English Market Selection

EMS Security Stamp and Counterfeit Havana Cigars

In 1993 Habanos S.A’s official UK Havana importers, Hunters and Frankau, introduced a unique security stamp. The stamp has the letters EMS (English Market Selection) on the bottom with a symbol of a lion on top of them. Cuba has used the description of EMS for over a century in order to recognize the quality of the cigars sent to the British market. Since 1997 the colour of the EMS security stamps has been changed in an attempt to beat counterfeiters. The colour of the EMS stamp changes every autumn. Each of the EMS stamps is numbered separately in order to trace the history of every box of cigars.

It is important to look for the security stamps. Documentary and TV presenter Clive James unfortunately fell for the counterfeits in one of his documentaries. While in Havana, he bought a box of Montecristos cigars off of a street vendor and while the price was competitive, he discovered the cigars were fakes and he was forced to throw his box of counterfeit cigars into the wastebin!

If you’re looking for further information on buying tobacco over the internet then you can visit the H.M Customs and Excise website by clicking here.

Buyer Beware

Caveat emptor was one of the most basic laws in Roman civilisation. It means “Let the buyer beware.” In the last 30 years it has been common for counterfeit Channel perfumes, Hermes scarves and replica Rolex watches to be sold.

Counterfeit Cigars Cohibas

The current trend in cigar counterfeiting is to sell Cohibas in the Dominican Republic, but they are in no way connected with the actual Cohibas which are produced in Cuba. Magazines and internet sites have reported that the Dominican Republic’s Cohibas are now everywhere and without actually smoking them it is very difficult to determine the fakes from the genuine article.

Cohibas cigars are available in two series. The first being the Classic line that include Coronas Especial, Lancero and Robusto cigars. The second line is the Siglo series and includes Siglo I, II, III, IV and V. The boxes in which these styles come in are made of cedar wood and should contain 25 cigars each. A box of these cigars which is wrapped in white paper should be avoided as they have not been wrapped this way for at least 15 years and are clearly counterfeit. If the box has a Habanos tax seal which is set at a perfect 45 degrees angle then it is likely to be genuine.

Coronos Especial and Lancero cigars also come in orange and blue printed cardboard cartons which contains 5 cigars. Each carton has its individual box and each cigar is wrapped in cellophane individually.
Be sure to check the spelling of the Cohiba on the boxes as the counterfeiters are careless with their spelling. Also be sure to check that the cigars are stained a light brown colour, this shows that the cigars are genuine as the stain is from the oil in the leaf of the tobacco.

To tell the genuine cigars from the fake is to check for the oil stains from the tobacco leaf. This only happens when the cigars are aged, and all Cohibas cigars are aged. The cigars themselves are perfectly wrapped in cellophane in about 1 centimetre while counterfeiters wrap the cigars with wrappers that are between 2 and 4 centimetres long. 

Check the Cigar Box Label

Always check the label on the cigar box. This is the second most important thing to do. There are some counterfeit labels that are printed perfectly but thankfully most of them do have errors and are easy to catch out. On the genuine boxes of Cohibas there is a design of black and white squares on the label of the individual cigar boxes and these are printed perfectly, while the fakes are usually poorly printed on and look unprofessional. Also, the caps on the cigars are put on by professionals, so if the cap on your cigars look wrinkled and the wrong colour then they are most likely to be fake. The final thing you can check is the taste, however if you are smoking a fake then you’ve already paid for the box. The genuine Cohibas will taste full bodied, rich and will have the full flavours.

However the counterfeits will be average at best and are most likely to draw too easily or too hard. They will also be too hot to smoke and they will be lacking in grace. They are also extremely cheap to buy. The difference in the fake and genuine Cohibas is like comparing the Romanee-Conti wines compared to the wine made in the Highlands of Scotland!

The American magazine, Cigar Aficionado runs a website that has a photo gallery filled with pictures of the genuine and counterfeit wrappers. Due to the increased production of the fake Havana cigars now appearing it is more likely you’ll waste your money on a useless box of cigars. By learning the differences between the fake and genuine wrappers on the Cigar Aficionado site you should be able to avoid buying counterfeit cigars.