Bolivar Deathmatch! Fake and genuine go head to head

[FatDaddy]

Great information for us newbies!... Thanks.

[Duckguy]

Been a while since this was on the front page and it's worth a read or re-read. Thanks again for posting it.

[sobek]

Well done!

[naga5]

very well done!

and you have performed quite a service to the community.

thanks

rick

[greenpimp]

Great work and pictures. Though I still can't believe you smoked the whole thing.

[Havana Joe]

Thanks Wilkey. Great Info!

[Black Plague]

» What happens when you smoke a fake, a charlatan, a bogus stick, a

» counterfeit at the same time as you smoke the genuine article? Well, I

» wanted to find out.

»

» Here is a record of my recent smoking session with a genuine Bolivar Petit

» Corona (as the Bolivar Tubos No.2) and a Bolivar Coronas of questionable

» authenticity. The Bolivar Coronas in this review was provided by a fellow

» cigar club member. He had purchased the box from an internet source that

» seemed legitimate and had no prior record of selling bogus sticks. In

» fact, no one I spoke with had ever even heard of this vendor. The Tubos

» No.2 came from our very own Czar.

»

» The following photographs will detail some of the physical and cosmetic

» differences. But first let me comment on the sensory characteristics from

» smoking. I smoked these two sticks in parallel. That means I lit them both

» up at the same time and smoked them together, puffing on one for a little

» while and then switching to the other. This is but one way to do a

» head-to-head comparison. Another would be to smoke one right after the

» other.

»

» The Coronas lit up fine but from the very first puffs, was harsh and thin.

» I have never smoked a Cuban cigar that burned my throat, but this one did.

» In addition to the nasty bite, there was a strange metallic taste and a

» distinct off-flavor that was like something burnt but I could not say

» what. It just wasn't pleasant. The draw was easy as was expected from

» seeing the loose bunching at the foot. When I pushed smoke up through my

» nose, I found it a bit acrid and again, harsh. There was a distinct lack

» of earthiness or leatheriness. Tobacco was there of course, but with a

» serious lack of complexity, depth or body. In fact, it tasted quite raw,

» or underfermented. Throughout its length, the flavor profile did not

» change at all, remaining tobacco-like but not getting any more intense or

» deeper. Toward the last inch, it did get stronger and a little fuller. At

» this point, it was almost a decent cheap smoke. Overall, this was a poor

» cigar with a flavor profile that was distinctly un-Cuban.

»

» The Petit Corona lit up fine as well and from the first puffs, was rich

» and earthy. There was a distinct creaminess to the smoke and there was no

» harshness. Instead, there were dashes of black and white pepper spicing

» things up. The draw was noticeably tighter than that of the Coronas but

» still quite acceptable. The cigar delivered nice deep tobacco flavor and

» gradually got richer and stronger as time passed. I noticed some nuttiness

» but also plenty of earthy and leathery notes that made it delicious and

» satisfying. The cigar stayed full and a little creamy to the end. It

» started to get a bit harsh near the nub but I was also having to puff a

» little harder to keep it lit. Overall, this PC was reminiscent of Boli PC,

» CJ and to a lesser degree the CE that I have smoked. Overall, a comforting

» and satisfying cigar.

»

» Now, onto the pictures.

»

» 1. Here are the two cigars side by side. The Corona is on the right, the

» Petit Corona (authentic) on the left. This one was taken in sunlight. You

» can see that the wrapper on the Corona does not seem smooth and silky like

» the one on the PC. The PC's wrapper was resilient and fine unlike the

» Corona's which felt hard and coarse.

»

»

» 2. Here are the two cigars side by side again. This time, the Corona is on

» the left. The light is shining down on the cigars at a grazing angle to

» accentuate surface texture. As you can see, the PC looks leathery but the

» Corona looks ashen and the word that comes to mind is "sickly." Just a

» note, the Corona did not have the rich, tobacco pre-light aroma of the PC.

»

»

»

» 3. I normally like to lick the cap a bit before cutting to make the leaf a

» little softer for cutting. And I like to taste the wrapper leaf. Call me

» weird. But after you take a look at the cap on the Coronas (on the right),

» you'll understand why there was no way I was going to put my tongue on this

» tumorous-looking thing.

»

»

» 4. Here is a shot of the heads after clipping. I used a double-bladed

» guillotine but I was careful to only remove the cap and not cut the bunch

» underneath. As you can see, the PC on the left has a bunch that is flush

» cut, a fact that in a large part accounts for the "flat head" seen on many

» authentic Habanos. Heads that seem more or less flat are the result of

» variations in the closing up of the wrapper at the head under the cap. The

» bunch under the cap of the Corona is ragged and uneven with the filler

» leaves protruding to different degrees. BTW, I remove as much of the cap

» as I can, the reason is to make use of all the air channels in the

» bunch and to avoid tar build-up.

»

»

» 5. As the smoking began, I immediately noticed a dramatic difference in

» the ash. The Corona had a snow white ash that was tight and had large

» "pimples" on the surface. It was completely uniform without striations or

» patches of grey. In my experience, this is quite uncommon in Cuban cigars.

» I have, however, seen it exemplified in cigars using Honduran

» binder/wrapper. In contrast, the PC had a fluffy medium gray ash with

» plentiful patches of darker gray. This was an appearance that I have seen

» with many different Cuban brands. There were fine white "pimples" on this

» ash, much resembling that seen on OpusX ash.

»

»

» 6. Here is the first of two forensic shots. This first one is of the large

» filler leaf I found upon unwrapping the Corona. What's noteworthy here is

» the presence of a massive stem. I suspect this had something to do with

» the reoccurring razor-thin run I had on one side. In fact, if you look at

» the picture of the cut head, you can actually see it sticking out

» prominently at the 12-o'clock position. This stick was almost the girth of

» a chopstick and, IMO, highly unlikely that it would have made it into

» genuine Cuban production.

»

»

» 7. This second forensic shot shows the difference in binder leaves. The PC

» had a binder that was very similar to that found in other Cuban cigars

» (heck, even good cigars of NC type) I've taken apart. Thick, resilient and

» leathery. The Corona, however, had a binder that was fragile and thin.

»

»

» 8. The final photo in this exposé involves the "Cuban Triple Cap," a

» characteristic of the style of finishing up the head which, when it is

» missing, is often touted as suggestive of fakery. This sequence of

» snapshots taken from the Front, Right, Back and Left show the famous

» triple cap in all its glory. The triple cap technique of finishing is

» described

» here

» and does not, in fact, use three pieces of wrapper. Also, the triple cap is

» only visible from certain directions. In other words, if your cigar does

» not show a triple cap from at least two of the four directions, then

» perhaps you have reason to worry. This does not hold true for figurados

» such as the Piramides. The Corona, on the left, never shows a triple cap

» and instead of the tight wrapping you see on the PC on the right, a large

» flap of the wrapper is simply flung around the head twice.

»

»

» In total, I employed three modes of analysis. First, visual

» inspection of external features of the cigar and packaging. Second,

» forensic analysis of the internal materials and construction of the cigar.

» Third and most conclusively, the taste test. This particular fugazy

» actually failed at the very first level. But other, better counterfeits

» (such as the Siglo VI I recently tested) did not conclusively flunk until

» the third level.

»

» It is my hope that this exercise will be of use to all who love the

» pleasures of the Cuban leaf, especially those new to the art. Truly, a

» trusted supplier is a valuable asset, but your own knowledge and

» understanding of the aspects of Habanos is also a worthy a protection

» against fraud and fakery. If you are truly earnest about this hobby,

» you'll take the time and apply the effort to understand these seemingly

» simple and disposable little bundles of leaves. And if you do, then worlds

» of sublime pleasure await you.

»

» Wilkey

You're a brave soul, I must say. Sometimes a counterfeit can be a decent cigar.....and other times, you get one of THOSE!

[CigarZen]

Thanks for sharing -- interesting comparison.

[cobra]

Right out of Scientific American! Excellent study.

[hazleem]

Excellent post!! Very informative...

[kab55]

Very good analysis and fantastic pics to illustrate your points. Keep up the good work.

[tacmedic]

great job and awesome pics, hope that's as close as I ever come to a fake boli;-)

[Smokiethebear]

Wow, talk about taking one for the team:-) . An excellent post, the amount of work that you put into that really shows. Plus, I'm a little slow so pictures are good.:-D

[TJtorpedo]

Wow! Being a noob, I can definitely appreciate that expose!

And hopefully that burning in your throat and metallic taste wasn't from some long-banned pesticide that was used on that inferior tobacco! Yuck!!