Cohiba
A Cuban state cigar born as a private blend for Fidel Castro and senior officials.
- Founded
- 1966
- Family
- Habanos S.A. in Cuba; General Cigar Company in the United States
- Made in
- Dominican Republic · Nicaragua · Honduras · United States
- Factory
- El Laguito factory, outskirts of Havana, Cuba
- Lines here
- 9
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The house
The story of Cohiba
Cohiba began in the mid-1960s after one of Fidel Castro’s bodyguards shared a cigar made by local artisan Eduardo Rivera. Castro liked the unbranded blend, and special production was established under tight security for him and other senior Cuban officials. The Cuban Cohiba was established in 1966 and formally launched by Cubatabaco in 1968, with Avelino Lara of El Laguito charged with creating its new blend.
Only a few thousand boxes were produced annually during the brand’s early years. They were reserved for high government officials and frequently presented as diplomatic gifts. Cohiba entered public markets outside the United States in 1982, alongside the World Cup in Spain, with three sizes: Panetela, Corona Especial and Lancero.
The Línea Clásica expanded in 1989 with the Robusto, Exquisito and Espléndido. Habanos S.A. introduced Línea 1492 in 1992 to commemorate Christopher Columbus’s voyage to the Americas; its first five cigars were named Siglo I through Siglo V, with Siglo VI following in 2002. The maduro-wrapped Maduro 5 line arrived in 2007.
A separate Cohiba trademark was registered in the United States by General Cigar Company in 1978. Produced on a large scale in the Dominican Republic from 1997, this American-market Cohiba shares only its name with the Cuban product, contains no Cuban tobacco and is the Cohiba that may legally be sold in the United States.
Milestones
Moments that made the house
- 1966
Private brand established
Cuban Cohiba was established as a limited-production cigar for Fidel Castro and senior Cuban officials.
- 1968
Formal Cuban launch
Cubatabaco formally launched the brand and asked Avelino Lara of El Laguito to create its blend.
- 1978
U.S. trademark registered
General Cigar Company registered the Cohiba name in the United States.
- 1982
Public commercial release
Cohiba entered markets outside the United States with the Panetela, Corona Especial and Lancero.
- 1989
Línea Clásica expanded
The Robusto, Exquisito and Espléndido joined the original three sizes.
- 1992
Línea 1492 introduced
Habanos S.A. launched Siglo I through Siglo V to commemorate Columbus’s voyage to the Americas.
- 2002
Siglo VI added
The Siglo VI joined the Línea 1492 series.
- 2007
Maduro 5 released
Habanos introduced the maduro-wrapped Maduro 5 line in three sizes.
Craft
How they make them
Cuban Cohiba filler tobacco comes from selected Vegas Finas de Primera in the San Luis and San Juan y Martínez zones of Cuba’s Vuelta Abajo region. The harvested tobacco is selected again for quality, and the filler undergoes a special third fermentation in wooden barrels at El Laguito, intended to produce a smoother flavor. Cohibas were originally made entirely at El Laguito; production of some vitolas later expanded to Havana’s Partagás factory, using pre-blended tobacco received from El Laguito. Dominican Cohiba lines use different blends: Cohiba Blue, for example, is handcrafted with aged tobaccos including Honduran Olancho San Agustín wrapper and binder, plus Honduran Jamastrán, Nicaraguan Ometepe and Dominican Piloto Cubano.
Details
Things most people don't know
- Original audience
- Early Cohibas were reserved for Fidel Castro, senior Cuban officials and diplomatic gifts.
- Closely guarded fields
- In 1992, ten selected fields totaling about 700 acres supplied the brand, and their locations were kept secret.
- Annual field selection
- In an average year, the output of only five selected fields was used for Cohiba production.
- 1992 production
- Cuba produced approximately 3.4 million Cohiba cigars out of roughly 60 million exported cigars.
- Two distinct brands
- The Dominican-made U.S. Cohiba is related to the Cuban Cohiba in name only and contains no Cuban tobacco.
- Beyond cigars
- Habanos S.A. has used the Cohiba name for cigarettes since 1987 and Extra Cohiba Cognac since 1999.
In the humidor
Cohiba up close
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