Fake vs real Romeo Y Julieta Wide Churchill

[mike.misc]

Hey folks, 

Got given a box of Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchills from a friend but my instincts tells me this is a fake. 

The box ticks for all the usual warranty seal/watermarks, microcodes and Habanos website checks, but the cigar themselves are throwing me off. 

Can anyone part some wisdom? 

I've attached some pictures of the box and cigars. The left cigar is genuine and the right is the suspect. 

I noticed:

- shades are different

- size different

- band is different. The genuine band has a deeper red, sharper printing and the words "Habana Cuba" is different. The "Wide Churchill" band is also different. Genuine is a bronze gold whilst the suspect is a yellow gold. 

To compare the two bands I took a separate picture with the genuine on top and suspect on the bottom..  

I decided to cut off a portion of the suspect to see if there were any shortfillings but it looks to be okay? 

The only caveat is that I don't know what year the genuine cigar is to compare apples with apples. 

Thanks folks! 

 

[gormag38]

Definitely is some variability in the shades. But I know some others have noted similar issues with HU magnum bands. The embossing can also be a little variable due to printing issues. Let's see some photos of the box, seal, microprint and SN. If you have a UV light that's another quick and easy check to do. 

[TacoSauce]

Excellent detective work so far. You even had the good sense to start by clipping off an inch of the suspect cigar to inspect the insides -- rather than immediately dissecting an entire stick. Next step is to smoke the remainder of that stick and see how it compares from a taste perspective.

[gormag38]

I guess I should also note, the font on the stamp on the bottom looks a little off to me. But I'd be interested to see the SN and other parts of the box, @mike.misc.