Great article and video James. But no toasting the cigar when lighting? Common...I was shocked when you put that match up the cigar to puff right away, while watching I was thinking "oh he's not gonna do that he's just messing around, oh no, he's not toasting!! Nooooooooo!" something like that.
"Is that a Churchill cigar in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?"
I agree the article is an interesting read, but it puts into question what almost every veteran forum member has said over and over. You cannot get legit CC's from US stores. This undermines that position and may make it more likely that unsuspecting consumers will be duped into buying fakes.
Originally posted by bburnham17: I agree the article is an interesting read, but it puts into question what almost every veteran forum member has said over and over. You cannot get legit CC's from US stores. This undermines that position and may make it more likely that unsuspecting consumers will be duped into buying fakes.
Yes, and timely I'd say as well. We just finished a thread in CC area about some overpriced Monte #2's my poor friend purchased. Some members assume that they can't possibly be authentic. This is a strange idea to me, particularly when you consider these same members buy CC's over the internet with the opposite assumption. Why wouldn't some risk taker do the same thing, and sell authentic product at 100% markup at a local B&M?
I'd say the odd are good it happens more than we admit, and the risks are VERY low to the actors.
Posts: 613 | Location: Alabama | Registered: November 09, 2006
Originally posted by dstokely: Great article and video James. But no toasting the cigar when lighting? Common...I was shocked when you put that match up the cigar to puff right away, while watching I was thinking "oh he's not gonna do that he's just messing around, oh no, he's not toasting!! Nooooooooo!" something like that.
Great video James...sometimes i don't toast the foot...just fire the Fu<kin thing up...
Posts: 1389 | Location: THE BUCKEYE STATE | Registered: June 24, 2007
Originally posted by bburnham17: I agree the article is an interesting read, but it puts into question what almost every veteran forum member has said over and over. You cannot get legit CC's from US stores. This undermines that position and may make it more likely that unsuspecting consumers will be duped into buying fakes.
One question here may be; Do they know who the buyer is. As I doubt any vendor, knowing they are selling a smoke to an editor of the most prolific cigar mag on the planet, would give them a fake. The cameras are rolling and it's time to put up the real deal. To say that all Cuban cigar purchased in US are fake, is still a very good blanket statment/rule of thumb to go by.
And James- I'm cracking up over, the shag top and the dark glasses- you look like a psydo-cognito retired rock star.
"It is good that warriors such as we meet in the struggle of life"
Posts: 1100 | Location: Indianapolis | Registered: January 07, 2007
Originally posted by bburnham17: I agree the article is an interesting read, but it puts into question what almost every veteran forum member has said over and over. You cannot get legit CC's from US stores. This undermines that position and may make it more likely that unsuspecting consumers will be duped into buying fakes.
Yes, and timely I'd say as well. We just finished a thread in CC area about some overpriced Monte #2's my poor friend purchased. Some members assume that they can't possibly be authentic. This is a strange idea to me, particularly when you consider these same members buy CC's over the internet with the opposite assumption. Why wouldn't some risk taker do the same thing, and sell authentic product at 100% markup at a local B&M?
But why would someone pay a 100% markup when the odds are highly against them getting authentic product in a U.S. B&M? Why not pay half the price (or less) to a legitimate overseas online retailer (or an LCDH) who is in the business of selling authentic Cuban cigars for a living and not as a "sideline" to make a quick buck?
There is little to no incentive for those who are NC retailers to sell authentic Cubans. Sure, they might make a quick buck occasionally, but they are turning their back on their bread and butter, which is non-Cuban cigars. If they turned on too many people to authentic Cubans, then their NC's will cease to fly off the shelves. And sooner or later, the guys that buy Cubans at 100% markup will wise up and start buying them online. It's a losing proposition for the NC retailer long-term.
I believe most of the U.S. retailers that sell bogus Cubans either do so unknowingly or simply negligently...in other words, not pre-meditated. Their business is non-Cubans and they generally don't know any more about Cuban cigars than an authorized Habanos dealer would know about Dominican cigars...in other words, not very much.
However, I don't doubt for a second that some of the more unscrupulous NC retailers knowingly sell fake Cuban cigars...not only for profit, but as a way to be able to effectively claim that "Cuban" cigars are no better than NC's.
Bottom line, is that just because James Suckling might have found an authentic Cuban cigar for sale somewhere in L.A. doesn't mean it happens with any kind of frequency. Matter of fact, that's probably why he thought the blog would be of interest...because such an occurence does happen so INfrequently.
Better beautiful than perfect
Posts: 1022 | Location: AZ | Registered: September 11, 2005
I could see how an dishonest B&M could put fakes in the hands of some customers in an attempt to quell the constant cuban talk. However, I doubt the $25 PSD4 is going to turn guys onto CC's. Instead I think many will wonder what all the hype is about, and keep with the NC's. The same customers could probably save $ on all of their purchases NC and otherwise over the internet, but customers still keep going to B&M's.
Bottom line its a bad idea to make a local B&M your source for CC's no matter if its authenticity or pricing thats the issue.
Posts: 613 | Location: Alabama | Registered: November 09, 2006
Originally posted by The Peacemaker: But why would someone pay a 100% markup when the odds are highly against them getting authentic product in a U.S. B&M? Why not pay half the price (or less) to a legitimate overseas online retailer (or an LCDH) who is in the business of selling authentic Cuban cigars for a living and not as a "sideline" to make a quick buck?
There is little to no incentive for those who are NC retailers to sell authentic Cubans. Sure, they might make a quick buck occasionally, but they are turning their back on their bread and butter, which is non-Cuban cigars. If they turned on too many people to authentic Cubans, then their NC's will cease to fly off the shelves. And sooner or later, the guys that buy Cubans at 100% markup will wise up and start buying them online. It's a losing proposition for the NC retailer long-term.
I believe most of the U.S. retailers that sell bogus Cubans either do so unknowingly or simply negligently...in other words, not pre-meditated. Their business is non-Cubans and they generally don't know any more about Cuban cigars than an authorized Habanos dealer would know about Dominican cigars...in other words, not very much.
However, I don't doubt for a second that some of the more unscrupulous NC retailers knowingly sell fake Cuban cigars...not only for profit, but as a way to be able to effectively claim that "Cuban" cigars are no better than NC's.
Bottom line, is that just because James Suckling might have found an authentic Cuban cigar for sale somewhere in L.A. doesn't mean it happens with any kind of frequency. Matter of fact, that's probably why he thought the blog would be of interest...because such an occurence does happen so INfrequently.
Good stuff there.
I'll add:
Why sell real cigars at 100% markup, when you can sell fake ones at 500%? And have many, if not the majority of people who buy them come back again and again for more, because they're "Cuban," and therefore must be good, even if they taste like crap? It happens with some regularity from things I've observed at various cigar shops.
