Hey,

I was just wondering if there is a surefire way of telling if a cigar is a real genuine Cuban Cigar?

Unless you're actally buying your Cuban cigars in Cuba, it's tough to know if the Cuban cigars you are being sold are actually from Cuba.

Here are a couple of expert tips to use in your cigar purchase:

* On the box: Look for a seal from the Cuban government and a "Habanos" sticker on the cover with the black silhouette of a tobacco leaf.

* Inside the box: Look for a parchment paper with the Habanos notation in brown and an introduction in four languages

* The cigars: Uniform color and placement, exact confirmation to the size ordered.

Don't forget about the triple cap.....

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Smoke'em..smoke'em amd smoke'em even more...

buy them from a legit place. no back alley deals. no yo yo's that just came back from cuba and got the old "super deal" from the bartender. smoke one , if it burns like crap and tastes like crap. it is probably shit.

I heard a story where some dudes got the old super deal in cuba, got home cut a cigar open and it had hair as filler.

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did 420seth here about the guy who went to cuba and got cigars off a hotel barman.when he got them he lite one up and smoked it.guess what it was filled with tobacco leaves not hair and was as good as any he had bought from a shop.the shmuck not noweth mucheth abouteth cuba doubt he's even been there

I would say taste... Once you have a Cuban you will be able to tell pretty well if future ones are also Cuban. But other than that it can be a crap shoot. There are quite a few reputable dealers but most a bogus...

I would try to buy them from a licensed Habanos dealer and hope for the best. Generally if it tastes really F-ing good, it's probably genuine.

First off, the boxes are key to authenticity. All Cuban cigar boxes are marked on the bottom with 3 tradmarks that are burned into the wood. The first trademark says "Habanos S.A". The second says "Hecho en Cuba". The third is "Totalmente a mano". Also, real Cuban boxes all have a date code stamped on the bottom in green, black, or blue. There is a Cuban seal wrapped on the outside on the bottom left corner of the box (unless it's a Cohiba box and those are on the bottom right). There is also the famouse white "Habanos" label on the top right corner of every Cuban box since 1994. Almost all Cuban cigars are rolled with a tripple cap. Look closely and you will see 3 roll lines in the cap. Also, use common sense. These are premium cigars and should all be uniform in size and color. All should have a consistantly solid chocolate color and few if any veins. They should be firm but have give to them. The aroma should be rich and satisfying almost sweet for some. All the labels should be consistant and have rich color , and keep in mind that NO ONE has a legit connection that allows them get REAL Cuban cigars at a fraction of the price. Most all legit Cubans are premium priced and for good reason. Check out Cigar-Aficionado's page on counterfeit Cuban cigars. It has great visuals to see for yourself. The Havana Journal also has a superb page on real vs. fake Cubans particularly Cohiba's. Cheers to all.