Cohiba Maduro 5 Secretos

[investandprosper]

I received a box of these, and I have my doubts as to their authenticity. Some of it looks right, some doesn't. One of the cedar lining sheets was cut with a straight line, the other was curved as it should be. The construction of the box looks legitimate. The cigar bands are extremely loose, so much so that they slide easily up and down the cigar. Some of the bands were stick together with other cigars. The construction on some looks shoddy. They smell like Cuban cigars, but I don't get that rich chocolate smell I have read about. Pictures are attached. What do you guys think?

[El Presidente]

Just addressing some of your points:

1. Straight cuts of the cedar have been common for the past couple of years.

2. The cigars appear to have dried out at some time. You can tell by the lifting of the wrapper leaves. it also explains the easy sliding movement of the bands.

3. It is not rare to have cigars "sticking together" in a box.

4. Secretos generally are a little darker than you have pictured (could be photography). Then again I have seen them the shade pictured.

In the world of production bell curves this box is at the lower end in terms of quality being produced.

[investandprosper]

Thank you for your response Rob. I'm honored!

I was wondering about the straight cut, thanks for that info. Everything looked legitimate with the packaging other than that. Good to know.

They do appear quite dry, some are very hard and the ring gauge has shrunk considerably. What RH would you recommend aging these at? Do you think that the dryness has hurt them?

Good to know about the bands sticking together as well. The box is almost 2 years old, so I thought that may have been a factor.

They indeed are not very dark. The photos actually make them look darker than they really are. They're just in bad shape. I emailed the photos to the vendor.

I haven't yet purchased from your site, but I plan to for my next box. Thanks for your help.

[El Presidente]

They do appear quite dry, some are very hard and the ring gauge has shrunk considerably. What RH would you recommend aging these at? Do you think that the dryness has hurt them?

Good to know about the bands sticking together as well. The box is almost 2 years old, so I thought that may have been a factor.

They indeed are not very dark. The photos actually make them look darker than they really are. They're just in bad shape.

I would recommend a 63% -65% humidity for a time. They have at some stage been stored lower. As for if the dryness has hurt them, well, they have been traumatized somewhat (from what I can tell in the photo's).

Personally I would replace them but every vendor has its policies. As a client you are entitled to cigars which turn up a little better than that.

If I can recommend a way forward, strike an agreement with the vendor to store them for 30 days, take out the 2nd worst, smoke it. If you enjoy it let the vendor know you are OK with it. If not, have them replace.

[investandprosper]

I would recommend a 63% -65% humidity for a time. They have at some stage been stored lower. As for if the dryness has hurt them, well, they have been traumatized somewhat (from what I can tell in the photo's).

Personally I would replace them but every vendor has its policies. As a client you are entitled to cigars which turn up a little better than that.

If I can recommend a way forward, strike an agreement with the vendor to store them for 30 days, take out the 2nd worst, smoke it. If you enjoy it let the vendor know you are OK with it. If not, have them replace.

Thanks for your helpful advice. I am awaiting a reply from the vendor to determine how to move forward. Here's to hoping that they perk up a bit.

[cigcars]

Thanks for your helpful advice. I am awaiting a reply from the vendor to determine how to move forward. Here's to hoping that they perk up a bit.

Unh, unh...there's no excuse for some in those pictures appearing as raggedy as they do. IF they are indeed Fauxhibas, it's not a reason to totally despair. I've gotten some that were obvious fakes, yet they were absolutely flavorful beyond description, which surprised the hell out of me. If they smoke good, then hopefully at least you didn't pay too exhorbitantly for them. If not, well we all learn!

[investandprosper]

Unh, unh...there's no excuse for some in those pictures appearing as raggedy as they do. IF they are indeed Fauxhibas, it's not a reason to totally despair. I've gotten some that were obvious fakes, yet they were absolutely flavorful beyond description, which surprised the hell out of me. If they smoke good, then hopefully at least you didn't pay too exhorbitantly for them. If not, well we all learn!

I don't doubt that the vendor will work it out. I ordered a box of PSD4s from them, and a few arrived with cracked feet. He included 4 PSD4s and two RASS with the Secretos box to make up for it. It's just a quality control issue I think. Hopefully he will replace the box.

Thanks for your input, everyone. I'd love to see a picture of a top of the line Secretos to compare against, Bster, looking forward to it if you can.

[Professor Twain]

I have smoked through several boxes of 25 of these and they were all dark and lovely. BUT, I recently had a box of 10 delivered, they looked rough. Mine came from an impeccable source. They have smoked fine though. It was just a bit annoying to have such expensive cigars, in such great packaging, that were roughly made.

I have also had nearly all of the Secretos sticking together, that seems to be common with others of the small cigars.

I agree with Czar that yours look as if they have gone through the additional insult of being dried out. Maybe that can be cured, BUT there was so much separation of the wrapper leaf on those I don't know if they can come back to life.

[investandprosper]

I have smoked through several boxes of 25 of these and they were all dark and lovely. BUT, I recently had a box of 10 delivered, they looked rough. Mine came from an impeccable source. They have smoked fine though. It was just a bit annoying to have such expensive cigars, in such great packaging, that were roughly made.

I have also had nearly all of the Secretos sticking together, that seems to be common with others of the small cigars.

I agree with Czar that yours look as if they have gone through the additional insult of being dried out. Maybe that can be cured, BUT there was so much separation of the wrapper leaf on those I don't know if they can come back to life.

I don't think that I want to take the chance of them tasting like a dog rocket if I were to revive them. The vendor offered a refund or exchange. Glad I'm not stuck with these!

Thanks for your input, everyone.

[laficion]

I don't think that I want to take the chance of them tasting like a dog rocket if I were to revive them. The vendor offered a refund or exchange. Glad I'm not stuck with these!

Thanks for your input, everyone.

Frist I would like to say that I'm happy to hear that you will get a refund or an exchange.

Which in my opinion is the least they can do.

I just want to say that I can't understand how a box of that nature, ever got to the market.

How could that box of Cohiba ever have passed Quality Control ? First in Cuba and then elsewhere.

For cigars that have the name Cohiba with a Cohiba band , packaging and all that goes

with it PLUS THE PRICE and at the end come looking like THAT, is simply a disgrace.

A part of the blame goes to the vendor for not checking the box but then again they rarely

open the boxes. For me, the biggest part of the blame goes to HSA and their level of Quality

Control. Now, I can understand the workers, who with 20$ a month, are not what you may

call MOTIVATED, but for a brand like Cohiba, there is no excuse for a lack whatsoever on

Quality Control. I'll finish off by adding 2 photos of 2 brands of Peso cigars that are made

just for local consumption in Cuba and not exported , and you tell me the difference in LOOKS,

I'm not talking about the blend of course, with your photos no. 1 and no. 3.

Just the look will say the rest.

The big difference is that these Peso cigars cost 1$ for 25 cigars

[investandprosper]

Wow laficion, the similarities are astounding. It looks like the new guy rolled my box!

Thanks for trying Bster. Hopefully I'll get to see what a real Secreto looks like. I'm working it out with the vendor now. Hopefully he won't want to wait until the box I have reaches him before shipping out a replacement, it took over 3 weeks to take delivery of this box because they were backordered.

[investandprosper]

Update! I exchanged the box with the vendor. The replacement box has the same box code, month, and year. However, look at the difference in quality! I'm quite satisfied with the outcome.

Prez, I'll be looking to purchase a box of something from you in the not-too-distant future Does the Czar ever run promotions?

[Fuzz]

Does the Czar ever run promotions?

That is not a question you'd want to be asking if you ever want to see money in your wallet ever again! When does Czar NOT have a promo running?!?!

[partagasd4]

Congrats on getting the new box. They look delicious!

[investandprosper]

That is not a question you'd want to be asking if you ever want to see money in your wallet ever again! When does Czar NOT have a promo running?!?!

Where can one see the current promos? I signed up for the newsletter and all. Thanks much!

[tdlfoto]

That is not a question you'd want to be asking if you ever want to see money in your wallet ever again! When does Czar NOT have a promo running?!?!

oh man, tell me about it! i've bitten on some wonderful product/promos three times since joining only a couple weeks ago. nasty visa bill happy times on the patio thank you czar

[CanuckSARTech]

Man, those look scary.

Glad things worked out with the vendor for you, and all of Rob's advice seemed quite good, except for one thing that bit me...

1. Straight cuts of the cedar have been common for the past couple of years.

Nuh uh, IMO. I've gone through a couple of boxes of these myself, and I've peroused through a number in the stores. I've never come across a straight-cut corner like that in the Maduro 5 Secretos. Some other cigars, yes, but not these. And, even at that, with two sheets in the box, I've never seen them with this much colour variation between the sheets, and then one with a straight-cut corner, and the other with the standard crescent-cut one.

That just sends up a huge red flag for me. Like someone shifted cigars in and out of a box.

But yeah, either way, those bastards look like they're: A - the runt ***** of the litter, and were left to dry out in a back alleyway; and B - that the roller must have either been high, drunk, been his first day on the job, or all of the above.

[investandprosper]

It looks like I took down the new box pictures. In any event, they are spot-on perfect. On the first draw, it was pure bliss. The Cohiba creaminess was there, but there were darker cocoa flavors mixed in. They are definitely authentic, with the straight cut.

I also have a box of Cohiba Robustos with a blonde cedar insert, straight cut, but the cigars are perfect.