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Anyone following the "fake cigars at cbid" stuff on other forums?

3/5King

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"Truth is not however going to work as well/easily in a fraud case.. what is critical in fraud is that you prove the offender made false representation as a matter of fact.. you have to prove false representation.. not prove what the actual truth is (there is a difference)... or prove they intentionally concealed what should have been disclosed... should every detail of a products contents be disclosed? is there a regulation that requires this? is there an industry standard or practice where this is done? and.. when you buy these cigars at $1.50 a stick.. did their non disclosure of short filler cause you legal injury?"

No one is talking about proving fraud in court. I saw that video and what spilled out of that cigar was not "short filler". It was tiny, assorted chips and flakes that we, back in the 60's, would call "shake". The fraud I'm referring to affects my confidence in C.I. representing their product truthfully in their ads. If Brian hadn't exposed this isn't it conceivable that C.I. could've been encouraged on to continued deception? The price of that cigar is irrelevant; they take my money and give me crap.
I guess I'm done with this and I'm sorry to stir the pot.
Have you smoked one?
 

Smoqman

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Keep in mind that "handmade" in the Dominican republic is not truly "totally handmade". More often than not, when they "hand-make" a premium cigar in the DR, they bunch the cigar filler by hand and apply the binder with a machine... then wrap it by hand. Dominican brands view this as "totally handmade". Whereas in Nicaragua, "totally handmade" means exactly that, no machine in the rolling process....

Is the statement "handmade" also subjective in this case?
 

D Quintero

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papas fritas are the most magnificently looking short filler non premium cigar on the market, with premium packaging. sold at a premium

so no yes and yes , yesses have it
 
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Looks like they changed the description this morning. This economical short-filler blend is perfect for mowing the lawn or handing out to cigar-wasting freeloaders. I still do not think this was fraud, you get what you pay for.
 

herfdog

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No one is talking about proving fraud in court. I saw that video and what spilled out of that cigar was not "short filler". It was tiny, assorted chips and flakes that we, back in the 60's, would call "shake". The fraud I'm referring to affects my confidence in C.I. representing their product truthfully in their ads. If Brian hadn't exposed this isn't it conceivable that C.I. could've been encouraged on to continued deception? The price of that cigar is irrelevant; they take my money and give me crap.
I guess I'm done with this and I'm sorry to stir the pot.
Have you personally cut open one of them cigars? or smoked one?
Do you trust that CO guy over every other people? when was he named the ultimate authority on everything cigars?


The main point at hand, we knew all along that "sub 3$ rebranded cigars" at CI were not long fillers or high quality sticks. There's thread covering this info dating over a year. Plus, the fact they are short filler isn't even a problem. Would you enjoy a nice short-filler made of scraps of opus X?

However, someone on some website decided that this is WRONG and added FAKE to the description. That same guy says anyone who uses beads without drenching in tap water are idiots.

I don't know if you're following my train of toughts here...
 
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Have you personally cut open one of them cigars? or smoked one?
Do you trust that CO guy over every other people? when was he named the ultimate authority on everything cigars?


The main point at hand, we knew all along that "sub 3$ rebranded cigars" at CI were not long fillers or high quality sticks. There's thread covering this info dating over a year. Plus, the fact they are short filler isn't even a problem. Would you enjoy a nice short-filler made of scraps of opus X?
However, someone on some website decided that this is WRONG and added FAKE to the description. That same guy says anyone who uses beads without drenching in tap water are idiots.
I don't know if you're following my train of toughts here...
No, your train of "thoughts" is quite clear as is your unnecessarily sarcastic tone. I haven't been a jerk about expressing my opinion because I believe that this forum is an outlet for the brother-hood. I don't watch C.O. and wouldn't have been aware of this situation but for the 1st thread posted by a brother with Brian's video attached. I can only conclude that many who aren't bothered by this probably haven't seen that video. Since this subject is bringing out sarcasm, I am moving on from it to re-establish peace, at least from my end.
 

herfdog

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No, your train of "thoughts" is quite clear as is your unnecessarily sarcastic tone. I haven't been a jerk about expressing my opinion because I believe that this forum is an outlet for the brother-hood. I don't watch C.O. and wouldn't have been aware of this situation but for the 1st thread posted by a brother with Brian's video attached. I can only conclude that many who aren't bothered by this probably haven't seen that video. Since this subject is bringing out sarcasm, I am moving on from it to re-establish peace, at least from my end.
Dude you really need to learn to relax.

 
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mdwest

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Herfdog isnt being sarcastic.. English is not his first language.. so maybe there is a little something lost in the message being sent vs. the message being received.. but.. what he is stating here is clearly not sarcasm.. he is stating that he doesnt find value in the review or statements made by a guy (Bryan) that has also said beads should be drenched.. or find CI's marketing practices to be any different than they always have been.. or that the fact that when the cigar was cut that it was full of short filler....

because he has spent a good amount of time on BOTL.. and has read numerous threads and participated in several discussions about all of the above listed items..

He cant even buy from CI.. they dont ship internationally.. he has no dog in this fight (sorry herfdog.. couldnt resist the opportunity to make a dog reference :) )...

It would appear like you are sensitive to people disagreeing with your opinions and positions on all of this or that you feel like youre being personally attacked... I guess Im not reading that into any of the posts that have been made..
 
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I don't believe CI/cbid telling people that the dog rockets they sell taste great is fraud at all, that's just marketing. I don't have a problem with that at all. They are in the business of selling cigars and I've seen plenty of people buy crap and then regret listening to the descriptions of said crappy cigars. That's just good marketing and while there are some hidden gems out there, the majority of cigars in the sub $3 category aren't going to be good for the average person on BOTL. I will say that I think it certainly moves into a shady gray area when they market a cigar as having a "90 rating" or whatever it may be, when in fact they are selling a cigar that they have bought the rights to and have re-blended and in fact bears no resemblance whatsoever to the actual cigar that won the "90 rating." But that doesn't constitute as being fraudulent either, just a bit shady.
However, it seems as though a few people will refuse to believe that CI/cbid have done anything wrong without clear "smoking gun" evidence. While I don't want to be an idiot and believe everything I read on the internet just to condemn this company, I've read enough from some people who's words I respect to know that the selling of Scorpion Maduros isn't just conjecture, it is something that actually happened. The links have since been removed to the best of my knowledge and many links I have clicked on are dead ends. So as far as I am concerned, they were selling counterfeit Fuente. I don't necessarily think they sold fake cigars on purpose to rip people off in a money grab. But, I do have to question where they are sourcing some of their cigars from and wonder why more questions weren't asked about why a sudden plethora of cigars that would be extremely HTF are suddenly on the market. But I won't pretend to know the ins and outs of the whole situation either and I certainly don't by any means think that the average 601, Oliva or Tatuaje product has a risk of being fake. I'm simply saying that the lack of transparency from CI/cbid along with the threats of legal action and the banning of members from their forums for discussing these issues falls under the category of shady to me. There are simply too many competitors out there (some of which are site sponsors) for me to want to give my hard earned dollars to a company that conducts some shady business practices. (Plus, you know, site sponsor discounts ftw.)
 
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My take on this now & moving forward (warning: his comes from my mind only, cannot be construed as factional, doesn't make it true, is my opinion only, & there's a 50/50 chance it's wrong!).
1. Bryan & Blanco are tight (see some of CO's videos)
2. Blanco vented about CI using his bands he sold to them to pedal a crap cigar with his name on it.
3. Bryan decides to do a video of said product and screws up by using the word "fake" in the video.
4. CI's attorneys jump on Bryan like a pack of wild dogs.
5. Bryan pulls the video to avoid a lawsuit.
6. We have a large discussion as to the legality, morality & guilt in the situation.
7. Tomorrow and beyond CI still markets cheap sticks with descriptions that would one think were made with tobacco grown in heaven, rolled on the thighs of virgins and tastes better than any cigar you ever had.
8. Next week we have a thread on the best cheap sticks for under $2.00.

Just a thought! :bag:
 
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You know something, I'm kind of relieved I got screwed out of Cigar Fest tickets this year. I've been hearing more and more about Cigarbid & Cigars International (mainly) and these "phony cigars". I wouldn't be surprised if most of the freebies they give you at Cigar Fest were these short filler/sweeping knockoffs.
 
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You know something, I'm kind of relieved I got screwed out of Cigar Fest tickets this year. I've been hearing more and more about Cigarbid & Cigars International (mainly) and these "phony cigars". I wouldn't be surprised if most of the freebies they give you at Cigar Fest were these short filler/sweeping knockoffs.
That's blowing it way out of proportion. Like I said blame the guys who sell their names to CI who then use the name to sell you budget smokes.

An example of this outside of the Blanco scenario is EP Carillo. Another name that when misinformed, you are buying a CI blend thinking you're geting an EPC.

Sell outs.
 

Craig Mac

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You know something, I'm kind of relieved I got screwed out of Cigar Fest tickets this year. I've been hearing more and more about Cigarbid & Cigars International (mainly) and these "phony cigars". I wouldn't be surprised if most of the freebies they give you at Cigar Fest were these short filler/sweeping knockoffs.
The Cigars you get at cigarfest are usually directly from the manufacturer, there is no way they are going to publicly deceive potential customers, that makes no sense for them.
 
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My take on this now & moving forward (warning: his comes from my mind only, cannot be construed as factional, doesn't make it true, is my opinion only, & there's a 50/50 chance it's wrong!).
1. Bryan & Blanco are tight (see some of CO's videos)
2. Blanco vented about CI using his bands he sold to them to pedal a crap cigar with his name on it.
3. Bryan decides to do a video of said product and screws up by using the word "fake" in the video.
4. CI's attorneys jump on Bryan like a pack of wild dogs.
5. Bryan pulls the video to avoid a lawsuit.
6. We have a large discussion as to the legality, morality & guilt in the situation.
7. Tomorrow and beyond CI still markets cheap sticks with descriptions that would one think were made with tobacco grown in heaven, rolled on the thighs of virgins and tastes better than any cigar you ever had.
8. Next week we have a thread on the best cheap sticks for under $2.00.

Just a thought! :bag:
Sounds about right. And finally...'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."
 

3/5King

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I saw this same story on another thread two days ago. Watched Cigar Obsession link. Quite disturbing. But it makes a lot of sense. It's capitalism at its finest.
I've got a question. Not just for you but really for everyone watching this thread. If you found out your favorite cigar looked like this inside, would you really care? Would it make you stop smoking it? (Not saying this cigar is anyone's favorite but I haven't heard anything bad from people who have smoked it) it's the Devils advocate. Everyone is hating on it for what is inside but no one seems to have smoked it. It's not like it's a 5-10 dollar stick
 
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I've got a question. Not just for you but really for everyone watching this thread. If you found out your favorite cigar looked like this inside, would you really care? Would it make you stop smoking it?
It's an astute question, and not just wrt cigars.

If you found out your fiancées diamond ring was cubic zirconia, would it matter?

If your "Rolex" that kept perfect time turned out to be a Faulex?

In those cases you can make the argument that they have intrinsic or investment value so it's different.

Would I stop smoking Fuente lanceros if they turned out to be short filler? No. But I would stop paying what I pay for them and wait for the market to sort itself out.

Maybe the question is more like "if you found out that there has not been a real diamond sold since 1950 and they're all zircons, would you still buy your GF a diamond ring? Would she still want it?"
 

3/5King

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It's an astute question, and not just wrt cigars.

If you found out your fiancées diamond ring was cubic zirconia, would it matter?

If your "Rolex" that kept perfect time turned out to be a Faulex?

In those cases you can make the argument that they have intrinsic or investment value so it's different.

Would I stop smoking Fuente lanceros if they turned out to be short filler? No. But I would stop paying what I pay for them and wait for the market to sort itself out.

Maybe the question is more like "if you found out that there has not been a real diamond sold since 1950 and they're all zircons, would you still buy your GF a diamond ring? Would she still want it?"
I guess what I'm trying to say is, if it smokes good, burns good and you like the taste...wtf does it matter.
 

Mr. McSquirelly

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I've got a question. Not just for you but really for everyone watching this thread. If you found out your favorite cigar looked like this inside, would you really care? Would it make you stop smoking it? (Not saying this cigar is anyone's favorite but I haven't heard anything bad from people who have smoked it) it's the Devils advocate. Everyone is hating on it for what is inside but no one seems to have smoked it. It's not like it's a 5-10 dollar stick
I agree. If you buy a $2 cigar, it could be shitty long filler or decent short filler. I don't think there's a big difference between shitty long filler and decent short filler. Although, if you are are respected vendor who claims to be selling low-end long-filler when you are really selling decent short-filler, then that undermines your credibility.
 
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