Partagas: A brand that has stood the test of time

Among the cigar brands marketed by Habanos SA, there are some whose very name alone embodies Cuban genius and know-how. Such is the case with Partagas, one of the most prestigious cigar brands in the world. Created in 1845, this iconic brand is one of the oldest Havana brands still in operation, as well as one of the brands that has contributed the most to the development of modern cigar-making techniques. At once a creator of legendary cigars and a trailblazing brand in many fields, Partagas is now a benchmark for all lovers of premium cigars.

The birth of Partagas

The Partagas brand takes its name from its creator, Don Jaime Partagas Ravelo. Born in 1816 in Catalonia, this Spanish immigrant left his native country in 1831 for Cuba, determined to make his fortune in the tobacco industry. With the help of his parents and friends, he quickly established himself on the island and began selling tobacco under the guidance of Juan Conill and Pi, one of Cuba’s most important tobacco suppliers. During these apprenticeship years, he gained extensive knowledge of the tobacco world and developed a keen business sense. As early as 1840, he opened his own cigar workshop.

Thanks to Conill’s financial backing and the revenue from his business, he acquired his own factory in 1845. Located at 520 Industria Street in Havana, the “Flor de Tabacos de Partagas y Compania” is the oldest cigar manufactory in Cuba still in operation today. That same year, Jaime Partagas bought the “Hato de la Cruz” estate in Vuelta Abajo in order to develop his tobacco plantations there. The “Flor de Tabacos de Partagás y Compañía” brand was officially registered in December 1954.

Innovation at the heart of the brand

Jaime Partagas’s work and determination enabled him to grow his business quickly and buy numerous tobacco farms in the heart of Vuelta Abajo. Partagas cigars were thus from the outset made from premium-quality tobacco leaves. Jaime Partagas was also known for personally overseeing every stage of his cigar production and was the first to experiment with fermentation and cigar-aging methods in order to improve their quality and shelf life.

This high standard of exacting quality and excellence allowed Partagas cigars to enjoy international popularity. As early as the 1850s, Partagas counted among its customers wealthy aristocrats from Europe and the Middle East. This renown led him to rename his factory “Real Fabricas de Tobaco Partagas” in order to emphasize its status as an official supplier to the European nobility. Among the brand’s many awards, the first-class medal from the International Exhibition of France (1855) and the gold medal from the Paris International Exhibition (1862) bear witness to this international success.

In 1860, Jaime Partagas once again stood out by creating the role of reader within his Havana factory. His aim was to encourage the education of his torcedors while also allowing them to be entertained during working hours. In light of the success of this practice, many tabaquerias adopted it, eventually making it a profession in its own right.

The rebirth of Partagas

On June 17, 1868, while he was at one of his plantations, Jaime Partagas was the victim of an assassination attempt. Despite the efforts of his doctors, he died a month later from his injuries. The circumstances surrounding this murder remain obscure to this day. Some believe he was the victim of a plot orchestrated by the Cabañas family over a dispute concerning the exploitation of the La Flor de Cabañas brand, while others put forward the hypothesis of a love rivalry.

Upon his death, the running of the company passed to his eldest son, José Partagás Puig. Having not inherited his father’s business acumen, José caused the company’s decline and was forced to mortgage the lands of the Hato de la Cruz estate to keep the business afloat. But unable to repay his debts, he was ordered in 1887 to hand over the entire factory and associated assets (land, tobacco stocks and clients) to the mortgage beneficiary, banker Juan Antonio Bances Alvarez. The latter then resold it to tobacco magnate and entrepreneur Ramon Cifuentes Llano. It was under Cifuentes’ leadership that Partagas regained its prestige and became the legendary brand we know today. A tobacco expert and gifted businessman, Cifuentes notably developed the brand’s image through a series of lithographic prints that still delight collectors today.

After changing its name on multiple occasions, the company was finally registered in 1941 under the name “Cifuentes y Compañía”. In 1954, it acquired the Bolivar and La Gloria Cubana brands and became the second-largest cigar exporting company in Cuba, behind “Menendez, Garcia y Co”, owner of the H. Upmann and Montecristo brands. By 1958, it accounted for 25% of the market.

But after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the company became state-owned and the Cifuentes family left Cuba for the Dominican Republic. Today, the Partagas brand is still produced in Cuba under the control of Habanos SA, and the factory founded by Jaime Partagas employs more than 500 workers. 

A legendary brand

Created in 1845, the Partagas brand has stood the test of time. Now recognized worldwide, its cigars embody Cuban quality and excellence. In 2021, the Partagas Serie D No. 4 vitola was named “4th best cigar of the year” by Cigar Aficionado, and the Linea Maestra line is already being billed as the major event of the Festival del Habano 2023. Popular with discerning aficionados, Partagas cigars are powerful and have a unique personality. They reflect not only the quality of Cuban soil but also the passion and expertise of the men who brought them into being.