Help me Identify this box of Cohiba Esplendidos?

[Mike33]

your box looks exactly like mine, as for them being from honduras, i am not so sure of that. I just remember him buying cigars from there when i was younger. He might have bought these from somewhere else, I just think it would be rude of me question him about a box of cigars hes been saving for the birth of his first grandson, know what i mean ? The codes and seal threw me off too, I figure they do not automaticly seal and ship boxes the day they are packaged, but slap on the seals when they ship ?

I totally agree with you, I wouldn't question it with him. Its an incredibly nice gesture and you should enjoy them for what they are. They certainly look authentic to me from the pics and if that the case, you've got some 7/8 year old esplendidos and I am EXTREMELY jealous!

You should post an intro and get to know everyone around here, great people and lots of information to digest.

 

[lakai]

See this is part I don't understand if you are as versed as you say, why ask why? Enjoy the cigars for what you think they are. If they have the taste profile that they should then they are what they are supposed to be.

No flame meant and I do not get my jollies in that fashion, so please don't take it as such.

because I am excited and curious !!! Just the anticipation of smoking and possibly sharing these is worth holding out on opening them for a few days. I am a skeptical person by nature and just knowing for sure just makes it even better, you know ? Afterall they are the Ultimate "It's a Boy Cigars". Not intended to keep locked up all to myself.

No offense taken, I just know how it feels to be on both sides of a flame when i was younger, but I grew up and out of it.

 

[tone-ny]

See this is part I don't understand if you are as versed as you say, why ask why? Enjoy the cigars for what you think they are. If they have the taste profile that they should then they are what they are supposed to be.

No flame meant and I do not get my jollies in that fashion, so please don't take it as such.

because I am excited and curious !!! Just the anticipation of smoking and possibly sharing one of these is worth holding out on opening them for a few days. I am a skeptical person by nature and just knowing for sure just makes it even better, you know ?

No offense taken, I just know how it feels to be on both sides of a flame when i was younger, but I grew up and out of it.

Then you'll be able to find further information out when you open the box. Enjoy them and congratulations.

 

[bfreebern]

because I am excited and curious !!! Just the anticipation of smoking and possibly sharing one of these is worth holding out on opening them for a few days. I am a skeptical person by nature and just knowing for sure just makes it even better, you know ?

Have you ever smoked a Cohiba or seen one before this box? Just an honest question. The only real way to know is to smoke one.

 

[BobbyRitz]

I've been lurking on these forums for quite awhile, so I know every box shown by anyone but a veteran member is almost automaticly considered a fake.

I know for many people that it is your sole joy to tell a guy he got suckered, and I can admit that it is quite fun doing that haha, but i'm not trying to debate about wether these are real or not, my question was about the date :] Thanks for all your input guys. I appreciate it.


P.S. Sorry if I come off as a jerk, having a newborn ( as many of you know ) takes away your sanity due to lack of sleep.

Lakai - Welcome to CP.

I have to respectfully disagree with your first quote. It is my opinion that the veteran members look for inconsistencies when evaluating Habanos. Rather than unilaterally telling someone that they have counterfeit cigars, the veteran members members here look for keys that let them know that a cigar might be authentic. There is a difference.

We are all new to the investigation into fake v. authentic Habanos as there isn't a great deal of information available. I can safely tell you that we are more than happy that Wilkey and Andrew (Ginseng and moki) choose to be members here. Perhaps one day your analysis of Habanos will equally received. Until then, accept what others here have to say about your Esplendidos.

I look forward you learning more about you and your knowledge of Habanos.

Rob

EDIT: Changed my mind about a few things.

 

[indyrob]

The "Habanos" chevron is in the wrong place (should be upper-right).

The Cuban seal is in the wrong place (it should be lower-left on this box)

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but... color me skeptical on these.

I've been lurking on these forums for quite awhile, so I know every box shown by anyone but a veteran member is almost automaticly considered a fake.

I am not questioning the authenticity of this box as much as I am wondering the age. I've never had a box older than 2001 before that is why I am asking to see if anyone actually has a box to compare with, not just from what you read on in forums. All the information about boxcodes are mainly 2004 and up, and I definitly know they are older than that.

As for the date saying its from 04/99 and the new seal for 2000, I got this from cigar nexus.

"We here at CigarNexus.com cracked the new NETAGIDOCU code inside of a few months which threw Habanos S.A. into a frenzy to modify the codes yet again. In May of 1999, Habanos countered by shipping cigars with an even newer factory/date coding. However many of the factories did not implement these newer codes or started coding boxes with a hybrid code that was comprised of the old codes, the new codes we cracked, and the even newer codes. Needless to say, many of the Cuban box codes from 1999 still remain a mystery to most. Thankfully, Habanos S.A. seems to have adopted yet another, but easier to read format for all the date codes beginning in the Year 2000."

I know for many people that it is your sole joy to tell a guy he got suckered, and I can admit that it is quite fun doing that haha, but i'm not trying to debate about wether these are real or not, my question was about the date :] Thanks for all your input guys. I appreciate it.


P.S. Sorry if I come off as a jerk, having a newborn ( as many of you know ) takes away your sanity due to lack of sleep.

These guys are trying to help you ID a suspect box of Cohiba's, which you probably already know is the most counterfited cigar out there. If you buy from duty free shops you should already know that the placement of the chevron & seal are a dead give-away to it's other than legitamate provinance.

The box has the correct code for El Laguito 04/99. If that's all you wanted to know then leave it at that.

 

[lakai]

because I am excited and curious !!! Just the anticipation of smoking and possibly sharing one of these is worth holding out on opening them for a few days. I am a skeptical person by nature and just knowing for sure just makes it even better, you know ?

Have you ever smoked a Cohiba or seen one before this box? Just an honest question. The only real way to know is to smoke one.

Yes, everytime I travel out of the country, which is 4-5 times a year. Usually siglo IV or robustos, never a esplendidos though.

 

[Gonz]

If I recall correctly Cohibas are one of the only brands that switch the placement of the seals, so the Habanos SA seals is top left and the warranty seal is bottom right. I'm not sure why they do it that way, and I think perhaps it's only certain cigars from Cohiba where it's reversed, not all of them.

 

[lakai]

These guys are trying to help you ID a suspect box of Cohiba's, which you probably already know is the most counterfited cigar out there. If you buy from duty free shops you should already know that the placement of the chevron & seal are a dead give-away to it's other than legitamate provinance.

The box has the correct code for El Laguito 04/99. If that's all you wanted to know then leave it at that.

I did not mean to be so blunt with that comment, It was not a comment directed at anyone specifically, especially those helping me. Just wanted to gain some knowledge and read some opinions from other members

 

[bfreebern]

because I am excited and curious !!! Just the anticipation of smoking and possibly sharing one of these is worth holding out on opening them for a few days. I am a skeptical person by nature and just knowing for sure just makes it even better, you know ?

Have you ever smoked a Cohiba or seen one before this box? Just an honest question. The only real way to know is to smoke one.

Yes, everytime I travel out of the country, which is 4-5 times a year. Usually siglo IV or robustos, never a esplendidos though.

Why is such a hard thing to just ask your dad where he bought them? You aren't rubbing it in his face that these are fake. I'd say something like this, "Hey pops, remember those Esplendidos you bought and gave me when XX was born, man that was an awesome thing to do. Where did you get them?" yada yada yada.

How do you know the ones you are buying 4-5 times a year are legit? Crack the box open and look at the bands, then smoke one. If you smoke Cohibas so often, then you should be able to know if these are in fact legit or not.

 

[cigar smoke]

According to the box code, those are from 04/99, which is a little odd given that it is using the new style of Cuban seal (which dates it at 2000 or later) -- some items of concern, though.

The "Habanos" chevron is in the wrong place (should be upper-right).

The Cuban seal is in the wrong place (it should be lower-left on this box)

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but... color me skeptical on these.

Ok Guys here is the real scoop.......The chevron and cuban seal are located correctly......Having said that, the contruction of the box is incorrect......there should be 5 finger joints.......Cigars are fake

 

[Ginseng]

Great catch, YoungSmoke! This is an example of where direct first hand experience is so valuable. Thank you for chiming in and setting the record straight. My Coronas Especiales box has the Habanos sticker on the upper right and the warranty seal is on the outer cardboard box.

Gary, you mean the Habanos stickers and when they added "Denominacion de origen protegida" below "Habanos?"

If these did indeed come from Honduras, then I'm afraid I'd have to agree with YoungSmoke's remarks about the probability that they are counterfeit. Ditto regarding duty-frees, non-LCDH outlets and especially hotels, 5-star or not.

http://havanajournal.com/cigars/cohibas-box

the seals are all correct, the quality of the box itself is just as good as my "for sure" authentic cohibas. Latch and everything is same as pictured in the above link. I've been lurking on these forums for quite awhile, so I know every box shown by anyone but a veteran member is almost automaticly considered a fake. I have collected and smoked quite a few 100% authentic cohibas for about 5 years now, and have always purchased from duty-free at airports, or in premium cigar shops, or 5 star hotels while traveling out of the country. I am not questioning the authenticity of this box as much as I am wondering the age. I've never had a box older than 2001 before that is why I am asking to see if anyone actually has a box to compare with, not just from what you read on in forums. All the information about boxcodes are mainly 2004 and up, and I definitly know they are older than that.

As for the date saying its from 04/99 and the new seal for 2000, I got this from cigar nexus.

"We here at CigarNexus.com cracked the new NETAGIDOCU code inside of a few months which threw Habanos S.A. into a frenzy to modify the codes yet again. In May of 1999, Habanos countered by shipping cigars with an even newer factory/date coding. However many of the factories did not implement these newer codes or started coding boxes with a hybrid code that was comprised of the old codes, the new codes we cracked, and the even newer codes. Needless to say, many of the Cuban box codes from 1999 still remain a mystery to most. Thankfully, Habanos S.A. seems to have adopted yet another, but easier to read format for all the date codes beginning in the Year 2000."

I know for many people that it is your sole joy to tell a guy he got suckered, and I can admit that it is quite fun doing that haha, but i'm not trying to debate about wether these are real or not, my question was about the date :] Thanks for all your input guys. I appreciate it.

P.S. Sorry if I come off as a jerk, having a newborn ( as many of you know ) takes away your sanity due to lack of sleep.

As for your post here, yes, you are being a dick. BobbyRitz has a 10 week old son and he knows enough not to type when he's tired and on a short fuse. When you come here for help, suck it up and listen to what people say and the discussion that your specimen triggers.

You do us all a great disservice by characterizing our interest and desire to help as schadenfreude or callous rubbernecking. I'm insulted. You may have been lurking on this forum for some time but you sure haven't come to understand how this community operates. And you certainly haven't seen that the cases that come up are almost without exception true as suspected, counterfeits. I always hope that it is not the case, but so many times it is.

As for the fact that you only care to confirm the date, I believe Indyrob has given you the answer you're looking for. Since you would not want to ask your dad about the provenance (I wouldn't either) just be grateful for the gift, crack the box and smoke them as if they were real whether or not they are. That fact seems insignificant compared to the sentiment involved.

Good luck to you, sir.

Wilkey

Edit: grammar for clarity

 

[Ginseng]

Ok Guys here is the real scoop.......The chevron and cuban seal are located correctly......Having said that, the contruction of the box is incorrect......there should be 5 finger joints.......Cigars are fake

I would pay attention to what Bob says.

Wilkey

 

[lakai]

Why is such a hard thing to just ask your dad where he bought them? You aren't rubbing it in his face that these are fake. I'd say something like this, "Hey pops, remember those Esplendidos you bought and gave me when XX was born, man that was an awesome thing to do. Where did you get them?" yada yada yada.

It's not hard, just rude. My son was born a week ago, and he just gave this to me a few days ago and was very excited about it. Just one question leads to another question, and knowing my father he'll probably take offense.

 

[Mike33]

Why is such a hard thing to just ask your dad where he bought them? You aren't rubbing it in his face that these are fake. I'd say something like this, "Hey pops, remember those Esplendidos you bought and gave me when XX was born, man that was an awesome thing to do. Where did you get them?" yada yada yada.

It's not hard, just rude. My son was born a week ago, and he just gave this to me a few days ago and was very excited about it. Just one question leads to another question, and knowing my father he'll probably take offense.

Lakai, I think most of us are trying to help you out and give you good advice. Your tone in some of your post has taken some people by surprise because they are wanting to help you and you make it seem like you already know everything. I think a lot of us, myself included, would like you to stick around and get to know us. Skepticism is only naturally when you have never introduced yourself or added anything to the community.

 

[grateful1]

It's been said.

 

[cigar smoke]

Ok Guys here is the real scoop.......The chevron and cuban seal are located correctly......Having said that, the contruction of the box is incorrect......there should be 5 finger joints.......Cigars are fake

I would pay attention to what Bob says.

Wilkey

Thanks Wilkey........As I said the construction of the box shown only has 3 finger joints....Real one have 5............Dead giv away

Bob

 

[tone-ny]

La madera de la caja de cigaros es falsa, entonces los cigaros adientro de la caja son falsos. Punto final y hasta leugo con esa caja de Esplendidos.

 

[Ginseng]

Lakai,

Hey, first of all, congratulations on your new boy. I'm expecting my second daughter in a few weeks and I know this is a scary, tiring, exhilarating, amazing time. Worrying about cigars was the last thing on my mind when I was insane with sleep deprivation.

Normally I'm not so easy to take offense. The last few days have been rough though. This intestinal bug got me bad and yesterday it improved to the point where it felt like Mike Tyson used my midsection for a heavy bag.

If you like the community enough to lurk regularly, I invite you to introduce yourself and get involved. In many ways, you get back what you put in and this place has a lot to offer.

Wilkey

 

[cigar smoke]

Hi Lakai and welcome to cp....as you can see I am fairly new here too.....I can tell you that the last thing I would want to do is make fun of someone who bought fake cigars.......The truth is we all need to put these jurks out of business......The more knowledge we have the less likely we will purchase fakes.......It an up hill battle, but I for one came here to share my knowledge with the guys and gals here........I take no pleasure telling someone there cigars are fake.......Congrats on your new born

Bob