My dad got some Cohibas a couple of months ago in the DR and gave me a few. I haven't tried them yet (I just got them Saturday) but I noticed they're not the red dot kind - the band says Cohiba in gold shiny lettering on a white background, and then below that in an orange background it says Republica Dominicana. I'm not sure if this is a different type of Cohiba manufactured for sale in the DR or if this is a counterfeit - any thoughts??

Do they look like this?

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"Beliefs are neat. Cherish them, but don't share them like they're the truth" Bill Hicks

I used my Google-fu and it looks like they are cigars made in the DR by a company there that isn't actually the real Cohiba. For some reason another company got the trademark of Cohiba in the DR and are only allowed to make it for the Dominican Republic. Not illegal to have them in the states and from the couple of reviews I read, it's nothing special. Just an everyday 3 to 4$ cigar.

Here's a pic of the band:

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brsmith21:

I've heard the first step is admitting that you have a problem. Thankfully, I don't have a problem. I'll just smoke more.

Nice Garen...mind posting a link so I can see what these look like?

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"Beliefs are neat. Cherish them, but don't share them like they're the truth" Bill Hicks

Garen, I tried Googling them and failed, can you post some links? Edit: Actually, mine don't look like that. There's no black dots, and the Cohiba writing is in gold. Still probably a fake though?

Here's the link to the other board I found.
Number 1 Link.
Number 2 Link

First link is to another cigar forum, (which I don't frequent) and the second is also to another forum and the most relevant posts are the third down in orange and the last post in the thread.

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brsmith21:

I've heard the first step is admitting that you have a problem. Thankfully, I don't have a problem. I'll just smoke more.

Garen B:

I used my Google-fu and it looks like they are cigars made in the DR by a company there that isn't actually the real Cohiba. For some reason another company got the trademark of Cohiba in the DR and are only allowed to make it for the Dominican Republic. Not illegal to have them in the states and from the couple of reviews I read, it's nothing special. Just an everyday 3 to 4$ cigar.

Here's a pic of the band:

I have never seen a band for a Dominican Cohiba that looks like that...that is fake...just look at the bands in the cigar section here for Cohibas that is what the real thing looks like there.

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My Inventory

So CCOM says the Red Dot is the Dominican Cohiba made for sale in the US. Is there possibly a different Dominican Cohiba made for sale somewhere else?

asolomon:

So CCOM says the Red Dot is the Dominican Cohiba made for sale in the US. Is there possibly a different Dominican Cohiba made for sale somewhere else?

Actually I just remembered there are 2 companies in DR that produce Cohiba....General Cigar and I cannot remember the name of the other but I actually have some at home....I will post name and pic tonight, these are very obscure though, they are actually not bad...I have some churchills and torpedos

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My Inventory

I have been browsing these forums for a while without posting, but I had to chime in on this post. 

I went to the Dominican last spring and brought a box of these back with me.  The guy in the shop gave me one to smoke, and then I bought a sealed box from him.  When I got home I opened up the box and the labels were as you described.  I cut one open and it was filled with junk, bits of seeds, stems, and scrap tobacco.

I ended up throwing the whole box away.  I was very glad I only spent $40 on the box.  Like my wife said to me, a visit to a third world country isn't complete until you have been swindled.

I saw the other labels that someone else identified (with the yellow and black checkered pattern) and identified those as fakes, but they got me on the others.

Did they look like this? The manufacturer is Caoba

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My Inventory

poypoyking:

I have been browsing these forums for a while without posting, but I had to chime in on this post. 

I went to the Dominican last spring and brought a box of these back with me.  The guy in the shop gave me one to smoke, and then I bought a sealed box from him.  When I got home I opened up the box and the labels were as you described.  I cut one open and it was filled with junk, bits of seeds, stems, and scrap tobacco.

I ended up throwing the whole box away.  I was very glad I only spent $40 on the box.  Like my wife said to me, a visit to a third world country isn't complete until you have been swindled.

I saw the other labels that someone else identified (with the yellow and black checkered pattern) and identified those as fakes, but they got me on the others.

Ugh.... sure they're the same ones, poypoy? Gold lettering, orange "Republica Dominicana" band...?

Well, sure sounds like it, but you never know.  I know they didn't look like the picture above your post here.  Could always try smoking one and find out :)  I think you would be able to tell pretty easily from the burn and flavors.

Oh God. So I decided to light one up today (I'm congested due to a cold, so if it tastes terrible I figure I'd notice it less lol). It felt really spongy and was already coming apart at the foot. Punched it with the punch on my Bugatti B-1 and the thing just fell apart. I opened it up because hey, might as well, and sure enough, a ton of short filler with some stems and boy did it smell gross. Glad I didn't smoke it! Had a Romeo y Julieta Habana Reserve instead, it was a little dried out since it spent a month or so outside a humidor (I got it over break and my humi was at school) but after a few months in the humi it smoked pretty damn well :)

It fell apart after just punching it? Jeez man, you might just want to burn the rest for warmth or use it to light your bbq. Hope you get over that cold soon, nothing sucks worse than having great smoking weather and being too sick to enjoy a stogie.

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brsmith21:

I've heard the first step is admitting that you have a problem. Thankfully, I don't have a problem. I'll just smoke more.