Fake Cohiba Maduro?

[RCh]

First of all, hello to everyone and thanks for all the valuable information you share here. I've been hanging around for some time under the 'guest' disguise and was an active reader but not so active writer.

I've recently bought a box of Cohiba Maduro Magico from an online retailer (by the way, I live in a country where CC's are perfectly legal ). The price was low but not alarmingly low.

Knowing how much fake Cohibas are floating around I was very peculiar in my examination of the article.

The box looked great and all seals were in place. Surprisingly, the seals were on the outside carton and not on the wooden box, but from other reviews I learned that this is normal. I was a little worried about loose bands but again, some reviewers mentioned that this is due to extra-aging treatment of these cigars.

The construction seems very nice and the draw and smoke is even (I smoked 10 out of 25).

What really surprised me and what makes me feel suspicious about these cigars is the color of the wrapper. As I understand, the 'Maduro' supposed to be really dark, at least noticeably darker than regular cigars. But these Magicos aren't dark at all. Below are some pics I took (sorry for quality - photos taken with cellphone).

I would appreciate if you could tell me (if possible) if they look OK or not really. Unfortunately, I cannot compare them with other magicos from some brick-and-mortar retailers, because non of them have these Maduro on stock.

Thanks in advance!

Robert

 

[dpricenator]

Um yeah it looks about the same color as the Sig VI I smoked last week. And is about the right color difference from the Upmann as a normal Cohiba. I noticed the Cohiba Maduro I smoked was not dark like a Fuente Anejo or anything, but certainly darker than the standard Cohiba.

Disclaimer:
I am not a CC expert.

 

[eric_f]

Firstly introduce yourself at the forums, you've landed at a great community!

Were the seals on the boxes intact when you received them?

The band positioning looks funky, but you said they were loose. When they are sorted for packaging, they put all like colors in the same lot so the boxed cigars look uniform. The band itself looks good to me. The box also looks legit. It is possible they were the lightest of the maduros, lol. Was there a Habanos leaflet in the box?

Looking at various pictures of them on the 'net there are some as light as yours so I wouldn't be too worried

IMO, it looks like someone re-banded a CoRo, but I have no idea without looking more closely.

 

[Jfire]

Looks like the 3 boxes of magicos I've had.

 

[eric_f]

Looks like the 3 boxes of magicos I've had.

Well there ya go :stretchgr

 

[BoSox55]

looks like the right wrapper color for their maduro line

 

[Jfire]

Was looking on the phone earlier. None of the 3 boxes look that light I've had. How is the flavor profile/ any certain notes out of it?

 

[Clint]

They do look light, but I'd follow the notes/questions listed by the posts above.

 

[daniyal]

The wrapper looks very light to me but that could just as well be the flash and the camera playing tricks on me.. the Maduro5's I have, have an extremely dark oily almost black wrapper to them. Never hurts to measure them they should be 52 x 4.5" you can find RG guides online relatively easily.

What's the box code and date on these bad boys?

 

[SergeantStogie]

Havent smoked any but I have drooled over them in the B&M in Germany. Looks like the ones I've seen. But if they tasted good, why worry?

 

[LiLo]

whats the box code??? Do you have the cardboard outer box that has the date stamp?? Also these picture's won't do a lot of use any good. Some more detailed shots of the band would help as well as the head and foot. Its very hard to tell with blury pictures especially with all the great fakes out there these days. If you are familiar with Habanos one of the best ways to tell is to just smoke them. Maduro wrappers can appear quite lighter than others sometimes, the fermentation process can produce many variants of color, the key is does the rest of the box look the same?? Are they all uniform? The fact that they are light does not immediately mean they are fake. Basically you need to explore all the possibilities, taste, box code, Origin, and perhaps some detailed photos and then we can make a better decision.

 

[terrantheman]

What LiLo said and JFire... Otherwise I think they look fine but I would smoke one to be sure.

 

[RCh]

Gentlemen (and Ladies?), thanks a lot for your input. As some of you mentioned, introducing myself properly is definitely a good idea and i plan to do so asap.

2 eric_f: The seals on the boxes were intact, both the stamp and embossed 'habanos' band. The leaflet was also there.

2 Lilo: Unfortunately, I've thrown away both the cardboard and the box But I'm almost ready to get another one in order to check the date and the code
As for the taste... I started smoking not long ago and I'm afraid my palate still needs further development. I can (or I hope that I can) definitely tell a good cigar from bad one, but I operate mostly with 'like/dislike', 'mild/harsh' 'light/strong' criteria. When someone starts discussing about 'fruity/earthy tones in 1st third and mint and woody flavor in last third' I start wondering whether we talk about the same subject

2 AZCigarNut: I hear you. The problem with my source is that it has really jaw-dropping prices compared to offline retailers. I hope I don't violate forum rules if I say that I paid $240 for these Maduro 5's (box of 25) which is less than half the price elsewhere in my country. I've purchased other cigars from the same source (Cohibas, R&J's, Trinidads, Upmanns, etc.). All of them were fine. Some were slightly over-humidified, but that's not a problem. But these really low prices always gave me that itchy feeling that something is not right

Overall, I'm quite happy with these Maduros. As I've mentioned, I've smoked already 10 of them and the quality was very steady - good draw, good construction (I make this conclusion from very even burn). There is an unusual acidity in the taste, which I don't notice in other Cohibas or other CC's. Also the cap has funny construction - it seems that it is somehow wrapped down, so when I cut it and remove the cap 'tail', it leaves a little 1-2mm hole in the center of the cigar.

If it would be interesting, I'll make more detailed pics and will post them here for your kind examination

 

[Jfire]

I've purchased from a (grey market vendor) who even at there cheapest wasn't near 240.00 still doesnt mean they're fake. But IMO getting to close to be "to good to be true"

 

[RCh]

I've purchased from a (grey market vendor) who even at there cheapest wasn't near 240.00 still doesnt mean they're fake. But IMO getting to close to be "to good to be true"

That's exactly my feeling.
I believe these are (very dark) grey imports. Price-wise they are very close to those offered at duty-free store in our domestic airport.

 

[Don Andres]

It is not uncommon to find colorado maduro wrappers on the '09 Mad5 and the early '10. Suffice it to say, many folks who saw them open in the humidor, were less than thrilled. Fortunately for the Mad5 fans, late '10 has brought back a much darker wrapper.

I do not believe that there was ever any substantial taste difference, bu8t there you have it.

Enjoy your Habanos

Cheers
Drew P

 

[RCh]

It is not uncommon to find colorado maduro wrappers on the '09 Mad5 and the early '10. Suffice it to say, many folks who saw them open in the humidor, were less than thrilled. Fortunately for the Mad5 fans, late '10 has brought back a much darker wrapper.

I do not believe that there was ever any substantial taste difference, bu8t there you have it.

Enjoy your Habanos

Cheers
Drew P

Oh, that is interesting information... Thanks for sharing with us. I will try to get hold of a late '10 box and will report if there is difference.

 

[stogies&hoagies]

There is an unusual acidity in the taste, which I don't notice in other Cohibas or other CC's. Also the cap has funny construction - it seems that it is somehow wrapped down, so when I cut it and remove the cap 'tail', it leaves a little 1-2mm hole in the center of the cigar.

I agree w/ you on the acidity taste on this line of cigars. I just think they will need a long time to come around. At 3 yrs old (what I've tried) I'm finding they still are not where I would like them taste wise.

The "divot" under the cap is nothing to worry about. In fact that would reassure me as to them being legitimate cigars. That's often a trademark detail found only with Cuban cigars.

Overall nothing you've said here screams fake. I have seen similar pricing. and the wrapper color is not unheard of. Relax and enjoy them.

 

[RCh]

Why continue ordering from the same source if you're not 100% SURE they're real?

Why not try a NEW source... an authorized one... and THEN compare the sticks/packaging? If you think you have fakes...... ordering MORE from the same vendor will do nothing for you, right?

Just askin', brother...

Cheers! :cbig:

I didn't say I'll buy from the same source, did I?

Honestly speaking, I'll probably do, but just because I cannot find another source for these Maduros in my country. And believe me, I tried. I visited La Casa Del Habano in Kiev, which is said to be the largest in Europe as far as stock is concerned. They don't have them either and cannot even give any estimates when they might have some.
I'll be in Nuremberg in early November and will pay a visit to La Casa there. Maybe I'll be more lucky...

Take care!
Robert