Cigar makers burned by fakes

The Washington Times ^ | 5-9-06 | Curt Anderson

[JZelle]

MIAMI -- Cigar aficionados beware: Those handmade Montecristos, Cohibas and Romeo y Julietas aren't necessarily premium smokes. Law-enforcement and cigar industry officials say counterfeiters are marketing millions of dollars in fake upscale cigars, some even pretending to be authentic Cubans that are illegal to sell in the United States. A crackdown uncovered several major counterfeit operations, including one in Miami that resulted in the seizure of more than $20 million in fake stogies, labels and packaging.

[JZelle]

Smoke Swishers, stop worrying.

[mnehring]

Swishers- Nasty.

Most Cubans have gone so downhill, I wouldn't be surprised if the counterfeits are actually better. Just give me a C.A.O. Brazilia and I'm happy.

[FearlessFreep]

Dutchmasters

[martin_fierro]

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[butternut_squash_bisque]

My choice of smokes since 1955, when I was 6. Mmmmmmm, bubble gum.

[kx9088]

A box of 25 for $6 and change, about the same cost to me as a CAO.

[kinghorse]

"A good cigar is as great a comfort to a man as a good cry to a woman." -- EG Bulwer-Lytton Darnley, 1845

[HEY4QDEMS]

I Like Hinduran Mach's, boring I know but that's what I like.

[kinghorse]

CAO's and other premium NC's are uniformly tasty. Emphasis on uniform. It's like fishing in fresh water vs the ocean. You never know what the ocean's going to give up. The lake is pretty predictable. If you want to try out a very nice NC I recommend AVO Domaine or Graycliff Crystal ( the Crystal Taco is a nice PC).

[beer]

[gundog]

Why not just wrap a banana leaf around some Beech-Nut?

[Joe 6-pack]

Here in Louisiana it gets a little tough to roll your own cigarettes during hurricane season, at which time I fall back on these....

[DBrow]

Who'd have thought, bootlegging a legal product.

[art_rocks]

This just burns me up.

[null and void]

Ahhhh, I encounterd a guy smoking those at Yosemite a few years back.

They smelled so pleasant I stopped him and asked what they were. In the course of our conversation he was surprised to find that I was (and still am) a non-smoker, and why did I care?

Because I usually find cigar smoke revolting, and this was rather nice...

[Jimmy Valentine]

C.A.O.'s are alittle strong for me. I like Arturo Fuente Lonsdales in a maduro leaf, myself. Nice heavy greasy smoke!

[JZelle]

I remember getting those because they looked like the ones Clint Eastwood smoked in the westerns.

[kinghorse]

thanks for the pic! she's touching the business end.

[Cacique]

bookmark bump

[Red Badger]

Just finished one....tip cigarillo..........