The Home of Habanos: A Tobacco Growing Paradise

The word habano literally means “something from Havana” and is the word in the Spanish language specifically used for cigars produced in Cuba.

The cultivation and production of habanos are considered practically an art form by Cubans. These completely handmade cigars have generated an entire culture around their production and consumption, including the use of specific nomenclature for each stage, product, or person. For this reason, we include a vocabulary to consult as these irreplaceable terms appear often when it comes to explaining the history and manufacturing of a good Cuban cigar. For those interested in delving into the universe of habanos, we recommend visiting the official website of Habanos S.A. where there is an exhaustive explanation of every detail of the production process of these Cuban cigars.

History

The Taínos, an indigenous ethnic group of Cuba, were the first of America’s cultures to nurture the delicate tobacco plant into a form that could easily be processed for smoking. These first inhabitants of the island were docile and friendly subjects compared to the notably more hostile Native Americans and offered a warm welcome to the colonizers. The coexistence between Cuban natives and Spaniards gave the latter the opportunity to notice the strange custom of  smoking “sacred leaves” during their religious meetings that apparently produced an effect of ecstasy and absolute calm. This product later became known as Cuban cigars.

Once marketed in Europe, tobacco became a very popular and sought-after product. With time and the improvement of production methods, consuming a good cigar ceased to be a mundane activity and evolved into a ritual reserved for the few. As a luxury product, the Cuban cigar became one of the main export products from the island. First to Spain during the colonial stage of Cuban history and then to the United States when Cuba became a republic, with the U.S. assuming the total purchase of this Cuban product, causing it to function as a single export industry.

Great companies were created by Spanish and North American investors who poured money into this “smoke mine.” Some of the names of the main brands that dominate the market today come from the names of these companies, for example, Romeo y Julieta, from the Spanish factory of the same name founded by Rodríguez, Argüelles y Cía in 1870.

“In 1900, when the so-called Spanish-Cuban-American War ended, North American businessmen rushed to invest in the Cuban tobacco sector that they knew profitably. That year, a large company made up of American and British capitals were created, which began its commercial activities as Havana Commercial Co., but which was finally known as The Trust. This, together with the big companies of Henry Clay & Bock and the Havana Cigar & Tobacco Co. tried to create a manufacturing monopoly that did not result due to the resistance of a large number of independent producers on the island.” (www.cubamuseo.net/seccion-es-24)

The competition between producers led to the refinement and improvement of the productive modes based on studies and the infallible method of trial and error. Somehow the tight commercial scenario and the fight between companies to dominate the market together with the ideal qualities of the island to produce quality cigars made Cuban tobacco the best in the world. Those experiences bequeathed more than 500 years of tradition to the current producers of the habano, extensive know-how, and recipes of success that are applied and enrich every day of their production.

After the triumph of the Revolution and the well-known and controversial process of nationalization, all of the large foreign companies on the island were expropriated, including the tobacco producers. Even so, this highly valued product continued to be produced, only now as a state-owned company. In 2000 the Cuban government company Cubatabaco signed a 50% -50% contract with Altadis, a Spanish company owned by Imperial Tobacco Group PLC, a British tobacco company. They have helped the Cuban brand to reach several foreign markets and to keep at the head of global sales.

Either way, to achieve these commercial results it is necessary to have a quality product with production phases that are rigorously controlled. If you want to learn how the current habano is grown and produced, stay tuned for future posts in our Cuban Cigar Series!