Cohiba Siglo IV Verfication

[butternutsquashpie]

So I just got a box of 25. Looks quite authentic with the whole smoking warning sign and even the stamped 13 date on the bottome. However, the straight corner and sticker on wax paper is drew some red flags for me........
IMG-20130321-00411.jpgIMG-20130321-00410.jpgIMG-20130321-00413.jpg

One piece of information I should note is that the mate I was with had a box of Robustos as well. It was open but he had both governement stamps and the "smoking warning" thing ready to be placed on the box. As it, the gov stickers were on a piece of wax paper and can be posted on almost anything wooden, plastic or metal.

Here're the cigars themselves. Compared to a Siglo III and an Esplendido:
IMG-20130321-00412.jpgIMG-20130321-00414.jpg
The packing is pretty nice and it smells like a stronger Siglo III.

I'm just thinking, could it be that the cigars are just the ones the blokes at the factories bring out and sell them to people?? It would explain how he would get his hand on the legitimate Government seals and stamps.

Any help is appreciated as I got this box for 385 dollars.
Thanks!!

[monkey66]

The pics are not clear enough for me to be conclusive but they do not look great...
If they came from the same source as the robustos you mentioned then they are 99% fake.

They are almost certainly not out of the factory or real seals/stamps. There are tons of fakes out there.

Take a look here

http://www.ukcigarforums.com/showthread.php?t=13117

And here

http://www.ukcigarforums.com/showthread.php?t=12923

[Simon Bolivar]

Agree with Monkey but see Monkey's motto & consume them & with good luck they'll be smokable. Oh & learn to buy from authorised dealers to avoid disappointment.

[Ryan]

From the MINSAP sticker I presume somebody bought these in Cuba and sold them to you (he made a profit even if they were real by the way).
Do you know the person and trust them?
Do they know where to buy real cigars in Cuba?
If you can't answer "yes" to both of these questions, you have bought fakes.
Sorry.
Open one up lengthways with a sharp knife, make sure there's nothing obviously in them that might be more harmful than tobacco and smoke them anyway.

[joeray]

From the 4th picture, all three bands look different, which means two out of three, possibly all three, are questionable, since all three labels are different and/or don't look right.

[butternutsquashpie]

From the 4th picture, all three bands look different, which means two out of three, possibly all three, are questionable, since all three labels are different and/or don't look right.

If 2/3 of them are fakes, I will not be happy. I got the outer left and right ones at the aeroport in Cuba, inside the aeroport......

[butternutsquashpie]

Take a look here

http://www.ukcigarforums.com/showthread.php?t=13117

I normally always try to follow those 10 instructions you listed.
The box and stickers seemed to be completely legit. Even got that nice glossy coating on the box..... The date stamp is even there and everything. But I guess I should've followed my instincts when the number on the stamp did not show up..... The red flags seemed to be there. But I guess they were too far in between to tell me not to buy em then.
Sucks.

Open one up lengthways with a sharp knife, make sure there's nothing obviously in them that might be more harmful than tobacco and smoke them anyway.

Got it. Some of them, i'm sure that they will not burn evenly. But I do wonder how they will taste. The do smell like the esplendido's horse farm mixed with some stronger tobacco that seems less fermented than the actual milder cohibas.

[joeray]

Here is what a Cohiba label should look like. Compare for yourself: http://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/ima...46058small.jpg

[seanbeer]

alll looks fine to me in the photos

[Deano]

All sounds very suspect to me, I'd be (very) inclined to think they're fakes. Proof is in the smoking tbh, the Cohiba taste is pretty easy to recognize.