CI "Fake" Cigars?

[Ropey]

I'd really hate for any vendor to come in here and see what appears to be MORE vendor bashing

Looks like plenty of other guys here feel the same fear about upsetting vendors for some reason. Guess I'm the one person who appreciates full disclosure of the truth. I don't particularly care whether vendors come to this site or give money to the owners of the site or deals to the users here. I mean, if this site just ends up coming down to money then we might as well go back to puff. At least there it was obvious.

I'd much rather retailers give complete information about products to consumers, rather than expecting people to spend weeks, months and years researching cigars so they don't get ripped off.

And if guys like Bryan Glynn are doing it, then more power to 'em. The ad hominem attacks against him are quite revealing. I've always found that when someone makes a personal attack against someone rather than addressing the issue he's raised, it reveals the attacker as someone who's on the losing side of an argument. Every damn time. Anyway, that's all I got to say on the topic.

[jp1979]

Looks like plenty of other guys here feel the same fear about upsetting vendors for some reason. Guess I'm the one person who appreciates full disclosure of the truth. I don't particularly care whether vendors come to this site or give money to the owners of the site or deals to the users here. I mean, if this site just ends up coming down to money then we might as well go back to puff. At least there it was obvious.

I'd much rather retailers give complete information about products to consumers, rather than expecting people to spend weeks, months and years researching cigars so they don't get ripped off.

And if guys like Bryan Glynn are doing it, then more power to 'em. The ad hominem attacks against him are quite revealing. I've always found that when someone makes a personal attack against someone rather than addressing the issue he's raised, it reveals the attacker as someone who's on the losing side of an argument. Every damn time. Anyway, that's all I got to say on the topic.

Dude, 90% of things you buy are advertised this way. Hooray for Brian he cut open a dog rocket and discovered it's actually still a dog rocket. He's my hero. If this video saved you from researching this $1.60 stick for months before buying it, awesome. His choice of words and title is poor and he's exaggerating the description of the cigar to bash CI. Like them or not pushing the envelope of slander by accusing them of selling fake crappy cigars is stupid.

As far as vendors go, it's nice to see vendors in here posting sales, discounts and having them participate in the forum which is a much different scenario than what your comment implies.

[Horseshoe]

I have a few issues here.

1. I see no mention in CI description that it is a long filler.
2. The idea that we are bashing CI, as they aren't the ones "making" the stick. If there is an issue it should be directed towards the manufacture not retailer. (My opinion.)
3. I doubt CI checks every stick that comes in. If it is boxed and packaged and sent over, how are they supposed to check all inventory to make sure they are perfect? Cut them all open to make sure?
4. It is a cheap stick, and how can one expect perfection on a cheap stick? You get what you pay for comes to mind.
5. Descriptions are all deceptive. I have bought countless sticks based upon description and ratings, but to me you take them all with a grain of salt. Just because someone said it was a premium stick doesn't make it a premium stick.
6. My opinions mean absolutely nothing because I don't really care. I don't know the guy who reviewed this stick and I don't know if he is honest. For all I know, he could have swapped out the band himself. I am not taking sides as I don't have a pony in this race.
7. I just wanted to have a 7th because I can. Oh, and everything you read/watch on the Internet is TRUE! I have a pet unicorn that eats 7 leaf clover and only 7 leaf clover.

[garublador]

My Big Mac doesn't look like the one in the commercials does either, is this really a surprise?

I'm a bit on the fence on this one. I totally agree that it's in the same ballpark as the McDonald's (and a vast majority of all restaurants) example, but I also think that we don't hold marketing to a high enough standard. While it isn't surprising, I don't think it's right. Either way, it probably isn't a huge deal and it won't affect how I purchase cigars in the least. It's also a consumer's duty to be informed.

The problem is that noobs will think they're buying premium cigars at a discount, will smoke them, dislike them, and swear off cigars forever. Then there will be one more person (or thousands, if it happens a lot) who doesn't care at all when cigars are legislated out of existence.

I suspect that doesn't happen all that much. It isn't really in anyone's best interest. What's the point in losing customers over minimal revenue?

Mostly I just like the irony that the guy in the video is critical of someone being misleading in their advertising, but then gave his video a misleading title.

[Demuths1770]

i look at it this way.... its a 1.60 a stick...... i bought a charger for my cell phone last week for a dollar and it stopped working this week. am i gonna complain?? no it was a 1$ i didnt expect much. when you see cigar prices going from 5 on the low end for a good stick to the 8-10 dollar average range why would you think a 1.60 stick is going to compare to a liga 9 at the 12 dollar range. to me its common sense. at a 1.60 its a good all day cigar not something you get to enjoy on you day off. with cigars when something is only sold in boxes or bundles there is a reason... its a cheap everyday yard gar

[wabashcr]

There's definitely something curious going on with the Los Blancos Premiere Selection.

On one hand, you have Katman doing his usual flavor bomb, going on and on about banana, berry and black cherry flavors. Said it's a $6 stick (this was in April 2014).

http://kohnhed.com/2014/04/09/blanco...-cigar-review/

Then on the other hand, you have CI selling the (presumably) exact same cigar (Maduro torped) on sale for $39.21 for a box of 24. That's marked down from $156, BTW. That's some Gurkha savings. I also couldn't find the premiere selection available from other distributors like Famous, JR or Thompson. Blanco themselves have a few sizes available on their website (not the torpedo) for $5-6 range (only available by the bundle/box).

http://www.cigarsinternational.com/c...ection-maduro/

I'm not sure that this proves anything. While I enjoy Katman's reviews, he definitely likes a lot of crap cigars I wouldn't touch. But somewhere in the last year this seems to have gone from a decent $5-6 dollar smoke to a $1-2 short filler shit missile. I'm not a BG/CO fan, but I do think it's helpful in this case for someone who might have seen Katman's review and the cheap price on CI.

[Slick]

There's definitely something curious going on with the Los Blancos Premiere Selection.

On one hand, you have Katman doing his usual flavor bomb, going on and on about banana, berry and black cherry flavors. Said it's a $6 stick (this was in April 2014).

http://kohnhed.com/2014/04/09/blanco...-cigar-review/

Then on the other hand, you have CI selling the (presumably) exact same cigar (Maduro torped) on sale for $39.21 for a box of 24. That's marked down from $156, BTW. That's some Gurkha savings. I also couldn't find the premiere selection available from other distributors like Famous, JR or Thompson. Blanco themselves have a few sizes available on their website (not the torpedo) for $5-6 range (only available by the bundle/box).

http://www.cigarsinternational.com/c...ection-maduro/

I'm not sure that this proves anything. While I enjoy Katman's reviews, he definitely likes a lot of crap cigars I wouldn't touch. But somewhere in the last year this seems to have gone from a decent $5-6 dollar smoke to a $1-2 short filler shit missile. I'm not a BG/CO fan, but I do think it's helpful in this case for someone who might have seen Katman's review and the cheap price on CI.

Over the years there have been many cigars that when new were priced in the 150 a box range. After they did not sell they were reduced to your 39 buck a box. There will be more.

[Trish_at_CBid]

Hey All!

While I have the geniuses upstairs who write all this stuff reviewing this thread, I will comment on a few things. I've read through all of it and first off want to thank those of you who know and trust CI for your support.

When you get to be the big gorilla of any industry, people will dislike you just because you're the big gorilla.

To the guy who was all about 'truth in advertising' let me tell you a story....

Remember when the aged/distressed look was in - about 3 or so years ago? We had these ball caps that were made to look distressed. We called the 'Tattered Hats' and sold them with that name. Well, I can't tell you how many people called us to complain that we'd sent them used caps because they had rips in them - dozens and dozens of calls! They were called TATTERED HATS for goodness sake! ALL of the pictures showed them with the little rips in the construction and STILL people didn't realized what they were purchasing/getting. What I'm getting at here is that "Truth in Advertising" isn't the end-all/be-all that you might think. Even when you're 100% honest, some folks will be unhappy.

Getting to this cigar, I have to admit I don't know much about it. I do see that its sell for less than $2/stick which in my mind says that it will be either mixed filler or made from low-quality long filler. That may be just my industry knowledge but I also know that if I'm purchasing something that sold for 125% more last year than its selling for this year (cigars, cookware, clothing, books, etc.) that tells me that they couldn't sell it for that original price or made too many and the demand has tailed off.

As you know, with any natural product be it grapes for wine, tobacco for cigars or even things like oranges and apples, the climate and weather affect it each growing year. So while a product may be outstanding one year, the next year its not quite the same - even if you use the exact same ingredients from the exact same growing area. Getting back to cigars, the manufacturers know that and they know that the next production, the taste won't be the same. So they sell the name to one of the big players in the industry. That player now has an exclusive but its not the same, even while it is the same. Make sense?

All cigar rollers add bits of tobacco to fill out the cigar. This happens even with long filler. They'll put a little bit at the cap so the rounded to is smooth. That doesn't make it less quality but it does make it look prettier.

If I find out any specifics with this particular cigar, I'll let you know.

[Emperor Zurg]

I really don't get the premise of that video. Imbecile buys a < $2 dog rocket and is *SHOCKED* when he cuts it open and finds out it's a constructed like a < $2 dog rocket. NO mention on what it tasted like or how it smoked BTW (as I'd dare venture a guess that a Padron would taste the same whether it was smoked as-is or whether you took it apart, shredded the filler and reassembled it - were that possible). Now if he tore apart a $10 or $30, big name cigar and found the same, I guess I'd be on the bandwagon with him but right now all I can think is "hey idiot, ever hear of YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR??"

[HIM]

I don't particularly care whether vendors come to this site or give money to the owners of the site or deals to the users here.

Why wouldn't you want vendors on board with the forum and offering deals to the members thats a great thing for everyone?

Off topic but... Is your avatar really a picture of Che Guevara?