The Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 1

[krs]

I have a box of HDM Epicure 1's that I am a little concerned about

The UV watermark on this box looked ok

The micro print on the warranty seal is there

looks like they all have a triple cap and have uniform wrapper colors.

But the warranty seal was not placed in the right spot, the opening of the box dose not line up with the coat of arms.

also the color of the seal has a slight lighter green than all my other boxes.

What do you guys think?

[sepp]

The seal looks fine and the Serial No is in the correct range for the date. all of hte indications are in line with legit and placement on an outer cardboard box has been subjective in my experience. A trusted vendor is your best bet for peace of mind. Smoke one and tell us what you think then.

[krs]

Thanks for your input sepp. I think you right about the seals not always lining up on the cardboard boxes other ppl have also said this.

I have smoked one even though they have only been in my humidor for a week, at first I did get some nice honey/gingerbread noted coming through but didn't last long, after that just downhill even after a lot of purging they taste too young and harsh. so its hard to tell just yet. I will light up another in 6 months or so and see how they improve.

[neal875]

The seal looks fine and the Serial No is in the correct range for the date. all of hte indications are in line with legit and placement on an outer cardboard box has been subjective in my experience. A trusted vendor is your best bet for peace of mind. Smoke one and tell us what you think then.

Vendor is always your best guarantee of authenticity. Everything in these pictures, however, is spot on other than the positioning of the seal. I have a lot of this particular cigar and I see nothing that looks 'off' in yours. Color variations (small ones) are routine in all printing. As for the seal positioning, while a bit unusual it is by no means the strangest thing you will see if you buy enough boxes of Habanos products. How about no factory and date stamps at all or the wrong cedar top sheet inside the cab (an El Rey branded cedar sheet inside an SLR cab) and a whole lot more. If you get these oddities from a trusted vendor--then that is all it is, an oddity. Otherwise....caveat emptor.