, tain't worth it anymore.

Never go to Mexico to buy ISOM's all fake. I live in a border town. I did my homework on Isom's and went to Mexico, Ciudad Acuña and could not find any original.

You can find them, grizzly ...

... it just got to be a 'La Casa Del Habano' ...