Cohiba

Cohiba – Premium Cigars, made in Cuba

Cohiba is a brand for two kinds of premium cigar, one produced in Cuba for Habanos S.A., the Cuban state-owned tobacco company. The other is produced in the Dominican Republic for US-based General Cigar Company. The name cohíba derives from the Taíno word for “tobacco“.

Cohiba is the flagship brand of Habanos.

It was created in 1966 for President Fidel Castro himself and was made at the then top secret, but now world famous, El Laguito factory. At first, it was only seen outside Cuba as gifts for heads of state and visiting diplomats.

Since 1982 Cohiba has been available in limited quantities to the open market.

El Laguito, Cuba, Cohiba

El Laguito. Cohiba Factory. La Habana, Cuba

The name is an ancient Taino Indian word for the bunches of tobacco leaves that Columbus first saw being smoked by the original inhabitants of Cuba – the earliest known form of a Habano.

The leaves for Cohiba are the “selection of the selection” from the 5 finest Vegas de Primera in San Juan y Martínez and San Luis districts of the Vuelta Abajo zone.

Uniquely amongst Habanos up to three of Cohiba’s filler leaves, the seco, ligero and the rare medio tiempo, undergo an additional fermentation in barrels. This unique process produces a special aroma and flavour you will only find in Cohiba.

Cohiba encompasses four different Líneas or Lines. First there is the Línea Clásica whose six sizes were introduced between 1966 and 1989. Then there is the Línea 1492, five sizes of which were launched in 1992 to commemorate the 500th Anniversay of Columbus’s arrival in Cuba before one further size, the iconic Siglo VI, was added in 2002.

Línea Clásica

Línea 1492

The Línea Maduro 5 consisting of three sizes each wrapped in dark maduro leaves specially aged for five years was launched in 2007. And most recently, the Línea Behike, whose three sizes made their debut in 2010, was added as the most exclusive line of all. In its filler blend it uses the rare medio tiempo leaf, which is found only amongst some of the top two leaves of sun-grown tobacco plants and brings an exceptional richness to the taste of the Habanos.

Línea Maduro 5

Through such constant innovation, Cohiba has held its position at the leading edge of the cigar world. It was also the first Habanos brand to offer a Reserva cigar in 2002 and a Gran Reserva in 2009 made with tobaccos specially aged for a minimum of three and five years respectively.