CI "Fake" Cigars?

[Browns7213]

CI never sold it as a "premium cigar" its description said it was made with "premium tobacco". If you bought this cigar expecting Davidoff quality and premiumness for $1.60, you need your head examined.

Hey, hey, hey! Let's not bring common sense into this argument

[wabashcr]

I think there's a little bit of a difference between overhyping a crap cigar and buying a brand with a decent reputation, then selling crap cigars under that brand. That's what it appears, at least to me, CI is doing. We know they do that with Gurkha, and it seems like that's what happened here with at least the Los Blancos. I guess it's a fact of the industry, and they're probably not the only ones doing it. Just seems like a bait and switch, which to me is more sinister than simply referring to a shit cigar as "premium."

[jp1979]

I think there's a little bit of a difference between overhyping a crap cigar and buying a brand with a decent reputation, then selling crap cigars under that brand. That's what it appears, at least to me, CI is doing. We know they do that with Gurkha, and it seems like that's what happened here with at least the Los Blancos. I guess it's a fact of the industry, and they're probably not the only ones doing it. Just seems like a bait and switch, which to me is more sinister than simply referring to a shit cigar as "premium."

tons of things you buy are made by one company and rebranded as something else, and the descriptions for each is completely different, some touting that there product is better than the others, but in reality they are made by the same place and just have a different label on it. BIG one that comes to mind in the whole Porsche/VW/Audi thing, take some of the trim panels off of a Porsche Cheyenne (sp)and they have VW markings on the back, same parts that are made for the Toureg... Anybody going to sue Porsche because its not made with all Porsche parts? I don't think so.

Even if they bought the rights to the Los Blancos brand, I believe they were 5-6 buck sticks before CI bought them, now the are sub 2 dollars.... I would think that that would raise an eyebrow before you put it in your cart. BG doesnt like CI, now CI doesnt like BG.... is what it is.

[Ropey]

tons of things you buy are made by one company and rebranded as something else [...] BIG one that comes to mind in the whole Porsche/VW/Audi thing, take some of the trim panels off of a Porsche Cheyenne (sp)and they have VW markings on the back, same parts that are made for the Toureg...

And isn't it nice to know that? Glynn was letting people know that about CI's crap sticks.

Anybody going to sue Porsche because its not made with all Porsche parts? I don't think so.

Glynn wasn't threatening to sue them. He just made a video showing that the cigar was trash with a formerly decent brand's label on it.

Let's take your analogy further. Suppose nobody knew that Porsches were actually mostly VW parts. So you made a video "tak[ing] some of the trim panels off of a Porsche Cheyenne (sp)and [and showing] they have VW markings on the back." And Porsche's lawyer called you and told you to take it down or else.

Would that be fair?

Even if they bought the rights to the Los Blancos brand, I believe they were 5-6 buck sticks before CI bought them, now the are sub 2 dollars.... I would think that that would raise an eyebrow before you put it in your cart.

Again, would noobs necessarily know this? Not until they watch Glynn's (former) video

[jp1979]

And isn't it nice to know that? Glynn was letting people know that about CI's crap sticks.

Glynn wasn't threatening to sue them. He just made a video showing that the cigar was trash with a formerly decent brand's label on it.

Let's take your analogy further. Suppose nobody knew that Porsches were actually mostly VW parts. So you made a video "tak[ing] some of the trim panels off of a Porsche Cheyenne (sp)and [and showing] they have VW markings on the back." And Porsche's lawyer called you and told you to take it down or else.

Would that be fair?


Again, would noobs necessarily know this? Not until they watch Glynn's (former) video

1. Dude, they were crap sticks before he cut them open, and still are after. Who cares.

2. See what you did there Mr. Glynn Jr? I never said "mostly VW parts" I said "not all Porsche parts". If they had to choose between us they would probably call you first.. my point is its all over the place.

3. is some one who buys and smokes dollar cigars really going to give a shit? Do you think that the quality of that cigar is any worse than other 1 dollar cigars, I doubt it....

[wabashcr]

tons of things you buy are made by one company and rebranded as something else, and the descriptions for each is completely different, some touting that there product is better than the others, but in reality they are made by the same place and just have a different label on it. BIG one that comes to mind in the whole Porsche/VW/Audi thing, take some of the trim panels off of a Porsche Cheyenne (sp)and they have VW markings on the back, same parts that are made for the Toureg... Anybody going to sue Porsche because its not made with all Porsche parts? I don't think so.

I know this is all about a $2 stick, and it's pointless, but the bigger picture is what interests me. So if you'll indulge me, I'd change your analogy a bit. To me it's more like Porsche has a model, say the old 928, that they no longer want to support. Sales are down, and they have moved on to other projects. But then say a dealer in the US who has several Porsche dealerships, let's call him Ashley Schaeffer, decides to buy the 928 brand/label from Porsche, decides to continue making them in Viet Nam, and sells them as Porsche 928s at his dealerships for $20k. Obviously car people in the know would be aware of what's going on, and with the internet, it would be a lot more difficult to hide that from unsuspecting buyers. But selling them as Porsche 928s, like they were actually made by Porsche, seems flat out wrong to me.

The last thing I want anyone to think is that I'm a Brian Glynn supporter. I'm not. I think he botched this from the beginning, and when it looked like it could backfire and affect his personal interests, he deleted everything and pretended like it never happened. But I still think we're left with a pretty shady and underhanded practice by CI. BG being a douche shouldn't let CI off the hook.

[Cardinal]

...let's call him Ashley Schaeffer...

Ashley Schaeffer! You nailed it.

[jp1979]

I know this is all about a $2 stick, and it's pointless, but the bigger picture is what interests me. So if you'll indulge me, I'd change your analogy a bit. To me it's more like Porsche has a model, say the old 928, that they no longer want to support. Sales are down, and they have moved on to other projects. But then say a dealer in the US who has several Porsche dealerships, let's call him Ashley Schaeffer, decides to buy the 928 brand/label from Porsche, decides to continue making them in Viet Nam, and sells them as Porsche 928s at his dealerships for $20k. Obviously car people in the know would be aware of what's going on, and with the internet, it would be a lot more difficult to hide that from unsuspecting buyers. But selling them as Porsche 928s, like they were actually made by Porsche, seems flat out wrong to me.

Porsche would never sell their brand because they wouldn't want their name tarnished, obviously David Blanco didn't care about that. If Padron did it, it would be an issue for me, but they like Porsche would never do it. I get everybody's big picture gripe, MY point and MY opinion is that this happens so much with so many other products that it just isn't an issue for me personally.

[Ropey]

Porsche would never sell their brand because they wouldn't want their name tarnished

Porsche sells its name to a myriad of others.. I've seen Porsche vacuums, Porsche lighters, all sorts of stuff that's obviously not made by Porsche.

MY point and MY opinion is that this happens so much with so many other products that it just isn't an issue for me personally.

And hey, that's great, if you get ripped off so often that you're at a point in life where you don't mind when someone bends you over and sticks it in your butt one more time, then that's wonderful. I'm not at that point, hope I never am.

If this were a one-off from Cigars International, this thread wouldn't have expanded to 12 pages. However, I think that they, Thompson, the rest of the online cigar retailers, and perhaps the entire cigar industry are seen as such marketing hucksters that one more example just pisses people off even more. It's like a slow boil.

[Skeat5353]

CI never sold it as a "premium cigar" its description said it was made with "premium tobacco". If you bought this cigar expecting Davidoff quality and premiumness for $1.60, you need your head examined.

I think there's a little bit of a difference between overhyping a crap cigar and buying a brand with a decent reputation, then selling crap cigars under that brand. That's what it appears, at least to me, CI is doing. We know they do that with Gurkha, and it seems like that's what happened here with at least the Los Blancos. I guess it's a fact of the industry, and they're probably not the only ones doing it. Just seems like a bait and switch, which to me is more sinister than simply referring to a shit cigar as "premium."

Both very good points. But the use of the word 'premium' places the cigar in a different class. If I go to the butcher and he sells me a 'Prime' cut of beef for $2 a pound, when it really should be $10 a pound, I'm excited. But if that beef I bought is really 'Select' under the guise of 'Prime', then the butcher has deceived me. If the FDA finds out of this practice, then he will be fined and lose his license. Why are the same standards not in place for cigar retailers and consumers? If I buy what is advertised as a 'premium' cigar, then it should not contain 'non-premium' tobacco. The same way the butcher can't sell me 'Select' beef under the guise of 'Prime.' There should be standards, just like in the meat industry.

When I buy a premium cigar, the band shouldn't matter. The tobacco under the wrapper is all that matters. And it should all be graded, because clearly there is a difference between the leaf used in a Padron '26 and $2 shit rocket. But there is no standard, other than the discerning palate, to place a rating on that difference. There is no way that a 2-dollar shit rocket should be branded under the same 'premium' umbrella as the Padron. But they are. To the uninformed consumer, they see 'premium' as the only standard, whether it's a high-end Tatuaje or low-end piece of garbage like the one Glynn dissected.