Cohiba is the top brand of Habanos.
It was specially created for President Fidel Castro in 1966 and manufactured in the then-secret but now world-famous “El Laguito” factory. In addition to the Cuban leadership’s own consumption, the Cohibas were only intended as representative gifts for heads of state and diplomats.
In 1982 the Cohiba was presented on the international market.
COHIBA CUBAN CIGARS
Established: (1966)
Cohiba is the flagship brand of Habanos. It was created in 1966 for President Fidel Castro 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. The name Cohiba 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 the cigar. The leaves for Cohiba are the ‘selection of the selection’ from the five finest Vegas Finas de Primera in the San Juan y Martinez and San Luis zones of the Vuelta Abajo region. Uniquely amongst Habanos two of Cohiba’s filler leaves, the seco and ligero, undergo a third fermentation in barrels, which adds smoothness to the blend.
There are three distinct Lineas (Lines) of Cohiba: Linea Clasica introduced between 1966 and 1989; the Linea 1492 brought out in 1992 to mark the 500th Anniversary of Columbus’s epic voyage of discovery. The final lineis the Maduro 5 Linea. All sizes of Cohiba are ‘totalmente a mano, tripa larga’, totally hand made, long filler.
The term “Cohiba” is an ancient word of the Cuban Taino Indians for the wraps of tobacco leaves that they smoked. Columbus’ report testifies to this wrap as the first form of cigar known to Europeans.
The leaves of the Cohiba represent the “selection of the selection” from the five best Vegas Finas de Primera in the San Juan y Martinez and San Luis areas of the Vuelta Abajo region.
It is typical of the Cohiba that two of the insert leaf types, Seco and Ligero, are additionally fermented in barrels for a third time, which helps the cigars to achieve an extremely smooth and rounded development of their variety of flavors. No cigar combines strength and finesse in the same way as a Cohiba.
The Línea Maduro has been part of the Cohiba brand since 2007. It consists of three formats, which are characterized by particularly dark cover pages. Specially selected and fermented wrappers are subjected to a minimum of five years of maturation in Tercios (tobacco bales wrapped in royal palm leaves). This causes an extraordinarily complex aroma development of these medium-strong to strong cigars.
All formats of the Cohiba are ‘totalmente a mano, tripa larga’ – long fillers made entirely by hand.
Taste:
Línea Clásica – medium-strong to strong
Línea 1492 – medium-strong
Línea Maduro – medium-strong to strong
1963
One of Fidel Castro’s bodyguards, Bienvenido Perez, offered his boss a cigar rolled by his friend Eduardo Rivera. Fidel Castro liked the cigar so much that he asked Mr. Rivera to make more. This cigar, later became known as the Lanceros and remains one of the most iconic cigars on the market.
1964
These are the cigars that began to be offered to diplomats and foreign heads of state. They had no bands or cigar name at the time. Cigar bands featuring the names of the VIPs receiving them were used.
In the same year, a small factory was set up to manufacture these cigars.
1966
Eduardo Rivera’s personal assistant, Celia Sanchez, christened it Cohiba. This is the word the Indians called cigars during the time of Christopher Columbus.
1967
The factory moved to what has become today one of the most famous buildings in the cigar world; the famous El Laguito Factory, located in Playa, Havana.
From 1969, until 1994, the cigar band consisted of several different versions.
1982
The brand was marketed internationally, with it’s launching party at the Ritz Hotel in Madrid.
1989
The Linea Classica was launched and included the; Esplendidos, Exquistos, and Robustos.
1992
The Linea 1492 was launched and included the Siglo I, II, III, IV, and V.
2002
The famous and very popular Siglo VI was launched
Also, in 2002, Cohiba was the first Habanos brand to launch a Gran Reserva cigar.
2007
The Maduro 5 Linea was launched including the Genios, Magicos and Secretos.
2009
The first ever Gran Reserva cigar was released, the Cohiba Gran Reserva Siglo VI Cosecha 2003. The black lacquered boxes include 15 cigars, and only 5000 boxes were produced.
2010
One of the most sought-after cigars in the market was launched, the Linea Behike. Includes the Behike 52, 54, and 56.
2016
To commemorate 50 years of the brand, a special cigar and humidor were released called the Majestuosos 1966. They are highly collectable.