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When one thinks of cigars, probably the first country that springs to mind is Cuba. Situated only 100 miles south off the tip of Florida, east of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, Cuba is blessed with the perfect climate and soils for the growing and cultivation of tobacco.
It is also home to some of the world’s oldest and most famous cigar brands, such as the likes of Cohiba, Romeo Y Julieta and Montecristo to name but three.
The cigar industry in Cuba in steeped in tradition, and it is from here that many modern tobacco growing and cigar making techniques originate.
It is fair to say that the Cuban cigar industry has been somewhat affected by embargoes, as very little investment in modern technology has taken place, however, that is part of the romanticism of Cuban cigars.
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Although it would be hard to pinpoint with absolute certainty, it is believed that the tobacco plant landed in Cuba between four and five thousand years ago from South America. Called ‘Cohiba’ by the native Cuban population, it was initially used for its medicinal qualities and by tribe leaders in their religious ceremonies. Many Caribbean islands and South American countries where tobacco was grown quite widely, also had similar rituals. These ‘Shamen’ would, take the dried tobacco leaves, roll them, and smoke them, creating, in effect, rudimentary hand-rolled cigars.
It was Christopher Columbus who, in 1492, whilst on his tour investigating the Caribbean, witnessed this practice, its effects on the people, and how enjoyable it was. The Spanish colonies of South America and the Caribbean, who were already cultivating tobacco, were the ones to see the trade opportunities of their newfound plant. By the early 1530s, tobacco was already being exported to Spain, the first country in the world to see a big uptake in smoking. Once the ships had docked, the tobacco would be processed and made into cigars before being distributed around the country. As word got around, the export trade with Europe and the Far East became huge in a relatively short period of time.
The first proper Cuban cigar factory was founded in 1542 although it would be a number of years before Cuban hand-rolled cigars would be easily found outside of Cuba. During the 17th and early 18th centuries, tobacco and sugar were Cuba’s main exports, however, in 1717 the Spanish Crown introduced the Real Factorfa effectively converting the Cuban tobacco industry into Crown ownership – a great way to increase the tax revenue raised! Over the next hundred years, and with a couple of iterations along the way in 1732 and 1760, the Crown would have the monopoly of the Cuban tobacco industry before the system was dropped in 1817, after which ownership of plantations and factories reverted into private hands. The Spanish Monopoly of the Cuban Tobacco industry is complex and would merit an article in its own right!
Initially, the number of Cuban hand-made cigars that were exported was small, but they were found to be of better quality than the ones made in Spain. With this in mind, in the early 1800’s more cigar factories were built and new cigar brands developed to help satisfy the increasing demand from the overseas markets. It was during this time that many of the now well-known brands came into being, names such as Partagas (1827), Por Larranaga (1834) and Punch (1840) to name but a few.
Between 1826 and 1830 roughly 112 tonnes of cigars on average were exported annually from Cuba, however, by 1835 to 1840 that figure had risen to around 363 tonnes on average! Great Britain was an early adopter of Cuban cigars and considered to be one of the prime markets, alongside Germany and France and later on, the United States. By 1859, of the 240 million Cuban cigars made, the US had accounted for sales of 111 million of them, Germany 38 million, Great Britain 15 million and Spain 11 million.
Over the last 200 years or so, Cuba has built up an envious reputation for producing some of the world’s finest cigars. Many of the brands are instantly recognisable names, such as Cohiba, Romeo Y Julieta, Montecristo and Upman, to name but a few, and are available around the world apart from one notable exception, that being the United States. The US was once, Cuba’s biggest export market for the likes of cigars and sugar cane, however, the Cuban missile crises of 1962 effectively put an end to that.
Today, as I write this (mid-2024), the Cuban cigar industry is in a state of flux. Recent worldwide events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest along with hurricanes and earthquakes have had a major impact, all at a time when worldwide interest in cigars has skyrocketed. The effect has been that Cuba has struggled with supplying the demand which has been intense.
In late 2021, early 2022 a Chinese consortium bought a major stake in Habanos SA, the company that oversees the manufacture and distribution of Cuban cigars. Shifting the emphasis initially on to the production of core lines has enabled the producers to catch up somewhat with the demand, whilst also bringing in much-needed hard currency.
Although things are currently still proving a little bit sticky, there are signs that things will improve significantly throughout 2024 and 2025, and that the industry will have caught up with the demand. The future is looking bright, the future is looking Cuban!
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