Obvious signs of fake cigars that everyone who wants to buy Cuban cigars should know

Fake or counterfeit Cuban cigars are a big issue for anyone wanting to buy Cuban cigars. Whether you are looking for cheap cigars, or someone is offering you a deal that seems too good to be true, these are the easy ways to identify if those cigars are fake.

Know your Limited Edition years.

If you’ve found a Habanos Edicion Limitada for the current year, chances are it’s fake. Most Limited Edition Cuban cigars are delayed, and usually arrive the following year, it’s just the Cuban way… But Cohiba does not release a Limited Edition every year, there is generally only 3 brands to receive the Edicion Limitada treatment each year, so check to see if that brand had a Limited Edition that year, if not, it’s fake. You can use the Cuban Cigar Website https://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/cigar/releases to check what was released and when, it will also give you an idea of when bands were discontinued or updated.

Cheap Cohibas do not exist.

If someone is offering really low prices on hard to find Cohiba cigars, they’re fake. No one is selling 1966s, let alone at bargain prices. Behikes, Esplendidos, Siglo VI and other top Cohibas should be demanding top prices, anything less and it’s to be avoided. A clear giveaway is the holographic head on the band is often off centre, this is never the case on a real Cohiba. Save your money, and buy a more budget line of Cuban cigars, or splash out on the real thing for an exceptional treat.

“My friend/brother/cousin/cat/dog/mouse works at the factory” – stop.

No, no he doesn’t. If anyone is feeding you this lie, avoid at all costs. Do not speak to this con artist again.

I can see clearly now the lid is glass… they’re fake.

If you can see through the lid, they’re fake. The glass or clear acrylic lid boxes of Cohiba, or a selection of different Cuban brands are always fake. The phrase often repeated is, “No Cuban cigars come in a glass lid box.”, so don’t buy them.

Behik-isn’t / Befake

Cohiba Behikes, or BHK, are the most faked cigar in the world, due to them being the rarest and most expensive. If someone is offering you a Behike, or you see them for sale, or someone “gifts” you one, chances are it’s fake. Behikes are almost impossible to find, they’re in very short supply and only a few boxes are given to each retailer each year. These are usually snapped up as soon as they are available, and usually for over a £1000 a box, so they’re not really something you are just going to stumble upon at a “great” price.

I’ll just leave this here… Stickers should be stuck on!

Sticker positioning is another giveaway, even though it seems to be one of the easiest things to get right, so has always bemused me. The trend for fakes used to be that the Cuban warranty label was the wrong way round, but for some unknown reason the more recent trend is that they’re just chucked in the box, rather than stuck on. This should be a really obvious sign – stickers are meant to be stuck.

Wrapped up in a fake

There are no Cuban barber pole wrapper cigars. This one pictured is a fake, it looks very fancy, but it is definitely fake. Barbers pole wrappers might look unique and interesting, but if it's on a Cuban, give it a miss. Once you get an eye for Habanos, you can usually tell a genuine one just by the wrapper and cap quality, and how it is rolled.

How to verify with the barcode.

Follow this guide here to learn how to verify your cigars with the barcode: https://online-cigars.com/posts/post/habanos-authenticity-checker-not-working

Why you shouldn’t smoke counterfeit cigars.

There are several reasons why you shouldn’t smoke counterfeit cigars, and they can be quite serious. The first is that you just do not know what is in the cigar, without cutting it open. If you head to social media or forums, you will be able to find pictures people have posted of their dissected fakes. Some of these cigars are made in very unsanitary environments, with very little care, using very low quality tobacco, or other leaves. Some of the items found inside fakes are nails (metal and finger), hair (animal or human), dirt, sawdust, rat droppings… I don’t think I need to go on, as I’m feeling ill just thinking about it. Another reason is that supporting the counterfeit market just allows it to grow and get better at deceiving others, it also might fund other illegal activities. So just say no. And try and advise others in the nicest way possible.