So I got a box of what I was told are CC, they are around a 48-50 RG 5 1/2 or 6 Monte Cristo Torpedo. I trust the source I got them from as he spends a lot of time in the Islands and knows his stogies fairly well but I just dont know. What are the ways you can tell if its a real CC or just a fakie?
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And on a side note, these were a gift from him so I'm not out any dough and won't feel swindled or anything if they are fakes but I just would like to know. They smoke like a champ though.
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Smoke them, that's really the only way I can tell a fake from a real one. If you trust your source than your answer should be fairly easy to come up with. :-)
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A great research site is here: http://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/

There are a few others that have no obvious errors (or at least correct them quickly), but this is the one that I use.

You can check the box code, the seal, the bands and other indicators. The above site will help with them all.
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Well not really. If somebody had no experience with Havanas how would they know they taste the way they are supposed to?

Post up some photos. The entire cigar, the head, the foot, close up of the band, the box, the bottom if the box. Wont be definitive, but its best that can be done over the computer.
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Thanks for the tips guys. I don't have the original box as my guy reboxed them to get em back home safe so checkin the box is out. I may not be able to be 100% on ID I guess. I haven't smoke many CCs so my judgement on their authenticity may not be great, but they are very good smokes (to me anyway) and I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, real or fake.
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I don't have the bands or the box as my guy dumped em to get past customs, I have had these guys for about 10 years smoke em about 1 a year. I wasn't for sure if there was some way to tell by the way they were wrapped or something that I could use to identify. I will say that they seem to not be wrapped as tight as NCs that I have smoked ie easier draw, not as firm feeling.
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Like Moe suggested, post some detailed photos. He's a smart egg. Without a box or bands it gets harder but sometimes it is easier to confirm a "fake" than a real. Also if when you take photos lay them all side by side to show if there is consistency or not, that can help.
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I will try and get some pics posted on here as soon as I get a chance. Thanks everyone for all the advice and putting up with a relative newbie like me!
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Pictures of unbanded cigars will only lead to speculation and guesses. Unless a cigar is very obviously fake(bad construction, wrong size, etc) it is very difficult to tell by seeing a picture. Check the measurements exactly and compare to a true Monte #2 shown on the site mentioned.

Monte #2's are one of the most faked cigars in the world. It has been speculated in many articles that 30-60% of the Cuban cigars in the US are fake. Many legitimate shops in the US sell fake CC's out of the back room.
Also, fake does not necessarily mean bad. A few months ago I smoked a Cohiba "Esplendido" that came from Cuban and through two other countries. It was clearly a fake band, but it was still a very good cigar. :-)

Did these come directly from Cuba or from another location in the Carribean?
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"Supposedly" they came direct from Cuba. My buddy goes down to the Carribean 2-3 times a year and has done so for 20+ years (hotel business) and has a guy down there that he has been buying from that "supposedly" brings them over from Cuba himself. Hes been getting 2-3 boxes a year (same thing every time) from same guy for over 20 years but who knows cause when money is involved honesty has a way of being absent. This is pretty fun though trying to play super slueth!
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RED FLAG!!!! Anytime they come from a friend who has a friend...:-)
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If you had a parejo (a straight sided cigar) you can sometimes rule out fakes by the cap. Cubans will have a triple cap (shown below)

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However, this is not a tell tale sign of a real Havana, as even some NCs (Tatuaje, Pepins, etc) have started finishing their cigars with triple caps. Its more of a way to rule out a cigar from being real- no triple cap =fake.

If you want to sacrifice one, you could always cut it open. If the filler is made with scraps, then unfortunately they are fake. If they are made with long filler, again, youre one step closer.

If youre enjoying them, it doesnt really matter if they are fake or real. They might just be some very good cigars, maybe even made with Cuban tobacco... just not "authentic" Monte 2s. The only reason I would be curious is because Ive heard of some real nasty $hit found in those fakes.
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My advice....Since
1) They were w gift
2) They do not have the original box
3) They do not have the bands.
At this point there is no way to prove or disprove anything.
4) Thinking they are fake might ruin your enjoyment or disappoint you.

Just smoke the damn things and enjoy it.
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:-) You can be a glass full or glass empty person or you can simply enjoy the drink.
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Solid advice!
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I'm a "there's clearly room for more vodka" kind of person.
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this
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