Dyed Cigar, how to tell?

From what I've heard, any cigar that is "black" is dyed. No leaf is naturally that hue, a dark brown is normal, but a blacker color usually means its dyed. Also a uniform flawless color can be a giveaway. Think Partagas Black

[Tio Gato]

Living in the Conn. Valley, I've seen lots of Broadleaf wrappers that are as black as night that are pure and have no dye at all. Uniform 'blackness' does not mean dyed.
Dyed wrappers leave your lips and fingers stained. IMHO these wrappers are found on crappy cigars, rarely on a quality cigar. Check out a Villazon made double oscuro and you will see perfectly black wrappers that are made with love, not dye. Yum!

[BigCat]

Originally Posted by Uflbassin

From what I've heard, any cigar that is "black" is dyed. No leaf is naturally that hue, a dark brown is normal, but a blacker color usually means its dyed. Also a uniform flawless color can be a giveaway. Think Partagas Black

I've smoked a lot of partagas black and have never noticed my fingers or mouth with any dye on them. Not saying they are not dyed, just adding a little anecdotal evidence to the mix...

[neoflex]

The bands will say Rocky Patel on them. J/K sort of

[JJG]

On some of the darker cigars I've smoked, I noticed that a strange lighter colored ring appears next to the ash. I always assumed this was a telltale sign of dye. just a guess though, I could be wrong. It only happens on really dark smokes though.

anyone else know what I'm talking about? It's like the wrapper turns a different color as it starts to burn.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by JJG

On some of the darker cigars I've smoked, I noticed that a strange lighter colored ring appears next to the ash. I always assumed this was a telltale sign of dye. just a guess though, I could be wrong. It only happens on really dark smokes though.

anyone else know what I'm talking about? It's like the wrapper turns a different color as it starts to burn.

I know exactly what you are talking about, and nope, it's not a sign of dye. It's just how the wrapper burns. Has to do with the temprature and chemical changes that occur in the leaf.

Aside from the taste (of the wrapper), the way I can tell for sure is to roll the tip of the cigar in the web of my hand after it's been moistened and then look. If it's brown, it's dyed. It's never failed. As a control, I tried it with a Punch Oscuro (which are one of the better REAL maduros/oscuros out there) just to make sure I wouldnt get a false positive - and there was indeed NO brown residue. Try it, it works

FWIW, the worst dyed cigar I've ever come across was a Nestor Reserve.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by BillyCigars

Aside from the taste (of the wrapper), the way I can tell for sure is to roll the tip of the cigar in the web of my hand after it's been moistened and then look. If it's brown, it's dyed. It's never failed. As a control, I tried it with a Punch Oscuro (which are one of the better REAL maduros/oscuros out there) just to make sure I wouldnt get a false positive - and there was indeed NO brown residue. Try it, it works

FWIW, the worst dyed cigar I've ever come across was a Nestor Reserve.

Yup.

In some cases, you might see a faint coloration transfer, which is probably tar or other oils from the wrapper, and not dye. Dye is almost like a magic marker. Very few quality cigars are dyed these days.

Remember the Black Pearls? OMG - those were some seriously bad dye jobs too.

[borndead1]

If stained fingers is a sign of dyeing, then Padron 80ths and Fuente Anejos are both dyed, and the El Mejor Espresso is not.

/sarcasm off/

Originally Posted by Uflbassin

From what I've heard, any cigar that is "black" is dyed. No leaf is naturally that hue, a dark brown is normal, but a blacker color usually means its dyed. Also a uniform flawless color can be a giveaway. Think Partagas Black

Are you saying that Partagas Black's are dyed?