Fake monte no. 2?

[bopmachine]

A friend gifted me a few Monte No. 2s she bought in barbados. They look great, but i smoked one and it was TERRIBLE! Not the monte taste im used to. It burned very badly and produced little to no smoke - and the draw seemed ok.

Got me thinking maybe they were fakes? Another possiblity was they were just too dried out (was about two weeks since buying before I got them - they sat in the humi for another 2 months) or damaged in some other way.

Any good ways to tell fakes?

one of the offenders:

[Habana-Habanos]

Is the montecristo logo on the band embossed? Open that one up and see if it it long filler. Other than that I have no other thoughts as how to tell. If it doesn't have the right taste, fails all the physical tests, it probably is.

[bopmachine]

Its not embossed at all; should it be? checking some known good montes, they are not embossed either. cut open the one i tried to smoke - had long filler.

[Habana-Habanos]

Well I received some yesterday (just posted) and yes it is. Also some Monte Petite Edmundos Skyhigh traded me were too.

[bopmachine]

Strange. i have a box of hananos tres petit perlas selection in front of me - the monte doesnt have embossing?

[bambini]

I've never had a monte band with an emobssed logo. Got about half a dozen montes (no2s and no3s) in my humi, bought in licensed venues, no embossing.

[leperaffinity]

had the smaller club sized ones...not embossed
neither is the no.4 in my humi

[Soulmanure]

Mine haven't been embossed either, but the 2's have a very distinct flavor in my experience. I've had draw problems, but never flavor issues.

[tippexx]

The standard Monte band has since 2006 had 'variable' embossing meaning it might be or it might not. Pre-2006 were not embossed.

None of my EMS standard production Monte's are embossed. The exceptions are my two EL Sublimes which have pronounced embossing.

[gt3911]

I also have some 2's without embossed lables

[Habana-Habanos]

Very weird, must be variable as said above..

[gt3911]

In 2003, Montecristo began using new glossy cigar bands that are not embossed (no raised print). Between 2003-2006, the Montecristo band was a light "coffee brown" colour and didn't have raised print. (Before 2003, the bands were printed on non-glossy paper and did not have raised printing at all.) In 2006, Montecristo began using slightly darker bands ("milk chocolate brown" in colour) and early versions of this band had raised printing but now they don't.

Source

[eggopp]

Send em to me for errrrrr testing

[bopmachine]

Pm your addy - u can have he last offender!

[tippexx]

Send em to me for errrrrr testing

He's only gone and done it again. Bop don't let him anywhere near your humi .... or he'll test the lot!