They are not Cuban cigars by any means, but can they be genuine counterfeits? Yes, there are actually three different brands of Genuine Counterfeit Cuban cigars made by Perdomo, but the one reviewed by Dr. Mitch Fadem was the Genuine Pre-Embargo 1958 Counterfeit Cuban cigar. To confuse matters even further, there is also a Genuine Counterfeit Pre-Embargo Cuban cigar (without the 1958). These are value priced cigars whose aroma reminds Doc Fadem of the real deal. For more about these cigars, read Dr. Mitch Fadem's full review of a Genuine Pre-Embargo 1958 Counterfeit Cuban Cigar.

November 11th is Veterans Day in the United States. This is a day to honor all of our military veterans. But we should never forget our active troops, especially those serving overseas under life-threatening conditions. To relieve some of the stress, troops really enjoy and appreciate cigars. That is why we established a Cigars for Troops Program, where you can send any type and any amount of cigars directly to our troops in the field. There is no middleman and no overhead, since all cigars donated are sent directly to the troops. Read more.

There are cigar events, and then there are major cigar events. The following major annual cigar events are coming up this month, and are definitely worth a trip out of town if you don't live nearby:

• Cigar Aficionado Magazine's 14th Annual Big Smoke Weekend in Las Vegas will happen during November 13 to 15, 2009, at the Venetian Resort and Casino. I attended this event back in 2007, and it is a definite must for all cigar aficionados. For more information, visit cigaraficionado.com.
• Tampa, Florida's annual Cigar Heritage Festival in Ybor City is scheduled for November 21, 2009, and will include a live broadcast by radio personality, Cigar Dave, and an attempt by Wally Reyes to break the Guinness World Record for the longest cigar.   I attended this festival back in 2006, and it is the biggest and best FREE cigar festival in the country. Visit cigarheritagefestival.com for all of the details.
• Cigar Aficionado Magazine's Big Smoke in New York is scheduled for November 24, 2009, at the Marriott Marquis. Visit cigaraficionado.com for more details.

• Avelino Lara, the cigar maker who supervised the rolling of Cuban Cohiba cigars for Castro back in the 1960's, passed away on October 27, 2009, at the age of 88. In the 1990's, he helped establish the Graycliff brand of cigars in the Bahamas.
• General Cigar has announced that Michael Boehlke, 48, of Kent, WA, has won the $10,000 grand prize in the national Partagas Cigar Cave Contest. Boehlke beat out hundreds of contestants by submitting the winning essay about him being relegated to the rainy outdoors to enjoy his beloved Partagas Black Label cigars. The Snoqualmie Casino, the retail establishment where Michael purchased his four-pack of Partagas cigars, has also won and will receive Partagas-branded leather seating for its cigar lounge.
• A new website about pairing whisky, cigars and chocolate was just launched by Sip Smoke Savor, Inc. Check it out!
• On November 9, 2009, actor Mark Wahlberg and cast members of the HBO show "Entourage" will host a celebrity golf tournament on Monday, November 9th, at the Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles, to benefit the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation. Montecristo will be the exclusive cigar sponsor of the event, where players and guests can enjoy Montecristo Classic and White cigars along with cocktails in the clubhouse.