BEHIKE 56 from Cuba

[Duffer]

A great friend of mine recently took his father back to Cuba.  When he was 17 his dad left for America before Castro took over and hadn't been back since.  They spent 8 days in Cuba and had a wonderful time.  While there my buddy generously picked up two boxes of cigars for me, Cohiba Behike 56 and Siglo VI.  Having never even seen a box of Behike, I was understandably thrilled to receive such a gift.  I was assuming he bought these in a legit store but learned to find that his entire trip was spent with a tour guide whom my buddy befriended.  This gentleman was able to "locate" the Cohiba boxes for his new American friend.  Upon hearing this, I immediately became suspicious.  As I've stated, I have never seen a box of Behikes but the cigars look, feel and smell very nice.  I am enclosing pics for those more knowledgable then I in hopes you can share opinions with me.  Also, the bar code on the seal is registered on the Habanos authenticity check as a legit box of Partagas Serie D.

Thanks for any help.  I'm afraid I already know the answer!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ryan]

Hi, there are five things I noticed in your post.

1.   Your sentence "This gentleman was able to "locate" the Cohiba boxes for his new American friend." 
2.  And, "..the bar code on the seal is registered on the Habanos authenticity check as a legit box of Partagas Serie D."
3. The quality of the black coating on the box
4. The quality of the bands
5. Uneven quality and colour of the cigar wrappers.

Any one of these things on their own and there might be a chance that the box could be real, although number 2 really seals the deal. The Habanos authenticity check doesn't always work but when it doesn't work it returns no results, not an incorrect description.

All 5 of those things together and you have fakes. The chances against them being real are just too high.

Sorry.

[Corylax18]

The Green and White seal clinches it for me. Looks like it was printed on a ink jet, can you find the code number micro printed anywhere on that seal? I was amazed at the quality of some of the fakes I saw down there on my last trip. A box of esplendidos in particular looked spectacular, and appeared to be in a legit box. There were two issues though. The green and white seal looked very similar to the one in your photos, kinda "flat" and less detailed. The second and biggest issue was that they were sitting on some guys living room table in Old Habana and where being sold for about half price. They don't look horrible, but as Ryan said, too many issues for them to be real.  

[garbandz]

All I have heard lately from people coming back from Cuba is "No Behike to be found"

what you have is 100 % Cuban parts, the box, seal packaging, etc.

Are these real Cohiba grade tobacco in the Behike blend? doubtful......................

[hughness]

Between the cover and box hinge should say "COHIBA"


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[wolfain]

Some things don't look right. Probably fakes , sorry to say it.


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[PapaDisco]

From the foot, that looks like a nicely rolled cigar.  Re: the band, isn't there a certain number of dotted rows that are supposed to be above the figurehead?

How many other Ring 56 sticks are out there?  Since someone has to be making these from a set of press molds and related tooling, it might help you figure out what they might be.  I don't know much about Cuban Cigar counterfeiting, but with the really good fakes (i.e. not Cohiba barber poles) isn't it more likely to be getting an authentic cuban that's been "up banded" rather than a garbage cigar?

[Fugu]

17 hours ago, Duffer said:

 I'm afraid I already know the answer!

You said it!

 

That said - they may be smokeable. Best sacrifice one, i.e. cut open, to make sure there is no garbage contained.

[shlomo]

More pics of hologram, band, velvet bag and cigars pls.

Biggest red flag to me is the quality of the box top as Ryan says above.

BHK56 boxes weigh a ton, is this one heavy? Also, what about the Sig vi?

[Duffer]

Yeah, you guys have confirmed my suspicions.  Thanks.  As for the Siglo VI, I have a cab that's been in the humidor for about a year.  So I was able to compare those with the gifted box from my pal.  It is obvious to me the cigars are also fake.  There seems to be way too much green leaf inside the cigars, the quality is nowhere near similar and the bands are fake.   Also, the bar code on the Sig VI is registered on Habanos site as Partagas Serie D (just like the Behike).

I didn't bother taking any more photos, as I'm convinced both boxes are fake.

Thanks again.

[SmokeySteve]

Well, that's a kick in the junk. Sorry Duffer. ☹️


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[Chefalan86]

Smoke 1 up!  If you like them... keep em lit! 

[stogieluver]

Very bad all around.  The box, the hinges, the bands are the worst.  Based on what I see in the foot, I wouldn't smoke those if I were you.

[GrouchoMarx]

I go by the simple rule that if you get a box from a someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone - they're fake.

[devildoge9]

Too good to be true is usually the case.

I found someone on EBAY selling a box of BHK56 for $200 and thought I'd take a look at them.

  Quite impressive.  I ran the serial number on the Habanos.com verifier and it came back saying it was a legit original from habanos s a.  

So I went ahead with the purchase. $200 for an unopened BHK 56!  Wow was I anxious to get this package.  It came yesterday and I carefully examined each step of the way.  Correct packaging, correct placement/size and accuracy of the stickers including January 17 LBT sticker.  I figured I lucked out with a very recent run before they sold out.  Not so fast!

I opened the outer cardboard package carefully.  Inside a nice felt pouch/protector I found a beautiful high gloss black humidor box.  Somewhat surprised not wrapped in the nice cellophane often protecting such high gloss.  Very impressive humidor though, and all markings seem to be precise.

I opened the humidor to find the two cards with information, the cedar sheet and the rice paper protector sheet all as expected.

Now I am looking at 10 beautiful cigars with the wonderful BEHIKE under the indian headand they all looked very very impressive.  Only thing at this point that concerned me is that the cigars were packed so very tight and without the typical ribbon to lift one with, it was a chore to loosen one without damaging it.  Not sure if this is normal of Cohiba, this being my first box ever.

Once I got one cigar out I began inspecting it closely with a lighted magnifying glass.  Everything looked in order.  the letters raised, the hologram and fingerprint effect in the indian head, the hologram under cohiba looked very good with alternating of tuny indian head and cohiba spelled out.  I took it outside in the sun and the hologram effect was clear and quite flashy.  So at this point I am excited and anxious about actually having this wonderful cigar and at only $20 a stick, WOW!

NOT so fast!

After communicating with my "source" and showing interest in more habanos, check out the list and prices he sent to me.  So tempting to spend $2k isn't it?  After thinking I have a legit box of such a sought after habano, I am ready to stock up!

Here is his response to the list I asked for prices on:
1 Bx Montecristo #2  150
2 Bx Behike 52            175
2 BX Behike 54            185
1 BX Behike 56            200
2 Bx Siglo VI.               175
1 BX Robusto.             160
1 BX Supremos.          200
1 BX Serie D #4.         150
1 BX Serie P #2.         175

I was ready to test the waters with a couple of boxes, but the prices, when compared with a list I found on another site which had the official habano sa price list for the stores in cuba, I decided it was just too fishy, I mean, check out those deals!  too good to be true!

I kept looking at you tube videos, even cut open half of one of the BHK's.  I am by no means an expert, but I have participated in cutting open some obvious fakes from the DR and finding yard clippings in the filler, this was a pretty impressively rollded cigar, nicely constructed filler, binder and outer wrap.  I then decided to torch one and just see how it smoked.  What I found was a reasonably decent smoke which did not overwhelm me, it burned fairly consistent with a good draw, but it did nothing to make me want to take it down to burning my fingertips like is typical of my favorite smokem the PDR AFR 75 which I smoke several per week.

So, now I am left confused.  I know this is a long story, so to find an ending, I will leave you with this and hope for some thoughts/comments.

My final decision that these are some really super "faux" replicas comes from the new band that they started using in 2014.  The only clue I had once I leaned about the new band which has the new hologram under the word cohiba which has all the tiny little squares alternating the indian heads with the cohiba across the  hologram.

So I emailed my source with my findings, and of course, I haven't heard back from him.

Hope this experience helps to save someone else from spending their money on fakes.  I got a nice box and probably cigars that are worth about $8 a stick.  And disappointment from still not experiencing BEHIKE!!

Best,

Dennis

[TheMonk]

Too good to be true is usually the case.

I found someone on EBAY selling a box of BHK56 for $200 and thought I'd take a look at them.

  Quite impressive.  I ran the serial number on the Habanos.com verifier and it came back saying it was a legit original from habanos s a.  

So I went ahead with the purchase. $200 for an unopened BHK 56!  Wow was I anxious to get this package.  It came yesterday and I carefully examined each step of the way.  Correct packaging, correct placement/size and accuracy of the stickers including January 17 LBT sticker.  I figured I lucked out with a very recent run before they sold out.  Not so fast!

I opened the outer cardboard package carefully.  Inside a nice felt pouch/protector I found a beautiful high gloss black humidor box.  Somewhat surprised not wrapped in the nice cellophane often protecting such high gloss.  Very impressive humidor though, and all markings seem to be precise.

I opened the humidor to find the two cards with information, the cedar sheet and the rice paper protector sheet all as expected.

Now I am looking at 10 beautiful cigars with the wonderful BEHIKE under the indian headand they all looked very very impressive.  Only thing at this point that concerned me is that the cigars were packed so very tight and without the typical ribbon to lift one with, it was a chore to loosen one without damaging it.  Not sure if this is normal of Cohiba, this being my first box ever.

Once I got one cigar out I began inspecting it closely with a lighted magnifying glass.  Everything looked in order.  the letters raised, the hologram and fingerprint effect in the indian head, the hologram under cohiba looked very good with alternating of tuny indian head and cohiba spelled out.  I took it outside in the sun and the hologram effect was clear and quite flashy.  So at this point I am excited and anxious about actually having this wonderful cigar and at only $20 a stick, WOW!

NOT so fast!

After communicating with my "source" and showing interest in more habanos, check out the list and prices he sent to me.  So tempting to spend $2k isn't it?  After thinking I have a legit box of such a sought after habano, I am ready to stock up!

Here is his response to the list I asked for prices on:
1 Bx Montecristo #2  150
2 Bx Behike 52            175
2 BX Behike 54            185
1 BX Behike 56            200
2 Bx Siglo VI.               175
1 BX Robusto.             160
1 BX Supremos.          200
1 BX Serie D #4.         150
1 BX Serie P #2.         175

I was ready to test the waters with a couple of boxes, but the prices, when compared with a list I found on another site which had the official habano sa price list for the stores in cuba, I decided it was just too fishy, I mean, check out those deals!  too good to be true!

I kept looking at you tube videos, even cut open half of one of the BHK's.  I am by no means an expert, but I have participated in cutting open some obvious fakes from the DR and finding yard clippings in the filler, this was a pretty impressively rollded cigar, nicely constructed filler, binder and outer wrap.  I then decided to torch one and just see how it smoked.  What I found was a reasonably decent smoke which did not overwhelm me, it burned fairly consistent with a good draw, but it did nothing to make me want to take it down to burning my fingertips like is typical of my favorite smokem the PDR AFR 75 which I smoke several per week.

So, now I am left confused.  I know this is a long story, so to find an ending, I will leave you with this and hope for some thoughts/comments.

My final decision that these are some really super "faux" replicas comes from the new band that they started using in 2014.  The only clue I had once I leaned about the new band which has the new hologram under the word cohiba which has all the tiny little squares alternating the indian heads with the cohiba across the  hologram.

So I emailed my source with my findings, and of course, I haven't heard back from him.

Hope this experience helps to save someone else from spending their money on fakes.  I got a nice box and probably cigars that are worth about $8 a stick.  And disappointment from still not experiencing BEHIKE!!

Best,

Dennis

Any pics to share?

[Lotusguy]

Pics, please - this is very troublesome. If all these details really check out, it would fool a lot of buyers and who knows where else these are showing up.

[Fugu]

On 08/02/2017 at 11:18 PM, devildoge9 said:

January 17 LBT sticker

What's that meant to be? The box code?

On 08/02/2017 at 11:18 PM, devildoge9 said:

Only thing at this point that concerned me is that the cigars were packed so very tight and without the typical ribbon to lift one with

BHK doesn't have that.

Edited February 10, 2017 by Fugu
citing correct post

[devildoge9]

LotusGuy, very true, and sorry, should have posted pics, see below.

Fugu, you'll see the white sticker on the back of the cardboard box, showing the date of production.  If this sticker wasn't there, and I hadn't found the new labels with the new tiny square hologram... well, I would've been suckered till I smoked one and wondered why I like my AFR 75 so much better!

 

 

[HarveyBoulevard]

At those prices they are either fake or stolen...

If those are fakes...they will likely fool a lot of folks.  Nice looking outer box and inner box.  Sticks look dark compared to what I have seen but lots of stuff to fool people on those.

[devildoge9]

4 minutes ago, HarveyBoulevard said:

At those prices they are either fake or stolen...

If those are fakes...they will likely fool a lot of folks.  Nice looking outer box and inner box.  Sticks look dark compared to what I have seen but lots of stuff to fool people on those.

The new hologram was the giveaway for me.  These being dated Jan 2017, and they have the old hologram, otherwise, I was hard pressed to tell... besides the low price and actual availability of such a sought after stick...

[TheMonk]

BHK doesn't have that.

I didn't say anything of the sort, mate.

[Fugu]

2 hours ago, TheMonk said:

 

I didn't say anything of the sort, mate.

Haha, sorry Monk, took the citation out of your post instead of the original one by @devildoge9 (fixed)

[Fugu]

Wow! Compared to yours Duffer's (above) look like pure gold. Boxes, bands and labels aside - at very first glance you see that this veiny stuff is not BHK wrapper. Bumpily rolled, and bunching is horrible too, wrapper shades all across the board.

Even if they were real (which they are pretty clearly not), you'd already be facing one sure dud, as the one where you present the foot will give you a pretty tunneling. So the price advantage already dropped by 10 % from that alone... Sorry mate.

[devildoge9]

  Thanks for your comments Fugu... having never opened a box of any Cohiba, let along BEHIKE, I really wasn't sure what I was looking at.  I have burned a couple of them after getting most of my money back, and they actually burn straight consistent and an easy draw, they aren't great, but they aren't horrible either.

  I'll consider this an educational experience!  Does anyone have any idea where some true BEHIKE can be found????