Confirmed: UV security protocols removed.

[El Presidente]

I had confirmation yesterday that UV security protocols have been removed sometime May 2023. 

It is not ideal. Existing bands and seals will be used. New bands and seals will not have the security features. 

Your guess is as good as mine as to why. 🙄

If anyone has more information, chime in. 

[B44]

Thanks for following up on this. As is tradition, you’re the only one with the facts and the care to deliver. 

[NSXCIGAR]

Interesting. 

Fakers everywhere rejoice!

[LordAnubis]

Rob, follow up question, will cigar prices decrease with the cheaper production due to savings on UV ink? Please ask Habanos. All the way to the top. 

[blank]

23 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Interesting. 

Fakers everywhere rejoice!

At least there'd be more stock on the Market 🙃

[NSXCIGAR]

Is this also confirmed for BHK @El Presidente?

[westg]

Is it because...what is the point? The overflow of counterfeit Cubans is leaching into almost every possible avenue. Or have they come up with something else to stem the flow. 

[NSXCIGAR]

14 hours ago, westg said:

Is it because...what is the point? The overflow of counterfeit Cubans is leaching into almost every possible avenue. Or have they come up with something else to stem the flow. 

Indeed, HSA has zero incentive to prevent fakes. As long as there's a shortage of CCs what do they care? The money spent on fakes wouldn't go to HSA anyway. 

This could be an opportunity for innovation and profit for them. If they were to devise effective security features they could surely raise prices on the high-end items even more which would surely make the effort profitable. That, however, would require some investment and motivation which Cuba has no interest in. 

[El Presidente]

6 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Is this also confirmed for BHK @El Presidente?

I was given the generic "its finished as of May"

Truthfully, I just ordered another bottle of good wine.

I doubt they have any idea. 

[MagicalBikeRide]

A complete head scratcher 

[MrBirdman]

Sounds like a classic case of cutting costs to make the bottom line look better. Even when Cuba adopts capitalist company practices, they choose the wrong ones.  

Another layer in their growing house of cards.

[Lamboinee]

On 11/9/2023 at 10:55 PM, El Presidente said:

It is not ideal. Existing bands and seals will be used. New bands and seals will not have the security features. 

Frustrating and confusing. But, on the bright side, at least this gives someone something to write about for the 2024 EHM Update?! @ATGroom 

I'd gladly read more! Please write more.  I could imagine being somewhat frustrated to have completed something so wonderfully polished and thoughtful only to have HSA make such a weirdo change. Unless....you knew about the upcoming change and intentionally left it out of the 2023 update because you were already including it in the 2024 sequel? YES, that's it! More EHM for me to read!

 

 

[Marco_011t556]

Remove something… but anything added? No idea why.. that UV protocol doesn’t cost much? 🤣😂

[ATGroom]

2 hours ago, Lamboinee said:

Frustrating and confusing. But, on the bright side, at least this gives someone something to write about for the 2024 EHM Update?! @ATGroom 

Full respect for Rob and his sources, but I'm reserving my judgement until I see it in market (consistently). I've been told enough stuff by insiders over the years that turned out to be inaccurate to know that when it comes to HSA internal decisions nobody really knows anything, no matter how much they are in a position to.

Cohiba bands are one thing. Maybe they are switching printers (I know they have been experimenting with alternative printing companies for years), and the new one can't do the UV or it's cheaper not to do the UV or whatever. Maybe they are bringing it in house and they can't source the UV ink. The fakers have fully cracked the UV so it's not really serving a purpose as a security feature. Given that the bands come in all different sizes and would be in stock at many different factories, it makes sense that we are seeing the absence of the UV being a bit sporadic for the market. If it really has been removed, it will probably be a year before it is totally gone.

But the seals? Have yet to hear of anybody getting a legit seal without the UV. I have AGO 23 boxes that still have it. The seals are all applied at a single facility, so if they were removed they would be removed consistently.

 

16 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Indeed, HSA has zero incentive to prevent fakes. As long as there's a shortage of CCs what do they care? The money spent on fakes wouldn't go to HSA anyway. 

They have zero incentive to prevent fakes, however, they should have an incentive to prevent legit cigars being questioned as fakes. You know you're going to get some customer shining a UV light around the walk in and saying "this is fake" and the clerk having to mumble something about "no no they removed it in May but only from some boxes." If they really wanted to remove the UV, it should have been accompanied by a visible redesign so retailers can say "these are the new bands. They don't have UV."

I guess technically HSA doesn't have any incentive there either, as it's only going to be a headache for retailers, but you'd think some of that pain would trickle back to HSA eventually. Even for the retailers it doesn't matter for the bottom line as everything will sell eventually, but seems like it's causing an unnecessary hassle.

 

17 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Is this also confirmed for BHK @El Presidente?

Will be easy for BHK - has never been any UV on those.

[NSXCIGAR]

1 hour ago, ATGroom said:

Will be easy for BHK - has never been any UV on those

Doesn't BHK have the blue squares? Could have sworn they do...

At least BHK has the super microprint inside the small Taino heads on the side. It seems it has remained hard to duplicate that. 

[DaBoot]

Why waste a penny on security features? The high end products fly off the shelves. 
Let’s not apply reasoning to this. It doesn’t exist 

[gormag38]

On 11/11/2023 at 7:31 PM, ATGroom said:

clerk having to mumble something about "no no they removed it in May but only from some boxes." If they really wanted to remove the UV, it should have been accompanied by a visible redesign so retailers can say "these are the new bands. They don't have UV."

This was my first thought. It is certainly going to hurt business and be a MASSIVE headache. Even more so if they start to remove it from the seals (which I too have yet to hear about/see). 

[jfestrelabr]

Frustrating, anyway, buy the seller and not the product, rule of rules.