Cuban Cigars

Cigars from the master cigar-makers. Cuba produces the world's finest but, boy, are they hard to get hold of?

	Cohiba Cigars This Cuban brand is filled with tobacco which, unique to Cohiba, has undergone an extra fermentation process. Cuban Cohiba was established in 1968 as a limited production private brand supplied exclusively to Fidel Castro and high-level officials in the Communist Party of Cuba and the Cuban government. Often given as diplomatic gifts, the Cohiba brand gradually developed a "cult" status. It was first released commercially for sale to the public in 1982. The name cohíba derives from the Taíno word for "tobacco." (Information courtesy of Wikipedia)
	Bolivar Cigars Introduced in 1901, the powerful flavour of the Bolivar range is almost as widely known as it's namesake, Simon Bolivar (1783-1830), the celebrated Venezuelan warrior who liberated all or part of what is today Venezuela, Columbia, Peru and Bolivia. The cigar brand was developed by the Jose Rocha Company and manufactured at the El Crepusculo factory, but was later acquired by Menendez, Garcia y Cia.
	La Paz Cigars Another stunning Cuban cigar range for the afficionado.
	Montecristo Cigars The most famous of the many famous Havana brands started in 1935 as a new brand from Menendez, Garcia y Cia., then the owners of the H. Upmann brand. The name is reported to have been inspired by Alexandre Dumas' 1844 novel Le Comte de Montecristo. With a strong marketing effort from Alfred Dunhill of London, this brand became the most popular of all Havana exports. There are no machine-made shapes in this range and the strength is medium; in fact, it has become the standard by which all other Havanas are now judged.
	Partagas Cigars Partagás is among the oldest extant brands of cigars, established in Havana in 1845. The name is used today by two independent and competing entities, one produced on the island of Cuba for Habanos SA, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and the other produced in the Dominican Republic for the General Cigar Company, which is today a subsidiary of Swedish Match.
	Punch Cigars Established in 1840 and intended for the British market – where a comic book featuring a character named “Mr. Punch” was in fashion – Don Manuel López, owner of the J. Valle y Cía, established the Punch cigar brand. The comedian Mr. Punch, who wore an unmistakably sly smile and who always had a cigar in his hand, still adorns the box decoration of these outstanding Cuban cigars. The Punch cigar soon became a Habano of indisputable quality in the marketplace. The tremendous popularity of Punch cigars amongst the British also trapped Sir Winston Churchill who gave into the temptation to visit the Monte y Zulueta factory during his stay in Havana. The British statesman ended up giving his name to a size of this brand. All the Punch cigars boast strong aromas of mainly fruity and woody tastes.
	Romeo y Julieta Cigars The Romeo y Julieta marque was established in 1875 by Inocencio Alvarez and Mannin Garcia. The brand is named for Shakespeare's famous tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. Between 1885 and 1900, the brand won numerous awards at different tasting exhibitions (as still evidenced by the gold medals on the brand's logo). However, the brand truly bloomed after it was acquired by Jose "Pepin" Rodriguez Fernandez, former head of the Cabañas factory in Havana, and his firm, Rodríguez, Argüelles y Cia, in 1903. Sir Winston Churchill was perhaps the brand's most famous devotee. The flagship vitola of the brand is named in his honor, a long 7" by 47 ring gauge cigar known as the Churchill. Information courtesy of Wikipedia.