Genuine Counterfeit Cuban Corona Review

M

Mr. Doug

Gorilla
A few months ago when I started getting "serious" about cigars, I ran across a JR catalog (imagine that) and started leafing through it. When I came across the "Genuine Counterfeit Cuban Cigars" I was immediately intrigued.

My initial reaction was that of most people. "They can't be THAT good...can they?" At $50 for a box of 25...we're at the point that I've wasted more money on less cigars. At the very least, they'd be worth it for the story that JR tells in their description.

"Genuine Counterfeit Cubans are square-pressed cigars that were launched in 2000 by Tabacalera Perdomo and offers Ecuadorian Rosado wrapper with a medium-to-full-bodied taste. In boxes of 25s."

Normally, I could say "You had me at square-pressed." but "Genuine Counterfeit Cuban" has a lot to live up to. I'm not the most distinguished palate, but I have smoked my share of cigars to be able to tell when I like something, and when I don't.

Let's get started!
 
Let's take a look at the box...it's pretty cool.

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At first glance, you can think "Oh no! Someone must have sold me some cuban cigars that turned out to be fake! What shall I ever do!?!"

Relax...they are supposed to look like that! A glance at the bottom of the box shows you a website that you can visit for more information. I don't think any cigars from Habana have a website on the bottom...

A quick stop by http://www.counterfeitcubancigars.com takes you to JR Cigars...your exclusive dealer for GCCC.

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I still have some of these from a box I had boughten at a JR store in NC. The flavor on these was OK but the draw on most of them was extremely tight. Some so tight that they were unsmokable.
 
Now let's take a look at the construction.

Seeing that these are hand-made in Estell Nicaragua under the watchful eye of Nick Perdomo...you aren't going to get a crummy cigar.

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The band is thin and tight. Normally, Perdomo cigars are known for having a band that is 1/3 the length of the cigar, so this is a nice departure if you ask me.

I don't think I was paying attention when I bought them...but I didn't remember them being square-pressed...so that was a nice surprise for me. I like square cigars when I'm on the golf course because it's easier to have them in my teeth when we're driving a cart, or I'm trying to intimidate my opponent. (I'm really not THAT good...I need all the help I can get.)

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The cap was nice and consistent across the entire box. Double-cap, inside twist. (If anyone cares.)
 
Firing it up was pretty easy. The initial draw wasn't too hard at all. I'd heard that early production runs were pretty tight, so I was a little apprehensive when I started reading...after I had already purchased the box.

After clipping, this is what the filter side looks like. The square-pressed-ness of it shows...but I'm not sure who drew that square. :)

Lighting it with a 3X torch was a little too-much, so I went with a single. This is a smaller gauge cigar, so the single worked well.

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Initially, I thought it was a little sweet. After a minute or so, it evened out a little and I was impressed with the initial taste. Not a lot of pepper, as I expected. Mildly sweet...medium bodied.

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After 2-3min, I had a nice ash started. At this point, I let it rest for a second and went in to get some more water.
 
GCCs were first introduced when Nick was having quality troubles with his many, many product lines. I think that Perdomo has come back since then, so there may be some improvement across the board.
 
2" in and we're at full-speed on the taste. Still mildly sweet, still medium bodied, still awesome.

I'm not sure that I've had a Habano that tastes like this before, but there are quite literally thousands that I HAVEN'T had, so that doesn't come as any surprise.

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10min, and one ash later, we see that we are burning VERY well. No quality issues to speak of.

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I'd say that this is a solid 2hr cigar. I lit it at 10:00AM on the nose, and we're at the half-way mark at 11:10am. (I usually smoke first, and then start writing 1/2 way through so I can end the review and cigar at the same time.)

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The ash is still white as a styrofoam cup, so that tells me that the tobacco was grown in quality soil. (At least that's what I'm told it means...so I'll go with that until told otherwise.)

The ash isn't sticking together like it is glued, but this is a $2.00 cigar...what do you expect?
 
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The band is pretty cool on its own. Very thin, and easily removed if you don't like the fact that it's stamped "Counterfeit".

It's supposed to look like the tax label that dons every box of REAL cuban cigars. I didn't bother to put it under a black-light...but I don't think it'll have any hidden Habanos logo.

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I took all the bands off of mine. They are cool and all, but a little "Campy" for me.
 
The Medium-Brown wrapper is keeping shape nicely. It isn't drying out like some less-expensive cigars often do with 3.5" left.

No seeds or imperfections to speak of...just a nice honest smoke so far.

The flavor has stayed relatively consistent. The construction hasn't hit any bad spots. I'm VERY impressed at this point in the experience.
 
The smoke is still thick and creamy.

No inward-burning to speak of. I don't have the nice cone in the center, but again, we're talking about a $2.00 cigar.

True, it DID claim to be a Genuine Counterfeit Cuban....but if it were counterfeit, I'd expect this...so there are things on both sides of the fence that we need to look at here.

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I can't believe that I've failed to mention much about the coffee overtones that I'm tasting with this cigar.

I'm drinking a bottle of San Pellegrino while smoking it, but I imagine that this cigar would go great with a morning cup of Joe.
 
Just when I thought I was out of the woods...I hit a funky part of the cigar.

With about 2.5" left, I'm having "Heat" issue. When I draw on it, I get hot air and a LITTLE bit of smoke.

It looks like there is a bit of a twig in the way...hmmmmm

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Ash-re-light-blow...

We're back in business!

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nice review and nice set of pics of the stick and of your mug. :D

good work.

haven't tried them, but I'm a sucker for a good cheap cigar, so I will consider getting some.

BTW, I like the way your stick is burning... I try to avoid that cone you mentioned liking. a nice even plane of burning is good for me.
 
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