An Overview of the History of Cuban Cigars

Despite the debate that today opposes lovers of Cuban cigars and aficionados of New World cigars, Cuba remains the sanctuary and flagship of the entire tobacco industry. The saga of the Cuban cigar is the fascinating story of encounters, alliances, and clashes between eras and civilizations.

History has it that during a crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, Christopher Columbus and his men made special encounters on the island of Hispaniola (occupied today by Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and in Cuba. There they notably encountered people smoking a strange mixture of plants rolled in banana or palm leaves. Later, when Columbus and his sailors were settling in Cuba, the island's Taino Indians had him taste their local cigar recipe, which consisted quite simply of a few dried tobacco leaves rolled up. The first prototype of the Cuban cigar thus made its first encounter with the West and it did not take long before it began its journey toward the Old World. Spain and Portugal were its first host countries in Europe. Then, around 1542, Spain established the first cigar manufacturing workshop in Cuba.

The beginnings of a global industry

The history of the Cuban cigar is also a story of struggle, influence, and power. The Spanish government was the first to impose a monopoly on the Cuban cigar trade. In 1717, it even passed a law granting itself exclusive ownership of everything related to tobacco and its derivatives, including, of course, the cigar. Later, the war between Spain and England in 1762, which turned in favor of the English, allowed them to take control of Havana by several means. Throughout this occupation, the tobacco trade regained total freedom, which made it flourish very quickly. When the peace treaty restoring the Spanish enclave on the island was signed, tobacco and the Cuban cigar were already being exported to all corners of the world, arousing interest and passion among many people.

In 1797, Cabanas thus became the first private Cuban cigar brand to compete with the Spanish state monopoly. It was the first artisanal cigar brand in Havana to gain official recognition. Later, Jaime Partagás would follow in Francisco Cabanas’s footsteps by creating, in 1848, “Flor de Cabanas”. His cigars were initially made at Cabanas’s facilities before a lawsuit led to the partners’ separation. Along the way, brands such as Por Larranga and Punch joined the adventure in 1834 and 1840 respectively. As for the pioneering Cabanas, it remained in operation until 1962, the year in which the island’s cigar production industry was nationalized by Castro’s government.

The Great Revolution

Before the early 1960s, Cuban cigars were simply the benchmark for any self-respecting aficionado or enthusiast. The soil of Pinar del Rio, where the bulk of tobacco production takes place, was simply of exceptional quality. It is also a source of national pride that local producers still take great care to this day to always ensure the quality of the tobacco. The leaves on which Cuba built its hegemony in this field for centuries are also the pride of the torcedors responsible for turning them into cigars. 

That said, the political revolution led by Fidel Castro and his government brought turmoil to the Cuban market. Indeed, the government’s massive interventionism, notably through the nationalization of the industry, caused a brain drain. Many local producers thus went into exile, sometimes taking with them numerous seeds. Then, the trade embargo imposed by President John F. Kennedy dealt a severe blow to the Cuban cigar, which thereby lost its largest market. However, this had the merit of helping to strengthen its legend under these skies. But above all, this era marked the birth of a new industry. 

Cigars of the New World

The cigar producers who left the island when Castro came to power headed to destinations such as Jamaica, Honduras, Nicaragua, the Canary Islands, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. There they found soils well suited to tobacco cultivation, and several even transferred their commercial brands there. This led to many disputes, some of which were resolved by creating a company with two countries of origin. 

Along these lines, Montecristo can be cited as an example: under the Menendez family, it settled in the Dominican Republic, where its rebranding allowed it to capture significant market share. Among its most famous products are Romeo y Julieta, Cohiba, La Gloria Cubana, Partagás, H. Upmann, etc. Por Larranaga is also made in this country. Punch and Hoyo de Monterrey, on the other hand, are produced in Honduras.

After the embargo, Cuban-origin cigar brands such as Padrón and Arturo Fuente managed to restore their reputations. Immigrant master torcedors such as José Pepin Garcia recreated old brands like La Aroma de Cuba and turned them into modern classics. That said, they are produced in Nicaragua, notably through the prestigious My Father Cigars brand.

In conclusion

The cigar industry in post-Castro Cuba has undergone major changes over the past decades. Nationalization led to a concentration of resources and the disappearance of brands. Dunhill and Davidoff went their own way. In 1966, Fidel Castro created Cohiba, tobacco in the Taino language, and produced the revolution’s iconic cigar. 

Since then, Cubatabaco, the national cigar agency, has decided which brands receive the best tobacco. Iconic brands such as Cohiba, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta and H. Upmann generally benefit from this.

After the Second World War, the dissolution of the Soviet Union had a negative impact on the Cuban economy. Aid dried up, and the consistency and overall quality of Cuban cigars declined, especially in the 1980s. Today, the industry is trying as best it can to regain its former level of prosperity. Cigars account for about 17% of Cuba’s export revenue.

Finally, today, the renewed freedom of Cuban trade, coupled with the new paradigm of online stores, has made the Cuban cigar accessible to everyone. And if there is one thing its tumultuous history is sure to awaken in you, it is the desire to savor it.