A co-worker mentioned to me that his father has access to authentic Partagas in St. Barts. My question is, is there a good chance that these are actual Partagas, or should expect knock offs?

Also, is there a good way to spot a fake?
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Well,
Assuming by authentic Partagas, you mean the CC kind.
Given that island is of French origin, we know they can have them to sell if they wish.
Now knowing if legit or not? Loaded question with too many answers.
As to spotting fakes, quite complex of a response involved to be sure you hit all points.
If he is there regularly, tell him to try to find out the word on the street on the vendor he intends to use.
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P.S.
Seems there is a LCdH there.
That would be the best bet.
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LCDH is probably the only bet. Only place I would buy any CCs if out of the country:-)

aj
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If he bought it at an LCDH it's prob legit.

I really depends on the cigar for spotting fakes...you have to know what year they changed bands and if that marca even makes such a cigar in that vitola. It sounds more complicated than it is but the best of us can still be fooled.
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Ok...noob alert...what is LCdH? :-)
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La Casa Del Habanos..It's a sanctioned distributor of CCs.
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La Casa del Habano
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Thanks for you help everyone. I'll find out where he plans on getting them.
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Depending on how knowledgable your friend is, it could be pretty dicey. Stick with the LCDH.
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Here are the things you always want to look for:

1) The Republic of Cuba hallmark includes a serial number printed in red and an emblem that is only visible under UV light (UV lights are cheap at Lowes, Home Depot or Wal Mart). Check them all out... VERY few people are able to fake the UV emblem. The emblem that appears in the middle is the Cuban Republic Coat of Arms (the same shield that appears on the left of the seal). Also... under UV light... the first 2 letters of the serial number stay red... but the numbers go black! There is ALSO micro-printing on these labels now! get a magnifying glass if your visions stinks... and look right abover "REPUBLICA DE CUBA" and below "LEY SE JULIO 16/1912" and you will see that the thin line is NOT just a line... but the WORDS "Seal of Guarantee of the Republic of Cuba."

2) The trademark sticker of Habanos, S.A. is placed lengthwise when looking at the box front (ALWAYS). This is the little slanted sticker... unfortunately easily faked though.

3) The following marks: "Habanos s.a." - "HECHO EN CUBA" - "Totalmente a mano" are wood-burned on the bottom of the box. You can feel the indentation from the burning and the design must be neat. NEVER is this label made of ink or dye... ALWAYS burned in.

4) Two ink stamps are on the bottom of the box. One shows the factory... one shows the date of production. I won't get into the whole NIVEL ACUSO and CODIG UNETA stuff from the 90s... but you can at least check the sticker code at http://www.habanos.com/sellos?lang=en

5) There must not be any drastic color differences between the layers of sticks... and every one must be ringed at the same distance from the tip. Hey, we all know Cuban rollers aren't always the best in the world, but this they do well with! Each stick should be similar in color, shape and printings.

6) Over the first layer, there should be a small sheet of "vitolina" paper with directions about the correct preservations of your cigars. The paper measures exactly 4 1/4" by 2 3/4". Languages should be Spanish, English, French, German.

7) Cedar sheets, between the inner layers, have a semi-circular cut in the upper-right corner.

8) Examine all caps for the triple-cap and check the length for the vitola (can Google this).

9) They need to come from a reputable source and authorized dealer!

10) SMOKE ONE! If ALL of the above passed the test... the BEST way to make 100 percent sure is to smoke one... cigars have a distinct taste and, if you smoke them, you will be able to tell a fake!

I hope this information helps you, buddy...

Cheers!
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ALSO...

There IS an LCDH there.

France Zone: Europe City: St Barthelemy

Address: Villa Creole St, San Bartelemy

Telephone: 590 277873

Fax: 590 276789

Email: jamesplace@wanadoo.fr

That's the only authorized dealer there......

Cheers!
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Add another :-).
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Wow...thanks a lot, Jim. That is fantastic information. I won't be down there to test one (I wish I could be though), so I'm definitley thinking that the LCDH is the way to go on this one. :-)
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Regarding all the info above....remember, this IS Cuba we are talking about. Some discrepancies do not automatically signal fakes. I have seen tons of them on legitimate cigars...buy at an LCdH, and you should have no worries.
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Man, do I know what you are talking about Tom.
I recall when I couldn't prove my legitimacy as some discrepancies were clearly evident.
Don't know how true it was but they told me that the old "finger you know where" test would resolve it so I went along with it.
That was not the bad part. What go me worked up and worried is when I felt the person's two hands on my shoulders as the test was being performed.

Oh, wait, wrong Cuban legitimacy test.:-)
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One serious post in 14,000, and you shoot me down. :-)

Love ya, Carlos. :-)
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:-) :-)

That'll teach you to try and be serious, Tom. Know your role. :-)
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I hear ya, Crystal...every team needs its douchebag. :-)
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Thanks Admiral. :-) :-)

I think the LCdH is the way to go. I would rather know I'm getting quality sticks than cheap knock offs.

Thanks again everyone.
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