Just got my counterfeit cubans!

[tippexx]

CMYK is generally used for process lithographic or web work. Yes, you can make colour by layering but you can only make a small range of solid looking colours. Percentages of Magenta on Yellow will make reds, but not the Partagas red which is a 100% colour,(no dot screen to be seen).
PMS is a universal system and the pigment mixing is very precise. PANT 032 red, or any PANTONE colour is same anywhere in the world. All PANTONE colours are solids and have gloss and matt versions. (I chucked my PANTONE books several years ago, so can't tell if that red is indeed one.) And, you would think that with thousands of colours to choose from Corporate's would be more than happy to designate one. Wrong, especially in industries prone to 'fakes' Pharmceutical, Perfumery, and Tobacco being examples. They use special mix colours that are difficult to copy. Most ink manufactures will produce special mix colours. And, ink isn't as difficult or as expensive to come by as you think, it's a highly competitive business.
Substrate (paper, board etc.) will effect colour, but only marginally, and not at all if the ink and paper are correctly matched.
Cohiba and Partagas might hail from Cuba, but they are not Third World corporates. If for example Cohiba can have Siglo's made in Germany there's no reason why Partagas can't have band-labels and packaging printed there.
The bands on my D2 TUBOS are in my opinion excellently printed. My guess is they were printed reel-fed using two special gloss UVs. Cuba has NO UV ink manufactures (I checked), so either the ink is imported or the labels out-sourced. In either senario there would be a standard and no good reason for it not to be maintained.

[tupacboy]

He's very good.

I agree that tobacco leaves being a natural, vegetable product will vary to some degree within the parameter of their particular genus.

Print for labels on the other hand shouldn't. There is no excuse. For corporate consistancy and identity the colours used will 'special' solid spot colours with inks manufactured to precise formulas. The machine-minder printing the labels will have a colour target and will ensure the ink runs to it by slightly adjusting the appropriate print roller and preventing the colour from appearing too dark (heavy) or too transparent (light) at 'make-ready' stage and then stage check throughout the run. Anything which deviates is binned, and believe me print shops are full of gashed paper. In printing, at very worse the Partagas red might vary slightly in shade, what it cannot do is vary in hue i.e become more blue or yellow.

Actually it really depends if they are printing using PMS vs CYMK... If it is CYMK then hue variation is expected. Ink absorption varies per climate(temperature and humidity) and ink varies on every sheet of paper, slight differences in ink absorption and thickness per sheet (microns).

And if they go the PMS (more likely) you should keep in mind that they are in Cuba, where even shampoo is a luxury. With that in mind, can you imagine how hard it is to get consistent PMS ink?

Even here in Obamaland we still get problems with PMS ink sometimes.

Printing is still an art... not science

[tippexx]

He's very good.

I agree that tobacco leaves being a natural, vegetable product will vary to some degree within the parameter of their particular genus.

Print for labels on the other hand shouldn't. There is no excuse. For corporate consistancy and identity the colours used will 'special' solid spot colours with inks manufactured to precise formulas. The machine-minder printing the labels will have a colour target and will ensure the ink runs to it by slightly adjusting the appropriate print roller and preventing the colour from appearing too dark (heavy) or too transparent (light) at 'make-ready' stage and then stage check throughout the run. Anything which deviates is binned, and believe me print shops are full of gashed paper. In printing, at very worse the Partagas red might vary slightly in shade, what it cannot do is vary in hue i.e become more blue or yellow.

[Deano]

He's good

[cj121]

And traditionally Cuban cigars are graded for colour within the box going from light to dark (v.marginal differences here, you understand) if memory serves me right. In more recent times, this aspect might have gone by the wayside.

EDIT: To clarify the above,

"a second Escogedor then sorts the cigars within each shade, one box-full at a time, ordering them so that any slight differences in tone run dark to light from left to right across the box"
(Cultivating a tradition of perfection:an enthusiasts guide to Habanos. Habanos SA, 2002: pg 39) even got a quote in there for the fussy

[Deano]

Yeh. It's exactly what they do - sort them into colours for each individual box. Colours can range massively from box to box due to this.

[Luis]

"Aren't cigars as popular as partagas supposed to have wrappers that are consistent in colour from box to box?"

I don't think so, actually it seems cubans are looking more for consistency of colours within one box than within one vitola.

[tippexx]

Well, it would be nice to think that for around ?120 for a 25 box there ought to be a quality control system in operation somewhere.

[cigarssogood]

The two things that most concerned me were the bands and the colour of the wrappers. Aren't cigars as popular as partagas supposed to have wrappers that are consistent in colour from box to box? Meaning they use the same type of tobacco for the wrapper? I assumed so, but am a relative noobie to cigars, only owning 10 boxes or so, and as such, am not immune to naivete.

[daverave999]

If I said they smoke great, I meant the draw was good, sorry. They taste ALRIGHT, not amazing.

They will have likely been through serious temperature changes if they've come airmail. Sometimes they smoke great out of the box but I've often found that three months rest sorts out taste and burn issues.

[EDIT] By they, I mean cigars in general. I'm not up on D4s I'm afraid.

[tippexx]

Cigarsogood you mean. I checked my D4s yesterday, I've only a three TUBOS pack and they were fine. And from Richard.

[cigarssogood]

Let's hope that works. TC source from InterTabak AG, Habanos S.A. Importer for Cuban cigars into Switzerland, who on this showing don't appear to be doing a very good check and inspection job. I can't imagin cigars looking like that getting past Hunters and Frankau or any of our retailers.

So you agree the cigars look a bit dodgy?

[Deano]

Can always send one to me. If it's legit, I'll send you one back.

[tippexx]

Let's hope that works. TC source from InterTabak AG, Habanos S.A. Importer for Cuban cigars into Switzerland, who on this showing don't appear to be doing a very good check and inspection job. I can't imagin cigars looking like that getting past Hunters and Frankau or any of our retailers.

[Deano]

Probably should just ask for a swap if you're not satisfied, they're a good legit company