Anyone following the "fake cigars at cbid" stuff on other forums?
- Thread starter Senor Perfecto
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jonnylieberman
Ask Me About Outrage
All cigars are fake
And to ensure this we should all send you a portion of our sticks for testing? I mean one can never be too sure.
For the Blancos, yes. Blanco admitted selling them the rights in a CO video. He also admitted to CI telling him they had production issues. I have no clue on the Opus.
3/5King
Shwing!
I was specifically referencing the Opus but thank you Mike. I dug around a bit on the opus, which I've found much reference to the fake double Robusto Opus Scorpio but not anything linking faked opus to CI or CBid. Not saying it isn't out there, but I haven't found it yet. Anyone does, please link it.
What gets me is that Glynn has been talking about this bait and switch for a long time and people are acting like it is something new. He added the word fake (wrongly) and everybody lost their mind. Yet in an earlier video he had addressed this specific issue with the man that sold them the rights. Before that he had mentioned that cigar companies sell the rights to defunct blends to the massive stores on a regular basis.
The internet ignored it before and will forget it soon enough.
The internet ignored it before and will forget it soon enough.
You just blew my mind....
This issue may've been out there for some time and while I was remiss in failing to take notice, I'm aware of it now, thanks to a BOTL who posted it. For me, the ultimate responsibility for quality control rests solely with the guy taking my money- the retailer. When I buy a stick based on CI's ad, they need to send me precisely what they represent that cigar to be. In their ad for "los Blancos" they tout that floor trash as a "premium cigar" replete with the appetizing recipe of adjectives. This, to me, is a far more egregiously
fraudulent characterization of that product than Brian's sincere use of the word, "fake".
fraudulent characterization of that product than Brian's sincere use of the word, "fake".
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According to Cigar Aficionado, there are fake Opus X, as well as a few other NC's - http://www.cigaraficionado.com/counterfeit
Not to suggest that Aficionado is the supreme authority on cigars, but I have to think that they would be pretty competent at identifying fakes...
Precisely! C.I. has an ethical responsibility to their customers to conduct a transparent investigation into this and be forthcoming with the truth. The guy who caught them ain't to blame.
If they're going to sell trash on the sly in this case, what makes anyone believe they won't engage in more
fraud involving the sticks we do buy often?
Saw the video before it was pulled. There was no long filler OR short filler. It was goddamn floor sweepings not even fit for a Backwoods Smoke.
Theres been a bunch of stuff pulled down by CI due to threat of legal action. I also remember seeing that members of other boards were banned from cbid forums for simply discussing it. Furthermore, when I started getting into cigars circa 2009 there was another issue with cbid selling different fake Fuentes, these were rare and expensive sticks like BBMFs, Chili Peppers, etc. They had real bands and were decent looking replicas except for one small difference - they smoked and tasted like shit. Most of the stuff I had read in the past was from the CF forums IIRC.
3/5King
Shwing!
I'd like to see some of the facts. I mean, that's just something that goes with the truth. I can't find anything and CI and CBid still sell Fuente products. I get why they take quick action and heads roll because gossip is like wild fire and can end you quick, even if it isn't true. All of this talk is over a 1.00 cigar. I know big business do some unsavory things but I'm just looking for the facts and haven't been presented with any yet.
3/5King
Shwing!
The opus x Scorpio Maduro is a real cigar, just not in a "double Robusto" size. If you have a link confirming CI or CBid of selling the double Robusto, I'd love to see it.
I've bought two in the past. I will check my emails and see if I can find a receipt.
Correction: I bought Scorpio maduro. I am not a Fuente expert when it comes to rare stuff but mine were sold as 2010s but were single banded. As far as I know, the Scorpio maduros were dual banded.
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THIS is pretty significant.
Unless the cigar makers are printing their own bands, then it's entirely possible that some printers sell (or have sold) the genuine bands to counterfeiters out the back door. Think about it - they're already geared up for production, so it costs them virtually nothing to just go ahead and make more while they're at it. Economies of scale. Now, do people who print cigar bands engage in shady business practices? I have no idea - I would imagine that as with most other things, most are honest and there are a few bad apples... But, even at an honest printing business, it would only take a single employee to smuggle a bunch of bands out and sell them to the right - or in this case wrong - buyers. And then boom, here come the fakes.
I don't work for CI and I'm not associated with them except as a customer, but I have no reason to suspect that CI would knowingly sell fakes. Too much reputation at stake. That said, I'm confident that fakes of NC brands are out there, and that many of the people selling them don't even know that they're fakes. Perhaps the question should be, does CI always buy direct from the manufacturers? Or are there third parties involved that could be deceiving them about the true nature of their product?
3/5King
Shwing!
The fuente bands were stolen, is what I read.
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That would also make sense...