Handpicked by a Cuba Local Expert, we bring you our guide to 'Selection of the best Cuban cigars'.
Cuba, inevitably, is synonymous with cigars, as well as rum or sugar. And it is not for less: the island leads the world market of premium cigars produced entirely by hand, with almost 80 percent of sales, a number that excludes the United States, in whose territory no Cuban product is marketed since 1962, when the commercial blockade entered into force. However, Cuba has been on the international sales podium continuously since 1985, through the national company Cubatabaco.
Associated in 1994 with Altadis, a company of Spanish origin, Cubatabaco became Habanos S.A., which is the name by which the largest distributor of Cuban cigars in the world is known today. Its best cigars are marketed through specialized stores, such as La casa del habano or the new Cohiba Atmosphere spaces, in Buenos Aires. The good thing about these spaces is that they guarantee access to an authentic Cuban tobacco, with a wide variety of brands and vitolas, while one is known to experts.
Among the 27 export brands of Habanos S.A., there are some that are exclusive, restricted distribution, and others reach the world. In turn, some that stand out for their history, quality and popularity.
Tobacco Lamentation Alejandro Robaina
Tobacco Lamentation Alejandro Robaina The fascinating Tobacco Plantation of the late Alejandro Robaina is located in the region of Vuelta Abajo, southwest of Pinar del Río. High quality tobacco has been cultivated since 1845, but the launch of the famous Vega Robaina as a cigar brand was not carried out until 1997. Alejandro Robaina was the only contemporary Cuban with a cigar b...
Veguero House
Veguero House La Casa del Veguero is a tobacco plantation located on the outskirts of Viñales, on the road that leads to the Mirador de Los Jazmines. The best time to get the most out of the visit is between the months of February and May, at which time the artisanal cultivation system and the ripening of the tobacco leaves can best be appreciated. For the comfort of ...
Cohiba
Cohiba Cohiba's story begins when one day in 1963, Commander Fidel Castro was traveling in his car and felt the deep scent of thin, long lancers his driver smoked. He immediately wanted to know what he was about, and his assistant told him that he was armed by a friend of his. Of course, the anecdote was not there, and in 1966 Cohiba was born, a very small production brand, only for th...
Montecristo
Montecristo The best-selling vitola on the market is Montecristo No. 4, which makes these cigars the most popular in the world, with 31 percent of total sales. This brand owes its name to the most acclaimed book among the twists: Montecristo, by Alejandro Dumas. It is remarkable how in the cigar factories, where the crooks assemble each of the cigarettes by hand, the custom was extende...
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet Do not be fooled by the name of these powerful cigars: despite the fact that their name refers to the tragic work of Shakespeare, their cigars are completely removed from the romantic style, with vitolas such as Belicosos or Hunters. They were the favorites of Winston Churchill, to whom many of the vitolas today are due. However, the feminine component, present in a vi...
Monterrey's hole
Monterrey's hole There is a vega (tobacco plantation) on the banks of the river that crosses San Juan and Martínez, in the heart of Vuelta Abajo, the area of the best Cuban tobacco, which has an inscription on its doors: “Monterrey Hole. José Gener 1860 '. That is exactly what can be read in the rings of these soft cigars, special for those who enjoy a more delicate and aroma...
H. Upmann
H. Upmann Another classic of the cigars of mild to medium flavor is the one that bears the name of its founder, Herman Upmann. The man was a German banker fond of Cuban cigars, to the point that he settled on the island to install a bank and a cigar factory. In the long run, the bank went bankrupt and disappeared, but the Havana firm, founded in 1844, prospered until today becoming one of the m...
Quality Seal
Quality Seal The manufacture of a cigar is done in three different ways, which affect its taste, its view and its cost. They can be made entirely by hand, by hand and by machine or completely by machine. The best cigars carry a seal in their boxes, which says 'totally by hand', to differentiate themselves from those in which only their cape was placed by hand. When presented to the nud...