Finding and Buying Genuine Cuban Cigars

Quality Cuban cigars have been always been popular due to their rich and delightful flavors. However, unless you are experienced or know what to look for, it’s a tough job finding and buying Havana cigars that are genuine. And this applies to whether you are buying them online or at your local cigar store.

With so many cigar websites, differentiating which ones offer the real thing and which ones are fraudulent is not easy.

So how does one find quality premium cigars and buy them with total confidence?

Guidelines for Buying Real Cuban Cigars

The number one rule when buying cigars has always been buyer beware. You must keep this in mind regardless of whether you are purchasing them in person or over the Internet. Fake, black market cigars wrapped in Cuban bands can be found everywhere.

Below are certain guidelines that can help you find and buy genuine Cuban cigars:

• The best thing is to purchase cigars from a known or legitimate online cigar store and not from any dealer who would try to sell any Cuban brand at lower costs. This includes auction sites.
  
  
• Expect to pay big dollars for a box of Cuban cigars. Select a specific cigar and visit a few websites to compare prices. While there will be differences in price, they should all fall within a certain range. Anything below that range should be avoided.
  
  
• Instead of ordering a full box, order a cigar sampler first. Samplers allow you to test the quality of the cigars. At some websites, you can also buy individual cigars.
  
  
• Premium Havana cigars are always sold in sealed boxes and come with the dark green and white Havana Seal label which reads "Republica de Cuba. Sello de garantia nacional de procedencia" – the warranty from the Cuban Government for cigars exported from Havana.
  
  The box should also have the Habanos chevron on the top upper right corner of dress boxes and top lower left corner of cabinets.
  
  
• If you decide to buy online, examine the policies regarding pricing, shipping, returns, methods of payment, etc. Conscientious cigar retailers should offer fast shipping to minimize the time the Cuban cigars are in transit.

More Online Resources

These guidelines, while helpful, are not foolproof. It’s only after years of close observation, inspection and experience will you develop the ability to easily identify counterfeit cigars.

However there are a number of websites that can provide more extensive details and further your education. The Ultimate Counterfeit Cuban Cigar Primer is perhaps the best article ever written on the subject.

SmokeMag.com has a 4-part feature called Spotting Cuban Cigars. Although a little outdated, the basics still apply.

At HavanaJournal.com, you can see the astounding differences between a fake and real Cuban cigar. They used Cohiba Esplendidos, one of the more commonly counterfeited, for their comparison.

Romeo y Julieta Churchills, Hoyo de Monterrey Double Coronas, and Montecristo No. 2 cigars are also counterfeited because of their legendary status and their ability to fetch big money.