Cohiba vs Cohiba

[KB24]

http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Fe...44,3214,00.html

I'm on Cubatabaco's side on this one. I don't know all the facts and history but I think it's so funny to hear about and see people smoking those red dots and then feeling and believing they are smoking a Cuban Cohiba. I was at a wedding a couple months back and this older gentleman was telling me about the cigars he likes and what not and his son walks up and he's smoking a red dot and the older gentleman says, "my son is smoking an amazing Cuban" but I just kept my mouth shut because I didn't want to get into the whole story. I really think they see the word Cohiba and immediately think Cuban. Thoughts?

-Patrick

[Cambridge1]

I've never smoked a red dot Cohiba, but doesn't the band say Dominican Republic all over it? I'm sure that this confusion happens all the time in the US.

[bassman]

Tried a Dominican Cohiba when it first came out. certainly didn't make me want to smoke another.

[cigcars]

Tried a Dominican Cohiba when it first came out. certainly didn't make me want to smoke another.

I can totally agree. Tried it out of curio...and yeah - However...their Cohiba Black, and their XV Vigoroso probably could get honorable mention.

[PigFish]

I would have to check my facts but I am thinking the "sting ring" Cohiba is a General cigar product. I think all their products taste about the same. So if "good" is all the way to the right of the scale, what do you get when you push the marker all the way past the left end???

For those of you who have not had the pleasure... you can roll your own with the **** from my horses and get a similar experience; I am sure. PM me with requests for the horse ****! -Piggy

[sloth]

However...their Cohiba Black, and their XV Vigoroso probably could get honorable mention.

yeah, maybe, if they weren't stupidly expensive.

[Colt45]

Thoughts?

There's a part of me that feels turnabout is fair play. But, the thought of how conniving and unscrupulous you'd have to be to trademark a name

knowing full well it belongs to someone else - I'll just say I've not smoked the NC version, and leave it at that.

[Onsto]

Whatever the lawyers and judges say, this is a blatant attempt to utilise someone else's good name in a worldwide market and cash in on it with what must be an inferior product (otherwise, why else do it).

I do smoke NC on occassion (Oliva, Padron and Perdomo) , but I have no interest in any of the cigars that refuse to stand on their own merits. As an aside, I was gifted a NC 'Siglo' recently - it was a truly abominable cigar, so maybe Piggy's 'horse-product' cigars are already out there...

[SethLG]

Dominican Cohiba's are actually truly disappointing to me, but to each their own. I know the brand is quite extensive and goes from black to XV to puro Dominican, and I have tried them all and was never please with any, but that is just me.

General does make some cigars that are of quality and some that are not, but what manufacturer or company doesn't. I can tell you that in my opinion every maker has some crappy cigar/cigars in their lineup.

Anyone who thinks they are smoking a Cuban Cohiba when they are smoking one from the Dominican is a moron, I mean its common sense. It's articles like that that make me think, there are some really dumb people in this world.

However in some peoples defense, they are not cigar smokers and don't know much about them if anything.

[SethLG]

I know I contradicted myself on that one.

[jawofboston]

There's a part of me that feels turnabout is fair play. But, the thought of how conniving and unscrupulous you'd have to be to trademark a name

knowing full well it belongs to someone else - I'll just say I've not smoked the NC version, and leave it at that.

Well, yes, on the other hand most of the brands that the Cubans sell were stolen from their rightful owners.

[Onsto]

Well, yes, on the other hand most of the brands that the Cubans sell were stolen from their rightful owners.

Not in the case of Cohiba - its a post-revolutionary invention.

Point taken generally though

[anacostiakat]

Red Dot =

[cigarros]

Red Dot =

Ha-ha!! Jim as always you're right)) I once tried out them. Thrown money away!

[partagasd4]

It's obvious that General Cigar is trying to capitalize on the Cuban Cohiba name. Like the article said, Cohiba is post-revolutionary, so it's not like like the Dominican Cohiba is a continuation of a company that was nationalized by Cuba (I think Bacardi is an example of this). If Cuban cigars were legal in the US, there would be no debate at all and Cubatabaco would win this case.

[Colt45]

Well, yes, on the other hand most of the brands that the Cubans sell were stolen from their rightful owners.

Yes - that's what I meant by turnabout being fair play.

[ksblazer]

When I first started smoking cigars I tried a red dot. It tasted like I was smoking cardboard and I never cared to try another.

[samb]

Never tried one. The high price turned me away from them, and then when I discovered the the Cuban Cohiba, hah, the red dot is nothing but a scam name for the DR.

[jawofboston]

Yes - that's what I meant by turnabout being fair play.

Ah, quite right. Missed that part. Of course, I usually jump at chances to remind anyone who will listen that communists suck!

[Kangaroo495]

Smoked a red dot once. Rather smokable I thought. Wouldn't be a bad every day smoke. Can't get em in this part of the world, no skin off my back/

[laficion]

I have smoked the whole line thanks to my buddy in N.J.

Well, all I will say is, there are two brands in NC's that should really be taken

off the market for," humanitarian reasons",

Red Dot ( I'm ashamed to write Cohiba for that one)

AND

Camacho, ( the whole line is awful )

and of course their anti-cuban cigar propaganda ,"Black Band Project" etc etc

I think that they'll be selling shoes when the embargo ends.

[SamuraiJack]

I smoke pretty much 100% Habanos at this point, but the Red Dots aren't that bad IMO. A solid, somewhat interesting medium bodied smoke. More flavorful than most Dominicans without being a ligero bomb. WAY WAY overpriced tho.

[SamuraiJack]

But I will maintain that the (mis)use of classic Cuban cigar brandnames for the U.S. market is a TRAVESTY. Its a joke. It relies on and enforces the U.S. lack of global awareness and general arrogance. Keep the embargo, fine. But don't act like those brands don't already exist ALL OVER THE REST OF THE WORLD. Its dumb and I find it insulting.

[Colt45]

But I will maintain that the (mis)use of classic Cuban cigar brandnames for the U.S. market is a TRAVESTY. Its a joke. It relies on and enforces the U.S. lack of global awareness and general arrogance. Keep the embargo, fine. But don't act like those brands don't already exist ALL OVER THE REST OF THE WORLD. Its dumb and I find it insulting.

It could be argued that the true Partagas, Montecristo, etc. are / were the ones produced outside of Cuba. The rightful owners took their brands with them

when what belonged to them was taken away by the government.

But it's almost a moot point - Altadis (imperial) owns many of the NC brands as well as the Cuban. General Cigar owns a number of the others, and I'd bet

money will smooth things over in the end.

Also, Altadis was Spanish / French and is now British. General is owned by Swedish Match.

[Nino]

It's obvious that General Cigar is trying to capitalize on the Cuban Cohiba name. Like the article said, Cohiba is post-revolutionary, so it's not like like the Dominican Cohiba is a continuation of a company that was nationalized by Cuba (I think Bacardi is an example of this). If Cuban cigars were legal in the US, there would be no debate at all and Cubatabaco would win this case.

Regarding Bacardi - they had the good sense to register their trade mark in the Bahamas before the revolution and so they never had any problems with their brand name.

Bacardi production moved abroad even before nationalization, like to Puerto Rico, to avoid taxes and tariffs.

But Bacardi was also in a legal fight vs Cuba as it marketed a rum called "Havana Club" claimed by Cuba as being "theirs" but Bacardi won the case as it had bought the name rights from the original owners.