How to Buy Authentic Cuban Cigars - A Guide to Authenticating your Cubans

Buying Cuban cigars can be tricky, but informed buyers can ensure they end up with the real deal. The counterfeit Cuban cigar market is a multi-million dollar business. There are even fakes being sold in Cuba.

Do you think the Cuban cigars you bought last vacation are the real deal? They probably aren't. If you purchased them at any tourist destination, and it wasn't in an official La Casa del Habano store (LCDH), then they are not legit.

There are only two ways to be 100% sure you are buying authentic Cuban Cigars

• Visit an official La Casa del Habano store (LCDH), of course there are none in the USA. Cancun Mexico has one, as well as other common central America travel destinations. You can also find them in Canada, however the tobacco tax in Canada is absolutely insane. You can expect to pay double the normal price of a cigar.

-or-

• You can simply buy SEALED boxes from reputable online retailers, there is 5-10 legit retailers, and the bonus is they are usually tax-free. These retailers are located overseas, most ship from Switzerland. The most important factor in guaranteeing authentic Cuban cigars, is they must be sealed when they arrive, at least until you trust your retailer. The only true way to guarantee authenticity are Cuban cigars bought by the box, and left sealed.

Next I will show you how to verify a box of Cuban cigars. You will see the importance of sealed boxes.

I will use an old box of my Romeo y Julieta Short Churchills as an example.

The official Habanos seal now features a hologram at the top of the seal, and a barcode at the bottom. The only way to open the box, is to break the seal.

The barcode has to match the number which is printed multiple times within the artwork of the seal. The number printed within the ornate art of the Habanos seal features micro-print, wherein a scanner, unless it costs a fortune, cannot duplicate this portion of the seal when scanned and printed.

You will need a magnifying glass.

Zooming in with my iphone, which is looking through the magnifying glass, you can see the number:

The number matches. This was the best photo I could get with my iphone, so you might not be able to discern it clearly, it is much clearer in person. If you cannot find the micro-print, or the seal looks unprofessional, you should be very suspicious. Although, this does not apply for older boxes, the micro-print is newer tech, rolled out around 2008.

The last step is to verify the number on the official Habanos.com website. Go to the verify button on the upper right:

Enter the number and the type of barcode it is:

Then Habanos.com will tell you exactly what you have. If it matches, you have a legitimate box of Cuban Cigars. If it doesn't, be very suspicious.

You can see the importance of a sealed box. I can take this unsealed box, and stuff it with fake Romeo y Julieta's, and it will still show up as authentic. Many online retailers like to inspect the cigars before shipment for things like damage, tobacco beetle infestation (yuck), etc. This is indeed normal, however, request sealed boxes only when ordering to ensure peace of mind.

Every online retailer I deal with guarantees shipment from loss, confiscation at customs (which is common but has not happened to me yet), and damage. They will ship another box at no charge.

It is important to note this guide does not apply for older boxes of Cuban cigars. Sometime around 2008 is when they rolled out this new system to fight counterfitters.

For older boxes, your only option is to trust your sources of the cigasr. You can locate box dates on the back of every Cuban cigar box:

And where do I buy all of my Cuban Cigars?
With the exception of single sticks from very trusted friends (who get theirs from retailers I know), I go with cigarsofhabanos.com. I have never had an issue with them over the years.

Thanks for reading, I hope some of you smokers find this useful for future reference.
Cheers Steemers!

-Greg